Write a Book and Re-Write the Rules"
So, you've built your dictatorship—congratulations! The infrastructure is in place, the military is on standby, and the culture you've cultivated keeps the people complicit. But what now? How do you ensure your regime lasts for another generation?
That's where your philosophy comes in. You're going to write a book.
Hitler had Mein Kampf, Mao had the Little Red Book, Gaddafi penned the Green Book, and even Saddam dabbled in a few adventure romance novels, published by houses in Japan and Jordan. But for you, it's better to write something philosophical, something that will stand the test of time.
Don't worry if you're not the political academic or economist you once claimed to be. That doesn't matter. The people will say it's the best thing ever written anyway. You just need a bestseller—a guidebook for your media institutions to follow.
Every dictator worth their salt knows that independent newspapers and news broadcasters are a threat to the regime. So, make it easier for state media to spread your propaganda by deciding what's true or not. Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda proved Hitler's point: if you're going to tell a lie, tell a big one, and if you repeat it often enough, people will begin to believe it.
Once you control the narrative, it becomes much simpler to revise long-standing constitutions and decrees. Re-evaluate laws that might limit your power and consider using a recent scare as a pretext to rush through legal reforms.
A dictator is only as strong as the people who believe in him. So, when the ordinary citizen is willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for breaking rules they themselves could never appeal, you know your regime is solid.
But don't get too comfortable. Your reign could end if you break the next rule: watch your wealth.