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The Dictator's Learning Curve
The Dictator's Learning Curve
Oct 11, 2024 7:21 AM

Author:William J Dobson

The Dictator's Learning Curve

In this riveting anatomy of the new face of authoritarianism, acclaimed journalist William Dobson takes us inside the battle between modern dictators and those who challenge their rule.

From Tahrir Square to the Kremlin, we have witnessed an incredible moment in the war between dictators and democracy. The problem is that today's authoritarians are not like the frozen-in-time, ready-to-crack regime of North Korea. They are ever-morphing, technologically savvy, and have replaced more brutal forms of intimidation with subtle coercion. But as dictators have become more nimble, so have the inspiring people who oppose their rule.

The Dictator's Learning Curveexplains this historic moment and offers hope for the future of freedom.

'Says something really fresh about the world we live in' Sunday Telegraph

'Timely, authoritative and as readable as a novel' Prospect

Reviews

Timely, authoritative and as readable as a novel

—— Prospect

Intelligent and absorbing...Mr Dobson's book, with luck, will find its ways into the hands of people who aspire to be free

—— New York Times

Says something really fresh about the world we live in

—— Sunday Telegraph, Books of the Year

William Dobson is that rare thinker who combines a gift for storytelling with a farsighted understanding of how the world works. He is one of the best new voices writing about global politics today

—— Fareed Zakaria

A brilliant and original analysis of the nature of modern authoritarianism

—— Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gulag

It is hard to imagine a timelier book than this one... Anyone seeking to make sense of the extraordinary tide of revolutions and protests sweeping around the world will find [this] an indispensable read

—— Anne-Marie Slaughter, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University, and former Director of Policy Planning, U.S. State Department

An astute analysis

—— Sunday Business Post

Timely

—— Big Issue in the North

Fascinating

—— Good Book Guide

De Lisle’s masterful command of the facts – great and small – provides a complete and entertaining overview

—— Giles Tremlett , Observer

A vibrant reappraisal of this turbulent family saga

—— Anne Somerset , Spectator

Full of subtle revelations and fascinating detail... fine storytelling and thought-provoking analysis

—— Linda Porter , Literary Review

It is…greatly to the credit of Leanda de Lisle that her new book on the Tudors as a family is so admirably balanced and accomplished, and full of subtle revelations and fascinating detail. The familiar faces are all here but their story is told with new insights… Fine storytelling and thought-provoking analysis

—— Linda Porter , Literary Review

[An] illuminating portrait of our most famous royal family

—— Sunday Times

Highly readable but no less scholarly

—— Lesley McDowell , Independent on Sunday

Wonderful, passionate, dangerous, fascinating stuff. I couldn't put it down

—— Julian Fellowes

Leanda de Lisle has the gift of reminding us that history is the story of real people; real men, real women, full of rage and ambitionand lust and hope and love. The Tudors are already our most vivid dynasty, by quite a long chalk, but these pages render them more vivid still. This was an age when the game was worth the candle, when a chance remark could result in a crown or the axe. Wonderful, passionate, dangerous, fascinating stuff. I couldn't put it down

—— Julian Fellowes

This fresh take on the Tudor dynasty is history at its best... an engaging and well-sourced account, sprinkled with provocative anecdotes that will appeal to both scholars and general readers... This compelling tale is driven by three-dimensional people and relationships, and de Lisle does a fantastic job of making them feel lived and dramatic

—— Publishers Weekly

Reveals an entirely new perspective on one of England's most fascinating dynasties

—— Mary Lussiana , Country & Town House

A very lucid, entertaining and excellent read

—— Suzannah Lipscomb , History Today

A thrilling, intelligent and fresh royal history that sweeps from the family’s unlikely beginnings in the 1420s to their apotheosis under Elizabeth

—— Dan Jones , Telegraph

The compelling story of the Tudors is vividly brought to life in de Lisle's narrative

—— Discover Britain

This should now be the go-to book for those looking for a broad understanding of the Tudors

—— Chris Skidmore , BBC History Magazine

De Lisle's energy and stamina in this vast operation are truly impressive. What is more, she tells an often thrilling story with great dexterity... Altogether, this remarkable achievement puts de Lisle firmly in the front rank of popular historians of the period

—— John Jolliffe , Catholic Herald

Unlike many books that claim to tell the story of the Tudors, but focus mainly on four characters (namely Henry VIII and his three children who all ruled England after him), this excellent book includes so many members of the Tudor family who may not always be forgotten, but are often sidelined

—— Good Book Guide
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