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(male narrator)
June, 1975.

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With the world press looking on,

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Uganda's dictator Idi Amin
is about to pick a fight

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00:00:11,866 --> 00:00:14,800
with his country's former
colonial ruler-- Great Britain.

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Amin calls himself

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the Conqueror
of the British Empire.

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(narrator)
The target of his
anti-imperialist fury

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is a British citizen living
in Uganda, Dennis Hills,

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an author who plans to publish
a book that is critical of Amin.

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The dictator wants Hills
to face a firing squad.

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(Idi Amin)
Any British citizen

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who is here against me

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or against the people of Uganda,

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he will face
the law of the country.

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(narrator)
The British know this is
no idle threat.

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Amin's regime is infamous
for its torture chambers,

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state-sanctioned murders,
and public executions.

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(Mariam Mufti)
The scale of violence
was immense.

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In the 8 years
that he was in power,

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almost 300,000 people
were massacred.

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(narrator)
Queen Elizabeth herself

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writes a letter to Amin,
asking for clemency.

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The dictator ignores her plea.

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In the end, it's Britain
that blinks.

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The foreign secretary flies to
Uganda to secure Hills' release.

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The author apologizes
for his book, and Britain

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even agrees to review
its foreign aid to Uganda.

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(Iain Grahame)
It was a very clever
set-up by Amin.

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(Alicia Decker)
Critics have written Amin off as
a buffoon, as a big dumb brute.

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But in actual fact, Amin was
far more strategic,

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calculating, cunning, clever

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than anyone would have
ever imagined.

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(narrator)
Idi Amin rose to power
from humble beginnings,

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won the affection
of millions of Ugandans,

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and struck fear in the hearts
of his many opponents.

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Was he just a murderous tyrant,

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or was there a method
to his madness?

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(woman)
Dictatorships have had
an incredible impact

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in the past century.

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These dictators ended up
learning from one another.

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(man)
They're all different but
many use the same tactics.

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(woman) The use of terror.
(man) Propaganda.

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(woman) Control the elites.
Create an enemy.

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Cult of personality.
(man) Use violence--

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These are tools that dictators
use to stay in power.

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(man)
This program is

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(narrator)
Uganda, 1952.

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Idi Amin's rise to power begins
in the colonial army--

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the institution that will,
more than any other,

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shape the kind of dictator
he will become.

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The 24-year-old is an ambitious
young corporal

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in the King's African Rifles,
the British Empire's

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elite military force
in East Africa.

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(Alicia Decker) Individuals like
Amin were recruited

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into The King's African Rifles

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to help the British
maintain order.

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They were essentially the muscle

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behind the colonial
establishment.

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(narrator)
British explorers began arriving
in the 19th century,

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drawn by the wealth of coffee,
tobacco, and gold.

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In 1894, new, international
borderlines were drawn

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and the British protectorate
of Uganda was established.

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For centuries, this part
of Eastern Africa had been home

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to dozens of free tribal peoples
and ancient kingdoms

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like the Buganda,
Toro, Ankole, and Busoga.

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Now, the British have full
control of the country,

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occupy its best lands
with white settlers,

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and exploit
its natural resources.

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(Deo Katono)
Colonial rule caused hardships.

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Of course, colonial rule
destroyed our kingdoms,

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destroyed our rulers.

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If colonial rule had not come,

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we would be somewhere,
we would be better off.

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(narrator)
Under the British-controlled
government,

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Africans like Idi Amin
are condemned

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to a life with almost no
political or economic agency.

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(Mark Leopold)
The Colonial powers thought that

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Africans were inferior
to all white people.

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They were seen as being
particularly primitive,

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unable to look after themselves
or rule themselves.

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Amin very much grew up
within that system.

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(narrator)
Amin is from a small tribal
group called the Kakwa,

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part of Uganda's
Muslim minority.

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And as an African, Amin can

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strive to become
a sergeant major

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but he can never be
commissioned as an officer.

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In spite of these disadvantages,

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he is determined
to exceed expectations,

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break barriers, and rise through
the ranks as far as he can.

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Amin was always thinking about
ways that he could get ahead.

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(Iain Grahame) Idi Amin when I
joined the battalion,

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was a very junior soldier then,

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and although he was illiterate,

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virtually no education at all,

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he made a mark for himself
extremely quickly.

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Amin was strong, athletic,

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he had good skills
on the rifle range.

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He was known to be ruthless,

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which good soldiers are--
you've got to be.

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(Alicia Decker)
People who knew him as a child

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said that he was very violent.

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And, in fact, he would get
into these

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punching matches
with other children.

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And one of his former
childhood friends said

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that there were times that if

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they had not intervened
to break up the fight,

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Amin would have killed
the other child.

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(narrator)
But it's in the Colonial Army
that Amin learns

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to harness violence and use it
to advance his own interests.

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It's a lesson he will apply,

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time and again,
on his path to dictatorship.

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(Mariam Mufti)
Violence is extremely important
to almost any dictator

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because it can be used as
an opportunity

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to not only consolidate
their hold over power,

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to also get rid
of opposing forces,

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to get rid of external threats.

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(Mahmood Mamdani)
Amin's use of violence was not
mindless, it was measured.

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And the object was always to
keep the hold on power.

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(Mariam Mufti)
He wanted to very clearly,
very publicly, very visibly,

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demonstrate
that he was invincible

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and that no one could
threaten him.

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(narrator) In 1952,

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Amin will get an opportunity
to use violence

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as a way to launch
his rise to power.

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[a siren wails]

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In neighboring Kenya,
a rebellion has broken out

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and it threatens to spread
across the region.

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An alliance of tribesmen
known as the Mau Mau,

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fed up with colonial oppression,
stage armed attacks

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on British-owned farms
and properties.

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[a siren wails]

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As dozens of white settlers
are killed, terror grips

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the colonial population
throughout East Africa.

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The British were up in arms
because for the first time,

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they were being targeted.

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(narrator)
The colonial authorities
aim to stop the uprising--

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by any means necessary.

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The British stamped it out
with a great deal of force

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and violence, and it certainly
seems that there were

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a lot of atrocities
committed by the British,

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but that doesn't mean
that British officers

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were doing their killing
and the torturing themselves.

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They were getting their African
soldiers to do it for them.

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(narrator)
They pick their best soldiers
to lead the fight.

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Among them is Corporal Idi Amin.

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In the spring of 1953,

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Amin is part of the first wave
of colonial forces

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to take on the Mau Mau.

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His skill as a warrior
will be put to the test

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on a nighttime patrol,
deep in the Kenyan rainforest.

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My memory is that Idi Amin

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was actually leading
that patrol at the time.

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We were ambushed
by a Mau Mau gang...

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and he was very nearly
decapitated.

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Idi reacted extremely quickly,

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then the rest
of the Mau Mau gang,

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they started to attack us
as well,

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and we only had
a very quick engagement.

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(narrator)
The skirmish is as lethal
as it is quick.

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Several Mau Mau are killed
and the rest flee.

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Amin, was involved in extremely

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harsh types of violence
against the Mau Mau.

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But of course, this is something
that pleased the British.

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(narrator)
Throughout the 1950s, as the
Mau Mau guerrilla war rages on,

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Amin sees regular combat,
developing a reputation

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for ferocity that pleases
his commanding officers.

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(Mahmood Mamdani)
So there is a certain level
of cruelty

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that he learned
in the colonial laboratory.

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And the fact that he was
promoted at every level,

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meant that this cruelty
was seen as functional.

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(narrator)
For the future dictator,
the message is clear--

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violence is
how you solve problems.

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Violence is how you get ahead.

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By 1960, the Mau Mau uprising
is all but crushed.

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More than 10,000 rebels have
been killed and thousands more

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incarcerated and tortured
in detention camps.

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For Amin, his success
on the battlefield

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positions him perfectly
for his next move.

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But there's an obstacle.

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Amin has already risen
to the highest possible rank

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for an African enlisted man

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and further promotion
is impossible.

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The colonial officer corps
is whites only.

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But on February 3, 1960,

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Amin's prospects
change overnight.

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British Prime Minister
Harold Macmillan

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announces a decision that will
remake the continent--

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Britain will grant independence
to all its African colonies.

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(Mark Leopold) After the Second
World War, really,

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it became increasingly obvious

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to the British that they

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couldn't maintain the empire
as it was and had been.

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Partly that was because of
economic weakness

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00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,066
after having fought
such a long war.

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Partly it was because of
international pressure.

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(narrator)
In Uganda,
dramatic change begins

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even before
the British withdraw.

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Democratic elections
will be held

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to decide
the country's new leader.

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And for the first time, black
soldiers get the opportunity

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to rise above the ranks
of enlisted men.

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In 1961, Amin is commissioned
as a lieutenant, the first

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00:12:37,933 --> 00:12:41,533
of two Ugandan officers
in the entire colonial army.

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00:12:41,566 --> 00:12:44,966
I think, probably for Amin

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00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:46,966
independence
would have represented

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both a threat
and an opportunity.

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It would have represented
a threat because

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his power base up till then

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had been very much
through the British,

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00:12:58,566 --> 00:13:01,666
particularly through
the military part

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00:13:01,700 --> 00:13:04,300
of British colonial rule.

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00:13:04,333 --> 00:13:09,200
Independence meant that a lot of
his power base was disappearing.

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00:13:09,233 --> 00:13:13,066
So he would have to develop
a different set of strategies

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00:13:13,100 --> 00:13:17,966
for succeeding,
getting on, and winning.

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00:13:21,233 --> 00:13:24,966
(narrator)
Finally, on October 9, 1962,

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00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,166
Uganda officially gains
independence from Britain

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00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:32,366
and the transfer of power
is complete.

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00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,333
[applause]

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00:13:35,366 --> 00:13:39,500
Idi Amin, along with millions
of his fellow Ugandans,

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00:13:39,533 --> 00:13:43,533
celebrate their liberation
from foreign rule.

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00:13:43,566 --> 00:13:46,666
(Henry Kyemba)
At the time of independence,

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I was in government
as a public civil servant,

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and we were all thrilled,
we were excited.

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Here we are young men, blacks
taking charge of the country!

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[men sing
in their native language]

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00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:03,500
(narrator)
For Idi Amin,

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00:14:03,533 --> 00:14:06,366
the end of colonialism
has given him a status

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00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:09,400
beyond anything he had ever
dreamed possible.

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00:14:09,433 --> 00:14:12,000
Now, he sees the opportunity
to rise

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00:14:12,033 --> 00:14:14,500
even further through the ranks

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00:14:14,533 --> 00:14:18,666
and become the supreme commander
of the military.

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00:14:18,700 --> 00:14:22,366
(Alicia Decker) What he soon
came to recognize,

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00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,600
is that by getting rid of the
British,

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00:14:24,633 --> 00:14:27,400
there created a space

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00:14:27,433 --> 00:14:33,400
from which he could enter and
assume power.

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00:14:33,433 --> 00:14:35,966
(narrator)
Amin allies himself

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00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,300
with the one man who can give
him further promotion--

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00:14:39,333 --> 00:14:41,866
the new, democratically elected
Prime Minister of Uganda:

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00:14:41,900 --> 00:14:45,566
Milton Obote.

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00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,600
(Mark Leopold)
Obote and Amin were really
polar opposites.

241
00:14:48,633 --> 00:14:52,100
Obote was an intellectual,

242
00:14:52,133 --> 00:14:56,233
a politician,
a very educated man.

243
00:14:56,266 --> 00:15:02,166
Amin was a soldier,
strong, charismatic,

244
00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:06,200
very popular among
the rank and file.

245
00:15:11,066 --> 00:15:15,800
It was useful for Obote
to have a military ally,

246
00:15:15,833 --> 00:15:20,966
and it was certainly useful for
Amin to have a political ally.

247
00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,166
(narrator)
Obote knows
he will need the army

248
00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,466
to back up his fragile
coalition government,

249
00:15:26,500 --> 00:15:28,733
already rife with infighting.

250
00:15:28,766 --> 00:15:32,766
He sees Amin, the fierce,
up-and-coming officer,

251
00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:36,466
as the ideal man to help protect
his authority.

252
00:15:39,466 --> 00:15:43,900
Within 3 years,
Obote promotes Amin

253
00:15:43,933 --> 00:15:47,800
all the way to colonel and
deputy commander of the army.

254
00:15:47,833 --> 00:15:50,733
The two men have built
a powerful alliance.

255
00:15:50,766 --> 00:15:53,433
But they're about to face
a crisis

256
00:15:53,466 --> 00:15:56,466
that could destroy them both.

257
00:15:56,500 --> 00:16:01,066
In 1966, Obote's government
is facing

258
00:16:01,100 --> 00:16:05,233
intense opposition from its main
rival, the Kingdom of Buganda.

259
00:16:05,266 --> 00:16:08,700
This ancient tribal group,
whose ancestral lands

260
00:16:08,733 --> 00:16:12,333
cover much of the southern part
of the country,

261
00:16:12,366 --> 00:16:15,833
has long sought more power
and autonomy in Uganda.

262
00:16:15,866 --> 00:16:20,066
Now, the Bugandan king,
Kabaka Mutesa II,

263
00:16:20,100 --> 00:16:22,433
is leading the call
for regime change.

264
00:16:26,633 --> 00:16:30,466
The Bugandans claim they have
uncovered a criminal conspiracy

265
00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:33,600
implicating Obote and the man
they see as his lackey,

266
00:16:33,633 --> 00:16:36,800
Idi Amin.

267
00:16:36,833 --> 00:16:40,800
The Bugandans are right--
for more than a year,

268
00:16:40,833 --> 00:16:44,133
Amin has been abusing his senior
position in the army.

269
00:16:44,166 --> 00:16:47,800
With Obote's support, he has
built a huge smuggling network,

270
00:16:47,833 --> 00:16:50,133
supplying arms to rebels
and mercenaries

271
00:16:50,166 --> 00:16:52,233
in the jungles of Congo.

272
00:16:55,166 --> 00:16:59,533
In exchange for guns, Amin has
funneled large sums of cash,

273
00:16:59,566 --> 00:17:03,266
gold, ivory, and coffee
into Uganda,

274
00:17:03,300 --> 00:17:07,900
making him and the Prime
Minister very rich men.

275
00:17:07,933 --> 00:17:10,966
Amin had actually profited
significantly

276
00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,933
from these deals-- $30,000 had

277
00:17:13,966 --> 00:17:17,866
miraculously appeared
into his own bank account.

278
00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:21,833
(narrator)
For the Bugandans, the illegal
arms deal is proof

279
00:17:21,866 --> 00:17:24,599
that Obote and Amin must go.

280
00:17:24,633 --> 00:17:28,266
The Bugandan king prepares
to mount

281
00:17:28,300 --> 00:17:31,166
an armed rebellion
against the government.

282
00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,166
Amin is at risk of losing
everything

283
00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,166
he has worked
so hard to achieve--

284
00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:41,133
his status,
his wealth, his power.

285
00:17:41,166 --> 00:17:45,966
Obote and Amin respond quickly
to the crisis.

286
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:50,066
Amin orders his forces to
surround the Bugandan palace

287
00:17:50,100 --> 00:17:53,233
in the capital city, Kampala.

288
00:17:53,266 --> 00:17:59,966
The next day, they attack,
and set the palace ablaze.

289
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,033
Scores of rebels are killed,

290
00:18:03,066 --> 00:18:07,866
and the Bugandan king
flees the country.

291
00:18:07,900 --> 00:18:12,200
With Amin's support, Obote uses
the incident as an excuse

292
00:18:12,233 --> 00:18:14,566
to suspend the constitution

293
00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:17,933
and outlaw all remaining
opposition parties.

294
00:18:17,966 --> 00:18:20,566
He's begun to transform Uganda's
fledgling democracy

295
00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,433
into a dictatorship.

296
00:18:23,466 --> 00:18:26,833
Many Ugandans are appalled by
Obote's power grab,

297
00:18:26,866 --> 00:18:29,766
but there is little resistance--

298
00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,266
they know any protest would mean

299
00:18:32,300 --> 00:18:37,666
facing the wrath
of Idi Amin and his army.

300
00:18:37,700 --> 00:18:41,033
In return for helping to secure
Obote's power,

301
00:18:41,066 --> 00:18:44,333
Amin gets the ultimate
promotion.

302
00:18:44,366 --> 00:18:47,700
(Mark Leopold)
He became Commander of the Army,

303
00:18:47,733 --> 00:18:51,566
and he became unchallenged
military leader

304
00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:55,066
within the country.

305
00:18:55,100 --> 00:18:59,700
(narrator)
The man who was once
a lowly foot soldier

306
00:18:59,733 --> 00:19:03,700
in the Colonial Army,
now controls the military,

307
00:19:03,733 --> 00:19:08,933
a powerful tool
in any dictatorship.

308
00:19:08,966 --> 00:19:13,333
(Mariam Mufti)
The army has all the guns
and trained soldiers.

309
00:19:13,366 --> 00:19:16,666
And if the dictatorship wants
to establish

310
00:19:16,700 --> 00:19:20,400
a monopoly over the coercive
apparatus of the state,

311
00:19:20,433 --> 00:19:22,766
number one, and number two

312
00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,900
the legitimate use of violence
within the state,

313
00:19:25,933 --> 00:19:28,666
then absolutely you need the
cooperation of the military.

314
00:19:31,700 --> 00:19:35,466
(narrator)
As commander of the army,
Amin has never been stronger.

315
00:19:35,500 --> 00:19:39,833
He will do whatever it takes
to protect his position.

316
00:19:39,866 --> 00:19:42,266
(Alicia Decker)
Amin recognized that

317
00:19:42,300 --> 00:19:45,233
the military could be
the ultimate arbiter of power

318
00:19:45,266 --> 00:19:47,566
and that he didn't need to

319
00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,366
necessarily follow the orders
of a president.

320
00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:53,866
And so once he was head
of the military,

321
00:19:53,900 --> 00:19:56,966
Amin began amassing supporters

322
00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,433
by recruiting heavily
from his home region,

323
00:20:00,466 --> 00:20:03,233
his so-called ethnic kin

324
00:20:03,266 --> 00:20:06,400
to build up
a greater base of support.

325
00:20:06,433 --> 00:20:09,133
(narrator)
Obote catches wind
of what Amin is up to

326
00:20:09,166 --> 00:20:12,000
but he knows a direct
confrontation with

327
00:20:12,033 --> 00:20:16,033
his powerful military commander
would be far too risky.

328
00:20:16,066 --> 00:20:19,433
(Alicia Decker)
As it became increasingly aware
to Obote

329
00:20:19,466 --> 00:20:22,333
that Amin might actually
become a threat

330
00:20:22,366 --> 00:20:25,366
to his own hold on power,

331
00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:30,466
Obote began trying
to find ways to stifle him.

332
00:20:34,666 --> 00:20:37,800
(narrator)
Obote turns to his internal
spy organization

333
00:20:37,833 --> 00:20:40,733
to keep tabs on the military,

334
00:20:40,766 --> 00:20:43,866
stacking the army officer corps

335
00:20:43,900 --> 00:20:47,700
with loyalists who covertly
keep an eye on Amin.

336
00:20:51,366 --> 00:20:56,200
So over time it was this
calculated game of chess.

337
00:20:56,233 --> 00:21:01,466
(narrator)
By 1971, Obote believes he has
enough support in the army

338
00:21:01,500 --> 00:21:04,766
to move against
his disloyal commander.

339
00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:08,966
Obote plans to strip Idi Amin
of his rank,

340
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:13,400
his power, and even his freedom.

341
00:21:13,433 --> 00:21:18,466
On January 5th, the president
leaves Uganda

342
00:21:18,500 --> 00:21:21,333
to attend the Commonwealth
Conference in Singapore.

343
00:21:21,366 --> 00:21:24,666
While he is abroad,
he gives orders

344
00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:28,433
for the immediate arrest
of Idi Amin.

345
00:21:28,466 --> 00:21:36,066
Obote sent a message back
to Uganda to the military

346
00:21:36,100 --> 00:21:42,066
saying that Amin should be
arrested, for subversion.

347
00:21:42,100 --> 00:21:45,933
(narrator)
But Obote has badly
underestimated

348
00:21:45,966 --> 00:21:49,033
the army's loyalty
to its commanding officer.

349
00:21:49,066 --> 00:21:52,133
Amin has spent years
building up a force

350
00:21:52,166 --> 00:21:54,366
whose rank-and-file troops

351
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,800
are more loyal to him
than to the government.

352
00:21:57,833 --> 00:22:00,833
(Alicia Decker)
The message from Obote

353
00:22:00,866 --> 00:22:04,600
was actually intercepted
by a lower ranking soldier

354
00:22:04,633 --> 00:22:07,433
who was loyal to Amin,

355
00:22:07,466 --> 00:22:10,333
who then relayed
the message on to Amin.

356
00:22:10,366 --> 00:22:13,133
He saw the writing on the wall.

357
00:22:13,166 --> 00:22:18,000
He knew that he was
going to be eliminated.

358
00:22:18,033 --> 00:22:22,233
(narrator)
Amin counters Obote's move
with the ultimate power play.

359
00:22:22,266 --> 00:22:26,366
With his army behind him,
he stages a coup.

360
00:22:30,066 --> 00:22:35,766
Amin orders his troops to fan
out across the Ugandan capitol.

361
00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:40,000
Tanks surround Obote's residence
and block major roads.

362
00:22:40,033 --> 00:22:44,400
His forces engage
in running gun battles

363
00:22:44,433 --> 00:22:47,166
with the few army units
still loyal to Obote.

364
00:22:49,866 --> 00:22:53,700
Within hours,
all opposition is crushed,

365
00:22:53,733 --> 00:22:57,166
and Amin has control of Uganda.

366
00:23:00,666 --> 00:23:05,133
Milton Obote, thousands of miles
from home, is caught off guard.

367
00:23:07,566 --> 00:23:12,600
Dr. Obote will come back to
Uganda as a citizen of Uganda

368
00:23:12,633 --> 00:23:15,733
but not as a president
of the republic of Uganda.

369
00:23:18,966 --> 00:23:23,033
(narrator)
Some Ugandans have secretly
hoped for this moment,

370
00:23:23,066 --> 00:23:26,266
convinced that Obote is a
corrupt, out-of-touch elitist

371
00:23:26,300 --> 00:23:29,333
who is getting what he deserves.

372
00:23:29,366 --> 00:23:33,133
Obote had become
increasingly unpopular

373
00:23:33,166 --> 00:23:36,300
among many Ugandan groups.

374
00:23:36,333 --> 00:23:39,433
(Alicia Decker)
Many folks saw him as

375
00:23:39,466 --> 00:23:42,400
removed from the masses,

376
00:23:42,433 --> 00:23:45,566
and they wanted him overthrown.

377
00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:49,366
(narrator)
Obote does not return home.

378
00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:53,700
Instead, Amin forces him into
exile in neighboring Tanzania.

379
00:23:56,633 --> 00:24:00,566
Amin has defeated his nemesis
and taken power.

380
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:04,600
But he faces a problem...

381
00:24:04,633 --> 00:24:08,966
many Ugandans are deeply
suspicious of this

382
00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:12,800
military commander who is now
in charge of their country.

383
00:24:12,833 --> 00:24:15,766
(Alicia Decker)
Many people were on edge.

384
00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,233
They were very nervous
about what was coming.

385
00:24:23,566 --> 00:24:26,933
(narrator)
Amin comes up with a shrewd
political solution.

386
00:24:26,966 --> 00:24:29,233
To win the hearts of the people,

387
00:24:29,266 --> 00:24:32,300
he sets aside
his aggressive tendencies

388
00:24:32,333 --> 00:24:35,300
and launches
a nationwide charm offensive.

389
00:24:44,633 --> 00:24:47,200
(Alicia Decker)
Amin was a master strategist.

390
00:24:47,233 --> 00:24:49,666
He was very good
at reading people,

391
00:24:49,700 --> 00:24:55,533
and he knew what they needed
to hear and when.

392
00:24:55,566 --> 00:24:58,766
(narrator)
Amin assures the public
that under his leadership,

393
00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:02,366
the promise of independence
will finally be realized--

394
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:07,233
improved housing, better jobs,
a brighter future.

395
00:25:07,266 --> 00:25:10,733
(Mark Leopold)
He talked a strong
anti-colonial line.

396
00:25:10,766 --> 00:25:15,133
He talked the language of the
African man

397
00:25:15,166 --> 00:25:18,266
taking over power over his own
country

398
00:25:18,300 --> 00:25:20,800
and his own economy.

399
00:25:20,833 --> 00:25:23,400
He made all the right noises.

400
00:25:23,433 --> 00:25:27,000
[joyful exclamations]

401
00:25:27,033 --> 00:25:30,700
(narrator)
Amin's popularity soars
to even greater heights

402
00:25:30,733 --> 00:25:34,033
when he promises a return
to democracy.

403
00:25:37,100 --> 00:25:39,933
(man)
Would you like to stand
for parliament yourself?

404
00:25:39,966 --> 00:25:43,500
I am not ambitious
of standing for power

405
00:25:43,533 --> 00:25:50,100
but my job is that I want to
hand over the government clean

406
00:25:50,133 --> 00:25:53,666
to somebody
who is coming

407
00:25:53,700 --> 00:25:58,100
and that's what I want and then
I can go back to barracks

408
00:25:58,133 --> 00:26:01,700
and then take again orders
from him.

409
00:26:01,733 --> 00:26:04,700
You will see me,
I am coming,

410
00:26:04,733 --> 00:26:07,866
saluting him
and obey his orders.

411
00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:12,433
(Alicia Decker)
He represented a fresh start.

412
00:26:12,466 --> 00:26:17,233
It was a time of possibility
and hope and excitement.

413
00:26:17,266 --> 00:26:21,833
(narrator)
But Amin's
extraordinary popularity

414
00:26:21,866 --> 00:26:23,966
and his newfound power

415
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,366
spur him to consider
a different plan.

416
00:26:28,466 --> 00:26:32,400
March, 1971.

417
00:26:32,433 --> 00:26:35,233
Just two months after the coup,

418
00:26:35,266 --> 00:26:38,766
Amin extinguishes all hope
of democracy.

419
00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,866
He re-establishes
a dictatorship,

420
00:26:41,900 --> 00:26:45,433
and takes Uganda for himself.

421
00:26:45,466 --> 00:26:47,966
(Deo Katono) Power corrupts.

422
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,366
So once you go into this
position and you realize

423
00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,666
as an individual what you are
able to do with power,

424
00:26:54,700 --> 00:26:59,233
then you want to keep it
rather than give it away.

425
00:26:59,266 --> 00:27:02,866
(narrator)
Amin has much of the country's
lower class behind him.

426
00:27:02,900 --> 00:27:05,733
But the new dictator faces
fierce opposition from many

427
00:27:05,766 --> 00:27:08,200
who still believe Milton Obote

428
00:27:08,233 --> 00:27:11,033
is the rightful leader
of Uganda.

429
00:27:11,066 --> 00:27:14,266
(Alicia Decker)
At the very beginning of his
regime, he was absolutely

430
00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:18,533
terrified of being overthrown.

431
00:27:18,566 --> 00:27:21,600
Different military leaders,
cabinet officials

432
00:27:21,633 --> 00:27:24,466
and the soldiers
who were associated

433
00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:26,933
with the former president,
Milton Obote,

434
00:27:26,966 --> 00:27:31,333
were a threat to Amin
because they had the ability

435
00:27:31,366 --> 00:27:35,166
to potentially threaten
his hold on power.

436
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,733
(narrator)
Amin is determined to avoid
his predecessor's fate

437
00:27:38,766 --> 00:27:42,166
and he moves quickly
to stamp out any dissent.

438
00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,966
He will follow the lead
of dictators before him

439
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:49,433
and build a potent weapon to
defend himself and his regime

440
00:27:49,466 --> 00:27:52,366
against internal threats.

441
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,500
(Natasha Ezrow) Having control
over the secret police

442
00:27:55,533 --> 00:27:57,666
is an incredibly important tool
for any dictatorship,

443
00:27:57,700 --> 00:27:59,866
particularly in the beginning.

444
00:27:59,900 --> 00:28:02,900
They have to set the tone
and set the message straight

445
00:28:02,933 --> 00:28:05,733
that nobody can be disloyal
and survive this regime.

446
00:28:10,566 --> 00:28:14,700
(narrator)
Amin begins to transform Uganda
into a police state.

447
00:28:14,733 --> 00:28:18,400
He establishes a vast network
of secret agents,

448
00:28:18,433 --> 00:28:21,866
spies, and enforcers at every
level of the government,

449
00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:25,300
the military, and even
on the public streets.

450
00:28:25,333 --> 00:28:31,300
Many members of Amin's secret
police are easily identifiable

451
00:28:31,333 --> 00:28:34,933
in their flowery shirts, dark
sunglasses and flashy cars.

452
00:28:37,633 --> 00:28:40,166
(Henry Kyemba)
What happened after the coup

453
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,166
spoke volumes.

454
00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,166
All he was interested was

455
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:51,166
how the army did with any
opposition to his leadership.

456
00:28:53,833 --> 00:28:57,133
(narrator)
The secret police make
thousands of arrests,

457
00:28:57,166 --> 00:29:00,700
rounding up targets
without warning, day or night,

458
00:29:00,733 --> 00:29:04,233
in military barracks, public
streets and private homes.

459
00:29:06,666 --> 00:29:09,566
If he suspected you

460
00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:12,866
to be in conversation
with his opponent,

461
00:29:12,900 --> 00:29:15,400
you know,
he would not just delay,

462
00:29:15,433 --> 00:29:18,533
he would just remove you
instantly.

463
00:29:18,566 --> 00:29:22,733
Not putting them before
the judicial system--

464
00:29:22,766 --> 00:29:24,800
just murdering.

465
00:29:27,133 --> 00:29:30,100
(narrator)
Within the first year
of Amin's regime,

466
00:29:30,133 --> 00:29:34,700
an estimated 10,000 Ugandans
are murdered by the state.

467
00:29:34,733 --> 00:29:38,000
(Fathali Moghaddam) They want
certain people out of the way

468
00:29:38,033 --> 00:29:41,666
because they regard them
as infections,

469
00:29:41,700 --> 00:29:44,333
infections that could spread.

470
00:29:44,366 --> 00:29:48,100
And they want to use them
as examples

471
00:29:48,133 --> 00:29:53,233
of what could happen to you
if you step out of line.

472
00:29:59,933 --> 00:30:04,900
(narrator)
But it's behind the locked doors
of his secret police prisons

473
00:30:04,933 --> 00:30:08,500
that Amin shows the full extent
of his cruelty.

474
00:30:08,533 --> 00:30:12,633
His torture chambers
become legendary.

475
00:30:12,666 --> 00:30:15,600
Among other atrocities,

476
00:30:15,633 --> 00:30:18,233
prisoners are immersed
in boiling water,

477
00:30:18,266 --> 00:30:20,533
forced to beat each other
with hammers,

478
00:30:20,566 --> 00:30:22,933
and made to eat bags of salt

479
00:30:22,966 --> 00:30:26,666
until they nearly die
from dehydration.

480
00:30:26,700 --> 00:30:29,966
(Natasha Ezrow)
Many dictatorships resort
to using torture

481
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:32,533
because it ensures compliance.

482
00:30:32,566 --> 00:30:35,366
It actually also serves
a purpose of

483
00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:39,000
psychologically affecting
the victim quite extensively.

484
00:30:39,033 --> 00:30:41,566
That they won't ever, ever again

485
00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:45,033
attempt to,
to challenge the regime.

486
00:30:47,766 --> 00:30:51,100
(Mahmood Mamdani)
The consolidation of power
is brutal.

487
00:30:51,133 --> 00:30:57,233
This government is born
in an orgy of blood.

488
00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:04,066
Because it's purging
of all elements

489
00:31:04,100 --> 00:31:08,133
which he thinks could challenge
his hold on power.

490
00:31:14,333 --> 00:31:17,100
(narrator)
Amin makes sure everyone
in Uganda

491
00:31:17,133 --> 00:31:20,033
understands
the price of disloyalty.

492
00:31:20,066 --> 00:31:24,666
Public executions
become a common event.

493
00:31:24,700 --> 00:31:28,866
He wanted to send a very clear
message to his opponents,

494
00:31:28,900 --> 00:31:31,433
that no disloyalty would be
tolerated.

495
00:31:35,933 --> 00:31:38,933
Anyone who threatened his power

496
00:31:38,966 --> 00:31:42,133
was almost a death sentence.

497
00:31:55,633 --> 00:31:58,233
(Fathali Moghaddam)
Ordinary people in dictatorships

498
00:31:58,266 --> 00:32:01,933
want to rebel,
want to bring the regime down.

499
00:32:01,966 --> 00:32:07,533
But they are facing a gun,

500
00:32:07,566 --> 00:32:11,200
a loaded gun,
and they will be killed,

501
00:32:11,233 --> 00:32:15,066
many of them will be killed
if they rebel.

502
00:32:15,100 --> 00:32:18,566
(narrator)
Ugandans from
all levels of society

503
00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:20,766
come to learn
that they are being watched.

504
00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:24,533
And that opposing Amin means
risking your life.

505
00:32:24,566 --> 00:32:27,000
(Idi Amin)
Everybody in Uganda,

506
00:32:27,033 --> 00:32:31,400
members of the armed forces,

507
00:32:31,433 --> 00:32:35,533
police, and the public,

508
00:32:35,566 --> 00:32:39,100
they are responsible
for my security.

509
00:32:39,133 --> 00:32:43,266
And immediately they hear

510
00:32:43,300 --> 00:32:46,000
anybody making
subversive activities

511
00:32:46,033 --> 00:32:48,766
or try to plan
anything against me,

512
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:51,366
they report that person
straight to the police.

513
00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:54,233
This is what I am happy because

514
00:32:54,266 --> 00:32:57,433
it seems that they love me

515
00:32:57,466 --> 00:32:59,866
and that is why
they are doing this,

516
00:32:59,900 --> 00:33:02,200
which I am very happy,

517
00:33:02,233 --> 00:33:04,833
and I thank them very much.

518
00:33:04,866 --> 00:33:09,400
(narrator)
Throughout his rule,
Amin's murders never stop.

519
00:33:09,433 --> 00:33:13,066
The killings cut across all
sections of the population--

520
00:33:13,100 --> 00:33:16,200
the army, farmers, students,

521
00:33:16,233 --> 00:33:19,900
clerks, even religious figures.

522
00:33:19,933 --> 00:33:23,900
In many cases, Amin orders his
victim's corpses to be thrown

523
00:33:23,933 --> 00:33:27,666
into the Nile where they become
food for crocodiles.

524
00:33:29,300 --> 00:33:30,833
[Henry Kyemba speaks]

525
00:33:43,466 --> 00:33:46,766
In the 8 years that he was
in power,

526
00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,633
almost 300,000 people
were massacred.

527
00:33:49,666 --> 00:33:53,133
In fact that number, according
to Amnesty International

528
00:33:53,166 --> 00:33:56,400
is cited to be as high
as 500,000 people.

529
00:33:56,433 --> 00:33:58,566
(narrator)
Amin's violence will remain

530
00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:01,500
the central pillar
of his dictatorship.

531
00:34:01,533 --> 00:34:04,700
But he knows he cannot rule
through fear alone.

532
00:34:04,733 --> 00:34:07,166
Dictators are very careful.

533
00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:09,933
We talk about indiscriminate
acts of violence as a strategy

534
00:34:09,966 --> 00:34:12,699
that are used by dictators,
but there is a tipping point.

535
00:34:12,733 --> 00:34:15,566
Dictators do not want
to kill everyone.

536
00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:21,300
You don't want to create so much
state repression,

537
00:34:21,333 --> 00:34:26,266
so much violence, that you
actually end up instigating

538
00:34:26,300 --> 00:34:32,066
a rebellion from within,
or a revolution from within.

539
00:34:32,100 --> 00:34:36,766
(narrator)
For his next move, Amin will
offer the carrot, not the stick.

540
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:40,833
In an act
of crowd-pleasing populism,

541
00:34:40,866 --> 00:34:45,033
he will give his people
what he believes they want...

542
00:34:45,066 --> 00:34:50,199
it's a move he thinks will
win him their undying loyalty.

543
00:34:52,933 --> 00:34:56,166
in the beginning there's been
a lot of fear,

544
00:34:56,199 --> 00:34:58,500
repression, purges used,
arrests,

545
00:34:58,533 --> 00:35:01,933
and of course, fear is a big
part of it.

546
00:35:01,966 --> 00:35:06,133
But no dictator can survive
with just repression alone,

547
00:35:06,166 --> 00:35:08,966
they have to cultivate
some form of popularity.

548
00:35:13,766 --> 00:35:17,533
(narrator)
Amin wants to demonstrate
that he can give the people

549
00:35:17,566 --> 00:35:21,866
a better, more prosperous life,
especially among his base--

550
00:35:21,900 --> 00:35:24,733
the millions of lower-class
Ugandans who have been stuck

551
00:35:24,766 --> 00:35:27,766
in a cycle of poverty
since colonial times.

552
00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:31,300
People have a need
for stability.

553
00:35:31,333 --> 00:35:34,266
They need to feel like
they're taken care of.

554
00:35:34,300 --> 00:35:37,033
And that's something that
dictatorships provide.

555
00:35:37,066 --> 00:35:40,033
They want to ensure
that the masses feel

556
00:35:40,066 --> 00:35:44,466
that there is a need
for this dictatorship.

557
00:35:44,500 --> 00:35:47,900
When Uganda became independent
in 1962,

558
00:35:47,933 --> 00:35:54,000
for most people,
nothing much changed.

559
00:35:54,033 --> 00:35:57,400
(narrator)
Amin has a radical idea to give

560
00:35:57,433 --> 00:36:00,933
black Ugandans real economic
power for the first time.

561
00:36:00,966 --> 00:36:03,400
And to make his plan work,

562
00:36:03,433 --> 00:36:05,833
he will use
a classic dictator's tactic.

563
00:36:08,466 --> 00:36:11,833
(Mariam Mufti) If you want to
bring people together,

564
00:36:11,866 --> 00:36:15,666
and you want to give people
a sense

565
00:36:15,700 --> 00:36:20,033
that the dictator
must be in power,

566
00:36:20,066 --> 00:36:24,700
because he is a savior or a
guardian of their interests,

567
00:36:24,733 --> 00:36:30,166
then creating a common enemy is
an extremely effective strategy.

568
00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:32,633
Now in the case of Idi Amin,

569
00:36:32,666 --> 00:36:36,066
that common enemy
stemmed from indophobia,

570
00:36:36,100 --> 00:36:39,233
which was very common
at the time,

571
00:36:39,266 --> 00:36:45,000
and it was directed towards the
South Asian settlers in Uganda.

572
00:36:45,033 --> 00:36:49,033
(narrator)
South Asians were first brought
to Uganda by the British

573
00:36:49,066 --> 00:36:52,533
in the 19th century to help run
the colonial economy.

574
00:36:52,566 --> 00:36:55,500
The British believed that the
Africans

575
00:36:55,533 --> 00:36:59,033
weren't really capable of
carrying out

576
00:36:59,066 --> 00:37:01,266
these these economic positions--

577
00:37:01,300 --> 00:37:04,700
running shops
and small businesses.

578
00:37:04,733 --> 00:37:08,166
In effect
the Asians were running

579
00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:11,233
pretty much all
the Ugandan economy.

580
00:37:11,266 --> 00:37:14,600
(narrator) By 1972,

581
00:37:14,633 --> 00:37:18,266
Asian Ugandans make up less
than 1% of the population,

582
00:37:18,300 --> 00:37:21,533
but they own 90% of
the country's businesses.

583
00:37:21,566 --> 00:37:23,733
By targeting Asians,

584
00:37:23,766 --> 00:37:26,500
and their role
in the economy,

585
00:37:26,533 --> 00:37:29,233
Amin believes he can transfer

586
00:37:29,266 --> 00:37:32,133
power and prosperity
to black Ugandans.

587
00:37:32,166 --> 00:37:36,300
It's a move that will provoke
outrage around the world

588
00:37:36,333 --> 00:37:38,900
and define the rest
of his dictatorship.

589
00:37:41,933 --> 00:37:46,666
On August 5, 1972,
Amin orders the expulsion

590
00:37:46,700 --> 00:37:51,266
of Uganda's entire Asian
population, some 80,000 people.

591
00:37:51,300 --> 00:37:53,933
(man)
Would you like to get
all Asians out really?

592
00:37:53,966 --> 00:37:56,166
Yes! they must go
to their country!

593
00:37:58,833 --> 00:38:03,400
It was early August in 1972,
and ah...

594
00:38:03,433 --> 00:38:06,666
we had the radio on,

595
00:38:06,700 --> 00:38:11,800
and we heard this thing about
the Asian expulsion.

596
00:38:11,833 --> 00:38:17,200
And it just, we were oblivious,
we said no, it can't be.

597
00:38:17,233 --> 00:38:19,766
This must be some kind of joke
or something.

598
00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:23,400
(narrator)
But Amin proves to be
deadly serious.

599
00:38:23,433 --> 00:38:27,800
The dictator gives Asian
Ugandans like John Nazareth

600
00:38:27,833 --> 00:38:31,200
and his family just 90 days
to arrange their affairs,

601
00:38:31,233 --> 00:38:33,533
close their businesses,

602
00:38:33,566 --> 00:38:36,633
and make plans to emigrate
to a new country.

603
00:38:36,666 --> 00:38:38,933
(John Nazareth) Panic...

604
00:38:38,966 --> 00:38:42,033
it was pretty rough.

605
00:38:42,066 --> 00:38:45,400
The less serious you took it--
I don't know whether it was

606
00:38:45,433 --> 00:38:48,566
just a defensive mechanism
in the mind to make light

607
00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:52,933
of something because if you
didn't laugh, you'd cry.

608
00:38:52,966 --> 00:38:56,700
(narrator)
The world press condemns Amin
for his drastic move,

609
00:38:56,733 --> 00:39:01,366
often resorting to caricature
and barely veiled racism.

610
00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:04,733
(Mark Leopold)
The reaction abroad,
particularly in the UK

611
00:39:04,766 --> 00:39:10,366
was to really make Amin seem
a heartless monster,

612
00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:17,433
to make him the notorious
dictator that he has become.

613
00:39:17,466 --> 00:39:20,900
(narrator)
But for many of
his supporters at home

614
00:39:20,933 --> 00:39:24,300
and across the African
continent, Amin is seen as

615
00:39:24,333 --> 00:39:26,566
a bold, pioneering champion
of black rights.

616
00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:28,300
[applause & cheers]

617
00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:37,300
(narrator)
In the end, more than 50,000
Ugandans of Asian origin

618
00:39:37,333 --> 00:39:42,000
are thrown out
of their own country.

619
00:39:42,033 --> 00:39:45,400
Amin expropriates
the Asian owned businesses.

620
00:39:45,433 --> 00:39:49,533
He siphons much of the revenues
to his government

621
00:39:49,566 --> 00:39:52,233
and shares the properties
among his supporters.

622
00:39:55,433 --> 00:40:00,000
(Mahmood Mamdani)
Amin was the source of a future
for so many people.

623
00:40:00,033 --> 00:40:02,833
Uganda had suddenly become
a land of opportunity

624
00:40:02,866 --> 00:40:05,733
for its black population.

625
00:40:05,766 --> 00:40:08,933
He tapped into something big.

626
00:40:08,966 --> 00:40:13,833
I mean, this was almost like a
social revolution.

627
00:40:13,866 --> 00:40:18,533
Except it had been carried out
from above.

628
00:40:18,566 --> 00:40:22,233
(narrator)
The Asian expulsion remakes
Uganda's economy...

629
00:40:24,866 --> 00:40:29,266
but in ways Amin had never
intended.

630
00:40:29,300 --> 00:40:33,133
The impact on the economy
was disastrous.

631
00:40:33,166 --> 00:40:36,933
(Deo Katono)
It was a big disaster

632
00:40:36,966 --> 00:40:42,466
because the Africans who took
over these businesses

633
00:40:42,500 --> 00:40:46,233
had no experience at all

634
00:40:46,266 --> 00:40:52,233
in the management
of these properties.

635
00:40:52,266 --> 00:40:55,366
(narrator)
Commercial supply chains,

636
00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:57,633
for decades controlled
by Asian business owners,

637
00:40:57,666 --> 00:41:00,466
suddenly break down.

638
00:41:00,500 --> 00:41:03,433
Manufacturers can't get parts
and raw materials.

639
00:41:03,466 --> 00:41:06,466
Unemployment soars.

640
00:41:06,500 --> 00:41:09,800
Store shelves are bare,
and basic household goods

641
00:41:09,833 --> 00:41:12,633
like matches and sugar
are unavailable.

642
00:41:17,666 --> 00:41:21,066
(Deo Katono)
Then there was
a phenomenon of crime.

643
00:41:21,100 --> 00:41:24,833
These were burglars,

644
00:41:24,866 --> 00:41:29,866
these were bandits
invading homes

645
00:41:29,900 --> 00:41:33,533
and stealing from people.

646
00:41:33,566 --> 00:41:38,200
It was on the rise stimulated by
the biting economic conditions.

647
00:41:40,933 --> 00:41:44,066
(Mahmood Mamdani)
The support that he had gained

648
00:41:44,100 --> 00:41:47,733
through the Asian expulsion was
beginning to to wane.

649
00:41:47,766 --> 00:41:52,333
To ensuring a running economy,

650
00:41:52,366 --> 00:41:56,100
or a rule of law--

651
00:41:56,133 --> 00:42:00,333
Amin had lost that credibility.

652
00:42:00,366 --> 00:42:02,533
(narrator)
With even his most
ardent supporters

653
00:42:02,566 --> 00:42:04,633
now questioning his leadership,

654
00:42:04,666 --> 00:42:08,133
Amin is facing the possibility
of revolt.

655
00:42:08,166 --> 00:42:10,533
To win back popular support,

656
00:42:10,566 --> 00:42:13,200
he turns to
another tactic.

657
00:42:13,233 --> 00:42:15,733
He will try to divert
public attention

658
00:42:15,766 --> 00:42:17,866
away from his failed policies.

659
00:42:20,533 --> 00:42:22,866
(Natasha Ezrow) It's an
important tool for any dictator.

660
00:42:22,900 --> 00:42:25,433
It's a way of distracting people

661
00:42:25,466 --> 00:42:28,800
from the transgressions of the
regime, from the repression,

662
00:42:28,833 --> 00:42:30,700
from the poor policies.

663
00:42:30,733 --> 00:42:33,533
The economy was doing terribly.

664
00:42:33,566 --> 00:42:35,433
He was running the country
into the ground.

665
00:42:38,066 --> 00:42:41,500
(narrator)
Amin's plan is to turn
the public spotlight

666
00:42:41,533 --> 00:42:45,166
away from the failing economy
and train it on himself.

667
00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:48,300
(Alicia Decker) An important
aspect about Amin

668
00:42:48,333 --> 00:42:52,500
is the theatricality of his
personality. Right?

669
00:42:52,533 --> 00:42:56,433
He loved to, he loved to make
a spectacle, a show of things,

670
00:42:56,466 --> 00:42:59,766
and he loved to ruffle feathers.

671
00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:03,033
(narrator)
The dictator launches a public
war of words

672
00:43:03,066 --> 00:43:05,333
with the outside world.

673
00:43:05,366 --> 00:43:08,100
He begins sending out
a series of lewd and

674
00:43:08,133 --> 00:43:12,166
controversial telegrams, often
to prominent world leaders.

675
00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:15,033
One example of this would be

676
00:43:15,066 --> 00:43:18,733
when he sent
the Queen of England

677
00:43:18,766 --> 00:43:22,466
a telegram telling her not to
get her knickers in a bundle

678
00:43:22,500 --> 00:43:24,766
over something that he had done.

679
00:43:24,800 --> 00:43:28,133
The world were outraged--

680
00:43:28,166 --> 00:43:30,766
how can you send such
an inappropriate message

681
00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:33,600
to the Queen of England
talking about her underpants?

682
00:43:35,966 --> 00:43:39,433
(Deo Katono)
There's one telegram
that he sent to Nixon,

683
00:43:39,466 --> 00:43:43,366
the U.S. President,
congratulating him

684
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:47,366
after he'd been impeached
over the Watergate scandal.

685
00:43:50,633 --> 00:43:54,300
(Alicia Decker)
He deployed irrationality
as a performative tactic

686
00:43:54,333 --> 00:43:58,200
to try and get people talking
about him.

687
00:43:58,233 --> 00:44:01,533
He loved a good show,
he loved a good performance.

688
00:44:01,566 --> 00:44:05,400
And so by engaging in these
sometimes over-the-top,

689
00:44:05,433 --> 00:44:09,266
outrageous behaviors,
by sending these missives to

690
00:44:09,300 --> 00:44:13,500
various heads of states, saying
various inappropriate things,

691
00:44:13,533 --> 00:44:18,333
he was able to get people's eyes
focused on him.

692
00:44:18,366 --> 00:44:22,533
(narrator)
Once again, the world press
scrambles to cover Idi Amin,

693
00:44:22,566 --> 00:44:27,366
framing him as an unthinking
and unhinged despot.

694
00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:31,100
(Deo Katono)
These newspapers said look,
this man is crazy.

695
00:44:31,133 --> 00:44:34,766
He is a buffoon.

696
00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:37,266
Actually they used
the word buffoon.

697
00:44:37,300 --> 00:44:39,966
(narrator)
But at home,
many Ugandans set aside

698
00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:42,066
their concerns over the economy

699
00:44:42,100 --> 00:44:45,100
and thrill to the sight
of their leader

700
00:44:45,133 --> 00:44:48,633
on the world stage,
standing up to the West.

701
00:44:48,666 --> 00:44:53,733
So when he projected himself as
a critic of colonialism,

702
00:44:53,766 --> 00:44:58,633
as a protestor
against white domination,

703
00:44:58,666 --> 00:45:02,166
he received very high marks.

704
00:45:05,266 --> 00:45:09,733
(Alicia Decker)
Part of the reason why many
people have not

705
00:45:09,766 --> 00:45:12,833
taken Amin seriously is because
of his antics.

706
00:45:12,866 --> 00:45:16,200
But I think we need to take
these telegrams

707
00:45:16,233 --> 00:45:18,933
and these missives very
seriously, because they tell us

708
00:45:18,966 --> 00:45:22,533
a lot about
the inner calculus

709
00:45:22,566 --> 00:45:25,900
of the political machine
that was, you know, Amin.

710
00:45:29,666 --> 00:45:33,666
(narrator)
Amin manages to keep a tenuous
hold on popular support,

711
00:45:33,700 --> 00:45:39,333
but by 1978, Uganda's economy
is weaker than ever,

712
00:45:39,366 --> 00:45:43,066
and the dictator is facing
an urgent problem.

713
00:45:43,100 --> 00:45:45,266
With his government
nearly bankrupt,

714
00:45:45,300 --> 00:45:47,900
Amin's once loyal army
is underfunded

715
00:45:47,933 --> 00:45:51,866
and increasingly out of control.

716
00:45:51,900 --> 00:45:55,100
(Alicia Decker)
Amin created a
hypermilitarized state.

717
00:45:55,133 --> 00:45:58,766
What he did is,
over time he created

718
00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:01,666
multiple different organizations
that were responsible

719
00:46:01,700 --> 00:46:04,533
for various aspects of security
in the country.

720
00:46:04,566 --> 00:46:07,433
As these groups were able

721
00:46:07,466 --> 00:46:10,300
to amass increasing amounts
of power,

722
00:46:10,333 --> 00:46:15,100
they were not necessarily
loyal to him anymore.

723
00:46:15,133 --> 00:46:19,333
And so eventually the militarism
which had brought him power

724
00:46:19,366 --> 00:46:21,900
was what ultimately undid him.

725
00:46:24,700 --> 00:46:28,133
(narrator)
In neighboring Tanzania,
Milton Obote

726
00:46:28,166 --> 00:46:31,466
now in his 8th year of exile,
is watching closely.

727
00:46:31,500 --> 00:46:33,700
He rallies thousands
of Ugandan rebels

728
00:46:33,733 --> 00:46:36,233
to join forces
with the Tanzanian Army

729
00:46:36,266 --> 00:46:38,900
and waits for the right moment
to strike.

730
00:46:38,933 --> 00:46:42,533
(Mark Leopold) Increasing
numbers of exiles

731
00:46:42,566 --> 00:46:46,466
were organizing in Tanzania,

732
00:46:46,500 --> 00:46:49,500
and they were getting more and
more international support.

733
00:46:49,533 --> 00:46:52,700
So he was very much
under threat.

734
00:46:52,733 --> 00:46:55,433
(narrator)
Amid the crisis,
Amin sees an opportunity,

735
00:46:55,466 --> 00:46:58,200
a way to shore up
his crumbling regime

736
00:46:58,233 --> 00:47:01,366
and preempt Tanzania's
imminent attack.

737
00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:04,066
He'll employ a risky tactic

738
00:47:04,100 --> 00:47:05,900
one that's been used
by other dictators.

739
00:47:08,700 --> 00:47:12,200
This war was about trying
to give the soldiers

740
00:47:12,233 --> 00:47:15,100
something concrete to focus on

741
00:47:15,133 --> 00:47:19,466
that was not going to get them
involved in other business

742
00:47:19,500 --> 00:47:22,000
that they shouldn't be
involved in,

743
00:47:22,033 --> 00:47:25,333
such as questioning the
authority of the state.

744
00:47:27,900 --> 00:47:30,533
(narrator)
In October 1978,

745
00:47:30,566 --> 00:47:33,566
Ugandan forces invade Tanzania.

746
00:47:36,166 --> 00:47:39,600
[loud explosion]

747
00:47:39,633 --> 00:47:43,900
(narrator)
Amin's army, whose troops
he can no longer afford to pay

748
00:47:43,933 --> 00:47:46,666
loot and plunder
their way across

749
00:47:46,700 --> 00:47:49,966
nearly 700 square miles
of Tanzanian territory.

750
00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:52,500
[loud explosions]

751
00:47:57,366 --> 00:48:00,400
(Alicia Decker)
During the invasion,
they massacred

752
00:48:00,433 --> 00:48:04,033
every living thing
that was around.

753
00:48:04,066 --> 00:48:10,266
Reports suggest that it was
complete and total destruction.

754
00:48:12,700 --> 00:48:15,200
(narrator)
Amin's gamble
on a war with Tanzania

755
00:48:15,233 --> 00:48:17,233
seems to have paid off.

756
00:48:17,266 --> 00:48:20,266
He declares a great victory,

757
00:48:20,300 --> 00:48:23,766
but he has misjudged
the will of his enemy

758
00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:27,766
and the strength
of his own army.

759
00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:32,433
(Mariam Mufti)
The Tanzanians weren't going to
take lightly, and in fact

760
00:48:32,466 --> 00:48:35,466
they came back full force and
recaptured their territory,

761
00:48:35,500 --> 00:48:38,233
pushing Amin back into Uganda,
pushing his troops back.

762
00:48:43,066 --> 00:48:46,833
(Alicia Decker)
And so instead of
fighting back,

763
00:48:46,866 --> 00:48:49,600
Amin's troops were very
dilapidated by the end--

764
00:48:49,633 --> 00:48:52,800
a disorganized mess.

765
00:48:52,833 --> 00:48:57,200
And so it was very easy
for the Tanzanian army,

766
00:48:57,233 --> 00:49:01,066
who at this point were
very highly organized,

767
00:49:01,100 --> 00:49:04,800
to chase after Amin
and his soldiers.

768
00:49:07,433 --> 00:49:10,833
(narrator)
With his troops in full retreat,
Amin barricades himself

769
00:49:10,866 --> 00:49:13,766
in his presidential residence
in Kampala.

770
00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:17,566
On April 10, 1979,

771
00:49:17,600 --> 00:49:20,700
Tanzanian forces enter
the Ugandan capitol.

772
00:49:23,866 --> 00:49:26,866
Amin's war has proved to be
a fatal mistake.

773
00:49:30,733 --> 00:49:34,466
[enthusiastic cheering]

774
00:49:34,500 --> 00:49:37,766
(Mariam Mufti)
This entire episode,

775
00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:40,733
which stemmed
from Amin realizing

776
00:49:40,766 --> 00:49:46,000
that he was losing control
of his regime

777
00:49:46,033 --> 00:49:50,566
led him to go on a misadventure
and make a mistake.

778
00:49:50,600 --> 00:49:54,566
It was a huge misstep for Idi
Amin because it led to the end.

779
00:49:57,433 --> 00:50:00,233
(narrator)
Through a combination
of populist charm

780
00:50:00,266 --> 00:50:03,066
and brutal violence,

781
00:50:03,100 --> 00:50:07,433
backed up by
a vast police state,

782
00:50:07,466 --> 00:50:10,733
Idi Amin managed to rule Uganda,

783
00:50:10,766 --> 00:50:13,800
and confound the whole world,
for 8 years.

784
00:50:13,833 --> 00:50:17,566
Now, it's all over.

785
00:50:20,533 --> 00:50:24,733
On April 11, 1979,

786
00:50:24,766 --> 00:50:27,533
with Tanzanian troops
and Ugandan rebels

787
00:50:27,566 --> 00:50:30,133
closing in on his compound,

788
00:50:30,166 --> 00:50:34,600
Amin boards an army helicopter
and flees the country.

789
00:50:34,633 --> 00:50:38,233
Millions of Ugandans, finally
free of Amin's brutal rule,

790
00:50:38,266 --> 00:50:41,000
rejoice in the streets.

791
00:50:41,033 --> 00:50:43,166
But they must also reckon with

792
00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:45,200
what the dictator
has left behind:

793
00:50:45,233 --> 00:50:48,333
a devastated economy
and the slaughter

794
00:50:48,366 --> 00:50:50,833
of hundreds of thousands
of their fellow citizens.

795
00:50:54,566 --> 00:50:58,933
There are people
who lost parents,

796
00:50:58,966 --> 00:51:04,100
as a result of Idi Amin
and have never recovered.

797
00:51:04,133 --> 00:51:06,433
(Henry Kyemba)
I lost my brother.

798
00:51:06,466 --> 00:51:09,500
I lost my sons.

799
00:51:09,533 --> 00:51:12,166
I lost my close relatives.

800
00:51:14,333 --> 00:51:17,200
(narrator)
As Milton Obote
returns to Uganda

801
00:51:17,233 --> 00:51:19,466
to reclaim
his old dictatorship,

802
00:51:19,500 --> 00:51:22,500
Amin flees to the Middle East.

803
00:51:22,533 --> 00:51:26,600
There he leverages his Muslim
heritage to find refuge.

804
00:51:26,633 --> 00:51:29,033
Ultimately, he is given a safe

805
00:51:29,066 --> 00:51:33,433
and comfortable haven
in Saudi Arabia.

806
00:51:33,466 --> 00:51:38,566
(Alicia Decker)
Once Amin got to Saudi Arabia,
he had a very nice lifestyle.

807
00:51:38,600 --> 00:51:42,766
The Saudi government put him up
in a very beautiful house.

808
00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:46,333
He was able to marry at least
two additional women.

809
00:51:46,366 --> 00:51:51,266
And so by all accounts,
it would appear that Amin

810
00:51:51,300 --> 00:51:57,333
ended his days without ever
having to pay for the violence

811
00:51:57,366 --> 00:52:00,566
and devastation
that he brought to Uganda.

812
00:52:03,600 --> 00:52:07,966
(narrator)
Amin lived a long life and never
answered for his crimes,

813
00:52:08,000 --> 00:52:10,966
dying peacefully
of kidney failure in 2003.

814
00:52:13,466 --> 00:52:17,533
But ever since his downfall
in 1979,

815
00:52:17,566 --> 00:52:20,233
the culture of violence
and militarism

816
00:52:20,266 --> 00:52:22,933
that he created in Uganda
has continued.

817
00:52:25,966 --> 00:52:29,833
The country has seen periods of
relative stability and peace,

818
00:52:29,866 --> 00:52:32,700
but Amin's successors have all
resorted to similar tactics

819
00:52:32,733 --> 00:52:36,433
to intimidate and control
their people.

820
00:52:36,466 --> 00:52:39,900
(Alicia Decker)
Every leader since Amin,

821
00:52:39,933 --> 00:52:44,966
has relied upon military force
to maintain power

822
00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:48,166
and to stifle dissent,
largely because they have

823
00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:51,000
learned through Amin,
that violence is effective,

824
00:52:51,033 --> 00:52:54,066
violence works.

825
00:52:54,100 --> 00:52:57,166
The violence that was
inculcated and supported

826
00:52:57,200 --> 00:53:00,900
by Amin's militarism, is
something that lives on

827
00:53:00,933 --> 00:53:03,900
as one of his most
enduring legacies.

828
00:53:11,800 --> 00:53:14,366
(narrator)
Next time
on "The Dictator's Playbook"...

829
00:53:14,400 --> 00:53:16,800
(Natasha Ezrow)
There's no country
that exercises

830
00:53:16,833 --> 00:53:20,266
more power over its citizens
than North Korea.

831
00:53:20,300 --> 00:53:23,566
(Jean H. Lee) After hundreds
of years of feudal rule
and brutal Japanese occupation.

832
00:53:23,600 --> 00:53:26,266
(Bruce Cumings)
Kim Il Sung saw himself
as the great unifier.

833
00:53:26,300 --> 00:53:28,866
(Natasha Ezrow)
He was able to create
a complete religion.

834
00:53:28,900 --> 00:53:31,500
(Michael Madden)
For the North Koreans,
Kim Il Sung was a living god.

835
00:53:31,533 --> 00:53:33,300
(Jean H. Lee)
Controlling what they think,
what they eat.

836
00:53:33,333 --> 00:53:36,300
(Charles K. Armstrong)
That has lasted now
for almost 70 years.

837
00:53:36,333 --> 00:53:38,466
(Jean H. Lee)
We had never seen anything like
that in the communist world.

838
00:53:41,733 --> 00:53:43,166
(m

839
00:53:41,733 --> 00:53:43,166
[orchestra plays in minor tones]

840
00:53:50,166 --> 00:53:53,266
(man) To order "The Dictator's
Playbook" on DVD,

841
00:53:53,300 --> 00:53:55,400
visit shopPBS.org

842
00:53:55,433 --> 00:53:59,133
or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

843
00:53:59,166 --> 00:54:00,766
This program is also available

844
00:54:00,800 --> 00:54:02,800
on Amazon Prime Video.

845
00:54:05,566 --> 00:54:07,400
[synthesizer fanfare]