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The principles were extracted from Stalin: A Biography by Robert Service

The Principles:

1. Devote your life to an ideology, surrendering both thought and action to its cause. (01:50)

2. Support the heir apparent. When the new king is enthroned, you will be rewarded with power and prestige. (22:30)

3. When given an inch of responsibility, take a mile—power is seized by the bold and aggressive. (41:29)

4. Forge strategic alliances to eliminate your main rivals, collaborating until you wield enough power to reign supreme. (58:54)

5. Anoint yourself high priest of the ideology and claim supreme authority over its sacred dogma. (01:31:46)

6. Wield the dogma of the state’s ideology as a blade, cutting down your enemies with righteous precision. (01:44:38)

7. Once you hold power, purge all who are disloyal to your rule. (02:05:12)

8. Conceal your mistakes by scapegoating a subordinate. (02:27:30)

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The principles were extracted from ⁠Mussolini: A New Life by Nicholas Farrell.

The Principles:

1. Attack your rivals and scheme their downfall. Power is seized by the bold and aggressive. (01:10)

2. Lead an armed revolutionary movement backed by strong grassroots support. (19:34)

3. Centralise, concentrate and consolidate control; everyone must be accountable to you. (49:50)

4. No claim to Power is more persuasive than the threat of violent force. (01:05:05)

5. Legitimise your rule by winning an election, but only after manipulating the electoral system to your advantage. (01:29:17)

6. Do not bandwagon on a rival’s rise; at best, you will be overshadowed, at worst, devoured. (01:45:04)

7. Never relinquish an ounce of power, and punish any traitors who dare to threaten it. (02:08:11)

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The principles were extracted from The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin⁠ by Jonathan Phillips.

The Principles:

1. Champion a popular cause that ignites passionate support from a zealous group of people. (00:19)

2. An ambitious youth must align themselves with established power and exploit family connections. (10:20)

3. Once you obtain power, eliminate the old guard and replace them with men loyal to you. (28:04)

4. Avoid making an enemy of your superior until you are in position to usurp them. (37:56)

5. Exploit the greed of your enemies to foment internal conflict. (52:17)

6. Lure your enemy into battle when you have the advantage, then ruthlessly exploit their weaknesses until they are defeated. (01:00:10)

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The principles were extracted from ⁠Cyropaedia: The Education of Cyrus by Xenophon and translated by Henry Graham Dakyns.

The Principles:

1. Battles are won by the army that first incites panic in their enemy. (01:09)

2. Instead of inspiration and talent, rely on discipline and self-control. (18:16)

3. Teach your child to be a good person. Then teach them to be the complete opposite to their enemies. (23:58)

4. The cruel man sows the seeds of his own destruction. (31:02)

5. Know thyself, O Croesus, and happiness shall be thine. (39:46)

6. True wealth is not measured by money, but by the loyalty of friends. (47:52)

7. Decadence is the cause of an empire’s decline. (53:58)

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The principles were extracted from Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor by Adrian Goldsworthy.

The Principles:

1. Never underplay the fortune of a famous name or financial inheritance. Leverage your prominent ancestry and family pedigree, use your inheritance, do everything you can to gain an advantage. (01:00)

2. The leader that recruits more followers is a better leader. (10:51)

3. No argument is more persuasive than the threat of violent force. (18:29)

4. If you are not a genius in a necessary field of action: find someone who is and employ them. The only field of action you must possess genius in is the art of ruling. (29:08)

5. The victor of the propaganda war is the one that wins the support of the most powerful third party. (32:50)

6. Avoiding defeat is more important than achieving victory. Do not go to war when the cost of defeat exceeds the gain of victory. (43:15)

7. Victory presents an opportunity to demonstrate modesty and multiply the goodwill you have earned. (47:02)

8. Portray yourself as a reluctant servant of the state. People prefer to support those who appear selfless rather than ambitious. (50:14)

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The principles were extracted from The Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey by Standford J. Shaw.

The Principles:

1. Clothe your conquests in virtue and righteousness. This will inspire men to answer the call of your crusade and justify your expansion.

2. Grow your strength by defeating the weak before you take on the strong.

3. The motivation for conquest must be twofold: there must be an idealistic drive that appeals to man's higher nature, and there must be a primal drive that appeals to man's lower nature. Without both drives, there is not enough force to sustain conquest.

4. Tolerance, when backed by economic benefits, is the most sustainable way to ensure peaceful coexistence.

5. To ensure longevity centralise and systemise power within institutions instead of permitting power to be wielded by individuals alone.

6. There are always multiple centres of power. Human society is complex, and factions centralise power. As the ruler, counteract these centres by playing them off against each other to prevent one centre growing to eclipse your power.

7. The desire for obtaining power is enflamed by the displeasure of feeling weak.

8. Once you obtain power in an organisation, eliminate the old guard and their power centres. Replace them with men loyal to you.

9. Infuse your ambitious goals with mythical and religious significance.

10. Never rely on the loyalty of a powerful subordinate. Instead, ensure that their self-interest and privileged position is inextricably tied to your authority. By making them dependent on your rule, you transform a potential rival into an effective ally.