A Short History of the World in 50 Tyrants (Short History of the World #2)

Name: A Short History of the World in 50 Tyrants (Short History of the World #2)
Brand: Michael O'Mara Books US
SKU: 9781789298956
Price: 23.99 USD
Availability: InStock

$23.99

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Review Quotes:
"An engaging history, designed for readers hoping to learn from the past to create a better future. Well researched and informative" - Library Journal

Biographical Note:
Ben Gazur is a freelance writer and author specializing in history, folklore, and science. He has written for outlets including The Guardian, the BBC, All About History, and Fortean Times. His books cover everything from Epicurus to history's strangest deaths and British food folklore.

Table of Contents:
Introduction

Part I: Ancient History

Gyges of Lydia
Phalaris of Akragas
Polycrates of Samos
Amasis II
Hippias and Hipparchus
Cincinnatus
The Thirty Tyrants
Qin Shi Huang
Sulla
Julius Caesar
Augustus
Emperor Wenxuan

Part II: Medieval History

Wu Zetian
Irene of Athens
Andronikos I Komnenos
Genghis Khan
Narathihapate
Richard III
Yeonsangun of Joseon

Part III: Early Modern History

Ludovico Sforza
Ivan the Terrible
Aurangzeb
Catherine the Great
Maximilien Robespierre
Napoleon
Ranavalona I
William Walker
Francisco Solano López

Part IV: Modern History

Empress Dowager Cixi
Leopold II of the Belgians
Josef Stalin
Benito Mussolini
Adolf Hitler
Francisco Franco
Rafael Trujillo
Mao Zedong
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Fidel Castro
François Duvalier
Pol Pot
Idi Amin
Francisco Macías Nguema
Bokassa I
Enver Hoxha
Hastings Banda
Ferdinand Marcos
Kim Jong II
Saddam Hussein
Muammar Gaddafi
Saparmurat Niyazov

Afterword

Select Bibliography

Index

Publisher Marketing:
Explore the tyrants who have shaped the course of history. All power corrupts, but absolute power can turn people into absolute monsters. The true stories behind the men and women who led tyrannies around the world. This is history... but not as you know it.

Leading readers through all of world history, Ben Gazur looks at how tyrants and their regimes have shaped the course of humanity from the earliest times right up until the modern day. From the first Ancient Greek tyrants to those who still dominate nations today, dictators have always been pulling the strings.

In 50 bite-sized chapters spanning thousands of years, A Short History of the World in 50 Tyrants examines their rise to power, how they stayed there, and how they were overthrown, investigating their lives and crimes. Readers will learn how:

Catherine the Great seized the throne from her own husband
Adolf Hitler created a cult of personality to assume complete control
Julius Caesar met his end under a rain of stabs on the senate floor.

Follow the whims, eccentricities, and evil acts of dictators across the millennia, such as the deadly search for immortality by the first Chinese Emperor, the wily machinations of the Emperor Augustus, and the crushing brutality of Pol Pot's rule.

Review Citations:

Library Journal 06/01/2026 pg. 96 (EAN 9781789298956, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:Gazur, Ben
Ben Gazur is a freelance writer and author specializing in history, folklore, and science. He has written for outlets including The Guardian, the BBC, All About History, and Fortean Times. His books cover everything from Epicurus to history's strangest deaths and British food folklore.