Page 24 - All About History - Issue 38-16

Dictators

How to

STAGE A COUP D’ETAT

THE BEST WAY TO WREST POWER AND

HOLD ON TO IT MEXICO, 1822 54 THE IDEAL

When revolution isn’t on the cards, a coup d’etat President first LEADER
is the next best thing. A way to cut the head off Initially play ball by accepting another role.
the current institutions without getting the rest Once in the inner circle, you can take steps
to tweak your role to dictator.
of the nation directly involved, a coup doesn’t to tweak your role to dictator.
always need to be bloody, but it does need Make them believe
momentum and a leader with the ambition to
succeed. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was a you’re a patriot
dictator who used coups to his advantage. Not A dictator has to be a force of nature,
a megalomaniac like Ancient Roman emperors getting everyone round to his or
her way of thinking.
or a true despot like Hitler, through careful
r
c
Use your contacts
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s
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o
ac
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s
nt
manipulation of political conventions, Santa U U s e y o u r c o nt ac t s
Anna served as president no less than 11 times, Having an influence over the military
including once as a fully fledged dictator. is invaluable and can be used to your
advantage when force becomes necessary.
WHAT YOU’LL Embrace corruption
NEED Often the key to getting your own way
is to pay, threaten and kill off whoever
stands in your way.
Don’t give up
The desire to attain power must always
prevail. If you get knocked down,
FUNDS get up and go again.
MEDALS

PROPAGANDA

TRUSTY STEED

Act swiftly Keep your ego in check
This isn’t a revolution, it’s a coup. Changes will be made Santa Anna considered himself the ‘Napoleon of the
MURDER WEAPON 01 at the top, not throughout the country, so the planning of 02 West’. While some admired his narcissism, it generally
a nationwide demonstration isn’t required. Mexico had threats hindered his cause. One of his generals complained he “would
from both the USA and Spain at this time and Santa Anna, a listen to nothing which was not in accord with [Napoleon’s] ideas.”
renowned and decorated military general, helped the coups Even when it came to military tactics, Santa Anna was a slave to
succeed by playing others to his advantage. his alter-ego, insisting his troops march exactly as Napoleon’s had.

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