Review: How to Become a Tyrant is the ironic be-a-bá of autocracy
Table of Contents
Debuting last July 9th at Netflix, How to Become a Tyrant aims to show how dictators around the world rose to power and acted after taking it, in the format of a guide for laymen, as the name implies. Super didactic, the series uses recorded images mixed with excerpts of animation to illustrate events, and tries to use humor to lighten the theme a little and engage the viewer, especially the younger ones, almost a "Autocracy TikTok“. In this critique of How to Become a Tyrant, let's talk about the short production, touching on both its strengths and its flaws.
The Great Dictator(s)
The series begins by showing how the theme of autocracy will work: giving practical examples, following the journey and actions of famous dictators in the history of humanity. Some are worked on in depth, even having dedicated episodes, and others are just mentioned in passing, such as Benito Mussolini, Pol Pot e Francisco Franco. ]
A highlight is that it is narrated, in the original in English, by Peter Dinklage, famous actor for playing Tyrion Lannister em Game of Thrones. In Portuguese, we are graced by the same voice actor as the character in the TV series. HBO, Márcio Simões, with its booming voice.
We are then introduced to the Tyrant's Handbook (as spelled out in the series title), loaded with irony in its tips on how to seize power and, more importantly, keep it. Following that tone in the short 30 minutes of each episode, we have six chapters, each with a main autocrat:
- take the power, focused in Adolf Hitler, in Germany;
- End the rivals, focused in Saddam Hussein, in Iraq;
- reign by terror, focused in Go Amen, in Uganda;
- control the truth, focused in Joseph Stalin, in the Soviet Union;
- Create a new society, focused in Muammar al-Gaddafi, in Libya;
- rule forever, focused on the Kim dynasty (Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-il e Kim Jong-un) in North Korea.
Although the dictatorial leaders discussed have gone through (almost) all the elements worked on in each part, it is interesting to see how the focus is turned to the most successful part of the trajectory to power of each. All the aforementioned autocrats ended in tragic endings, as did their governments, which collapsed even after their death, except for just one of the cases – the Korean dynasty. Kim, who is on his third dictator of the same bloodline, with no signs of falling, for now. Remembering that contemporary history has no spoiler of How to become a tyrant, huh, people?
take the power
The first chapter, focused on the best-known dictator of all, the Austrian Adolf Hitler, shows the beginning of a leader's trajectory in detail. He is shown to be the curiously unimpressive and bankrupt painter and veteran of the First World War ended up creating an idea of (ultra) xenophobic and vigorous nationalism, finding competent allies and managing the German policy of the interwar period to rise to power.
The taunts and ironies of How to Become a Tyrant reach their climax here, when one of the experts suggests that it's easy to say that we, with today's minds, wouldn't listen to Hitler — stating that yes, we would end up following him. The analysis of how dissatisfied people accept scapegoats, easy solutions and political messiahs is important and very much current. Contemporary examples pop up by the bucketful.
End the rivals
Jumping from Europe to the Middle East, we are introduced to the methods of Saddam Hussein, who held power in the Iraque for 24 years. How to become a tyrant uses the example dictator's ruthless nature: he would have ordered the execution of his own sons-in-law, as well as terrorizing ministers and members of his government sporadically to prevent insurrections. Torture, false confessions and manipulation was just an ordinary Tuesday for the Iraqi autocrat.
reign by terror
The third episode focuses on Uganda's dictator, When All Down, who deposed its president, Milton Obote, and capitalized on British anti-imperialism, selling himself as a liberator but systematically oppressing his people. In addition to extreme torture and violence (applied even to foreign reporters), Idi Amin even went so far as to purge Asian immigrants from his country, in a classic case of finding a scapegoat and lashing out to his advantage. He has lately failed to win the Tanzania in a beast war provoked by himself, and lived in exile, in Saudi Arabia, until his death.
control the truth
We got to another notorious dictator in How to Become a Tyrant, Joseph Stalin, who was actually a Georgian by birth, with the given name Yoseb Djugashvili. Going quickly through his rise and personality cult, the focus of the episode is on the total media control exercised by the dictator: nothing could be said against the Soviet party, the only one in existence and the only one with power, and the “facts” were transmitted preferentially by the dictator. newspaper Pravda (which, ironically, means “truth” in Russian). The leader has reached the point of “photoshop” pictures of himself with allies, deleting unwanted people (sometimes after executing them) and editing his own face, hiding the huge smallpox scar that ravaged his cheeks. The party and itself Stalin should be immaculate.
Create a new society
The penultimate episode of How to Become a Tyrant is dedicated to the Libyan Bedouin Muammar al-Gaddafi, who stayed in power for a long 42 years, and shaped the country in his own image. In an incredibly nationalist move, he proceeded to encourage local production (even banning foreign products) and engaged in monumental desert irrigation projects, for example, to enhance his own image.
Despite managing to cultivate a good image among the people for some time, the dictator was accused of human rights violations and decided to stop torture and oppression, hoping for a positive response, but he ended up being driven out and eventually killed. In another ironic moment, the series comments that Gaddafi he was “weak and soft-hearted,” and so he lost his power.
rule forever
The most interesting exception is the case of the dynasty Kim. With three generations of dictators, this is the only totalitarian regime that survives to this day, having started in 1948, with Kim il-sung. The episode of How to Become a Tyrant focuses on how he and, mainly, his son built the image of gods over the earth, which has mythical origins involving birth in sacred mountains, for example. Insane stories such as the kidnapping of film directors and actors to produce highly publicity films for the regime are addressed, and the last lesson is presented: the acquisition of nuclear weapons, which marked the final card for the family's permanence in power, through deterrence. nuclear.
Superficiality and Half-Ironies of How to Become a Tyrant
The series, although very interesting, also comes with its problems. It is undeniable that more people have sought to consume content that deals with authoritarian regimes and their emergence, given that many governments have taken anti-democratic turns lately — in this sense, the series has its merit in explaining the methods that future tyrants use as a form of warning, so that the public can pay attention and, who knows, react to power-hungry narcissistic freaks.
It is also to be commended that the series brings together specialists in the areas worked on, including national academics from the commented countries or big names in the research - I, particularly, as a scholar of the post-Soviet area, can attest that they called the right person to talk about Stalin, in case, Ronald Grigor Suny, reference in studies of the Caucasus.
The point is that, due to its short nature, it is only possible to bring more popular information — there is nothing new about dictators and their regimes —, even failing to raise discussions about what characterizes a de facto dictatorship, or differences between political ideologies. . I understand that this is not the point of the series, more aimed at laymen, but awakening this interest in the public is always healthy.
In addition, it is interesting to use ironic language in the form of "Tyrant's Handbook“, which captures attention and uses a bit of humor to guide a viewer who might not normally pay attention to boring political discussions. The problem is that irony is not a fully consistent language in the series, appearing in the introduction of the lessons and in occasional comments. It can be said that the narration completely appropriates this language, but the images clearly show the tyrants as detestable and reprehensible figures, especially when talking about their military actions.
Of course, it is understood that everything has a limit: it is not possible to represent Hitler as a great example, even when it comes to dictators, without making the show look weird, in the least, but it's something that causes a good cognitive dissonance in the audience. Despite generating a greater appeal to the general public, some say that it is reprehensible to use sarcastic language on a serious topic like this, whether out of respect for the victims of purges and other oppressions, or simply because they think it's a bad joke. taste.
In short, the series is a collection of curiosities presented in an irreverent way and, despite using a dark but attractive comic, it still bumps into the superficiality of fast young language. The production, however, will have its merits if it makes even a mere hundred viewers more curious and go in search of more historical information, learning more about subjects little discussed, such as the history of Uganda or Libia. The more knowledge the better, and even the most… strange help is welcome. How to Become a Tyrant it is, in essence, something to whet your appetite for history – and I hope it does its job well, despite its regrets.
Have you watched How to Become a Tyrant? Will you still watch? Tell us in the comments!
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