In 'How to Be a Dictator', Frank Dikötter explores the cults and propaganda surrounding twentieth-century dictators, examining how they built and maintained their regimes through the exploitation of the cult of personality. Using archival research and in-depth analysis, Dikötter offers a guide to the cult of personality and a map for exposing the lies dictators tell to maintain their power. This book provides a stunning portrait of dictatorship and its influence on modern leaders like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.