Simon Kuper Simon Kuper

What, if anything, have dictators over the centuries had in common?

Ferdinand Mount admits there are few patterns in history, but one characteristic strongmen share is a contempt for their own supporters

Napoleon Bonaparte in coronation robes and gilded laurel wreath. [Getty Images]
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  • Big Caesars and Little Caesars: How They Rise and How They Fall From Julius Caesar to Boris Johnson

    Ferdinand Mount

    Bloomsbury, pp. 304, £25

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