They were ruthless men with unchecked power, ruling their nations with an iron fist. Suppressing dissent, they demanded absolute loyalty, jailing or killing those who opposed them. They ruled by force of personality, but were plagued by secret fears and private demons. They were dictators, tyrants who shaped the 20th century and left their mark on our own.

From Benito Mussolini to Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin to Manuel Noriega, dictators confront us with some fascinating questions. What drove their thirst for domination and control? How did they seize and wield power? What forces rose up against them or resisted them in secret? How did they lose control in the end? A new series from Twin Cities PBS sets out to answer these questions in six immersive hours, each a revealing portrait of brutality and power.

As we meet some of the most ruthless rulers of recent history, we trace their rise and fall—and discover that they traveled a well-worn path. As different as these men were from each other, they followed a series of essential steps, from seizing power to eliminating enemies—an unwritten Dictator’s Playbook.