A History Professor Answers Questions About Dictators

kottke.org March 19, 2025 By Jason Kottke

In this video for Wired, historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who studies fascism & authoritarianism, answers questions from the internet about dictators.

Why do people support dictators? How do dictators come to power? What’s the difference between a dictatorship, an autocracy, and authoritarianism? What are the most common personality traits found in tyrants and dictators? Is Xi Jinping a dictator? How do dictators amass wealth?

Tags: politics · Ruth Ben-Ghiat · video

In this video for Wired, historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who studies fascism & authoritarianism, answers questions from the internet about dictators.

Why do people support dictators? How do dictators come to power? What’s the difference between a dictatorship, an autocracy, and authoritarianism? What are the most common personality traits found in tyrants and dictators? Is Xi Jinping a dictator? How do dictators amass wealth?

Tags: politics · Ruth Ben-Ghiat · video

Comments 0

Log in to post a comment.

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!

Source Information
kottke.org
Web Publication

Published on March 19, 2025 by Jason Kottke

Visit Original Article
Advertise with Us

Reach our audience with your ads