AUTHOR’S BIO

https://carleton.ca/bhum/people/waller-newell/

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

Tyrants is a must read for all those studying political science.

SYNOPSIS

Tyrants, by Professor Waller Newell is an encyclopedic panoply of absorbing facts relating to despots from ancient history to present days autocrats. Waller categorizes the various kinds of tyrannical systems together with their characteristic methodologies and potential risks each poses to the society and the wider world. Tyrants spans over 2,000 years of anarchic insanity posing under the guise of political change. Professor Newell describes succinctly how tyrannical systems grow, often seeming to be ineffectual to their rise and through their inevitable fall. The pattern repeating itself again and again against the tapestry of human history. As time and technology progress the number of victims arising out of tyranny increases to terrifying levels. Newell mentions the usual suspects, Hitler, Stalin, and, Alexander the Great as well as those from the distant past.

From the onset I was surprised to observe the subject to be compelling, fascinating, and enthralling. I commend Professor Newell for taking a complex and sensitive subject and making it accessible and interesting. I felt that Newell argued well that tyrants represent an existential threat to the existence and continuation of democratic systems.

Professor Newell manages to take us from the tyrannical archetypes and through his extensive academic knowledge and skills to reveals the very heart of tyrants at their worst. Newell states from the beginning that his purpose is to prompt the current generation to realize that tyrants are not gone never to return. They are very much alive, well and living alongside us today and that they present a terrifying threat to societies across the globe.

The work is scholarly but not academic, and this is an excellent choice as it gives the greatest number of readers the opportunity to ingest this warning from history. Tyrants is particularly important due to the absence of literature covering this topic.

CONCLUSION

Tyrants is a primer for those who wish to read Professor Newell’s earlier masterpiece Tyranny. Both manuscripts will give the reader a superior knowledge of the danger that still exists in our world today; as well as the historic context against which to illuminate the cliff edge that faces civilization. This tome is concisely written and researched with inspirational interpretations throughout. I found it a compelling read even though the topic is serious. Tyrants by Professor Newell is the author at his best.

FURTHER READING

Poverty Isn’t the Root Cause of Jihadist Terrorism. Here’s What Is.

https://www.heritage.org/political-process/report/understanding-tyranny-and-terror-the-french-revolution-modern-islamism

How Plato and Aristotle Help Us Understand the Tyranny of Bashar al-Assad

OTHER WORKS BY THIS AUTHOR

His books include Tyrants: A History of Power, Injustice and Terror (forthcoming from Cambridge University Press), Tyranny: A New Interpretation (Cambridge University Press), The Soul of a Leader: Character, Conviction and Ten Lessons in Political Greatness (Harper Collins 2009), The Code of Man: Love, Courage, Pride, Family, Country (Harper Collins, 2003), What Is A Man? 3000 Years of Wisdom on the Art of Manly Virtue (Harper Collins 2000), Ruling Passion: The Erotics of Statecraft in Platonic Political Philosophy (Rowman and Littlefield 2000) and Bankrupt Education: The Decline of Liberal Education in Canada (University of Toronto Press 1994, with Peter C. Emberley).

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

My sincere thanks go to: The Author, NetGalley, and the Publisher, for affording me the opportunity to review Tyrants.

I'm pretty certain I've read this book before. And honestly, reading though, the book ranges from two to five stars, based on what part you're in - it's dense, it's interesting, but it's somehow familiar and I don't know why. I've been reading a lot on the structure of tyranny and more, and I think that might be why it's familiar, and to be honest, this is a solid recap of all of my research that I've done and gave me more to consider, so that's positive.
A real reference piece if you're looking for the basis of understanding tyranny.

Here's what I can guarantee you would happen when you read this book- you will have learned new terms, so your vocabulary would be way advanced than it was, and you'd have taken quite a trip down memory lane or delved into history and gotten an understanding of the effects of power, injustice and narratives.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC. This is the kind of book anyone who loves history, rule, authority or power and then the advent of democracy would devour and argue on certain points.

This tome is a real enigma. I looked up the reviews for Prof. Newell's hardback edition of this book and found 100% five-star ratings. I can not concur. Skip the new introduction and begin reading Part I which I give three stars. Then move on to Part II which is better earning four stars. This leaves Part III which is excellent! It gets five stars. This book's only real weakness is that it does not draw an even more abrupt distinction between kleptocratic and oligarchic tyrants who dominated their subjects versus millenarian tyrants who exterminated millions of their followers. I would readily assign Part III to my students. It is a top rank piece of work. Oh, by the way -- keep your thesaurus close by when reading Tyrants.