How they become Tyrants- Amb. Anthony Mukwita

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Anthony Mukwita

By Amb. Anthony Mukwita

How they become Tyrants

Have you watched the award winning Docu-series on Netflix entitled “How to become a Tyrant”?

If you are a history and news junkie like moi, this is a must watch that looks at the lives and unique characteristics of some the most notorious Tyrants that ever walked the earth in recent decades.

The list runs like a thread of gold from the Soviet Union’s Josef Stalin, Libya´s Muammar Ghaddafi, Id Amin ´Dada´ and of course the ´best´ of them all German´s Adolf Hitler.

Narrated by the great Peter Dinklage, the captivating documentary shows that aspiring Tyrants or the world´s ´best of the worst´ despots learn early in their tyrannical life that they need ´absolute power´ to rule because, often they are not the most popular or natural candidates for office.
They also resort to heavy handed tactics such as ´crushing´ their enemies into submission or oblivion, sometimes literally to death in order to rule according to the Tyrant ´Playbook´ the docu-series so aptly lays down. Yes, there’s a Play Book.
The first Tyrant tactic in the docu-series I am watching is called “Scape Goating.”
This has been used since the days of the USSR to the time of Idi Amin down to Hitler, Il Duce and even some biblical figures. Its about blaming someone else for everything you do wrong or fail to correct.
Like a broken record, it sounds something like, “But we are in this sad situation because the previous Kingdom was badly run,” or “we are starving because our farmers are incompetent…we will fix it.”

Just what is Scapegoating?

A clever Tyrant, desperate for a ´strong hold´ onto power always finds a fall guy, a person, an institution to blame for the failures, the ills, the poverty, the corruption a society or country faces.
It can be a drought or floods, poor harvest just blame it on the scape goat then crucify the bad guy in public.
Back in the Union of Soviet and Socialist Republics or (USSR) days, Josef Stalin blamed wealthy farmers whom he derogatory called ´Kulaks ‘for allegedly hoarding Leech crops and causing the death via starvation of almost 4 million citizens.
Classic history example is that of Adolf Hitler, a failed unemployed artist from Austria who rose to power by scapegoating Jews as the cause for everything that went wrong in Germany, ran them out of town, jailed thousands and killed millions.
He remains by far the best scapegoater.
In Africa around 1970, Idi Amin rose high on blood too, much less than Hitlers but blood nevertheless, when he accused Indians brought into Uganda as British slaves to build the railway lines for owning 90 percent of the country´s wealth while indigenous Ugandans wallowed in poverty.
The bloodthirst despot rumoured to have been a cannibal sometimes said, “Indians were milking a cow (Uganda) they were not fattening.” He gave them 90 days to get out of town, problem solved.
In Libya, Colonel Muammar Ghaddafi weaponised the law like most despots, do, passed a decree that empowered him to grab property (proceeds of crime) of ethnic wealth Italian settlers and expelled them in huge numbers in what was called, ´The Day of Revenge´ or ´Yūm al-Intiqāmi´ in Arabic.
Examples of ´Scape Goating´ abound today from Cape to Cairo, Main Street to High Street.

If you look closely in your neighbourhood, ´scape goating´ will stare you right back in your face, whether you have read the Tyrant Playbook or not.
I have just completed the first series of this 2021 insightful contemporary history treasure trove. You must too.
I will share the next series with you soon on “How to Make a Tyrant” from the Playbook of the world’s greatest despots and dictators.
Happy weekend Zambia. Ours is a marvellous country of 365 days of sunshine, even in the scarce rains. Part two coming.

Source: How to Make a Tyrant—Netflix

Amb. AM 05.

How they become Tyrants

Have you watched the award winning Docu-series on Netflix entitled “How to become a Tyrant”?

If you are a history and news junkie like moi, this is a must watch that looks at the lives and unique characteristics of some the most notorious Tyrants that ever walked the earth in recent decades.

The list runs like a thread of gold from the Soviet Union’s Josef Stalin, Libya´s Muammar Ghaddafi, Id Amin ´Dada´ and of course the ´best´ of them all German´s Adolf Hitler.

Narrated by the great Peter Dinklage, the captivating documentary shows that aspiring Tyrants or the world´s ´best of the worst´ despots learn early in their tyrannical life that they need ´absolute power´ to rule because, often they are not the most popular or natural candidates for office.
They also resort to heavy handed tactics such as ´crushing´ their enemies into submission or oblivion, sometimes literally to death in order to rule according to the Tyrant ´Playbook´ the docu-series so aptly lays down. Yes, there’s a Play Book.
The first Tyrant tactic in the docu-series I am watching is called “Scape Goating.”
This has been used since the days of the USSR to the time of Idi Amin down to Hitler, Il Duce and even some biblical figures. Its about blaming someone else for everything you do wrong or fail to correct.
Like a broken record, it sounds something like, “But we are in this sad situation because the previous Kingdom was badly run,” or “we are starving because our farmers are incompetent…we will fix it.”

Just what is Scapegoating?

A clever Tyrant, desperate for a ´strong hold´ onto power always finds a fall guy, a person, an institution to blame for the failures, the ills, the poverty, the corruption a society or country faces.
It can be a drought or floods, poor harvest just blame it on the scape goat then crucify the bad guy in public.
Back in the Union of Soviet and Socialist Republics or (USSR) days, Josef Stalin blamed wealthy farmers whom he derogatory called ´Kulaks ‘for allegedly hoarding Leech crops and causing the death via starvation of almost 4 million citizens.
Classic history example is that of Adolf Hitler, a failed unemployed artist from Austria who rose to power by scapegoating Jews as the cause for everything that went wrong in Germany, ran them out of town, jailed thousands and killed millions.
He remains by far the best scapegoater.
In Africa around 1970, Idi Amin rose high on blood too, much less than Hitlers but blood nevertheless, when he accused Indians brought into Uganda as British slaves to build the railway lines for owning 90 percent of the country´s wealth while indigenous Ugandans wallowed in poverty.
The bloodthirst despot rumoured to have been a cannibal sometimes said, “Indians were milking a cow (Uganda) they were not fattening.” He gave them 90 days to get out of town, problem solved.
In Libya, Colonel Muammar Ghaddafi weaponised the law like most despots, do, passed a decree that empowered him to grab property (proceeds of crime) of ethnic wealth Italian settlers and expelled them in huge numbers in what was called, ´The Day of Revenge´ or ´Yūm al-Intiqāmi´ in Arabic.
Examples of ´Scape Goating´ abound today from Cape to Cairo, Main Street to High Street.

If you look closely in your neighbourhood, ´scape goating´ will stare you right back in your face, whether you have read the Tyrant Playbook or not.
I have just completed the first series of this 2021 insightful contemporary history treasure trove. You must too.
I will share the next series with you soon on “How to Make a Tyrant” from the Playbook of the world’s greatest despots and dictators.
Happy weekend Zambia. Ours is a marvellous country of 365 days of sunshine, even in the scarce rains. Part two coming.

Source: How to Make a Tyrant—Netflix

Amb. AM 05.

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