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All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 Tearing Down the Old

    • October 14, 2024
    • Smithsonian Channel

    Examines the common themes dictators share, the situations that lead to tyranny and the techniques they use to come to power.

  • S01E02 Cult of Personality

    • October 21, 2024
    • Smithsonian Channel

    Uncover the sinister ways that dictators convince their followers to worship them as heroes. They ways in which they weave mythical narratives around their abilities, selling themselves as saviours who should hold absolute power over the people.

  • S01E03 Follow the Money

    • October 28, 2024
    • Smithsonian Channel

    "Dictators may appear omnipotent, but their position depends largely on a network of individuals who benefit from their rule, and their support does not come cheap.

  • S01E04 Holding on to Power

    • November 11, 2024
    • Smithsonian Channel

    Looks at how dictators are characterised as charismatic, narcissistic and sadistic, but most of all they thirst for power.

  • S01E05 Expanding Their Reach

    • November 18, 2024
    • Smithsonian Channel

    Grapple with the addiction to power that drives many dictators to push past their own borders and into other countries. See how these strongmen justify their grand ambitions and why expansionist plans are a recipe for death and destruction.

  • S01E06 How Dictators Fall

    • November 25, 2024
    • Smithsonian Channel

    Consider the factors that inevitably cause dictatorships to crumble. Look at how hubris destroys cults of personality, see how factions fracture military dictatorships, and weigh the devastating miscalculations that turn the tide against tyranny.