Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths: From Alexander to Hitler to the Corporation

by Joseph N. Abraham

Xenophobia. Racism. Fascism. Intolerance. Inhumanity. Coercion.

Right wing populists increasingly draw attention around the globe, but the attention is misdirected. The real problem is not the the authoritarian, but the authoritarian personalities who follow him. If people do not blindly follow and obey the despot, he is irrelevant.

Why do we attach ourselves to demagogues and mountebanks? Why do we defend even their most obvious hypocrisies and lies?

The answer is found in the history of civilization. For the past 10,000 years, those who disagreed with the king or his nobles risked ruin and death.

But that is only part of the answer. The other part is that, despite our romantic traditions, kings and conquerors were vicious criminals. They represent the most evil psychopaths, narcissists, and sadists in the history of humanity.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger and book content warnings: genocide, murder, racism, sexual assault, torture

“We must recognize and remember the cost of the modern world: the pain, the suffering, the torture, and the death of untold millions.”

Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths: From Alexander to Hitler to the Corporation by Joseph N. Abraham is one of the most surprising books I have read so far this year. And I mean this in the best way possible. I hadn’t expected to be so fully captivated by it, to be honest. It’s a book that packs quite the punch!

Firstly I’m gonna say that I don’t give out five star ratings very often. In fact this is only my third of the year so that in its own way says a lot about how I feel about this book and how much I enjoyed reading it. And in my opinion it’s a thoroughly deserved five star rating. It was simply outstanding and I’d highly recommend it.

Secondly, this book is not for the faint of heart. I’ve put some trigger warnings above because some things were pretty hard to read about, even for me. There are also several pictures in it that make you just stop, swallow and try to take it all in. This is not a bad thing because I absolutely loved the author’s candor and straightforwardness. He didn’t sugar-coat anything, which is something I definitely appreciated.

“That, I believe, is the solution to Holocaust denial: we must recognize the recurrence of human persecution. Horror is our past. If we do not embrace that fact, it will also be our future, over and over, until we finally do learn to understand and to control it.
Or until we disappear.”

Now this books covers a whole lot of different topics. It goes into ancient history, middle ages, modern times and on top of that it also examines how kings, conquerors don’t actually differ much from psychopaths + much more than that that you just have to find out for yourself because there’s a lot of other things to discover in the book. I thought these were really unique things to write about and I also thought it was all so very fascinating. I had a hard time putting the book down and I was always super looking forward to picking it back up and continuing my reading. What else can you need from a great book?

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had to pick one word to describe this book, it would probably be "sobering." Author Joseph Abraham pulls back the romanticized curtain we have placed over the fairy-tale notion of kings and castles, and traces the story of rulers' brutality and control from ancient times through to the spread of democracy, and shows how many of the same characteristics apparent in these tyrants can also be seen in corporations today, where money is king and people are reduced to "economics."

Abraham introduces the Latin word "atrox" (related to "atrocity") as a general term for this particular "type" of brutalizer, and "atrocino" for the modern-day equivalent, who may seek to dominate through means other than mass murder, but retains similar characteristics related to psychopathy and narcissism.

Overall, this was a fascinating book to read, but not always in an enjoyable way. I got a bit bogged down (and took a break for a while) in chapter two, in the midst of the long listing of history's worst (and most "mundane") mass slaughters and those who took part in them. Still, this part of the book is important for setting the stage for the rest of it, as well as dismantling some of my/our rose-colored views of what civilization has been like.

The view presented here of human nature may seem bleak at times, but it raises good questions about where we've come from and where we're going; such as, why do we continue to flock to demagogues and narcissists? The exploration of this and similar questions has given me a lot to think about. I found it interesting that, while this book is certainly not "about" Donald Trump (and I don't think he's actually mentioned), the vision of the "atrocino" in light of human history has helped make a bit more sense of his rise, depressing as it was to watch.

I'll end with my favorite quote from this book, which emphasizes the importance of remembering the fragility of our liberty:

"The ancient Romans terrorized children with their version of the boogieman, 'Hannibal ad portas!" -- 'Hannibal is at the gates!' Today we must constantly terrorize ourselves by repeating 'Hitler ad portas.' That, perhaps, is the highest purpose of Holocaust studies: to teach us that Hitler and a long line of would-be Hitlers are always at the gates. We are always one demagogue away, we are always one angry, jaded electorate away, from letting Hitler slip back inside the walls of civilization, assemble his brutalizers, and resume his slaughter.
To these concerns, we must also add the worry that just as we all are potential Jews, we are all potential Nazis as well. ... To protect ourselves and each other, we must become aware that we are all recovering alcoholics, we all have the potential to relapse into Nazism. The solution is that we recognize and constantly guard against the pitiless and the evil within ourselves as well as in others."

[Jennifer deBie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths in exchange for an honest review. You can find the full review go to https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/

Across the course of his tome (and at over 300 pages tome is the right word here), Abraham systematically breaks down what he calls the “fairy tale” of history. Childish fantasies that we hold into adulthood about good kings or noble conquerors are torn away and these historical figures are revealed as they were: murderers, sadists, and worse on a grand scale, a continental or even global scale.

Therein lies the thesis of Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths— from this bloody foundation all civilization as we know it was formed. There is not a country today that was not created through bloodshed or conquest in some form or another and those stains still stick. It’s a bleak outlook, but then when a book starts with the My Lai Massacre of 1968, bleakness is to be expected.

And yet Abraham’s book is oddly hopeful. For all the red on humanity’s collective ledger, Abraham sees us on the upswing. The slowest of rising arcs still curves persistently skyward—few developed countries are ruled by the man who murdered his way to the throne and an engaged public has the ability to hold leaders and corporations accountable (to an extent).

The hope is faint, the softest voice at the bottom of Pandora’s deep box, but it is there. As the closing lines says, “We are the last feedback in the system.” Essentially, We the People must be the final check and balance to the scale of history.

[Olga Miret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am writing this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team, and I thank the author for providing me an ARC copy of this book, which I freely chose to review.
This is an ambitious book, and one that is not an easy read, but it is a necessary one for anybody who wants to look at the history of modern civilisation through anything other than rose-tinted glasses. The author refers often to the Emperor’s New Clothes’ tale, and it is very apt, although perhaps it is not always a case of the spectators knowing what they are watching but trying to appear honest and compliant, but rather that the stories weaved around the emperor have become alive and true in the eyes of those seeing him (or reading about him in this case), or perhaps it is a combination of both, a self-delusion helped by years of whitewashing the facts or putting a romantic spin on things that are anything but romantic.
I have long held a pretty negative view of many of the famous conquerors and civilizations in history, although I must confess that I didn’t know many of the facts and figures Abraham quotes, at length, in the book, and it makes for a terrifying read at times. Although he does not cover all historical periods and all empires (I suspect it would occupy many volumes, and it would be a truly harrowing reading experience), he does a good sweep from classic times to Vietnam, not forgetting Alexander, Genghis Kahn, or the Victorians.
If you want to get a more detailed sense of what the book covers, I recommend checking the ‘look inside’ feature on your favourite store, and reading the list of contents, as that contains a good description of each chapter, but it would be too long for me to include here. As an indication, these are the titles of the chapters: Prologue: Fantasy and horror, Chapter 1: Kings (the comparison with gangster is very apt), Chapter 2: Conquerors (who are characterised as serial killers), Chapter 3: Psychopaths (where he diagnoses successful conquests and the monarchy rather than only the individuals), Chapter 4: The Breeding Program (we are all descendants of the conquerors or of the compliant victims), Chapter 5: The Noble Classes (hierarchies always work to ensure their self-preservation and dominance), Chapter 6: Privilege & the Double Standard, Chapter 7: The Authoritarian Personality (where the author looks at issues of compliance and obedience in the masses), Chapter 8: The Atrocino (if the conqueror is the Atrox, now we have the big corporations and political leaders who don’t quite reach their level, but are toxic nontheless), Chapter 9: The Modern World (prosperity and modernity arrived when the old order was questioned), Chapter 10: The Ugly Truth (the true cost of civilization), Epilogue: Response (education and early intervention can help us avoid similar excesses in the future).

I am a psychiatrist, have worked in forensic psychiatry, and was trained into using the PCL-R (The Psychopathy Checklist Review, which the author mentions). Psychopathy is not a psychiatric diagnostic as such (a diagnosis of antisocial or dissocial personality disorders would cover many of the traits that score highly on the checklist, although not all, and traits of other types of personalities can also score highly), but it is used because it gives a good indication of the risk a person might pose. The highest the score, the higher the risk. Having worked and met some people with high scores, I can say I do agree with the author’s assessment in general terms, although with the caveat that the sources of information, especially for the historical figures of ancient times, are limited and biased, so we need to take it all with a pinch of salt, but Abraham makes a good case, for sure.
I have already said that I had long thought along the same lines the author expresses in the book, and the more I read, the more examples came to my mind, even if the author didn’t mention certain names many of us might think about when we read it. (I, for one, can think of many atrocinos that grace the news very often, both in my country, Spain, and at an international level as well).

I was intrigued by his comments about genetics and also about people who might fulfil the criteria for psychopathy (score highly in the checklist) but seem to have managed to control the most harmful aspects of their personalities. Evolutionary biology is not my area of expertise, but I felt that perhaps this aspect of the argument was less developed than some of the other ones, and I would have liked a bit more information, although I admit I would probably be in a minority here.
I also had some queries regarding his comments on compliance, because although I appreciate his overall argument, the validity of some of the psychological studies he mentions (Milgram still holds quite well, but Zimbardo’s not so much) has been questioned. (Last year I read and reviewed a book by Rutger Bregman called Humankind. A Hopeful History, where the author manages to put a positive spin on human being behaviour, and he does a good job of criticizing many of the negative studies).
Regarding the format, I am not sure footnotes and endnotes work too well in e-book format (and the end notes and bibliography occupy 14% of the content), so people who want to dig into it and not miss anything might be advised to consider a paper copy. The book also includes illustrations (some of them are as harrowing as the descriptions of violence in the book, if not more), and the notes and the bibliography will help anybody interested in researching the topic in more depth.

I highlighted a lot of content, and I advise, as usual, that future readers check a sample of the book to see if it suits their taste, but I thought I’d share a few random quotes to give you a taster:

...Napoleón arrive in Egypt with a second army of scientists and historians. It is not surprising that innovation under his Empire produced far-reaching technical advances such as the modern ambulance, widespread inoculations, food canning, and others.
Napoleón was also a remorseless butcher.

The conqueror is a thug. Rationalizing his crimes is a variation on blaming the rape victim. If she fights back, he rapist claims he is perfectly justified in torturing and murdering her. It is a variation of the exploiter’s defense: “Now see what you’ve made me do?!”

We are always one demagogue away, we are always one angry, jaded electorate away, from letting Hitler sleep back inside the walls of civilization, assemble his brutalizers, and resume his slaughter.


One of the reviewers commented on the USA perspective of the book, and that is true. Not that the conclusions are not relevant to all countries, but some of the solutions and further advice suggested seem tailor-made for the United States, although the overall message is easy to extrapolate and adapt to other countries as well, and the individual insight provided is priceless.
This is one of those books that make us sad as we read them, because we know full well that those who need to read them the most are unlikely to do so, but Abraham holds no false illusions and is clear that the most entrenched radicals cannot be swayed by rational argument.

I don’t think one needs to be an academic to read and ‘enjoy’ (at an intellectual level at least) this book, but the amount of detail and the format might put some people off. Also, as I’ve said before, the book is not an easy read, and it might not be suited for those who shy away from violence or descriptions of extreme and cruel behaviour. Other than the minor personal queries, preferences, and warnings mentioned above, the book is a gripping, though-provoking, and informative —although somewhat gruelling— read. I learned plenty of new information that disabused me even more about romanticized versions of the past, and some of the comments about politics in general (the importance of not confusing right and left-wing politics with conservatism and liberalism, for example) were right on target. Highly recommended, but be prepared to be challenged and shaken.

[Carol Beggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One can only wonder how readers of the future will react when they have that 20/20 vantage point that will allow them to sort what is currently going on in Washington, D.C., aka "The Swamp." But I want to make it clear that Dr. Joseph N. Abraham was out in front of the pack with his "Kings, Conquerers, Psychopaths: From Alexander to Hitler to the Corporation." Abraham does not just identify the problems with the current political scene and its key actors, but what we all need to know about those who follow the president -- those ardent, forgive him everything and anything, supporters. This book was also more than a little scary to read. If our democracy was built on rationality, but is now resting uneasily on insanity, then we all should be very wary of the next couple of years. This book is a must-read for all of us who think we know what is going on and how to read the "electorate." I believe that this book will stand the test of time and scrutiny.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though there were parts of this book I enjoyed, namely the chapter on Psychopaths, as well as some of the later chapters - I had to read some of this book in small bursts. Some of this book is a bit grim and depressing - if you're someone who needs to read light books, this won't be the book for you. At the end of the book, there was a glimmer of hope offered, with a way to have things at a bit more of an even keel level and with society progressing forward.
I got a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Rod Raglin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember in history class how we were taught that all the kings, conquerors, and subsequent rulers in ancient times were great men? How we focused on their limited positive achievements, disregarding the human carnage it took to accomplish them?

In Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths: From Alexander to Hitler to the Corporation, author Joseph N. Abraham makes the indisputable case that “Conquest is murder and theft; Conquerors are vicious criminals; Conquerors become kings; Kings designed civilization; And we are the products of civilization.”

Despite what we were indoctrinated to believe, these iconic figures were not benign rulers or philosopher-kings. Instead, and the facts bear it out, they ascended to power because of personality traits that include a confluence of psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and sadism, or as Abraham refers to this malevolent mix, “the dark tetrad.”

The reasons for the primacy of the “atrox,” the term the author uses for those individuals with these personality traits, are two-fold: genetic and conditioning. Abraham points out that humans are pack animals and that the characteristics of a successful alpha male very closely resemble that of the “dark tetrad.” Furthermore, the chances of flourishing or even surviving under such a leader necessitate blind obedience; ergo, civilization is designed by the atrox and we are products of his civilization.

Considering that I read this book during Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, it provided some disturbing revelations about this modern-day atrox’s motivation. According to Abraham, “when the conqueror invades, he robs civilians of their wealth, their freedom, and their lives. He may claim any number of reasons for his conquest, including protection, ideological conversion, liberation, trade preservation, or others. It does not matter. Those arguments are rationalizations, or at best secondary concerns, for a simple reason: without profit, conquest is impossible. Without obscene levels of profit, it is unattractive.”

He also convincingly applies these traits to modern-day corporations, suggesting that “King and conqueror have morphed into modern business and political leaders, who continue to exploit us and expend our lives for power, wealth, and narcissism.”

So compelling are Abraham’s arguments that it’s not an exaggeration to say Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths: From Alexander to Hitler to the Corporation changed my world view. Despite being dense with facts and theories, the book is extremely readable, with countless historical revelations and profound insights throughout. The most discouraging of these is the idea that “Horror is our past. If we do not embrace that fact, it will also be our future, over and over, until we finally do learn to understand and to control it. Or until we disappear from the planet.”

[Benjamin X. Wretlind · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fog of popular culture often obscures our vision of the most critical issues defining modern life. As Dr. Joseph N Abraham expertly chronicles in his latest book, Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths: From Alexander to Hitler to the Corporation, the dynamics of power and oppression have recurred over the vast sweep of human history, from ancient rulers to modern corporations. With scholarly rigor, he delineates the patterns of control, intimidation and terror used by kings, conquerors and psychopaths over millennia to brutalize untold millions, often solely for personal gain.

Yet where others see only bleakness, Abraham finds reason for hope. The slow arc of history curves towards freedom through institutions like free elections, markets and expression. He argues the imperative in modern democracies is freedom from “mandated inequality” and “exploitive and subjugating inequality of privilege and the double standard.” Our essential liberty today is freedom not from law, but from laws skewed to benefit a small, tyrannical minority.

Abraham does not shy away from the sheer magnitude of suffering inflicted by regimes like the Nazis. However, he argues figures like Hitler were unfortunately more usual than unique in their bloodlust. Through methodical analysis of history's greatest atrocities, Abraham destroys the romantic myths still clouding popular perceptions of war and conquest. He holds forth “truth-telling” as the ultimate antidote, so modern societies may understand and control the recurrence of human persecution.

Ultimately, Abraham sees engaged citizens as the “last feedback in the system” - the final safeguard against the co-opting of democracy by authoritarian tendencies. Through that lens, works like “Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths” equip people to take back power, prevent reversions to historical brutality, and secure the liberties so many sacrificed for over centuries. Its rigorous examination of oppression’s immense cost makes Abraham’s book essential reading for progressive, caring and moral citizens today.

[Jeffrey Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph N. Abraham's " Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths" provides an in-your-face look at the dystopian nature of human governance which the faint of heart will poorly handle (if you subsequently feel in desperate need of an elixir, perhaps Brian Orend's "The Morality of War" can offer some breathing space).

Abraham ruthlessly lays out the numbers of people murdered during conquest for regime after regime, nation after nation, and civilization after civilization. He primarily describes strongman systems which make up the core of human civilization, but does not limit his dissertation to them. The hardest hitting part of his text for me to cope with are the sheer magnitudes of regime – based blood baths. Most notably, we in the West are justifiably conditioned to view the Holocaust as being paramount in goal – oriented murder. The numbers given by the National WWII Museum are “approximately six million European Jews and at least five million prisoners of war, Romany, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and other victims.” Yet these numbers are familiar and 20th Century and brought about by modern mechanized war machines.

My formal history education never prepared me for Abraham's discussion of five and a half million civilian and military casualties in the Napoleonic wars, nine million lives lost during the Crusades, and a litany of other million+ death events. The Holocaust is not at all as quantitatively unique as it should be. In light of the differing population sizes, these earlier killing events are not even slightly occluded by it. Abraham makes this a major thesis of his book:

"I agree that Hitler was a fiend, but I argue that he was, unfortunately, a very usual fiend"

Overall, this book is depressing. However, it should be slogged through because his epilogue is a must – read in which he opines on a variety of steps needed for progressive, caring, and genuinely moral people to take back the USA. Abraham considers George C. Marshall's plan for post-war European recovery to be the high point of governance. Perhaps his next book should focus on that thesis.

[Molly Fennig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Note: As you may deduce from the title, this book can be quite graphic.

I do appreciate the inclusion of non-western history. I also acknowledge that I don't typically read much in this genre. The arguments are interesting, particularly the idea of tolerating violence/horror when it is systemic, or ordered from those in authority. That being said, I had trouble buying all of the arguments, and had trouble wanting to finish the story.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise is intriguing, and Abraham's writing is clear. That being said, I was pulled out of the story by a number of things. The first was how many quotes there were. The second was difficulty following the through-line of the chapters, particularly as they jump between leaders and psychiatry and more.

The third was that I didn't fully buy all the arguments. I think there is a recurrent conflation of leaders being evil/prone to violence, and leaders having to face deadly conflict (ie war; not to condone violence). Non-leaders don't have the power or responsibility to deal with large-scale conflict. Additionally, saying that we are now "more humane and civilized" is just untrue - genocide still occurs regularly and the united states still utilizes torture, for example - it is just less publicized.

[Joseph N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I must have liked it.

I wrote it. So I've read it a bazillion times.

For any of you who want to see an outline, and to know a little about me, here you go: Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths .

Oh, and it just won an international award.

[Lynsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only we could impart this knowledge onto “society”. This book was both compelling and terrifying. While a tough read at times, well worth it.

[Joseph N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book, so I'm biased.

We face uncertain times: right wing demagogues are surging around the world, but they are not the central problem. The real issue is the authoritarian personalities who follow these mountebanks.

Why do we blindly follow hucksters and haranguers? Because for 10,000 years, the world was run by thugs. Kings were nothing more than thugs, and if our ancestors disagreed with them, they quite often died.

So from the earliest civilization, the best path to survival was to attach one's self the most powerful gangster available, who was the king; and to not only agree with anything he said, but to believe it.