Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for How to Become a Tyrant:
It really doesn’t seem too hard.
Quick synopsis:
A look at how many tyrants have come to power and held on or fell.
Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like:
Peter Dinklage is the narrator. Yes, he is as effective as you would expect.
Fun Fact for History Nerds:
Hitler outlawed smoking.
My Take on How To Become a Tyrant:
Dark, satirical humor is a very fine line. This series tries it and succeeds!
The series keeps from being too flippant about a serious subject by introducing the tyranny playbook. The main theme is that all of these supremely evil people followed a common set of rules to acquire power, use it, and then fall or continue to survive.
It is funny in a dark way without being insensitive to the fact that we are talking about some of the worst psychopaths in history like Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Mao Zedong, Muammar Gaddafi, Kim Il-sung, Idi Amin and Saddam Hussein. Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek are not as well represented as they should be.
There are six episodes which talk about a couple of playbook tenets, focus on one tyrant, and sprinkle in facts about the others. They are short episodes and they are entertaining all the way through. I stumbled on it and was very happy I did.
Verdict:
Have a few dark laughs, learn something. It’s a great watch. Watch it here!
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