Idi Amin's willing helpers

History Extra podcast

History Extra

History

4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Idi Amin is 20th-century Africa’s most notorious ruler – a cartoonish tyrant who has been bracketed with the likes of Hitler and Stalin. And it’s true that, as Uganda’s dictator for most of the 1970s, he oversaw murderous repression as well as the forced expulsion of the nation’s Asian community. But why did so many ordinary Ugandans willingly serve the regime and help to maintain his power? That’s a question at the heart of a new book by the historian Derek R Peterson, and in this episode he shares his conclusions with Rob Attar. (Ad) Derek R Peterson is the author of A Popular History of Idi Amin's Uganda (Yale University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Popular-History-Idi-Amins-Uganda/dp/0300278381/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=AUTHOR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7asZBQQWAZKsuHp8ZQ6vEJACr_TDgPYF6VppcpEALLBwzrnat70DnfBdLe23Fq1NjYcpJVsmX_qpCT4hW1xageeVMJB9yDQdZNRtwQmsf_s7mKADzEet_olde5WsCvbHySmwMG5ChnSUyfhQ42ZjCg.zqMhWkSai2mwT7Qlw7rU5NTGyU_7y7n8vg53f6wnbfQ&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This History Extra podcast is sponsored by Help for Heroes. The past is studied with tales of
0:05.5	our armed forces personnel, making huge sacrifices to change the course of history. And that's still the
0:11.2	case today, with thousands of veterans around the UK fighting daily battles, physical, mental, and
0:17.5	financial, that can make life seem overwhelming. That sense of pressure can be all the
0:22.4	more challenging during these winter months, as the nights draw in and our screens are full of
0:26.8	images of family fun and festive cheer. Health for Heroes understands the difficulties people face
0:31.9	when starting a new life after leaving the military. It offers life-changing, tailored support
0:37.2	for those who most need it,
0:39.1	helping them rebuild their lives.
0:41.1	But it needs public support
0:42.5	to continue to deliver its life-changing services.
0:45.7	This Christmas, they're asking us
0:47.3	to show our veterans they're not forgotten
0:48.9	and help the armed forces community
0:50.9	live well after service
0:52.1	by sending a Christmas message
0:53.9	of support and gratitude.
0:56.3	Visit healthforheroes.org.uk to write your Christmas message to our veterans. It only takes a
1:02.2	moment, but will make a world of difference. This History Extra podcast is sponsored by the new global
1:07.8	economic history book, Economica, A Global History of Women,
1:11.6	Wealth and Power by Dr. Victoria Bateman. Humanity's journey from poverty to prosperity is filled
1:17.9	with men who have become household names. But how many female entrepreneurs, merchants and investors
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 11 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Extra, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Extra and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.