The Despot's Apprentice
The Despot's Apprentice

Author: Brian Klaas

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2017-11-14

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1510735933

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”[A] primer on the threat to democracy posed by—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—the current president of the United States.” —David Litt, New York Times bestselling author Donald Trump isn’t a despot. But he is increasingly acting like The Despot’s Apprentice, an understudy in authoritarian tactics that threaten to erode American democracy, including: Attacking the press Threatening rule of law by firing those who investigate his alleged wrongdoings Using nepotism to staff the White House and countless other techniques Donald Trump is borrowing tactics from the world’s dictators and despots. Trump’s fascination with the military, his obsession with his own cult of personality, and his deliberate campaign to blur the line between fact and falsehood are nothing new to the world of despots. But they are new to the United States. With each authoritarian tactic or tweet, Trump poses a unique threat to democratic government in the world’s most powerful democracy. At the same time, Trump’s apprenticeship has serious consequences beyond the United States. His bizarre adoration and idolization of despotic strongmen—from Russia’s Putin, to Turkey’s Erdogan, or to the Philippines’ Duterte—has transformed American foreign policy into a powerful cheerleader for some of the world’s worst regimes. In The Despot’s Apprentice, an ex-US campaign advisor who has sat with the world’s dictators explains Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian tactics and how Trump uniquely threatens American democracy... and how to save it from him.

Freedom in the World 2016
Freedom in the World 2016

Author: Freedom House

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2016-12-24

Total Pages: 905

ISBN-13: 1442261536

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Freedom in the World, the Freedom House flagship survey whose findings have been published annually since 1972, is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. The survey ratings and narrative reports on 195 countries and fifteen territories are used by policymakers, the media, international corporations, civic activists, and human rights defenders to monitor trends in democracy and track improvements and setbacks in freedom worldwide. The Freedom in the World political rights and civil liberties ratings are determined through a multi-layered process of research and evaluation by a team of regional analysts and eminent scholars. The analysts used a broad range of sources of information, including foreign and domestic news reports, academic studies, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, individual professional contacts, and visits to the region, in conducting their research. The methodology of the survey is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and these standards are applied to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development.

The Spirit of Despotism
The Spirit of Despotism

Author: Vicesimus Knox

Publisher:

Published: 2024-04-12

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781835915905

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"The Spirit of Despotism" is a political treatise written by Vicesimus Knox, an English essayist and clergyman, first published in 1795. The book is a critical examination of the nature and consequences of despotism, exploring its various forms and manifestations throughout history. Knox begins by defining despotism as a form of government characterized by the absolute power and arbitrary rule of a single individual or group. He argues that despotism is inherently oppressive and tyrannical, depriving individuals of their natural rights and freedoms. Drawing upon examples from ancient and modern history, Knox identifies the key features of despotism, including censorship, surveillance, and the suppression of dissent. He explores how despotic rulers use fear, intimidation, and propaganda to maintain control over their subjects, creating a climate of suspicion and obedience. One of the central themes of "The Spirit of Despotism" is the relationship between despotism and corruption. Knox argues that despotism breeds corruption by concentrating power in the hands of a small elite, who use their influence for personal gain at the expense of the common good. Throughout the book, Knox also examines the role of religion, law, and education in perpetuating or challenging despotism. He argues that a free press, an independent judiciary, and an educated citizenry are essential safeguards against despotism, providing checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power. "The Spirit of Despotism" is not only a critique of authoritarian rule but also a call to action for citizens to resist tyranny and defend their liberties. Knox advocates for political reform, constitutional government, and the promotion of civic virtue as antidotes to the corrosive influence of despotism. Although written more than two centuries ago, "The Spirit of Despotism" remains relevant today as a warning against the dangers of unchecked power and a reminder of the enduring struggle for freedom and democracy. Knox's insights into the nature of despotism continue to resonate with readers, offering valuable lessons for confronting authoritarianism in all its forms.

Freedom Defended, Or the Practice of Despots Exposed, Being an Answer to a Work Recently Circulated in the Neighborhood of Stockport, by Mr. Phillips, Under the Title of Democratic Principles Illustrated by Example. by William Clegg
Freedom Defended, Or the Practice of Despots Exposed, Being an Answer to a Work Recently Circulated in the Neighborhood of Stockport, by Mr. Phillips, Under the Title of Democratic Principles Illustrated by Example. by William Clegg

Author: WILLIAM. CLEGG

Publisher: Gale Ecco, Print Editions

Published: 2018-04-23

Total Pages: 26

ISBN-13: 9781385445617

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The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars. Delve into what it was like to live during the eighteenth century by reading the first-hand accounts of everyday people, including city dwellers and farmers, businessmen and bankers, artisans and merchants, artists and their patrons, politicians and their constituents. Original texts make the American, French, and Industrial revolutions vividly contemporary. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ Bodleian Library (Oxford) N031885 With a half-title. Manchester: printed at the office of George Nicholson. Sold by T. Knott, London; by J. Clarke, Stockport; and T. Boden, and J. Thomson, Manchester, [1798?]. [2],23, [1]p.; 8°

Absolute Despotism
Absolute Despotism

Author: Holly Brown

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2013-03-18

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9781499185829

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The passage of SB590190 amended the Constitution, and the United States descended into the bowels of chaos through the pursuit of perfect equality. The President became a Dictator and "the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." Or at least that's what Abigail Johnson's mother told her. Welcome to the new America: States have been merged into seven separate Regions, All Media is a branch of the Government, personal property is seized, the Constitution dismantled, and all Citizens tagged and monitored. Anyone believed to be conspiring against The State will be put to death as a traitor. Abigail Johnson remembers when these Executive Orders were issued and her life upturned. Working as a Junior Editor at a State Magazine in Denver, she is haunted by the recent death of her mother and memories of attending rebel meetings in her youth. While trying to stay a step ahead of her past, everything will explode. Two former acquaintances reemerge; involving her in what will become the Nation's most critical battle for rights and freedoms to date. Framed as a Terrorist for the bombing of a building, Abigail is faced with two important decisions: to run or to join the fight against Absolute Despotism.

Reassessing the Presidency
Reassessing the Presidency

Author: David Gordon

Publisher: Ludwig von Mises Institute

Published: 2013-09-19

Total Pages: 619

ISBN-13: 1610166140

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American Despots

Amazing low sale price in defense of authentic freedom as versus the presidency that betrayed it!

Everyone seems to agree that brutal dictators and despotic rulers deserve scorn and worse. But why have historians been so willing to overlook the despotic actions of the United States' own presidents? You can scour libraries from one end to the other and encounter precious few criticisms of America's worst despots.

The founders imagined that the president would be a collegial leader with precious little power who constantly faced the threat of impeachment. Today, however, the president orders thousands of young men and women to danger and death in foreign lands, rubber stamps regulations that throw enterprises into upheaval, controls the composition of the powerful Federal Reserve, and manages the priorities millions of swarms of bureaucrats that vex the citizenry in every way.

It is not too much of a stretch to say that the president embodies the Leviathan state as we know it. Or, more precisely, it is not an individual president so much as the very institution of the presidency that has been the major impediment of liberty. The presidency as the founders imagined it has been displaced by democratically ratified serial despotism. And, for that reason, it must be stopped.

Every American president seems to strive to make the historians' A-list by doing big and dramatic things—wars, occupations, massive programs, tyrannies large and small—in hopes of being considered among the "greats" such as Lincoln, Wilson, and FDR. They always imagine themselves as honored by future generations: the worse their crimes, the more the accolades.

Well, the free ride ends with Reassessing the Presidency: The Rise of the Executive State and the Decline of Freedom, edited by John Denson.

This remarkable volume (825 pages including index and bibliography) is the first full-scale revision of the official history of the U.S. executive state. It traces the progression of power exercised by American presidents from the early American Republic up to the eventual reality of the power-hungry Caesars which later appear as president in American history. Contributors examine the usual judgments of the historical profession to show the ugly side of supposed presidential greatness.

The mission inherent in this undertaking is to determine how the presidency degenerated into the office of American Caesar. Did the character of the man who held the office corrupt it, or did the power of the office, as it evolved, corrupt the man? Or was it a combination of the two? Was there too much latent power in the original creation of the office as the Anti-Federalists claimed? Or was the power externally created and added to the position by corrupt or misguided men?

There's never been a better guide to everything awful about American presidents. No, you won't get the civics text approach of see no evil. Essay after essay details depredations that will shock you, and wonder how American liberty could have ever survived in light of the rule of these people.

Contributors include George Bittlingmayer, John V. Denson, Marshall L. DeRosa, Thomas J. DiLorenzo, Lowell Gallaway, Richard M. Gamble, David Gordon, Paul Gottfried, Randall G. Holcombe, Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, Michael Levin, Yuri N. Maltsev, William Marina, Ralph Raico, Joseph Salerno, Barry Simpson, Joseph Stromberg, H. Arthur Scott Trask, Richard Vedder, and Clyde Wilson.