How To Become A Dictator

For most people living in western democracies, we think of democracy as a natural order of things. As something that humans just instinctively do; an inherent right. But that’s not always the case. Dictators and authoritarians keep popping up throughout history, overturning democratic systems and sowing chaos in the world. How do they do it? Why does it keep happening? And why are se seeing more of it lately?

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[jakob]

It's an honor to be on this watchlist with you all

[danielw]

It took less than 24 hours for this video to be super relevant after hearing the news coming out of South Korea.

[jonathanbuck]

a day after this video was posted, the south korean president attempted to declare martial law. the people banded together and stopped it in just a few hours. the threat of fascism is a growing evil, not a diminishing one. i hope we all can have the strength of the south korean people

[JULIAN.]

Yoon Suk Yeol saw this video and got carried away

[powerbeard]

pro-tip: it can really help in your efforts to become a dictator if you start a cult first

[basartofel]

dear mr. scott. every sentence you say points out a reality of my country, turkey. thanks a lot for making this video, and please take care of your country as well. loves from your long lost cousin who believes the freedom...

[danleedev]

That pregnant pause on "...place loyalists in positions of power (qualified or not)" was so, so well done.

[mattduncil]

I scrolled down at end of video and South Korea just declared martial law.

[BHuang]

Democracy is hard to hold on.
And easy to lose it.

[nasis]

Dictators can be swift in their rise. Seizing power quickly in the name of safety and security. Many countries thought authoritarianism couldn't happen in their country, yet it did.

[pfandahalf]

The people that need to see this video the most, won't.

[soviabossemeyer]

Did the South Korean President see this and get the wrong message from it?

[quippy]

"Dictatorships are not a meritocracy. They're Nothing is more important to a dictator than unquestioning loyalty". This sounds very chilling at this very moment.

[Teriria]

Not sure if this is the tutorial i was looking for but I'll try anything once.

[Rolandais]

I'll be honest, I'm surprised you didn't touch on Franco or Mussolini, I get that Hitler is more famous, but, the pair of them are certainly very interesting, especially Franco, who well, ruled Spain from overthrow in '39, until his death almost 40 years later.

[sykosomatik]

damn... what timing with the Korean president Yoon declaring something similar today...

[supermate]

I’m sure the timing of this topic is purely coincidental.

[jamescarruthers]

(edit - honestly, I like you and your work, buuuutt...)
That vague statement at 11:55 about CIA "helping out a bit" is totally gutless. It doesn't remotely convey the influence they had or horrific acts they encouraged. You also entirely failed to mention the common thread of US / Western influence on the other dictatorships on your list...

Saddam Hussain came to power as part of a Ba'athist revolution which objected to western imperialism and economic exploitation. Some of his first acts were to nationalise companies such as the Iraq Petroleum Company, which had a monopoly over the Iraqi oil market and was owned by a consortium of (predominantly British) Western oil companies which used it to strip wealth out of the country for their own profits.

The Nazis came to power because of the desperate living conditions created by the extreme economic sanctions imposed following WW1.

Fidel Castro's revolution was to overthrow the previous (US sponsored) dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Fulgencio Batista gained power by staging a coup of the previous democratically elected government, and then proceeded to sell off all Cuban industry and property to American companies and the mafia.

The reason the economy was so bad in Chile before the US sponsored Pinochet dictatorship was again because of US sanctions. Nixon was terrified of a democratically elected socialist government that he couldn't control and so decided to over throw it before Allende even took office. The CIA director wrote "make the economy scream" in a series of notes following a meeting with Nixon.

Kim Jong Un inherited his power from his grandfather, Kim Il Sung. Kim Il Sung came to power through the political machinations of the US and Soviet Union as they each vied for control over the peninsula, ultimately leading to the Korean War proxy Cold War, and Korea becoming one of the most bombed countries in history.

Exactly what role the US played in the Egyptian coup of el-Sisi is still unclear, but suspected. Either way, they are perfectly happy to support him now.

The situation in Venezuela is following decades of US imperialist interventions in South America, and Maduro and Chavez both presented themselves as opposition to this.

If you're wanting an explanation for how and why dictators take power, look into the environment that built up to it. Look for exploitation and foreign influence forcing the general population to their knees.

[joachimgoethe]

What about Benito Mussolini? He ruled Italy from 1922-1943. He set the standard for fascist dictators.

[heartsong]

You handled this incredibly well. I applaud your composure and compassion.