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[narrator] Absolute power.

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Come on. You know you want it.

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You just don't know how to get it.

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But I do.

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There's a playbook.

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A series of tactics
that history's most infamous tyrants used

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to achieve unimaginable power.

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Each in his own unique way.

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[theme music plays]

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Now, there is one small catch.

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This path does involve
making some unpleasant choices.

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But nobody said ruling was easy.

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Care to look inside?

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-[Hitler] Sieg!
-[crowd] Heil!

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[narrator] When I say the word "tyrant,"
what comes to mind?

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[margin bell dings]

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No. Too simple.

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[crowd cheering]

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[narrator] Tyranny is government
for people who want results.

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When you look at human history,
freedom is not the norm.

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We love being ruled.

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[crowd cheering]

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When you're living in a difficult time,
there's an appeal to someone who comes up,

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finds their moment, and says,
"I alone can fix it all."

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[narrator] History's most
successful tyrants do just that,

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transforming their societies
from top to bottom.

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By following their path step by step,

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you can too!

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There's a playbook for tyranny.

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If you want to be a tyrant,
you just have to do those few things.

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That's it.

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[narrator] But before you can do anything,
you need to break out from the crowd

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and grab the reins of power.

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That's where our story begins,

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with the failed landscape artist

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who reinvented himself
into the most powerful man on Earth.

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-[Hitler] Sieg!
-[crowd] Heil!

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[narrator] Here he is. Adolf Hitler.

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Just one month
after becoming Germany's absolute ruler.

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[speaking German]

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[narrator] So, how exactly
did Adolf Hitler become Adolf Hitler?

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[trumpet blaring]

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And what lessons can you take from him
on your rise to power?

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[man] Hitler in his twenties
was a disenchanted, broke,

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friendless, failed artist.

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I interviewed someone who had met Hitler,

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and she said,
"I found him remarkably unimpressive."

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"He seemed very weedy.
He had a clammy handshake."

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How is it that this man
ends up having this charismatic hold

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all over this incredibly large country
in the middle Europe in the 20th century?

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[narrator] It's actually quite simple.

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If you want to rule,

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you first have to believe that you can.

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[man 2] Tyrants do have

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a kind of megalomaniacal confidence
in their own abilities.

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They have to have that.

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They often see themselves as liberators.

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They are frequently convinced

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that only they can save the world

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and make the world a better place.

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[narrator] In other words,
they're special.

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And as you'll see, Hitler wasn't
the only one who felt that way.

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Roll the film.

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According to North Korean legend,
at the moment of Kim Jong-Il's birth,

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a new glowing star lit up the sky,

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a double rainbow appeared,
and winter turned into spring.

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Saddam Hussein claimed
that he was anointed by God

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to rule Iraq forever

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and pointed to the times he escaped death
as proof of his divine favor.

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While Haitian dictator
François Duvalier claimed

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that he himself was an eternal being

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whose voodoo powers
caused the JFK assassination.

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Who's to say they didn't?

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[ominous music plays]

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But where might you find the source
of your otherworldly belief?

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[machine gun fires]

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Hitler claimed that he found his
in a most unexpected place.

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The blood-soaked trenches of World War I.

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One day while on duty,
he hears a strange voice with a message.

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[man shouting]

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[narrator] "Move."

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Several of his comrades
are killed immediately,

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but Hitler emerges without a scratch.

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Later, as the war nears its end,

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Hitler and his unit fall victim
to mustard gas at the Battle of Ypres.

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[coughing]

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[glass shattering]

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[narrator] While recovering
at a nearby hospital,

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a pastor gives Hitler the bad news.

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World War I is over.

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Germany has surrendered.

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In shock, he completely loses his sight.

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A case of hysterical blindness.

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Then from the depths of his despair

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springs a grand vision
for his nation's future.

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From this point forward,
Hitler never doubted his special purpose.

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[Waller] Hitler once said famously,

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"I walk with the self-assurance
of a sleepwalker toward my destiny."

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Once he had his mission for Germany,
he was on autopilot.

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Nothing would distract him from that aim.

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[narrator] That's the sort of confidence
that any future tyrant needs to get ahead.

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Although some might use a different term.

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The potential dictator is
usually highly narcissistic.

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Believe themselves
to be the center of the universe,

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and everything must happen
according to their will.

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And this is very different
from ordinary people.

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[narrator]
Maybe that's not such a bad thing.

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[horse neighing]

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But before you can realize your destiny,

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you still have
some big challenges to overcome.

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For one thing,
you don't have any followers yet.

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In order to launch your rise to power,

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you'll need a message
that stirs people's souls,

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and there's one surefire place to start.

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[light music plays]

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In a perfect world,

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your society wouldn't need to be guided
by the firm hand of a tyrant,

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but look around you. People are angry…

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[siren wailing]

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…and looking for someone to blame.

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You're terrorist monsters!

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The genius is understanding
the nature of the resentment

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that already exists…

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and presenting yourself
as the means to overcome that,

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as the means to get even
with the people that you resent.

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[narrator] You want to get your
people's attention? The playbook is clear.

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Show them that
their enemies are your enemies…

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…and that you are the one
who will take them down.

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Like these guys did.

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From an early age,
future Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi

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gave fiery speeches
against the Western-backed monarchy

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he called "corrupt,"

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and was received as a hero
when he toppled them in a coup.

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The father of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung,
came to prominence reminding his people

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of the humiliations they suffered

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at the hands
of the occupying Japanese Army.

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And as Idi Amin rose to power,

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he focused
the Ugandan people's frustrations

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on their former colonial master, Britain.

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We see that they are deposed in Uganda,
that the British imperialism is over.

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[crowd cheering]

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[machine gun fires]

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After the First World War,
Germany has got hyperinflation,

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mass unemployment,

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and people are taking bucketloads of money
to buy a loaf of bread.

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[narrator]
And among Germany's disillusioned masses

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is 30-year-old Adolf Hitler,

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who was about to take a fateful step
on his path to power.

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Munich 1919.

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[ambient sounds]

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Adolf Hitler is an unemployed artist
with just a few coins in his pocket

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and strong opinions
about where everything went wrong

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and who to blame.

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[ominous music plays]

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Hitler gets a job
as an army intelligence officer.

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[ambient music and chatter]

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His first assignment: observe a meeting

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of an anti-Semitic right-wing group
called the German Workers' Party.

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Hitler's bosses expect him to lay low,

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take notes,
and report back to headquarters.

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But Hitler was never great
at taking orders.

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[Hitler speaking German]

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[narrator] Years of rage
and frustration pour out.

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He rails against the Jewish-led conspiracy
holding the proud German people down.

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Now before we go on,
I'm going to let this guy tell you

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about the conspiracy theory
Hitler was selling.

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Hitler says that basically,

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the financiers of Wall Street
and the Communists in Moscow

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are all one part of the same Jewish plot.

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[cackles maniacally]

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And it seems absurd, but that's
what Hitler convinces the German people.

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[crowd cheering]

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[narrator] Absurd or not,
Hitler's words strike a chord.

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Now a party member,

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Hitler obsessively
perfects his performance.

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The content of his speeches was--
A lot of it was hatefulness.

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[Hitler shouting in German]

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[Ruth] Of the need
to cleanse Germany of Jews.

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It was vendetta
against Germany being humiliated.

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It was national pride,
that Germany needed to rise again.

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[crowd cheering]

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[narrator] Before long,
Hitler is named leader of the party,

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which takes on a new name.

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The National Socialist
German Workers' Party,

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otherwise known as "the Nazis."

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Hitler now has
a platform to vent his outrage

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and a loyal group of followers
hanging on his every word.

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[Ruth] Many Germans found that
he was saying what they thought secretly

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but had never been able to express.

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[speaking German]

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[narrator] Why does this work so well?

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It's because you are
giving people permission to be themselves.

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Common grievance brings people together,

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and it feels very good
because you have solidarity,

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and you have a strong leader

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leading you against that minority

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or that threat from the outside.

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[narrator] Hard to believe
people would be so quick

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to blame others
for their misfortune, right?

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Let's not try and make out
that German people in the '20s

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are worse people than we are today.

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If you feel genuinely

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that there's an enemy within,

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then you would want your politicians
to do something about it.

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It's very easy for us to sit back

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and go, "I would never, you know,

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fall for the seductive charms
of a tyrant like Hitler."

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I promise you you would.

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[narrator] But to achieve absolute power,

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you'll need more
than a compelling message.

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You also have to sell the messenger.

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Let the playbook be your guide.

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00:12:14,629 --> 00:12:16,798
[upbeat piano and violin music plays]

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As a tyrant, yours will become
the face of your nation,

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and how you present that face

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will be all up to you.

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But at this early stage of your journey,
the playbook offers very specific advice

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on how to fashion your image.

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Show your people you are one of them.

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Need some examples?

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Italian dictator Benito Mussolini

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proudly referred to himself
as a "man of the people,"

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frequently playing up his humble roots
as the son of a small-town blacksmith.

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At the start of his reign,

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Idi Amin drove himself
around Uganda in an open Jeep

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and was known for showing off
his accordion skills in public events.

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While Muammar Gaddafi publicly
stayed in touch with his Bedouin roots

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by dressing in tribal robes and demanding
to stay in a tent when he traveled.

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[operatic music plays]

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Who better to make
a nation's dreams come true

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than somebody who feels what they feel,

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dreams what they dream?

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[Waller]
It's a hallmark of successful tyrants

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that they achieve this fusion
between themselves and the masses.

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They come forward and say,
"I am you. You are me."

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"We're a kind of collective organism."

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Hitler often used
to say this in his speeches.

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[Hitler on radio] I am only interested
in the German people alone.

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I only belong to them alone.
For these German people I give of myself.

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[narrator] Now when you're setting
yourself up as a "man of the people,"

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it's the little things
that make all the difference.

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[woman] Hitler didn't dress up
in a lavish fashion.

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00:14:01,778 --> 00:14:03,321
He always wore a uniform.

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00:14:04,322 --> 00:14:07,534
The fact that he came out of the trenches
in the First World War

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00:14:07,617 --> 00:14:09,953
believing that war makes a man,

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00:14:11,079 --> 00:14:13,456
you realize it was really important

247
00:14:13,540 --> 00:14:16,209
for wooing the masses
and solidifying his support.

248
00:14:18,003 --> 00:14:19,880
[narrator] So what about that…

249
00:14:19,963 --> 00:14:22,382
-[bell dings]
-…mustache?

250
00:14:23,925 --> 00:14:26,177
[Guy] The mustache metamorphosizes

251
00:14:26,261 --> 00:14:30,932
from this very sort of long thing
that you see in the First World War

252
00:14:31,016 --> 00:14:32,434
in earlier images of Hitler.

253
00:14:33,435 --> 00:14:35,729
[narrator] Something compelled him
to change up his look.

254
00:14:37,063 --> 00:14:40,525
One theory is
that he trimmed his deluxe Kaiser Wilhelm

255
00:14:40,609 --> 00:14:43,320
during the war to fit under a gas mask.

256
00:14:44,070 --> 00:14:48,450
Another is that he was using his razor
to copy a contemporary German hero,

257
00:14:48,533 --> 00:14:49,784
Hans Koeppen.

258
00:14:50,410 --> 00:14:54,122
Maybe Hitler wasn't thinking
about shaving his way into immortality.

259
00:14:54,205 --> 00:14:56,207
But sometimes, a future tyrant

260
00:14:57,542 --> 00:14:58,919
just gets lucky.

261
00:15:00,378 --> 00:15:03,673
[Guy] It ends up becoming
the classic toothbrush mustache,

262
00:15:03,757 --> 00:15:07,385
which was used by lower-middle-class men

263
00:15:08,887 --> 00:15:09,804
throughout Europe.

264
00:15:09,971 --> 00:15:13,683
So what Hitler was showing,
"I am from this kind of background."

265
00:15:14,768 --> 00:15:18,104
[narrator] Now that you've cemented
your bond with the common people,

266
00:15:18,605 --> 00:15:21,858
you might be feeling like
your date with destiny is at hand,

267
00:15:21,942 --> 00:15:23,401
but not so fast.

268
00:15:25,070 --> 00:15:26,404
If you wanna make history,

269
00:15:26,488 --> 00:15:29,449
you'll need to grab people
at an even deeper level.

270
00:15:30,241 --> 00:15:31,826
Their subconscious.

271
00:15:37,123 --> 00:15:38,375
[machine gun fires]

272
00:15:39,751 --> 00:15:42,671
[Wendy] Coming out
of these beer halls in the 1920s,

273
00:15:43,505 --> 00:15:46,633
the Nazi party is growing,

274
00:15:46,716 --> 00:15:50,679
but there were dozens
of these right-wing parties

275
00:15:50,762 --> 00:15:52,263
vying for control.

276
00:15:53,223 --> 00:15:54,557
[narrator] Like with any product,

277
00:15:54,641 --> 00:15:56,851
for your budding movement
to break from the pack,

278
00:15:56,935 --> 00:15:58,937
you'll need a great marketing strategy.

279
00:15:59,020 --> 00:16:03,233
[man] 192 thousand bottles
march through here every day.

280
00:16:04,067 --> 00:16:07,153
[narrator]
And Hitler was a natural-born ad man.

281
00:16:07,737 --> 00:16:10,115
[man] It's almost as
if the machine gives them life,

282
00:16:11,574 --> 00:16:14,202
turns them into symbols of ourselves,

283
00:16:14,285 --> 00:16:18,415
queuing up for the future,
moved by forces beyond our control,

284
00:16:18,498 --> 00:16:21,626
getting on board
for a destination that remains vague.

285
00:16:23,336 --> 00:16:25,296
Hitler knew the power of the image.

286
00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:29,426
He recognized the power of branding.

287
00:16:29,509 --> 00:16:31,553
You didn't just have to have the man,

288
00:16:32,387 --> 00:16:35,640
but you also had to have
the iconography to go with it.

289
00:16:37,308 --> 00:16:40,103
[narrator] And when it comes to symbols,
you have to admit

290
00:16:40,186 --> 00:16:42,147
this one is pretty powerful.

291
00:16:42,230 --> 00:16:44,232
[upbeat music plays]

292
00:16:45,442 --> 00:16:48,737
There is almost no more famous brand

293
00:16:48,820 --> 00:16:51,614
than the swastika
in a white circle on a red banner.

294
00:16:52,824 --> 00:16:57,996
It is probably still the most potent icon
that's ever existed on this planet.

295
00:17:01,207 --> 00:17:03,668
[narrator] But as compelling
as the right symbol can be,

296
00:17:03,752 --> 00:17:05,628
your real power is your people,

297
00:17:05,712 --> 00:17:08,381
and they need to be dressed
for your success.

298
00:17:08,465 --> 00:17:11,968
[camera shutter snapping]

299
00:17:12,052 --> 00:17:15,889
Hitler put this page of the playbook
into action with his brown shirt militia.

300
00:17:19,684 --> 00:17:22,562
[Wendy]
That very act of obtaining the uniform

301
00:17:22,645 --> 00:17:24,939
and being part of something
greater than yourself,

302
00:17:25,023 --> 00:17:27,984
being part of a movement,
was very significant

303
00:17:28,068 --> 00:17:29,611
in the kind of German psyche.

304
00:17:29,694 --> 00:17:31,863
That uniform that meant sacrifice,

305
00:17:31,946 --> 00:17:34,991
that meant duty,
that meant obedience and loyalty.

306
00:17:35,075 --> 00:17:36,117
[classical music plays]

307
00:17:36,201 --> 00:17:38,703
[narrator] In other words,
when you're wearing a uniform,

308
00:17:38,787 --> 00:17:40,580
it means you're on the team.

309
00:17:40,663 --> 00:17:42,457
-[indistinct announcement]
-[cheering]

310
00:17:42,540 --> 00:17:44,501
And who doesn't wanna be on the team?

311
00:17:44,584 --> 00:17:48,588
Conformity is definitely
one of the chief goals

312
00:17:48,671 --> 00:17:50,423
that tyrants strive for.

313
00:17:52,300 --> 00:17:54,552
The reason they sometimes succeed,

314
00:17:55,345 --> 00:17:59,349
shockingly, is that they're able
to convince their followers

315
00:17:59,432 --> 00:18:02,310
that this isn't really conformity,

316
00:18:02,393 --> 00:18:03,728
it's unity.

317
00:18:13,071 --> 00:18:15,406
[narrator] By branding and unifying
your growing movement,

318
00:18:15,490 --> 00:18:18,201
it will soon become impossible to ignore.

319
00:18:19,536 --> 00:18:21,079
[crowd cheering]

320
00:18:21,162 --> 00:18:22,789
[Hitler speaking German]

321
00:18:22,872 --> 00:18:25,083
[Guy] Hitler draws people in

322
00:18:25,166 --> 00:18:27,127
through that political pageantry.

323
00:18:31,047 --> 00:18:34,092
With swastikas,
marching people in uniforms,

324
00:18:34,175 --> 00:18:36,177
torch-lit rallies, powerful speeches,

325
00:18:36,261 --> 00:18:39,848
you're gonna be tempted.
If we're all going to be in it together

326
00:18:39,931 --> 00:18:42,767
and we're all gonna take part
in this play, let's join in.

327
00:18:44,102 --> 00:18:45,061
[narrator] Sounds fun.

328
00:18:45,562 --> 00:18:48,648
But just because you're offering
a good show and a sharp look

329
00:18:48,731 --> 00:18:50,567
doesn't mean
your rise to power is at hand.

330
00:18:51,151 --> 00:18:54,863
You're going to need
to scale up your operation.

331
00:18:54,946 --> 00:18:58,283
And the right staffing decisions
will make all the difference.

332
00:18:58,366 --> 00:18:59,242
Heil!

333
00:18:59,325 --> 00:19:00,368
[all] Heil!

334
00:19:00,451 --> 00:19:02,203
-[Nazi leader] Heil!
-[all] Heil!

335
00:19:08,751 --> 00:19:12,422
Nobody… nobody governs alone.

336
00:19:13,381 --> 00:19:14,883
Not Idi Amin,

337
00:19:14,966 --> 00:19:17,719
not Louis XIV who said "L'etat c'est moi,"

338
00:19:17,802 --> 00:19:19,095
"I am the state."

339
00:19:19,179 --> 00:19:20,972
Nobody rules alone.

340
00:19:21,055 --> 00:19:24,684
[narrator] When it comes to seizing power,
you'll need a team you can trust

341
00:19:24,767 --> 00:19:27,604
to amplify your message
and watch your back.

342
00:19:28,146 --> 00:19:29,230
To prove my point,

343
00:19:30,857 --> 00:19:33,693
Moammar Gaddafi's inner circle
of fellow army officers

344
00:19:33,776 --> 00:19:36,654
helped him launch his coup
against the Libyan King

345
00:19:36,738 --> 00:19:39,824
and form the government
he would run for over 40 years.

346
00:19:40,575 --> 00:19:43,119
Saddam Hussein relied on
direct family members

347
00:19:43,203 --> 00:19:45,747
or members of his tribe
as his main base of support

348
00:19:45,830 --> 00:19:47,248
throughout his reign.

349
00:19:48,333 --> 00:19:51,878
Joseph Stalin elevated key supporters
inside the Soviet Central Committee,

350
00:19:51,961 --> 00:19:54,839
which allowed him
to eventually purge his rivals

351
00:19:54,923 --> 00:19:56,716
and seize total control.

352
00:19:58,092 --> 00:20:01,596
But when you're building a team
to secure power in the first place,

353
00:20:01,679 --> 00:20:03,765
not just anyone will fit the bill.

354
00:20:03,848 --> 00:20:07,268
Like every leader,
you need people with a diverse skill set

355
00:20:07,352 --> 00:20:09,437
who can bring your vision to life.

356
00:20:10,271 --> 00:20:14,567
An expert organizer to help run
and expand your movement efficiently.

357
00:20:15,193 --> 00:20:16,611
A ruthless military man

358
00:20:16,694 --> 00:20:20,365
who can enlist others
to violently enforce your whims.

359
00:20:20,448 --> 00:20:23,618
A trusty assistant
to maintain your busy schedule

360
00:20:23,701 --> 00:20:26,579
and record your pearls of wisdom
for posterity,

361
00:20:27,038 --> 00:20:28,581
and a decorated hero

362
00:20:28,665 --> 00:20:31,084
to help you impress
the deep-pocketed elites

363
00:20:31,167 --> 00:20:33,294
because revolution isn't cheap.

364
00:20:34,337 --> 00:20:38,091
And, of course, you always have
to keep your eyes open for new talent.

365
00:20:38,675 --> 00:20:40,134
But as your movement grows,

366
00:20:40,218 --> 00:20:43,179
some might be tempted
to challenge your authority.

367
00:20:43,263 --> 00:20:46,641
So never forget
the one requirement that stands above all.

368
00:20:47,642 --> 00:20:51,854
What you want is people
who you can count on to be loyal.

369
00:20:52,939 --> 00:20:56,067
[narrator] And for that,
Hitler could always count on this guy,

370
00:20:56,150 --> 00:20:58,736
who became his most loyal follower of all.

371
00:20:59,862 --> 00:21:01,197
Joseph Goebbels.

372
00:21:01,823 --> 00:21:04,075
Goebbels adored Hitler.

373
00:21:05,076 --> 00:21:07,704
He heard Hitler speak at an event

374
00:21:07,787 --> 00:21:12,542
and became enamored
and just said, "Okay. He is the one."

375
00:21:13,710 --> 00:21:17,922
Goebbels understood
the power of modern media,

376
00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:21,968
of cinema, of controlling the media,

377
00:21:22,051 --> 00:21:26,639
and he understood the power
of just hammering and repetition.

378
00:21:26,723 --> 00:21:29,475
Joseph Goebbels
became his propaganda chief.

379
00:21:30,101 --> 00:21:32,103
[speaking German]

380
00:21:33,688 --> 00:21:35,023
[narrator] Sure, talent is great.

381
00:21:35,106 --> 00:21:39,110
But what really matters is
that your followers always put you first,

382
00:21:39,193 --> 00:21:41,321
even when things get really bad.

383
00:21:41,404 --> 00:21:45,867
Goebbels was such a true believer.
At the end in a bunker in 1945,

384
00:21:45,950 --> 00:21:49,120
he and his wife
poisoned their own six children,

385
00:21:49,203 --> 00:21:50,872
and then he poisoned himself,

386
00:21:50,955 --> 00:21:53,666
because he could not imagine
a world without Hitler.

387
00:21:56,878 --> 00:21:58,671
[narrator] Now, that's loyalty.

388
00:22:02,925 --> 00:22:06,804
If you've been following
the playbook's guide to seizing power,

389
00:22:06,888 --> 00:22:11,267
you've identified your divine mission,
tapped into your people's anger,

390
00:22:11,351 --> 00:22:13,519
crafted an "every man" image,

391
00:22:13,603 --> 00:22:16,939
and branded an unforgettable identity
for your movement.

392
00:22:17,023 --> 00:22:20,526
And now you have
a loyal inner circle rarin' to go.

393
00:22:20,610 --> 00:22:22,445
But to take that final step of power,

394
00:22:22,528 --> 00:22:25,740
you still need
an opening to take your shot.

395
00:22:25,823 --> 00:22:28,701
And when it does arrive,
you better not miss.

396
00:22:28,785 --> 00:22:30,244
[loud crash]

397
00:22:32,663 --> 00:22:37,001
As pressure mounts to seize your moment,
timing is everything.

398
00:22:38,002 --> 00:22:42,048
You have to have
a cobra-like patience before you pounce.

399
00:22:42,131 --> 00:22:45,593
The ability to play a long game, to wait.

400
00:22:45,676 --> 00:22:49,138
[narrator] Trust me.
Your patience will be rewarded.

401
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:50,556
Let me show you.

402
00:22:52,475 --> 00:22:54,644
When Saddam Hussein was
Iraq's vice president,

403
00:22:54,727 --> 00:22:58,439
he spent a decade building
a secret service loyal to him

404
00:22:58,523 --> 00:23:01,526
before using it
to help seize power from his boss.

405
00:23:02,652 --> 00:23:05,738
Joseph Stalin spent seven long years
cozying up to Lenin

406
00:23:05,822 --> 00:23:09,033
before the father of Russia
finally put him in charge.

407
00:23:09,117 --> 00:23:10,284
Uganda's Idi Amin

408
00:23:10,368 --> 00:23:14,330
patiently stacked the army
with members of his tribe, the Kakwa,

409
00:23:14,414 --> 00:23:16,874
who then helped him topple the president.

410
00:23:17,750 --> 00:23:20,128
Hitler almost blew his shot
by ignoring this lesson

411
00:23:20,211 --> 00:23:22,004
and jumping the gun.

412
00:23:23,798 --> 00:23:25,091
[machine gun fires]

413
00:23:26,926 --> 00:23:28,428
[Guy] The Beer Hall Putsch.

414
00:23:28,511 --> 00:23:29,554
[machine gun fires]

415
00:23:29,637 --> 00:23:32,807
Hitler mounts
this kind of crazy, half-baked coup,

416
00:23:32,890 --> 00:23:36,310
essentially tries to lead the mob of Nazis

417
00:23:36,394 --> 00:23:38,104
down the streets of Munich

418
00:23:38,187 --> 00:23:41,065
and trying to seize
Bavarian political leaders,

419
00:23:41,149 --> 00:23:43,651
hold them hostage,
force them to relinquish power.

420
00:23:43,734 --> 00:23:46,028
There's lots of miscommunication.

421
00:23:46,112 --> 00:23:49,991
They eventually leave the beer hall,
and then they're fired upon by the police.

422
00:23:50,074 --> 00:23:51,200
It's a huge error.

423
00:23:54,454 --> 00:23:56,956
Hitler gets sent to Landsberg Prison.

424
00:23:57,039 --> 00:23:59,792
He's written off
by the press all around the world.

425
00:23:59,876 --> 00:24:03,045
There's this classic cutting
in the New York Times, which says,

426
00:24:03,129 --> 00:24:07,467
"It is expected that Herr Hitler
will shortly retire from public life."

427
00:24:08,426 --> 00:24:11,929
[narrator] And so he does,
never to be heard from again.

428
00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:14,682
[vaudeville music plays]

429
00:24:17,643 --> 00:24:18,853
[narrator] Oh, right.

430
00:24:19,979 --> 00:24:23,483
[Guy] He's there with one
of his most loyal acolytes, Rudolf Hess.

431
00:24:23,566 --> 00:24:25,568
And it's Hess who convinced him

432
00:24:25,651 --> 00:24:28,988
to start getting down
his kind of manifesto.

433
00:24:29,071 --> 00:24:32,575
And this manifesto, of course,
becomes this book Mein Kampf,

434
00:24:32,658 --> 00:24:33,743
"My Struggle."

435
00:24:34,410 --> 00:24:36,412
[narrator]
And yet setting his goals to paper

436
00:24:36,496 --> 00:24:39,081
and getting released from jail
after nine months

437
00:24:39,165 --> 00:24:41,959
did not immediately
turn around Hitler's fortunes.

438
00:24:42,543 --> 00:24:44,212
Things actually got worse.

439
00:24:44,712 --> 00:24:46,422
[upbeat music plays]

440
00:24:48,341 --> 00:24:53,846
[Wendy] The Roaring '20s was a time
of free expression and opportunities.

441
00:24:53,930 --> 00:24:56,140
The way people were dressing
and their lifestyles,

442
00:24:56,224 --> 00:24:58,059
and women were more liberated.

443
00:24:58,684 --> 00:25:00,353
That was exciting!

444
00:25:01,187 --> 00:25:02,230
[narrator] Hardly.

445
00:25:02,313 --> 00:25:06,025
The last thing you want as
an aspiring tyrant is a happy population.

446
00:25:06,943 --> 00:25:09,153
[Wendy]
The '20s were quiet years for Hitler.

447
00:25:09,237 --> 00:25:11,113
It was a political struggle.

448
00:25:13,282 --> 00:25:16,077
[narrator] But luckily,
the good times don't last forever.

449
00:25:18,329 --> 00:25:22,124
In October 1929,
the US Stock Exchange crashes,

450
00:25:22,208 --> 00:25:25,086
and markets around the world follow suit.

451
00:25:26,003 --> 00:25:30,258
Shortly after the Depression hit,
that's when the Nazi party took off.

452
00:25:34,637 --> 00:25:37,390
[Wendy] Before the Great Depression,
it was not a foregone conclusion

453
00:25:37,473 --> 00:25:39,767
that they were going to be
the dominant party.

454
00:25:40,810 --> 00:25:47,567
July '32 was the peak moment of popularity
of the Nazi party at 37%,

455
00:25:47,650 --> 00:25:50,611
so Hitler actually is
appointed chancellor.

456
00:25:51,112 --> 00:25:52,613
[machine gun fires]

457
00:25:52,697 --> 00:25:54,615
[crowd cheering]

458
00:25:55,116 --> 00:25:57,493
Hitler's seizure of power
when he comes into office

459
00:25:57,577 --> 00:25:59,078
as chancellor is not absolute.

460
00:25:59,161 --> 00:26:02,164
He's not head of state.
There's still a president above him.

461
00:26:02,665 --> 00:26:05,209
He's got to start taking opportunities

462
00:26:05,293 --> 00:26:07,336
that are gonna strengthen
his grip on power.

463
00:26:08,170 --> 00:26:11,215
[narrator] Nothing says opportunity
like a good crisis.

464
00:26:11,299 --> 00:26:12,466
[thunder rumbling]

465
00:26:12,550 --> 00:26:15,678
The Reichstag fire enabled him to pounce.

466
00:26:21,642 --> 00:26:22,977
[narrator] What could be worse

467
00:26:23,060 --> 00:26:25,688
than seeing the heart
of your government burning to the ground?

468
00:26:25,771 --> 00:26:32,194
Yet when Hitler arrives on the scene,
he seems less shocked than oddly inspired.

469
00:26:33,195 --> 00:26:36,449
"You're now witnessing the beginning
of a new era in German history,"

470
00:26:36,532 --> 00:26:38,075
he tells a reporter.

471
00:26:38,159 --> 00:26:41,662
He speeds to the offices
of the Nazi party's official newspaper

472
00:26:41,746 --> 00:26:43,247
and works until dawn.

473
00:26:43,831 --> 00:26:48,252
The next day, Hitler's headline
blames communists for the Reichstag arson.

474
00:26:49,879 --> 00:26:52,590
Some have
a different theory of what happened.

475
00:26:55,384 --> 00:26:58,220
They believe
that it was actually Nazi operatives

476
00:26:58,304 --> 00:27:00,389
answering to Hitler himself
who set the blaze

477
00:27:00,473 --> 00:27:03,267
in order to increase
sympathies for their cause.

478
00:27:05,353 --> 00:27:07,021
Ignoring the whispers,

479
00:27:07,688 --> 00:27:12,526
Hitler demands the government ministers
sign an emergency decree he's cooked up,

480
00:27:12,610 --> 00:27:15,946
turning Germany into a police state
under Nazi control,

481
00:27:16,530 --> 00:27:19,909
then takes it
to President Paul von Hindenburg.

482
00:27:19,992 --> 00:27:22,620
Von Hindenburg is no match
for Hitler's will

483
00:27:22,703 --> 00:27:25,122
or the swirling national crisis.

484
00:27:26,374 --> 00:27:30,461
The official decree gives Hitler
sweeping power to imprison opponents,

485
00:27:30,544 --> 00:27:35,049
dissolve every political party
but the Nazis, and muzzles the press.

486
00:27:35,841 --> 00:27:38,636
Hitler was looking for an opportunity

487
00:27:38,719 --> 00:27:43,474
to end civil liberties
and crush the opposition,

488
00:27:43,557 --> 00:27:44,975
and he found it.

489
00:27:47,478 --> 00:27:50,690
Potential dictators instinctively know

490
00:27:50,773 --> 00:27:53,609
that when people are threatened,

491
00:27:54,151 --> 00:27:58,614
they look
for strong authoritarian leadership

492
00:27:58,698 --> 00:28:00,574
and support a strong man.

493
00:28:01,701 --> 00:28:05,413
[narrator] The stage is set,
and now it's only a matter of time.

494
00:28:07,748 --> 00:28:11,127
Seventeen months later,
von Hindenburg dies,

495
00:28:11,752 --> 00:28:15,506
and Adolf Hitler becomes
both chancellor and president of Germany,

496
00:28:15,589 --> 00:28:20,219
just 16 years after realizing his destiny
in the trenches of World War I,

497
00:28:21,262 --> 00:28:23,264
and he's just getting started.

498
00:28:27,101 --> 00:28:31,188
To those who have made it this far,
congratulations!

499
00:28:31,272 --> 00:28:35,151
You've built a movement
and seized the reins of power.

500
00:28:37,111 --> 00:28:39,572
But now for the bad news.

501
00:28:39,655 --> 00:28:41,699
You're not the underdog anymore.

502
00:28:43,159 --> 00:28:44,160
You're the man,

503
00:28:45,286 --> 00:28:48,122
and that means
there's a giant target on your back.

504
00:28:48,205 --> 00:28:50,624
So how do you consolidate power

505
00:28:50,708 --> 00:28:52,835
and keep your rivals in check?

506
00:28:54,044 --> 00:28:57,673
As you continue your tyrant's journey,
let Saddam Hussein answer the question

507
00:28:57,757 --> 00:29:00,968
on the minds of every new
and vulnerable tyrant.

508
00:29:01,927 --> 00:29:04,597
How do you keep the wolves at bay?

509
00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:08,642
[theme music plays]