From Dictator to Demigod
08/01/19 • 62 min
Why do dictators and despots create outlandish myths about themselves? Why spread lies claiming that you've written 18,000 books or that you personally invented hamburgers? Why waste millions on a golden statue of yourself that rotates to face the sun? It turns out there's a method to their madness. In this episode, we examine some of the weirdest and most brutal dictators on the planet to understand the three step playbook for how despots across the globe try to transform themselves from flawed tyrants into seemingly flawless demigods with a cult of personality.
Support the show on Patreon at Patreon.com/powercorrupts
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Power Corrupts is written and narrated by Brian Klaas. The executive producer and sound editor is George McDonagh.
Why do dictators and despots create outlandish myths about themselves? Why spread lies claiming that you've written 18,000 books or that you personally invented hamburgers? Why waste millions on a golden statue of yourself that rotates to face the sun? It turns out there's a method to their madness. In this episode, we examine some of the weirdest and most brutal dictators on the planet to understand the three step playbook for how despots across the globe try to transform themselves from flawed tyrants into seemingly flawless demigods with a cult of personality.
Support the show on Patreon at Patreon.com/powercorrupts
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Power Corrupts is written and narrated by Brian Klaas. The executive producer and sound editor is George McDonagh.
Previous Episode
Letters of Last Resort
The UK has a new prime minister. On his first day, Boris Johnson will handwrite four identical letters to the captains of Britain's nuclear submarines. They are one of the most closely guarded secrets of the British government. And those Letters of Last Resort will only be opened if London is wiped out by a nuclear blast. The letters must answer a straightforward but morally complex question: should the UK fire back with nuclear weapons? To deter nuclear attacks, the answer must be yes. But can we stomach that answer, given that nuclear retaliation could endanger the survival of our species? Support the show on Patreon at Patreon.com/powercorrupts
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Power Corrupts is written and narrated by Brian Klaas. The executive producer and sound editor is George McDonagh.Next Episode
The Greatest Heists You’ve Never Heard Of
When you think of heists, you probably think of masked men, bank robbers, and priceless art. But governments carry out heists, too. In this episode, we explore a billion dollar bank heist carried out by North Korean hackers; a heist carried out by a dictator who pledged to rule for a billion years (and was obsessed with mayonnaise); and a jewel heist that destroyed diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand for a generation.
Support the show on Patreon at Patreon.com/powercorrupts
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Power Corrupts is written and narrated by Brian Klaas. The executive producer and sound editor is George McDonagh.If you like this episode you’ll love
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