Strongman: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy

by Kenneth C. Davis

From the bestselling author of the Don’t Know Much About ® books comes a dramatic account of the origins of democracy, the history of authoritarianism, and the reigns of five of history's deadliest dictators.

A Washington Post Best Book of the Year! A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year! A YALSA 2021 Nonfiction Award Nominee!

What makes a country fall to a dictator? How do authoritarian leaders―strongmen―capable of killing millions acquire their power? How are they able to defeat the ideal of democracy? And what can we do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

By profiling five of the most notoriously ruthless dictators in history―Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Saddam Hussein―Kenneth C. Davis seeks to answer these questions, examining the forces in these strongmen’s personal lives and historical periods that shaped the leaders they’d become.

Meticulously researched and complete with photographs, Strongman provides insight into the lives of five leaders who callously transformed the world and serves as an invaluable resource in an era when democracy itself seems in peril.

* "A fascinating, highly readable portrayal of infamous men that provides urgent lessons for democracy now." ― Publishers Weekly , starred review

" Strongman is a book that is both deeply researched and deeply felt, both an alarming warning and a galvanizing call to action, both daunting and necessary to read and discuss." ―Cynthia Levinson, author of Fault Lines in the Constitution

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Biography, Government, War, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2020

About the author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of the Don't Know Much About® series of books and audios for adults and children. Don't Know Much About® History, the first title in the series, became a New York Times bestseller in 1991 and remained on the paperback list for 35 consecutive weeks. It has since been revised several times and now has more than 1.6 million copies in print. The 30th anniversary edition of the book was published with a new preface, "From an Era of Broken Trust to an Era of Broken Democracy."

Davis is, according to Publishers Weekly, "a go-to guy for historical insight and analysis."

AMERICA'S HIDDEN HISTORY also became a New York Times bestseller. A NATION RISING also uses dramatic narratives to tell the "stories your textbooks left out." His book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICA AT WAR (May 5, 2015) was called "searing" analysis by Publishers Weekly.

Kenneth C. Davis’s success aptly makes the case that Americans don’t hate history, just the dull version they slept through in class. Davis’s approach is to refresh us on the subjects we should have learned in school. He does it by busting myths, setting the record straight, and always remembering that fun is not a four-word letter word.

His IN THE SHADOW OF LIBERTY: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF SLAVERY, FOUR PRESIDENTS, AND FIVE BLACK LIVES looks at the lives of five people enslaved by four of America's most famous Presidents and the role of slavery in American history and the presidency. In May 2018, MORE DEADLY THAN WAR: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War was published.

STRONGMAN: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy was published by Holt. It was named among the best books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and the Washington Post.

In November 2022 GREAT SHORT BOOKS: A Year of Reading--Briefly was published by SCribner. A compendium of 58 great short works Davis read during the pandemic lock down, it is a joyous celebration of reading.

Coming in October 2024 is THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 WORKS OF GREAT SHORT NONFICTION. It is an accessible and comprehensive guide to some of the most influential and important works of nonfiction, from the earliest days of writing to contemporary times. Each entry includes information about the writers behind these consequential books and the time in which they lived.

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 1 out of 5]

History for Babies: The Book.

Enormously oversimplified, over-summarized, and written at the level of a ten year old. It's so padded with pictures and edgy barbed wire graphics that it's essentially a 100 page book fluffed up to 220 pages. It takes a very important lesson from history and cheapens it for easy sales. This is what Bradbury's Beatty was talking about when he ranted about the decline of the attention span. And that's not even mentioning the more specific sins. In the author's sleepy attempt at explaining away the fall of the Roman Republic, he breezes from "there was a Republic" to "then Caesar came along." That's it? No Gracchi brothers? No Marius and Sulla? Caesar shows up and the Republic just goes bye bye? If you can't do the story and it's lessons justice, then stay in your lane and keep away from it. This book fails to explore the issues behind this, and other, groundbreaking events and lays it all out with less depth than a Wikipedia article.

Not only that, but this book holds your hand to the point that I can't decide on the target audience's age group. It provided the definition for the word 'abdication' in parentheses after using the word. It compared Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon to a game of Monopoly. The sentence "If [INSERT CHILDHOOD TRAUMA] made dictators, there would be more dictators in the world" is used MULTIPLE times, like a joke that's been beaten to death. Har har har. According to the book jacket, this author also writes children's books, and I felt I was reading one now.

There is some good stuff here and there, such as a halfway decent selection of contemporary quotations, but it just gets lost in the insultingly dumbed-down presentation. If it was marketed to grade-schoolers then I'd be fine with it, but it wasn't, and so I'm not.

[Kate O'Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good that I'm writing a whole unit to go with it! Highly recommend!

[Brandy Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-researched brief biography and methodology of 5 of the worst dictators of the 20th century. The only reason I'm giving it 4 rather than 5 stars is because I felt the chapters on Mao and Hussein were not as detailed and fleshed out as the others. That quite possibly may be due to a dearth of source material, but it also gives it more of a western bias. It is interesting and formatted perfectly for the intended audience. Davis shows the similar traits that make a strongman but also points out that ignorer to become a great dictator the populace must enable them.


(I finished this on Sunday, which means it was fresh in my mind on Wednesday so that was fun.)

[Alex Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Germany's constitution, written at the end of WWI, was one of the most democratic charters ever produced. It isn't surprising, then, that Kenneth Davis begins his comprehensive history of five 20th century dictators with the story of how Adolf Hitler used Germany's new democratic constitution to become the absolute ruler one of the world's most repressive and destructive governments - and the way it was done was completely constitutionally correct.
Davis then devotes a chapter to the history of democracy from antiquity to the American Revolution, pointing out just how fragile the concept of democracy is, especially when its enemies seek to dismantle democratic governments and solidify power for themselves. What follows is a biography of five dictators, Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Saddim Hussein, and their power grabs.

Davis shows that in their early lives, none of the Strongman - dictators who used any and every means possible to acquire power - showed any sign of what they were to become. Most had nondescript early beginnings, often with doting mothers and cruel fathers. Yet, all became charismatic figures, convincing people to support and follow them and to even commit atrocities in the name of their individual ideologies.

Following a short biography of their early lives, Davis traces the influences surrounding their rise to power, their seizure of power and their political philosophies for ruling their respective countries. Davis shows how each used propaganda to manipulate their citizens. For example, Mussolini recognized the need to control mass media and the beneficial use of fascist propaganda films shown in movie theaters, a lesson that the other four dictators learned all to well. And all found it important to mobilize young people with an eye to the future, such as the Mussolini's Vanguards, the Hitler Youth, Stalin's Young Pioneers, Mao's Red Guard, Hussein's Lion Cubs.

Davis don't analyze these five dictatorships, nor does he compare them to each other. Rather, each is designed to serve as a warning - democracy can disappear so easily, all it takes is one antiestablishment populist leader claiming he speaks for the people and promising to return power to them. As Davis shows, they begin to dismantle democracy and move towards authoritarianism and he gives for warning signs:

1- Rejection of the democratic rules of the game;
2- Denial of the legitimacy of political opponents;
3- Toleration of encouragement of violence;
4- Readiness to curtail civil liberties of opponents, including the media.

If these warning signs so familiar or recognizable, you can see why this is not just an important historical lesson, but a timely work of our own time.

But Davis doesn't leave the reader feeling helpless in the face of a potential charismatic dictator. Indeed he gives the reader a blueprint of the Strongman's playbook for getting power and what to expect once he is in power. Most importantly, Davis tells the reader not to fall into the trap of thinking it can't happen again - because it can.
At the beginning of each biography, readers will find a time line tracing each dictator's life in the context of the place and times in which he lived and his rise to power. There are also a wide range of photographs throughout the book. Back matter includes an extensive Bibliography, including general and dictator-specific reading for further investigation.

Davis has written an very readable, very relevant work that easily serves as a jumping off point for anyone interested in government, politics and the rise and fall of political systems.

This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was gratefully received from Casey Blackwell at Media Masters Publicity

[Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous read! Mr. Davis is a frequent guest on Pat Thurston at KGO's show to discuss history. He's a renowned historian and an excellent speaker. If you haven't read one of his books or heard him speak you don't know what you are missing. Davis writes for all age groups and in a readable, entertaining manner. He is clearly passionate about educating about the truth of our history.

Davis takes you through the histories of five of the most notorious dictator/autocrats. This is in addition to a history of the ancient Greek and Roman political societies and what brought them down. There are similarities to Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Saddam in their backgrounds. Davis cautions readers that not everyone with those backgrounds, no matter how similar, will lead to a wannabe dictator. Without coming right out and saying it, much of what he writes is seen in our 45th president. In some ways Davis's book, Strongman, stands as a warning for us to be constantly vigilant of our democracy as it can in all too short a time fall to a wanna be dictator or autocrat. There are photos of each of the subjects along with some other vintage shots from their time periods. Davis gives historical timelines as reference points at the beginning of each chapter.

This is an easy read that you can sit down and read in a day. Be ready to want to take notes because he packs a lot of information in the book.

[Rebecca Brenner Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

STRONGMAN explores fascism by focusing on the personal trajectories of Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, & Hussein. the selection of information + writing would be ideal for a high school aged audience. something I learned is that the term ‘fascist’ originated from Mussolini’s appropriation of the memory of Ancient Rome to mobilize nationalist sentiment in modern Italy. therefore, manipulating historical narrative is central to fascism itself. Trump could be the sixth fascist depending on how Election Day 2020 transpires. I withheld the fifth star bc the perspectives of survivors & victims are entirely absent. I understand that this book is abt the men, but I think that the tragic effects should be part of their stories. overall engaging & informative- thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy!

[Kelley S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book connecting the moving pieces of history from the late 1800-now. It's written for young adults, and isn't bogged with too many details.

[Ron Frampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS BOOK SHOULD BE A WAKE UP CALL TO ALL DEMOCRACIES.

[Thomas Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book, Strongman, by Kenneth C. Davis, is a nonfiction book, which describes how 5 powerful dictators or “strongmen” rose to power and took over their nations. In this biography, it describes 5 evil men, from their childhoods, to how they got into politics, the horrible things they did during their ruling, and the negative impacts these men have in today’s world.





In this book, it really dives in deep into some of the evil and terrible things these men did. The dictators talked about in this book are Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Joesph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Saddam Hussian. The book talks about when they were first born, all the way to their deaths. What is not a shocker, is that even as children these men were could violent at times. Hitler and Mussolini were both fascists (extreme right), Mao and Stalin both communist (extreme left-wing), and Hussian, believed in a mix of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism (a lesser extent of communism.) Mussolini and Hitlers mothers, were both devout Catholics, but their fathers were involved with politics, writing in papers, and arguing politics in public. Bennito Mussolini’s mother wanted him to go to a Catholic school, and wanted him to remain faithful. While he was at that school, he stabbed a classmate with a pencil, and was later expelled for that offense. When Hitler was a teenager going through school, he was confirmed as a Catholic, but he later rejected all sense of religion as he grew older and came to power, and ended up hating all religion (the reasons he had things like the holocaust.) Joseph Stalin's mother was a devout Russian Orthodox Christian women, however his father was poor cobbler, and the little money he made he often spent on alcohol, so he was usually very drunk and fought with his son a lot. His mother wanted him to become a priest, and he went to study Christianity for a little while at an Orthodox Christian school, but instead when he grew older, he got involved with politics, bank robberies, and was often in trouble with the police. When Saddam Hussain was growing up, he was abandoned by his mother and was forced to live with uncle. While spending time there, he was taught to hate Jews, the British, and Kurdish people (hence sparking his interest in nationalism.) He eventually grew hatred especially for the Kurdish people, who were a minority living in Iraq. Mao Zedong was born into very comfortable home, but was poor. He had no religion to follow in his home.





I personally really enjoyed reading this book. I am somewhat of a nerd when it comes to things like history, geography, and politics, so it was remarkably interesting for me to read. I really enjoyed how in-depth this book really went into the lives of these 5 powerful dictators, and I learned some new things about these people that I never knew about them before, like when they were children or teenagers. This book has lots of important information, and if I had to summarize the entire book this summary would be way to long.





I would say though, that someone must be interested in things like history, wars, politics, and geography, because this book would be really boring for someone who does not like these things. However, if someone really likes learning about wars and world history, and they like reading nonfiction books I would say that this book is right up their alley! This book was written on October 6, 2020, so it is a new book. The author Kenneth C. Davis, is from Mount Vernon New York.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, because right off the bat, there’s a brief history of democracy that does not once mention indigenous democracy.

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary….It is of great importance in a republic, not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers; but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part.” (James Madison)

The story of Mussolini has chilling echoes of today. A man who seized power via whatever opportunity presented itself, and who was not as murderous as some of his compatriots, but who certainly paved the way for darker authoritarianism and enabled leaders like Hitler. Hitler’s beginnings as a frustrated artist with an overbearing father reminded me of Santiago Saw Things Differently. But Santiago Ramón y Cajal did not become an unhinged dictator.

As we arrive in the middle of Hitler’s influence, I come across a sentence that is wildly striking: “Of course, these ideas are appalling today.” Except, one of our candidates for U.S. President is openly dehumanizing immigrants and calling for mass deportations.

In short, this is a whirlwind introduction to only a handful of the authoritarians of the twentieth century. But all knowledge needs to start somewhere, so if you find yourself wondering where today's dictators might find their inspiration, this offers a place to start looking.

[Dollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I noted the time of publication and I wonder how the author is feeling about the current tragetory of events in 2024.

Some useful signs of trouble shared in the book for folks who sense a strongman may be building momentum. Kind of pointless of me to repeat these as vulnerable populations are usually too distracted by noise, fear, outrage or indifference to consider what may be at stake, but here they are anyway:

" -Extreme nationalism that calls for restoring a country’s past glory or greatness.
-Placing blame on a single group—usually an ethnic or religious minority, or foreign threat.
-Warning of an emergency, often nonexistent, or responding to severe economic distress that threatens the nation.
-Calls for “law and order” and eliminating corruption.

Once in a position of power, the Strongman does some or all of the following:

-Moves to control the courts, legislature, and elections.
-Heightens an emergency that may not exist.
-Creates a crisis that may demand military intervention.
-Takes control of the media.
-Increases the use of propaganda.
-Jails or threatens opponents, including journalists.
-Attacks artists, intellectuals, and other free thinkers.
-Sets out to control the education system.
-Attempts to create a young generation of devoted followers.
-Doles out economic favors to supporters and allies.
-Creates a larger-than-life cult of personality.
-Either threatens or restricts religious freedom, or bends religion to the regime’s agenda."

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So often "history" about people is so far in the past, so to have this new book called Strongman include as one of the five dictators discussed by Saddam Hussein, this is the history that the audience of the book can relate to. It would have been more interesting to actually have the book go backwards and start with Hussein, alas, it was still a focused book that explains democracy while also explaining the other kinds of governments so that readers can better understand where the countries of the dictators were and went to when lead by these "strongman". For the most part there were wars that were a part of the equation and massive changes to the structures of power, so what Davis does is explains the catalysts for the power changes and a bit about how they did it to better understand the predicament that affected countries and the world leaving devastation in its wake.

For as short as the chapters are, they run deep with history, dates, and political explanations. Readers can use these introductions to be able to continue research or simply take the book at face value because the narrative style is not dry or dis-interesting. I also liked that there were plenty of images and pictures.

Overall a book I'll add to my HS library.

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I had heard of these strongmen and knew some facts, but this book goes well beyond just dry facts anyone can find in history books. I learned so much about the making of a dictator and the patterns of one rising to power. This book will be an excellent addition to any library, school, or personal nonfiction collection with it's conversational approach to explaining the lives of these men. It doesn't shy away from discussing the horrors unleashed by their rule. Lots of photos are incorporated throughout each chapter, making the past come to life for the reader.

The author presents these men from their early years and how each was raised and the influences they experienced. Different forms of government are also clearly explained and the final chapter explores additional strongmen in the world's history which didn't receive a dedicated chapter. The author challenges readers to think for themselves, not follow the crowd or remain passive just because it's easier. In order to keep history from repeating itself, more people need to stand up against oppression, including exercising their rights to vote, peacefully protest, and question authority.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book so I could write a Common Core guide for the publishing company. This book is well organized, heavily researched, and written in a way that students can build background knowledge on the dictators included and make connections to the past and present. This was a difficult book to read because there are some alarming parallels between the dictatorships discussed and present day. That being said, this is an important book. As Davis reminds his readers in the final chapter, democracies need active citizens to survive. Protesting, writing letters to elected officials, and asking lots of questions are not just rights but instead requirements of citizens in a flourishing democracy. This book would be great for secondary teachers teaching about the dictatorships of Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Hussein. I will be using the book when I teach the foundations of democracy to my 8th graders studying ancient civilizations.

[Roger Scherping · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tyranny naturally arises out of democracy." -- Plato

This is a very frightening book. Here are five examples of how the guardrails around a democracy were removed by a Strongman who manipulated people and systems to get what he wanted, and then did unspeakable things to consolidate and strengthen his power with no concern for the people he governed.

This has happened to many governments in history, including Rome and Greece, so I kept asking myself whether this could ever happen in the US. The events of recent years, culminating in the Capital riot on January 6, 2021, suggest that it could. Hopefully our Constitution and our long history of democratic success will keep the guardrails in place.

[Ed Terrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strongman is not just a book about dictators but also about democracy and its history from Athens to present day. Dictators and democracy are woven together since one cannot appreciate the effects of one without the other. These four qualities are ever present in dictators: 'extreme self-absorption, paranoia, no constraints of conscience and a willingness to use whatever means necessary to accomplish goals'. The events of early January in the US make this a topical history. In the words of one congressman "I don't fear Trump running again. I fear Trump running and losing". While this book predates these events, its message is very clear. It's up to each of us to stand up to wrongs and to hold that a democracy and our freedom cannot be bargained with.

[Leonard Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not flawless, but I gave Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh 4 stars, and I think this is as well-written and also has a clearer purpose in portraying its subjects. There is a danger when writing about certain people that, no matter how careful the author is, a certain type of person will find things to admire or even emulate. And one of Davis' few missteps, I think, is to even invoke the concept of a dictator's "playbook." However, the book is mostly very successful, because it's not really about the dictators, but the other half of the subtitle: Democracy, a subject Davis discusses first before even getting into his five case studies of when it has fallen. In its way, this is as effective a civics book for young people as Wiles' Kent State, though completely different.

[Ted Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is intended for young adult readers, although it is not labeled as such. The histories of the five featured strongmen are fairly rudimentary.

Donald Trump is not mentioned in the book, and despite his professed admiration for the current generation of strongman, he would never, ever be seen as in the same league with these guys. However, you can stretch your imagination a little. The author mentions Hitler's program to "make Germany great again". In the final chapter, Mr. Davis lists bullet points that can be used to profile a dictator. Of the 16 traits or behaviors, I could find Mr. Trump in half of them. And yet, we survived.

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I was finishing the audiobook version, I read some Goodreads reviews and found out this book is geared towards students. It made a lot of sense, but I couldn’t have told you it was a book for students. Davis writes a broad stroke history of five dictators, and doing so allows comparisons to be drawn between them. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick history on the strongman.

[Aud · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

It's hard to fit good history into one book. It's even harder to fit 5 people's worth of good history into one book, but here, Davis has performed admirably. By focusing on what makes each of these dictators (Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Hussein) "Strongmen," he's written a compelling study into how people like them come to power and maintain it.

Scary and relevant.

[Chris Heffernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers here, Davis explains in short form how Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Saddam Hussein rose to power with and committed atrocities with so little resistance. His last chapter, “Never again” is perhaps the most important as it shows more recent examples of authoritarian leaders and a checklist of how Strongmem rise to power and stay there that looks eerily familiar.

[Darnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually a book for students, so it has the requisite large pictures and definitions of obscure words like "inflation". But my knowledge of Mussolini and Hussein is limited enough that I still learned about their rise to power, and overall I feel like this book covers the material reasonably well for its level.

[Kathy Flaherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came in as an advanced reader for young adults. Being a lover of historic fiction and books about WWII, I wanted to read more about these dictators. I also wanted to see what a young adult might be reading. It was not an easy book to get through but, I felt, it was an important book to read and discuss with young and old.

[David King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Davis is an excellent historian and lucid writer. It is sobering to be reminded of how quickly dictators can rise. I noted with some dismay how Davis felt the need to define and explain political and economic terms that every American adult ought to be quite familiar with.

[Kyler Garvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good for those who are into nonfiction and good history books. This taught me a lot about WW1 and 2. This was good because of all the good information. I personally think that you should read this because of how much information it holds.

[Agnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is way too short :( It's too much of an important topic to be described in such a shallow way!

[Andrew Spenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never realized how awful Stalin really was and never heard of holodomor before reading book. Very educational.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. I’ll be using excerpts from this book with my students next year.

[Erin Irvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important and timely book!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the rise of these dictators and the context of their times that helped enable the rise of each one. Recommend for middle school/high school.