How to Be a Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century - Hardcover

Dikötter, Frank

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1635573793 ISBN 13: 9781635573794

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019

Synopsis

From the Samuel Johnson Prize-winning author of Mao's Great Famine, a sweeping and timely study of twentieth-century dictators and the development of the modern cult of personality.

No dictator can rule through fear and violence alone. Naked power can be grabbed and held temporarily, but it never suffices in the long term. In the twentieth century, as new technologies allowed leaders to place their image and voice directly into their citizens' homes, a new phenomenon appeared where dictators exploited the cult of personality to achieve the illusion of popular approval without ever having to resort to elections.

In How to Be a Dictator, Frank Dikötter examines the cults and propaganda surrounding twentieth-century dictators, from Hitler and Stalin to Mao Zedong and Kim Il Sung. These men were the founders of modern dictatorships, and they learned from each other and from history to build their regimes and maintain their public images. Their dictatorships, in turn, have influenced leaders in the twenty-first century, including Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Using a breadth of archival research and his characteristic in-depth analysis, Dikötter offers a stunning portrait of dictatorship, a guide to the cult of personality, and a map for exposing the lies dictators tell to build and maintain their regimes.

About this title

About the Author:

Frank Dikötter is Chair Professor of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. His books have changed the way historians view China, from the classic The Discourse of Race in Modern China to his award-winning People's Trilogy documenting the lives of ordinary people under Mao. He lives in Hong Kong.

Review:

“A fine, sharp study of this tumultuous, elusive era . . . [An] excellent follow-up to his groundbreaking previous work . . . Dikötter tells a harrowing tale of unbelievable suffering. A potent combination of precise history and moving examples.” ―Kirkus Reviews on THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

“If [The Cultural Revolution] were widely circulated in China, it could undermine the legitimacy of the current regime . . . This book is a significant event in our understanding of modern China.” ―New York Times Book Review on THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

“Richly documented . . . Dikötter paints a chilling picture.” ―Publishers Weekly on THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

“For those who have swallowed the poisonous claim that the Communist Party deserves some credit for China's current patchy prosperity, Mr. Dikötter provides the antidote.” ―Wall Street Journal on THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

“Dikötter's well-researched and readable new book on the Cultural Revolution's causes and consequences is a crucial reminder of the tragedies, miscalculations and human costs of Mao's last experiment.” ―The Guardian on THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

“A fascinating account of how people twisted or resisted the aims of Mao's movement. ****” ―Daily Telegraph on THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

“The murderous frenzy of the times, which tore apart friends and families, not to speak of the Communist party itself, is powerfully conveyed.” ―The Times on THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

“Fluent, compelling and based on a wide range of evidence.” ―Financial Times on THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1635573793
• ISBN 13: 9781635573794
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304