We used to have a pretty clear idea of what an autocrat was. History is full of examples: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, along with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping today. The list goes on.

So, where does Donald Trump fit in?

In this six-part podcast series, The Making of an Autocrat, we ask six experts on authoritarianism and US politics to explain how exactly an autocrat is made – and whether Trump is on his way to becoming one.

The treasurer says the government needs to do more on several fronts: from fighting antisemitism after Sunday's deadly attack, to cracking down on illegal tobacco.

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The Greens' senator says she's worried kids will end up 'in other online spaces that are even darker and more dangerous' – and Australia should act on other options.

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The Making of an Autocrat

Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

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The industry minister denied Australia's adopting a 'light-touch' approach on AI – and says he's working to make sure data centres are 'not a drain on resources'.

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The Making of an Autocrat

Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

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Ley says the Opposition was negotiating on the new environment laws with the government into early Thursday – just before Labor announced a deal with the Greens.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Making of an Autocrat

Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

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The South Australian Liberal senator says he's "dubious" about being able to sell the Coalition's new policy to voters – describing it as "carefree with emissions".

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The Making of an Autocrat

Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

With only one sitting week of Parliament left this year, the environment minister reveals the compromises he's willing to make and the hard lines he won't cross to get the deal done.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Making of an Autocrat

Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

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Michelle Grattan and the politics and society editor for the Conversation Amanda Dunn, talk about the dismissal.

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The Making of an Autocrat

Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

Next week is the 50th anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam government. We're joined by Niki Savva and David Solomon to talk about their memories of that day.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Making of an Autocrat

Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

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Support non-profit journalism you can trust.

Donations 2025

Amid rising demand for aged care, major changes are rolling out from Saturday. Minister for seniors Sam Rae explains what the overhaul means for older Australians.

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Your support matters

Support non-profit journalism you can trust.

Donations 2025

The Making of an Autocrat

Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

The former Liberal prime minister says he wrote a new history book 'to help contemporary Australians think better of themselves'.

Mentioned in this episode:

Your support matters

Support non-profit journalism you can trust.

Donations 2025

The Making of an Autocrat

Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.