History Main / IntellectuallySupportedTyranny

* Diethard in ''CodeGeass'' is another journalist example of this type, becoming a propagandist for [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Anti Hero with Good Publicity]] Lelouch/Zero. He's motivated by discontent with the entrenched Britannian aristocracy, but ends up as a more negative version as ultimately, he's really looking for an interesting MagnificentBastard to follow and thus defects to the side of Prince Schneizel, who is even more so a VillainWithGoodPublicity / DevilInPlainSight.

* [[ComicBook/TheFantasticFour Reed Richards]] turns from [[ReedRichardsIsUseless useless]] into outright this in Comicbook/CivilWar and MarvelZombies. In Comicbook/CivilWar, he and [[spoiler:Skrull!]]AntMan flank Tony Stark by this. Though in the case of MarvelZombies it's clear that the grief of losing his children left him.... slightly unhinged.

* ''{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' has Beatty, who is DaChief for the Firemen and typically of a dystopian novel, is a well-read intellectual devoted to his job of burning books. It's implied in the novel and more explicit in some adaptations that at heart, Beatty hates himself for what he has become.

*** Same thing in TheSecretAgent. Appearently based on a real person.

* In TheWheelOfTime, the leader of the Forsaken was once a philosopher - and since the [[BigBad Dark One]] will destroy time forever if he succeeds and gets to keep trying until he manages, decided to throw his lot in with the winner.

* ''AtlasShrugged'' has a handful of 'intellectuals' supporting the [[CommieLand People's States]], although the overwhelming majority are unwilling to put forward works stating anything more than uncertainty. Dr. Ferris, author of ''Why Do You Think You Think'' and political force behind creating [[NuclearWeaponsTaboo Project Xylophone]] with a range focused within the continental United States, is the most overt of that branch. Dr. Stadler is the more conventional intellectual, and his brilliance lends to a couple PetTheDog moments, before we discover exactly what he was willing to sell his word and his soul for.

* [[ComicBook/TheFantasticFour Reed Richards]] turns from [[ReedRichardsIsUseless useless]] into outright this in Comicbook/CivilWar and MarvelZombies. In Comicbook/CivilWar, he and [[spoiler:Skrull!]]AntMan flank Tony Stark by this.

** In fact, almost all of the Forsaken were intellectuals before the Bore was opened. Balthamel and Be'lal were not, but the Forsaken include a doctor, a geneticist, a composer, a university lecturer, a psychiatrist, two academic mages studying the nature of magic, and the aforementioned philosopher. The others are mostly well-versed in history, literature, and magic, amongst other things.

* Doctor Wallace Breen in ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life 2}}'' acts as the voice and face of the alien Combine occupation, but it's not entirely clear if his support is out of self-serving misanthropy of actual misguided idealism. Regardless, he constantly tries to provide "rational" and "scientific" reasons for why aliens committing genocide and suppressing human reproduction is a good thing for our future.

* In ''Webcomic/TheBMovieComic'', Professor Dr. [[http://www.bmoviecomic.com/archive.ht..?cid=626 instantly supports]] captain Emo's tyrannical regime. This whole trope is lampshaded in TheRant.

* In ''Webcomic/TheBMovieComic'', Professor Dr. instantly supports captain Emo's tyrannical regime. This whole trope is lampshaded in TheRant.

[[AC:VieoGames]]
* Doctor Wallace Breen in ''{{Half Life 2}}'' acts as the voice and face of the alien Combine occupation, but it's not entirely clear if his support is out of self-serving misanthropy of actual misguided idealism. Regardless, he constantly tries to provide "rational" and "scientific" reasons for why aliens committing genocide and suppressing human reproduction is a good thing for our future.

* In ''Webcomic/TheBMovieComic'', Professor Dr. instantly supports captain Emo's tyrannical regime. This whole trope is lampshaded in TheRant.

'''NoRealLifeExamplesPlease'''

* Reed Richards turns from [[ReedRichardsIsUseless useless]] into outright this in Comicbook/CivilWar and MarvelZombies. In Comicbook/CivilWar, he and [[spoiler:Skrull!]]AntMan flank Tony Stark by this.

* In ''Webcomic/TheBMovieComic'', Professor Dr. instantly supports captain Emo's tyrannical regime. This whole trope is lampshaded in TheRant.

[[AC:RealLife]]
* Intellectuals, in general, tend to be Leftist biased and fond of Marxism. Much of the academia in Europe was [[UnfortunateImplications very much Pro-Soviet]] during the 20th century. This is one of the cause of the CultureWars between Leftist-orientated faculties of humanities and Rightish-orientated faculties of engineering and economics in the academia.
** OlderThanTheyThink: NapoleonBonaparte also got plenty of sympathy and support from the European intellectual establishment.

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[[AC:RealLife]]
* Accusations of this trope get thrown about pretty much anywhere, especially in the US (due to the RedScare). One legitimate historical instance of it was the formation of the Soviet Union, which had a significant backing of intellectuals and scholars (such as Marx himself) who penned essays which often condemned the system that had allowed them to grow up priveleged while around them people of lower class toiled in poverty. Recursively, the intellectuals who did not support Bolshevism (or branched off in support of Menshevism) were considered bourgeoisie traitors.
** Many intellectuals who supported the Bolshevik revolution did not support the Soviet Union, however, which is another example in itself. I'm not sure if "hindsight is always 20/20" or "out of the frying pan, into the fire" is more appropriate.
** It should also be noted that in some cases the intellectuals themselves were in fact the ones who became the actual political leaders. VladimirLenin, JosefStalin, BenitoMussolini and MaoZedong all wrote their own theoretical works before they seized power in their countries.
* Eugenics. Boy, howdy! It was mostly an intellectual movement. When the Nazis started their sterilization plans, American eugenists even said "The Germans are beating us at our own game!" This went to the point that one Polish-born American eugenist, Edwin ''Katzenellenbogen'', was stuck in Germany during WorldWarOne, and, after a circuitous route to avoid Hitler, [[LesCollaborateurs helped]] ThoseWackyNazis.
** Some neurologists trying to isolate the genes that cause autism and AspergersSyndrome are getting accused of trying to stifle neurodiversity through backdoor eugenics. Some of these accusations may have validity, and the behavior of some self-proclaimed autism charities have lent these claims further credibility.
** [[http://www.genomicslawreport.com/index.php/2009/06/25/three-generations-of-imbeciles-are-enough/ "Three Generations of Imbeciles Are Enough."]] Oregon [[http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/tp/Forced-Sterilization-History.htm did the last legal forced sterilization]] in the USA... in 1981.
* [[RedScare Fighting communism]] was used as a rationale for a great many horrid dictatorships in Latin America.
* Modern example today might be China. First, it is (in)famous for its human rights record that could be considered tyranical. That is tends to jail "intellectuals" who critize the government makes sure that the intellectual who are left are supportive of the government (or at least keeping their criticism quiet). And the Party itself, the ruling political body of China, can make a decent claim to being an Intellectual Body due to the entry and promotion requirements. Not every peasant in China has a college degree after all.

* Sort of TruthInTelevision, and OlderThanFeudalism. Remember, once upon a time, things like Public Education was not common. If you could read and/or count to 10 without using your finggers, you were an Intellectual. Back then, petty tyrants/warlords were everywhere and they hogged the good stuff. The best food, houses, AND smart guys. Used to teach them stuff, invent new toys or tutor the tyrants kids. Like everyone else, they supported the tyrant....or else.

* [[SherlockHolmes Professor Moriarty]] is the uber-example of this. A brilliant mathematician and university professor who between producing groundbreaking new theories in astrophysics, he doubles as the leader of a murderous criminal syndicate.

* Kiyomi Takada has this kind of vibe in ''DeathNote'', being an important example of a sane Kira supporter who is established to be on the same intellectual level as Light (albeit only academically). In her profession as newscaster, rather than helping to secure society against the Kira-cult, she becomes one of its major propagandists.

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* Sort of TruthInTelevision, and OlderThanFeudalism. Remember, once upon a time, things like Public Education was not common. Petty tyrants/warlords were everywhere and they hogged the good stuff. The best food, houses, and smart guys to teach them stuff, invent new toys or tutor the tyrants kids. Like everyone else, they supported the tyrant...OrElse.

* [[SherlockHolmes Professor Moriarty]] is the uber-example of this. A brilliant mathematician and university professor who producing groundbreaking new theories in astrophysics, he doubles as the leader of a murderous criminal syndicate.

* Aldous Huxley's ''BraveNewWorld'' has a rare example of this character as the EvilOverlord himself, in Mustapha Mond. Also unique though is that he comes across as more complex/likely to be right than other examples.

* Reed Richards turns from [[ReedRichardsIsUseless useless]] into outright this in Comicbook/CivilWar and MarvelZombies.

** In fact, almost all of the Forsaken were intellectuals before the Bore was opened. Balthamel and Be'lal were not, but the Forsaken include a doctor, a geneticist, a composer, a university lecturer, two academic mages studying the nature of magic, and the aforementioned philosopher. The others are mostly well-versed in history, literature, and magic, amongst other things.