Dictator. How to seize power and stay control. Dumitru Ghereg

will be rewarded. I will prove it to you! When Saddam Hussein was the vice president of Iraq, he spent 10 years creating a secret service loyal to him, and only then did he use it to seize power. Joseph Stalin spent seven long years working closely with Lenin before the “father of the new Russia” put him in charge. The leader of Uganda, Idi Amin, patiently recruited people from his Kakwa tribe into the army, and later they helped him overthrow the president. Hitler nearly ruined everything! He missed this lesson and rushed in.

      In 1923, 11 years before Hitler would become a dictator, the Beer Hall Putsch took place. Hitler organized a mad, ill-thought-out coup. Essentially, he tried to take the Nazis to the streets of Munich, capture the Bavarian political leaders as hostages, and force them to give up power. It was poorly planned: as soon as they left the beer hall, they came under police fire. This was a huge mistake. Hitler was found guilty of treason and sentenced to five years in Landsberg prison. He was written off. The press worldwide expected that Hitler would soon fade from public life. And he did disappear. You wouldn’t hear from him again. Well, he was now with one of his most loyal aides, Rudolf Hess. It was Hess who convinced him to start writing a sort of manifesto, which became the famous book. Nine months later, he was released from prison. But this didn’t immediately change Hitler’s fate. Things were getting worse. The Roaring Twenties were a time of self-expression, opportunities: how people dressed, their lifestyle, and women became more liberated. It was amazing.

      The last thing a budding tyrant needs is a happy population. The twenties were calm. For Hitler, this was a political struggle. But, fortunately for him, good times don’t last forever. In October 1929, the American stock market crashed, and markets worldwide followed its example. Soon after the start of the depression, the Nazi Party began to gain traction. Before the Great Depression, there were no signs that they would become the leading party. July 1932 became the time of the Nazi Party’s greatest popularity at 37%, and Hitler, of course, became Chancellor.

      Hitler’s power, when he assumed office, was not absolute; he still had a president over him. He had to seize every opportunity to strengthen his newly acquired power. And nothing helps more than a good crisis. The Reichstag fire gave him the chance to strike. What could be worse than watching the heart of your government burn to the ground? And yet, when Hitler appeared before the people, he seemed not so shocked but rather strangely excited. “You are witnesses to the beginning of a new era in the history of Germany,” he tells the reporter. He rushes to the editorial office of the Nazi Party’s official newspaper and works there until dawn. The next day, the headlines accuse the Communists of setting fire to the Reichstag. Although there is another version of what happened: many believe that the fire was actually set by the Nazis themselves – on Hitler’s orders – to gain more sympathy for their cause. Ignoring the rumors, Hitler demands that the ministers sign a decree he prepared, turning Germany into a police state under Nazi control. He then presents it to President Paul von Hindenburg. Von Hindenburg cannot handle the pressure from Hitler or the severe crisis. The official decree grants Hitler wide powers: to imprison opponents, dissolve all political parties except for the Nazis, and muzzle the press.

      Hitler sought any opportunity to end civil liberties, crush the opposition – and he found it. Potential dictators instinctively understand: when people are threatened, they inevitably seek a strong, authoritarian leader and they support a strong man. The stage is set, and now it’s only a matter of time. Seventeen months later, President von Hindenburg dies, and Adolf Hitler becomes both Chancellor and President of Germany. Just 16 years after realizing his fate in the trenches of World War I. And this is just the beginning.

      To those who have come this far, congratulations: you have created a movement and seized control. But now, let’s move on to the bad news: you are no longer the outsider. You are the leader. And that means you now have a giant target on your back. So how do you consolidate your power and keep your rivals in check? Let’s continue the path of the dictator and let Saddam Hussein answer the question that every new and vulnerable dictator faces: how do you keep the wolves at bay?

      Chapter II CRUSH YOUR RIVALS

      So, as you can see, if you strictly follow the dictator’s manual, you can break free from obscurity and gain control over your nation. Well, believe it or not, seizing power is the easiest part. From day one, you will be surrounded by enemies and treacherous rivals. They will try to quickly, and most likely through force, end your regime. This lesson was learned by one of history’s most famous leaders through his own experience. Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated by former allies less than two years after declaring himself dictator for life. Too far? How about Laurent-Désiré Kabila from the Congo – he was killed by one of his own children, a soldier who had defected. Then there’s Samuel Kanyon Doe from Liberia – he was captured by a group of rivals, tortured, and murdered on camera.

      But you can avoid such a fate if you manage to put potential rivals in their place. And no one did this better than the “Baghdad Butcher.” Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq for 24 years and never forgot the mantra that all dictators must follow: “Kill or be killed.” Saddam Hussein was an “animal”: his way of staying in power was simple – anyone he even remotely suspected of being an adversary had to die. But before we learn how Saddam expertly used the manual to always stay one step ahead of his rivals, here are some facts about how he rose to the top.

      Fact 1: Young Saddam was a thug. From an early age, Saddam believed in power. When he was young, he carried a metal rod with him. He used it to threaten, intimidate others, and even tortured small animals.

      Fact 2: At the age of 20, Saddam joined the Ba’ath Party and became a key figure. The Ba’ath Party, founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and Zaki al-Arsuzi in 1947, espoused the ideology of Ba’athism, a synthesis of Arab socialism and pan-Arabism. The party had influence in many Arab countries. In 1963, the Ba’athists were able to seize power in Iraq through a military coup, but their regime was overthrown just months later. That same year, the Ba’athists took power in Syria following the March 8 Revolution, which marked the beginning of the party’s long rule in that country.

      Saddam participated in an attempt to assassinate Iraqi leader Abdel Karim Qasim in 1959, which earned him significant points within the Ba’ath Party. After the coup, one of his cousins, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, became president. Saddam was appointed vice president, but it was clear he was meant for something more. He served as vice president for almost ten years, during which he forged alliances and became close to various members of the government. One day, Saddam went to Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and said, “You’re getting old. I’ve heard your health is not great. It’s time for you to retire.” In other words, you have a choice – die or peacefully hand over power. The next day, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr announced his resignation.

      Now you know how Saddam came to power. Let’s talk about how he kept it. And let’s begin with the first critical period for any tyrant – when you must show that there is a new sheriff in town.

      LESSON 8. ESTABLISH DOMINANCE

      Dictatorships have certain rhythms. Immediately after seizing power, their position is very unstable. To remain in power, you must always be on guard. You must ensure that any potential rival is under strict control and knows their place. Rivals will include some of your earliest and closest allies with dangerous ambitions. Any weakness you show is always a signal to your rivals: “Yes, this guy is vulnerable!” These friends, who once supported you in good times, now wait for their moment to overthrow you. Don’t give them a chance. These guys didn’t give them a chance. All the generals of the Great March of Mao were dead within a few years. Almost all those who fought alongside Fidel Castro during the Cuban revolution were gone within two years. And what about Joseph Stalin’s first comrades in the USSR? They all disappeared rather quickly. But Saddam outdid them all. He made an unexpected move. One of Saddam’s friends told him that there were people who were grumbling. They were unhappy about the removal of al-Bakr from power. So Saddam invited all members of the Ba’ath Party to attend a congress. Saddam showed