Ep 5. Create a New Society

In How to Become a Tyrant season 1 episode 5, titled "Create a New Society," viewers are taken through the methods of establishing a new ideology and shaping society to fit the tyrant's vision. The episode delves into the historical strategies of infamous tyrants such as Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, and Joseph Stalin in creating a new society.

The episode begins by examining the early life of Adolf Hitler in Austria and his exposure to anti-Semitic views, which laid the foundation for his political ideology. It then moves to Nazi Germany, where Hitler's propaganda machine was heavily invested in shaping the youth and indoctrinating them with his ideology. The episode shows how Hitler's idea of creating a "new man" through eugenics and selective breeding was a major part of his vision for a new society.

Moving on, the episode focuses on Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union and the creation of a "New Soviet Man." Stalin's ideology was centered around the belief that the Soviet Union had to be the vanguard of communism and that the individual had to be subservient to the state. Stalin's methods of reshaping the individual, including political purges, were analyzed in detail.

The episode also explores Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution in China, where his vision of creating a new society was centred around the suppression of intellectuals and the re-education of the masses. Mao's use of propaganda and intimidation to create a state-wide cult of personality around him, and the way he utilized the country's youth to carry out his vision, is also analyzed.

The episode concludes by examining the repercussions of creating a new society under a tyrant's rule. The lasting effects of the Nazi regime on Germany, the cult of personality that still exists around Mao in China, and the political purges carried out by Stalin in the Soviet Union are all explored.

Throughout the episode, viewers are taken through various historical events and locations, such as Nazi rallies in Germany, Soviet labor camps, and the Red Guard in China, to understand how these tyrants were able to reshape society to fit their vision. The use of archival footage and expert interviews adds depth and context to each example, providing insight into the complex nature of authoritarian rule and the dangers of blindly following a single individual's vision.

Overall, "Create a New Society" is a captivating episode that sheds light on the lengths to which a tyrant will go to create a new society. It shows the dangers of political ideologies that value the collective over the individual and how these ideas can easily spiral out of control when wielded by a tyrant.