The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two Chinese dictators; Chairman Mao Zedong and current President of China Xi Jinping. They discuss Mao's involvement in the creation of the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese civil war fighting the Nationalists, the world war fighting the Japanese, his brutality in taking control of China, the millions of deaths in his Great Leap Forward and the hysteria and horror of the Mao's Cultural Revolution. They also discuss President Xi Jinping's suffering under Mao, his ascension to the top of the CCP, the genocide of the Uyghur people, the attempted cover up of the coronavirus outbreak, his crackdown on Hong Kong and future plans for Taiwan. These two dictators battle it out in Round 19 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.
The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of Eastern European Communist dictators; Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia and Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania. They discuss Tito's rise up the Yugoslav Communist Party, his leadership of the resistance movement during World War Two, his imprisonment of Stalinists within Yugoslavia and the aftermath of his death. They also discuss Ceausescu's humble origins, his lucky ascension to leader of the ruling Communist Party, his ban on contraception and abortions and his widespread use surveillance and propaganda. These two dictators battle it out in Round 18 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.
The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two female dictators; Cleopatra, The Last Queen of Egypt and Catherine The Great, Empress of Russia. They discuss Cleopatra's Macedonian heritage, her battles with he brother, her recruitment of Julius Caesar, her seduction of Mark Antony and her famous Shakespearean death. They also discuss Catherine's Prussian origins, the coup that placed her on the throne, her enlightenment ideas, ruthless treatment of dissenters, her territorial conquests and the myth surrounding her death. These two dictators battle it out in Round 17 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.
The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two Roman Emperors; Caligula and Nero. They discuss the Caligula's stellar ancestry, the origin of the nickname 'Caligula', his adoption by the Emperor Tiberius, his suspicious succession to Emperor, his cruel reign, sexual perversions and his eventual assassination. They also discuss Nero's many connections to Emperor Claudius, his unbelievable mother Agrippina the Younger, his tutor Seneca, his cruel and disinterested reign, his obsession with the arts, his handling of the Great Fire of Rome and the revolt that led to Nero's suicide. These two dictators battle it out in Round 16 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.
The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. They discuss the coup that brought Gaddafi to power, his bizarre manifesto, the Lockerbie bombing, his crazy behaviour on the world stage, his all female bodyguard troop and his eventual downfall during the Arab Spring. They also discuss Mubarak's survival of the assassination of Anwar Sadat, his use of mass imprisonment, the multiple rigged elections and his eventual fall from power. These two dictators battle it out in Round 15 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.
The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of Ferdinand Marcos of The Philippines and Suharto of Indonesia. The hosts discuss Marcos’ election, his declaration of martial law, embezzlement of billions of dollars, and of course, the extravagance of his wife Imelda Marcos. They also discuss Suharto’s military seizure of power, the widespread massacres of Indonesian communists, his invasion of East Timor and eventual downfall. These two dictators battle it out in Round 14 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.
The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two rulers of Russia, Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Putin. The hosts discuss Stalin's bizarre childhood, his outmaneuvering of Trotsky, his superb use of propaganda, the great purge of suspected dissidents, how agricultural collectivization lead to famine, his leadership during World War 2 and his eventual death. They also discuss Putin's early life as a KGB agent, his rise to power within the Russian Federation, his capitalization on the Chechen war, control of the media, murder of dissenters, meddling in US elections, the Syrian civil war and invasion of Ukraine. These two dictators battle it out in Round 13 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.
In this episode the hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two religious rulers, Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) and Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran. The hosts discuss Pope Alexander's corrupt election to the papacy, his nepotism, profiteering, expansion of the papal states and wild sex life. They also discuss Ayatollah's Khomeini's Iranian Islamic revolution, his toppling of the Shah, his war with Saddam Hussein, Fatwa against Salman Rushdie as well as the oppressive treatment of women and homosexuals in Iran. These two dictators battle it out in Round 12of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.
In this episode the hosts unravel the lives and legacies of French rulers Charlemagne and Napoleon Bonaparte The hosts discuss Charlemagne's family's rise to power, his conquests throughout western Europe, the forced Christian conversion of subjects and the massacre of Verden. They also discuss Napoleon's rise to Emperor from humble beginnings, his genuine military genius, his clever use of propaganda, rigged elections and his eventual downfall at Waterloo. These two dictators battle it out in Round 11of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.
In this bonus episode of Liberty Dies With Thunderous Applause, the hosts look back at the 20 dictators covered thus far in the tournament. Which dictator would Uncle Ian most like to have dinner with? Which dictator would Scott travel back in time to kill? What warning signs are there of an emerging dictatorship? These questions and many others get answered in this special episode. Julius Caesar, Benito Mussolini, Vladimir Lenin, Ivan The Terrible, Ghengis Khan, Deng Xiaoping, Xerxes, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, Francois Duvalier, Henry VIII, Oliver Cromwell, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Enver Pasha, Recep Erdogan, Idi Amin, Robert Mugabe, Augusto Pinochet & Jorge Videla all get a mention.