In this short lesson we shall learn how to write up a successful tyrannical dictator, a common antagonist for books.
Because who doesn’t like an evil, maniacal dictator?
I hope you’ve done your historical reading on how real-world dictators have operated across the history of humankind. I recommend reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, and Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler.
And if you also want to create a revolutionary rebel character to lead The People out of the darkness of one regime, and perhaps then lead them into a new regime, as you may decide to do in your book, then read anything by Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Next, you have to decide who is your protagonist vs. antagonist: the revolutionary or the dictator? That isn’t as clear-cut as it might seem. History shows us that many revolutionaries became as bad as the dictator regime they replaced. Read about the French Revolution for some insight.
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” –John Dalberg-Acton 1887
But here I shall review a few pointers for writing up a fun, or not-so-fun, or even very un-fun, dictator in your novel.
Introduction to Tyrant Tactics 101
The Dictator always uses the best superlatives. We are the greatest; it was a total success; they are the worst. The more extreme the language, the better, particularly if it isn’t even true.
Tyrants always, always belittle people to destroy their self-worth and pride until The People feel crushed enough to accept The Dictator’s every word, no matter how demeaning, absurd, or untrue.
A properly trained tyrant employs wild tactics to create drama and an air of confusion over many small things until folk are so exhausted their attention becomes blurry, and then The Dictator slips in the big, awful things they want to do while the heads of The People are turned.
A savvy dictator burns truth to the ground by making up the most insane things they can think of. Truth does not matter to a tyrant. The more insane and inaccurate their statements, the better, so The People become confused and disoriented and have to believe anything The Dictator says.
Mastering the art of being a bully is essential. No self-respecting dictator or tyrant listens to alternative perspectives or attempts mediation and compromise. No, no, no. That cannot be allowed. To maintain absolute control, The Dictator must demean, fear-monger, threaten, gaslight, and scare The People, and knows that fear is the only way to rule.
The Dictator removes all opposition fiercely, quickly, and without hesitation. There are many ways to achieve this: war, fight or confrontation, take over The Opposition’s holdings or remove their position of influence or power, assassination, inject false evidence, or undermine The Opposition to break The People’s faith in them. A top-notch dictator uses all these tactics intertwined to dismantle dissenters.
Always throw The People off their guard until they never know what to think and have to grovel, as they well should.
“I am funny how, I mean funny like a clown, I amuse you?” —Tommy, Goodfellas
The Dictator works in a world of either-or. It is option A or B. Nothing more. “So you don’t want to align with our law? That means you support anarchy and chaos.” Their way, or the highway.
No self-respecting tyrant can allow science to cast doubt upon their words. They must sow many seeds of distrust in science, and be certain to lead The People away from facts and clear, conclusive data and results toward fictional dogma. This will strengthen The People’s belief in any made-up thing The Dictator says.
A truly cutting-edge dictator divides The People into warring factions. Because if The People are busy fighting each other, they cannot do anything about what the tyrant does.
It is critically important to destroy general education opportunities. The Dictator cannot rule a society of people who have learned to think; who studied psychology, sociology, history, economics, science, debate, critical thinking, and more. If The People have that knowledge, they will know that the fictional dogma of the dictator is nonsense since they can fact-check and critically assess veracity.
Unacceptable!
This must be stopped since education is the root of all evil for The Dictator. Therefore, they should sow seeds of doubt in learning institutions. A powerful tactic is to claim that one is protecting children, traditions, or family values from the poisonous manipulation of The Opposition. The People will become scared and confused and agree to controlled programs where they learn controlled curriculum instead of learning to think. nAbove all things, a successful dictator never lets The People be free thinkers.
Finally, never forget the most important dictator mottos:
- Might makes right.
- Divide and conquer.
- It is better to be feared than loved.
- If you’re not with me, then you’re against me.
*Note 1: Image created by Midjourney, Prompt – Imagine: Image of 4 angry animals, in Andy Warhol pop art style
*Note 2: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental
Maybe.