Dictators and Democrats

How do dictators come into and stay in power? Why and how do they relinquish control of their nation and government? What distinguishes democrats from dictators? This course explores the processes through which charismatic individuals create, transform, or circumvent state institutions to seize and/or maintain political power. We will examine individual, national, and international factors that propel dictators to leadership positions. We will also look at the historical context and personal circumstances that lead to a dictators' demise, and that sometimes result in the establishment of a democratic regime. We will study cases from Europe (Churchill, Hitler, Atatürk, Milosevic), Asia (Ghandi, Mao, Pol Pot, Stalin), America (FDR, Clinton, G. W. Bush, Pinochet, Perón, Duvalier), and Africa (Mandela, Mobutu, Idi Amin, Mugabe). This course counts as elective credit towards the Political Science major. (Comparative Politics)/