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Thank you. In the mid-19th century, Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle stated, The History of the World is but the biography of great men.

And it does seem to be true in a sense.

How can we talk about the American Revolution without George Washington,

Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi, the Protestant Reformation, without Martin Luther?

Now, we modern students of history might recoil a bit upon hearing this great man theory of

history. Surely there are great women, too, first of all, but what about all the others,

men and women, making contributions in the background? Well, those are valid points, and there are great women, too, first of all. But what about all the others, men and women,

making contributions in the background? Well, those are valid points. And there are adherence to

theories of people's history or social history that have suspicion, if not contempt, for this

great man theory. But today, instead, I'd like you to contemplate what the opposite side of the

coin which is the great man theory,

might be. We might call him the evil man. These are persons who exhibit the same superior

intellect, heroic courage, extraordinary leadership, and inspired ambition as the great man,

but use these talents for twisted purposes. For my money, they move history just as much. And on today's

Saturday matinee, we share an episode from the Fantastic Noisor podcast, Real Dictators,

an entire series that looks at some of the most evil men in history. I hope you enjoy.

While you're listening, be sure to search for and follow Real Dictators. We put a link in the

show notes to make it easy for you.

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