Synopsis

The world has grown unsettling, marked by large-scale displacement and political turmoil both at home and abroad. History suggests that such periods are fertile ground for dictators, leaders who promise solutions to all woes in exchange for absolute power. David Olusoga delves into fifty years of BBC documentary archives to understand the enduring appeal of these figures. He reveals the surprising optimism once held by the West towards leaders like Gaddafi and Mugabe, and traces the events that