Liberty Dies With Thunderous Applause: Dictators of History

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two South Asian dictators; The Mughal Akbar The Great and Pakistani General Muhammad Zia-ul-HaqThey discuss Akbar's mongol lineage, his sometimes brutal conquest of India, his creation of his own religion and the legacy of his Mughal Empire.They also discuss Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's coup that brought him to power, his Islamisation of Pakistan, his very successful referendum and the incredibly mysterious plane crash that ended his rule.These two dictators battle it out in Round 20 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two Spanish dictators; King Philip II and General Francisco Franco. They discuss Philip's enormous Spanish empire, his marital misfortune, the Spanish Inquisition against religious heretics and the Spanish Armada sent to depose the Queen of England. They also discuss General Franco's ruthless campaign in North Africa, his friendship with Mussolini and Hitler, the brutality of the Spanish Civil War, his conservative Catholic rule and the recent discoveries of mass graves and concentration camps in Spain. These two dictators battle it out in Round 22 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of three North Korean dictators; #1 Kim Il-Sung, #2 Kim Jong-il, #3 Kim Jong-un They discuss Kim Il-sung's time in the soviet army, his relationship with Stalin, The Korean War and his unique Communist rule. They also explore Kim Jong-il's fantastical birth, his infamous debauchery, his kidnapping of film stars, his drug smuggling and, of course, the invention of the burrito. They reveal Kim Jong-un's Swiss education, his friendship with Dennis Rodman, his twitter beef with Donald Trump and his murder of his own family members. These three dictators battle it out in Round 21 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. Two of these dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the winner will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two Chinese dictators; Chairman Mao Zedong and current President of China Xi Jinping.They discuss Mao's involvement in the creation of the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese civil war fighting the Nationalists, the world war fighting the Japanese, his brutality in taking control of China, the millions of deaths in his Great Leap Forward and the hysteria and horror of the Mao's Cultural Revolution.They also discuss President Xi Jinping's suffering under Mao, his ascension to the top of the CCP, the genocide of the Uyghur people, the attempted cover up of the coronavirus outbreak, his crackdown on Hong Kong and future plans for Taiwan.These two dictators battle it out in Round 19 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of Eastern European Communist dictators; Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia and Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania.They discuss Tito's rise up the Yugoslav Communist Party, his leadership of the resistance movement during World War Two, his imprisonment of Stalinists within Yugoslavia and the aftermath of his death.They also discuss Ceausescu's humble origins, his lucky ascension to leader of the ruling Communist Party, his ban on contraception and abortions and his widespread use surveillance and propaganda. These two dictators battle it out in Round 18 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two female dictators; Cleopatra, The Last Queen of Egypt and Catherine The Great, Empress of Russia.They discuss Cleopatra's Macedonian heritage, her battles with he brother, her recruitment of Julius Caesar, her seduction of Mark Antony and her famous Shakespearean death.They also discuss Catherine's Prussian origins, the coup that placed her on the throne, her enlightenment ideas, ruthless treatment of dissenters, her territorial conquests and the myth surrounding her death.These two dictators battle it out in Round 17 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two Roman Emperors; Caligula and Nero. They discuss the Caligula's stellar ancestry, the origin of the nickname 'Caligula', his adoption by the Emperor Tiberius, his suspicious succession to Emperor, his cruel reign, sexual perversions and his eventual assassination. They also discuss Nero's many connections to Emperor Claudius, his unbelievable mother Agrippina the Younger, his tutor Seneca, his cruel and disinterested reign, his obsession with the arts, his handling of the Great Fire of Rome and the revolt that led to Nero's suicide.These two dictators battle it out in Round 16 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.They discuss the coup that brought Gaddafi to power, his bizarre manifesto, the Lockerbie bombing, his crazy behaviour on the world stage, his all female bodyguard troop and his eventual downfall during the Arab Spring.They also discuss Mubarak's survival of the assassination of Anwar Sadat, his use of mass imprisonment, the multiple rigged elections and his eventual fall from power.These two dictators battle it out in Round 15 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of Ferdinand Marcos of The Philippines and Suharto of Indonesia.The hosts discuss Marcos’ election, his declaration of martial law, embezzlement of billions of dollars, and of course, the extravagance of his wife Imelda Marcos.They also discuss Suharto’s military seizure of power, the widespread massacres of Indonesian communists, his invasion of East Timor and eventual downfall.These two dictators battle it out in Round 14 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two rulers of Russia, Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Putin.The hosts discuss Stalin's bizarre childhood, his outmaneuvering of Trotsky, his superb use of propaganda, the great purge of suspected dissidents, how agricultural collectivisation lead to famine, his leadership during World War 2 and his eventual death. They also discuss Putin's early life as a KGB agent, his rise to power within the Russian Federation, his capitalisation on the Chechen war, control of the media, murder of dissenters, meddling in US elections, the Syrian civil war and invasion of Ukraine.These two dictators battle it out in Round 13 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

In this episode the hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two religious rulers, Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) and Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran.The hosts discuss Pope Alexander's corrupt election to the papacy, his nepotism, profiteering, expansion of the papal states and wild sex life.They also discuss Ayatollah's Khomeini's Iranian Islamic revolution, his toppling of the Shah, his war with Saddam Hussein, Fatwa against Salman Rushdie as well as the oppressive treatment of women and homosexuals in Iran.These two dictators battle it out in Round 12 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

In this episode the hosts unravel the lives and legacies of French rulers Charlemagne and Napoleon BonaparteThe hosts discuss Charlemagne's family's rise to power, his conquests throughout western Europe, the forced Christian conversion of subjects and the massacre of Verden.  They also discuss Napoleon's rise to Emperor from humble beginnings, his genuine military genius, his clever use of propaganda, rigged elections and his eventual downfall at Waterloo.These two dictators battle it out in Round 11 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

The hosts discuss the lives and legacies of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and Argentinian dictator Jorge Videla.The hosts explore Pinochet's rise within the military, the coup overthrowing his Marxist President, his tactic of  'disappearing' his opponents and Chile's 'miraculous' economy. They also discuss Videla's military junta, his contribution to Operation Condor, the involvement of the CIA & Pope Francis, the Falklands War and Videla's eventual downfall. These two dictators battle it out in Round 10  of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

In this episode the hosts discuss the lives and legacies of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada and Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe.The hosts discuss Idi Amin's rise to power, his manic behaviour, his involvement with Operation Entebbe, the brutal massacres under his regime and his eventual downfall. They also discuss Mugabe's time as an African independence leader, his ruthless consolidation of power with the Gukurahundi, the seizure of white owned land and the creation of hyper-inflation in Zimbabwe.These two dictators battle it out in Round 9  of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

In this episode the hosts discuss the lives and legacies of Ottaman ruler Enver Pasha and Turkish President Recep Erdogan. These two dictators battle it out in Round 8 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. The hosts discuss Enver's rise to power, the trickery deployed to drag The Ottoman Empire into World War One and the genocide orchestrated against the Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians. They also discuss Erdogan's rise and ruthless consolidation of power, his undermining of Turkish secularism and democratic institutions, his Islamist domestic policies and controversial foreign policy.  One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

In this episode the hosts discuss the lives and legacies of Ho Chi Minh and Pol Pot. These two dictators battle it out in Round 7 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. The hosts discuss Ho's fight for Vietnamese independence from France, the communist repression in North Vietnam, the war with America to unify the country and his lasting legacy. They also discuss Pol Pot's takeover of Cambodia, the creation of a solely peasant society, the killing of one quarter of the population in The Killing Fields and the terrible lasting impact of his short rule. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

In this episode the hosts discuss the lives and legacies of Henry VIII and Oliver Cromwell. These two dictators battle it out in Round 6 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. The hosts discuss Henry's determination to produce an heir, his creation of the Church of England, his cruel and numerous methods of execution and his lasting legacy. They also discuss Cromwell's rise to power, his brutal decimation of the Irish, his execution of the King, the Puritan bans on most forms of fun and the impact of his short rule. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's greatest dictator.

In this episode the hosts discuss the lives and legacies of Fidel Castro and François Duvalier. These two dictators battle it out in Round 5 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. The hosts discuss Castro's revolution in Cuba, the subsequent political repression, his battles with the USA, the Cuban Missile Crisis and his enduring political legacy. They also discuss Duvalier's rise to power in Haiti, his appalling brutality, his use of Voodoo to deter dissent and his lasting impact on Haiti. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's greatest dictator.

In this episode the hosts discuss the lives and legacies of Xerxes and Saddam Hussein. These two dictators battle it out in Round 4 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. The hosts discuss Xerxes rule of the Persian Empire, his suppression of the Babylonian rebellions, his failed invasion of Greece and enduring fame. They also discuss Saddam Hussein's rise to power in Iraq, his surprising achievements, his appalling brutality, his failed invasions of Iran and Kuwait and his lasting impact on the middle east and the western world.  One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's greatest dictator.

In this episode the hosts discuss the lives and legacies of Genghis Khan and Deng Xiaoping. These two dictators battle it out in Round 3 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. The hosts discuss Genghis Khan's unification of the Mongol tribes, his formation of the world's largest contiguous empire, the many atrocities he committed and the Eurasian cultural transmission that his empire brought about. They also discuss Deng's rise inside communist China, his enormous economic achievements and, of course, his suppression of the Tienanmen Square protests. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's greatest dictator.