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A review by mac168
Dictators: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century by Frank Dikötter
4.0
'Dictators' underlines the significance of the Cult of Personality in upholding c20th dictatorships by encapsulating how they develop and manifest across 8 of the 1900s' most brutal dictators: Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Kim Il-Sung, Duvalier, Ceaucescu and Mengistu. As Dikotter succinctly explains, the Cult of Personality isn't about popular support, it's about creating the illusion of popular support. Thus, it relied on fear, often working hand in hand with terror. Historians of dictators and dictatorships have often foregrounded the role of terror in upholding these regimes, however Dikotter brings to light how the cult of personality grips a population and forces it into submission.
This is a very interesting book, and a compelling one, as Dikotter illuminates how this cult could be paramount - for example once Mengistu fled Ethiopia, his regime and his image vanished just as quick as he. I already had varying levels of knowledge on some of these individuals, particularly the cults of Stalin and Mao, however Mussolini, Kim, Duvalier, and Mengistu were entirely new to me.
I thought the argument was presented and explained clearly and consistently, and I particularly liked how the foreword and afterword related the text to the wider history of tyrannical rulers. And for this reason I think this book is accessible to those with little to no knowledge on these individuals or regimes (and those who hate academic jargon), as the argument is placed well into its respective context. It wasn't too arduous a task to read as some non-fiction can be: I could read 2 Dictator's chapters in one sitting without being overwhelmed with information, whilst simultaneously understanding what I'd read.
Therefore overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading Dikotter's new book 'China after Mao'
This is a very interesting book, and a compelling one, as Dikotter illuminates how this cult could be paramount - for example once Mengistu fled Ethiopia, his regime and his image vanished just as quick as he. I already had varying levels of knowledge on some of these individuals, particularly the cults of Stalin and Mao, however Mussolini, Kim, Duvalier, and Mengistu were entirely new to me.
I thought the argument was presented and explained clearly and consistently, and I particularly liked how the foreword and afterword related the text to the wider history of tyrannical rulers. And for this reason I think this book is accessible to those with little to no knowledge on these individuals or regimes (and those who hate academic jargon), as the argument is placed well into its respective context. It wasn't too arduous a task to read as some non-fiction can be: I could read 2 Dictator's chapters in one sitting without being overwhelmed with information, whilst simultaneously understanding what I'd read.
Therefore overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading Dikotter's new book 'China after Mao'