# Has there ever been a good dictator?

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: Stephanie Honchell Smith
- Year: 2024
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Business and management, Society and politics, History, Teaching and learning
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/stephanie_honchell_smith_has_there_ever_been_a_good_dictator)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Under certain conditions, the idea of a dictator can sound appealing, like when a democracy isn’t functioning as it should due to corruption or political polarization. People may believe the solution is a "benevolent dictator"— a leader who only uses their absolute power for the common good. But can such a leader actually exist in today’s world? Stephanie Honchell Smith examines this common myth. \[Directed by Avi Ofer, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by André Aires\].

## Lectures

1. [Has there ever been a good dictator?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/stephanie_honchell_smith_has_there_ever_been_a_good_dictator/bb9e6c7171f0), 6 min (TED's player)