The Dictator's Playbook

Explore how dictators, from Mussolini to Saddam Hussein, seized, held and fell from power.

Episodes

  • SCETV Passport

    This video is only available in SCETV Passport, a member benefit that provides on-demand access to a rich library of PBS programs.

    Log in to Watch Online

    Learn More About Passport ยป

    Idi Amin

    S1 Ep6 |
    See how Idi Amin used military force to seize power and build a dictatorship in Uganda.
  • Francisco Franco: asset-mezzanine-16x9
    Embedded Video Link

    Francisco Franco

    S1 Ep5 |
    Learn how Francisco Franco won the Spanish Civil War and became the dictator of Spain.
  • Manuel Noriega: asset-mezzanine-16x9
    Embedded Video Link

    Manuel Noriega

    S1 Ep4 |
    Watch Manuel Noriega rise to power in Panama, and witness his sudden downfall.
  • Benito Mussolini: asset-mezzanine-16x9
    Embedded Video Link

    Benito Mussolini

    S1 Ep3 |
    Meet the man who created fascism, an ideology that plunged most of Europe into darkness.
  • Saddam Hussein: asset-mezzanine-16x9
    Embedded Video Link

    Saddam Hussein

    S1 Ep2 |
    Learn how Saddam Hussein seized power in Iraq and maintained it for almost 30 years.
  • Kim Il Sung: asset-mezzanine-16x9
    Embedded Video Link

    Kim Il Sung

    S1 Ep1 |
    Kim Il Sung created a North Korean dictatorship that has lasted for three generations.

About The Dictator's Playbook

Learn how six dictators, from Mussolini to Saddam Hussein, shaped the 20th century. How did they seize and lose power? What forces were against them? Learn the answers in these six immersive hours, each a revealing portrait of brutality and power.

Extras