Dictators and how they come into power! (2023)

Similarities to our present political climate gives cause for fear!!
Sometimes, weak or corrupt internal national policies on economy and policy facilitate the rise of dictators to power. Dictators see weaknesses in national plans, and propose convincing alternatives for making changes. During times of war, dictators often sway the public by providing plans for rapid defeat of enemy troops.
Dictators will also sometimes play on the perceived weaknesses of government officials to attract support. They criticize governments for actions such as spending too much money, causing economic troubles, increasing taxes and other national policies that impact citizens. Dictators then outline plans for improvements, which are implemented when they gain power.

Dictators use quite a bit of psychological sway to attract the attention of voters. They offer messages of hope and strength during hard times, and emerge confident and hopeful. Some government systems, primarily those with unequal branches of power, make it easier for dictators to emerge. In contrast, governments like the United States, which feature a system of checks and balances, never let one branch dominate the others. Once in power, dictators typically do not call themselves dictators but instead choose to refer to themselves as presidents, prime ministers, chancellors or monarchs.

Some of the most well-known dictators in history include Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong-il and Adolf Hitler. One thing all these dictators have in common is that they were able to maintain political power by using violence and propaganda. Dictators often manufacture an external threat in order to gain control over the state and appear as the people’s only salvation. For example, Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s problems and justified his actions during the Holocaust by using propaganda aimed at vilifying the Jews. Dictators also use their leadership skills to persuade the masses to believe their agendas. They use censorship to control the flow of information so as to maintain power. Dictators who remain in power usually do so until they are killed or removed through violent opposition.

How to Become a Dictator
Hitler. Stalin. Castro. Mao. These and many others throughout history rose to power over their people, subjugating the populace. If you have the burning desire in your heart to put others under your thumb and keep them there as slaves, there are some paths that are more likely to becoming all powerful.
Personal Keys to Absolute Power
1.Crave power. No self-respecting despot comes to power without having some sort of desire for power in the first place. Once the desire for power is implanted, it leads to developing a plan to get that power, and then to developing a plan to get more power.
Sometimes, being assigned to a position of power is enough to become a dictator. The 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, in which students were chosen to be either “prisoners” or “guards,” had to be stopped within a week because the “guards” took to abusing the “prisoners.”

2. Become self-centered. Josef “Man of Steel” Stalin and Saddam Hussein were noted for their narcissistic behavior, as were many other strongmen throughout history. To be an effective dictator, you have to love yourself, because you can’t be sure anyone else will.
Getting your first taste of power helps you detach yourself emotionally from your future subjects. Studies published in the magazine ‘’Psychological Science’’ in 2006 and 2010 show that people who thought of themselves as well-off became more self-centered and less able to see things from others’ point of view.

3. Espouse non-mainstream beliefs. Most of the great dictators of history, and many of the not-so-great, are remembered for their personal peccadillos and odd beliefs that set them apart from others. If you want to become a great dictator, look at your belief system and what you can take from it to oppress your future subjects with.
Personal prejudices are a great place to start, particularly when you need a scapegoat to turn others’ hatred toward and away from you. Protestant Oliver Cromwell’s hatred of Catholics provided him with such a scapegoat during his Protectorate, while Adolf Hitler first took to hating Jews on joining the German Workers Party and took that hatred with him, shaping it into his “Final Solution” that led to the death of some 6 million Jews.
You can follow this by insisting others share your beliefs. A strict vegetarian, Hitler liked to shame fellow diners with graphic stories of animal slaughter, and as a teetotaler, urged his subjects to keep their bodies free of free of intoxicants and contaminants.
Whatever odd beliefs you may have, don’t share them all at once with either your friends or your enemies. Let them think certain things about you are true, whether they are or not. Idi Amin was widely rumored to be a cannibal, although the rumors were never confirmed; some thought he spread those rumors himself to divert attention from the atrocities committed under his rule.

4. Develop your charisma. Despite how outside the mainstream your beliefs may be, you can fool all of the people some of the time if you develop your personal charisma and speaking skills. As a young man, Benito Mussolini earned notice for his charm and ability to persuade others. Although it got him expelled from Switzerland, it helped him eventually become Italy’s ‘’Il Duce’’.
Your writing skills can also help you disseminate your beliefs. Hitler wrote ‘’Mein Kampf’’, Mussolini created ‘’Avanti’’ magazine, and Napoleon III wrote a series of tracts advocating that France needed an emperor.

5. Build a cadre of supporters. Your friends should be those who depend on you for their rewards, while your enemies are cut off from them. Provide your supporters with just enough rewards to keep them dependent on you, but not enough so they can build up their own resources to turn on you.
You can sustain yourself in power if you have a large number of potential supporters to draw from. A dictatorship in a supposedly classless society, such as that of the Soviet Union, can be sustained longer than one that relies on the support of a small ruling class.[14]
Keep the actual number of your core supporters as small as possible, however. Too large a number, and you run the risk of having them revolt against you.

6. Trust no one more than you have to. Although you need supporters to take power, you should remember that they’re your supporters because of what you promise and give them, not necessarily because they like you or believe in your cause. Also, remember that you’re giving your supporters a taste of power, and that can be enough to have them crave more of it want to overthrow you. Can you say “paranoia”?
You can cope with your feelings of paranoia by carefully intimidating friend and foe alike. It worked for Stalin.
When simple intimidation fails, and your supporters stop being an asset and start becoming a liability, get rid of them. Nazi Germany’s Night of the Long Knives was Adolf Hitler’s way of ridding himself of the ‘’Sturmabteilung’’ (SA, Brownshirts) who had helped him come to power before they could take over the German army.

Ways to Assume Power

1 Take over an existing dictatorship. Taking power in a country that’s always been led by a dictator is easier than conquering one that has known freedom in the past. You can do this in one of two ways:

2 Find a need and fill it. If you can’t succeed another dictator, then you need to think like an entrepreneur and find a country that’s ripe for taking over. There are several things to look for:
Oppressive or repressive governments. Unpopular governments aren’t limited solely to existing dictatorships. Monarchies have been a popular target for overthrow, particularly when the royal rulers are out to line their own pockets or are just simply out of touch with their subjects. Gaddafi came to power in Libya by overthrowing King Idris, whose centralized federal system was unpopular with the country’s various tribes, while Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of Great Britain after the execution of King Charles and the dissolution of the Rump Parliament that ruled the republic that succeeded him.
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3, Identify a common enemy to fight. If you’re planning to forcibly take over an existing dictatorship or take down another form of oppressive government, you already have that enemy. If not, you may have to find one to play on that “us vs. them” mentality. Here are some candidates:
Rival political parties. Hitler used the burning of the Reichstag to accuse and arrest his Communist enemies just after becoming chancellor of Germany, then followed by getting the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Act to let him make his own laws.[26]From there, it was just a few more steps to becoming ‘’Der Fuhrer.’’
Racial or ethnic groups. Hitler and the Jews is the most obvious example.
Religious groups. Again, Hitler and the Jews, as well as Cromwell and the Catholics. For Stalin, it was the follower of any religion in general.
Foreign governments. Any government that practices an economic system different from yours and that has a reputation for helping out your enemies and wanting to stick its nose in your affairs makes a good straw man to knock down. The United States is most often the “paper tiger” of choice these days.