Phase 1: Consolidate Power

Identify a Crisis or Opportunity

• Exploit social, economic, or political instability.
• Create or exaggerate external threats to unite people under your leadership.
• Position yourself as the "savior" capable of resolving the crisis.

Charisma and Messaging

• Develop a powerful personal brand. Portray yourself as strong, decisive, and indispensable.
• Control narratives through propaganda. Use mass media to create an idealized image of yourself.

Undermine Opponents

• Discredit opposition leaders and institutions through propaganda, scandals, or legal charges.
• Exploit divisions within opposition groups to weaken their collective power.
• Co-opt or intimidate potential rivals into silence or submission.

Phase 2: Erode Democratic Institutions

Control Information

• Gain influence or control over the media to suppress dissenting voices.
• Limit access to independent journalism and promote state-sponsored narratives.

Amend Legal Frameworks

• Push for constitutional changes that concentrate power in your hands.
• Use legal loopholes or emergency powers to bypass democratic checks and balances.

Manipulate Elections

• Ensure loyalty in electoral commissions and judiciary systems.
• Suppress voter turnout among opposition supporters through intimidation or restrictive laws.
• Rig voting processes to guarantee favorable outcomes.

Phase 3: Establish Totalitarian Control

Eliminate Dissent

• Establish a secret police or intelligence apparatus to monitor and suppress opposition.
• Arrest, exile, or eliminate political opponents and activists.

Cultivate Fear

• Publicly punish dissenters to discourage resistance.
• Foster an atmosphere where people are afraid to speak against you.

Build a Personality Cult

• Promote myths and propaganda about your infallibility and greatness.
• Encourage public displays of loyalty and adoration.

Control the Economy

• Use patronage to reward loyalists and punish detractors.
• Nationalize industries to consolidate economic control and dependence.

Phase 4: Sustain Your Regime

Maintain a Monopoly on Force

• Ensure the military and police are loyal to you through financial incentives and purges of dissenters.
• Use force selectively to maintain order without provoking widespread rebellion.

Keep the Public Distracted

• Create external enemies or conflicts to divert attention from internal issues.
• Promote nationalism and unity against perceived threats.

Adapt to Change

• Suppress technological or societal trends that threaten your control.
• Adjust propaganda and strategies to maintain relevance and legitimacy.