“How to Become a Tyrant,” a Netflix original series, is a cheeky documentary on the characteristics of dictators. Cheeky because its tone is breezy and sarcastic, boiling down the pursuit and maintenance of absolute power to a make-believe “playbook” from which various dictators have learned their game for the past century.
The six half-hour episodes from Season One zip and zag across decades, countries and continents, focusing on Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Josef Stalin and Kim dynasty of North Korea with sideways glances at Benito Mussolini, Pol Pot and Popa Doc. Animation and archival footage are linked together by a narration that wants to deprive the strongmen of their authority by putting them in a preposterous light. “How to Become” cuts away to short comments by academics and activists who add some much-needed gravity. The archival shots include clips of American advertising and violent scenes from U.S. history, as if to say: yes, it can happen here.
“How to Become a Tyrant” identifies defining traits of dictators, narcissism and megalomania among them, and dictatorial strategies that include scapegoating particular groups, spreading conspiracy theories, eroding public trust and marketing a “man of the people” image. The previous occupant of the White House is never named but the analogy is plain to see. Dictators seek to tear down the guard rails, including rule of law, and any standard of objective truth.
“How to Become a Tyrant” simplifies as it categorizes, presenting oppression like an entertaining history 101 lecturer with a slide show of visuals. Victims of dictators might take offense at times, but isn’t it true that with comedy comes the power to laugh at (not with) the people who have caused great harm to the world?
