Autocracy Now!

In this episode, which launches our epic series on Stalin, we'll examine the early life of the man who would become the ruthless dictator who ruled over the USSR. He was like so many thousands of other villagers; born into relative poverty, you might have expected him to be forgotten by history. Instead, the unique circumstances of Russia at the time - and the quirks of his personality - led to him becoming a figure that defined a century. We will hunt for clues in his early life as to what would come later, and ask the question: are great historical figures born, or made?

This episode, we look at the life of the Roman Emperor who really wanted to be a gladiator. Yes, Joaquin Pheonix himself - Commodus: a perfect object lesson in what can happen when you give absolute power to someone catastrophically incapable of wielding it.

Hello, and welcome to Autocracy Now, the show about the lives of famous autocrats. In this first episode, I'll discuss my motivations behind creating the show, and what I hope we can learn from examining the lives of these dictators. What exactly is an autocrat - how do we define different types of government? What are the advantages of a dictatorship over a democracy? If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, I'd be happy to hear from you. If there's a particular dictator you'd like me to cover in the future, this is your chance to make your case! Please visit us over at autocracynowpodcast.wordpress.com, contact me on Twitter at @AutocracyNow, or email us at autocracynow@outlook.com.