Manyebook

The Nature of Despotism: From Caligula to Mugabe, the Making of Tyrants

"What differentiates a strong leader from a cruel despot? In The Nature of Despotism, Tom Ambrose poses this critical question, exploring the motivation of some of the most notorious despots throughout the centuries and uncovering the unsettling truth behind their extreme behaviour."

"The book investigates the many facets of despotism, including the effect of a difficult, often violent childhood on the making of a despot; the manipulation and oppression of the masses which allows the despot to establish an unquestioning following; the nature of the 'enlightened despot' who, at the time of the Renaissance, brought reform and culture while still demanding total obedience; and the emergence of despotic groups such as the Sicilian Mafia in 18th century Italy and its development in the United States in the 20th century." The book covers the lives and careers of such despots as Nero, Genghis Khan, Vlad the Impaler, Robespierre, Stalin, Hitler, Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong-Il. With chapters on the use of ceremony and scapegoats to distract their people, the importance of building a personality cult, the pretension to, and control of, culture and the myth of efficiency, The Nature of Despotism is an in-depth study of what it is that makes a tyrant and offers predictions for the future of despotism in a world where international bodies increasingly intervene in a country's affairs.

  • Format
  • hardcover
  • Pages
  • 232
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9781847730701
  • Genres
  • history, politics
  • Release date
  • 2008