Dictatorship Quote by Hisham Matar
“One of the reasons why Gadafy's dictatorship has managed to remain in power for so long is not just because it has shown itself to be able to exact a great deal of violence, both psychological and physical, on its people, but because it has been very successful at imposing a narrative, a story.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land of the Jacobins, 2016
A regime survives by terror and by controlling the story people believe about it.
In simple terms: Dictatorship lasts through fear and narrative control.
Key Takeaway
Challenge the imposed narrative.
Themes
politics
power
propaganda
psychology
Mood
tense
critical
Type
analytical
political
When to use this quote
- activism
- journalism
- education
- human rights advocacy
Key Concepts
authoritarianism
narrative control
psychological violence
Questions to Reflect On
- How does controlling a story sustain power?
- What can individuals do to break a regime’s narrative?
A Different Perspective
Narratives can be contested but may be suppressed violently.
![“[...] dictatorship, the most extreme form of tyranny, can never lead to social liberation.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/869/noam-chomsky-42_dictatorship_dictatorship-the-most-extreme-form-of-ty_31180.jpg)
