They say history repeats itself, and that’s certainly true. The amnesia plaguing today’s society, particularly in our short attention span environment, has fostered a culture of forgetfulness. While many believe they are more informed thanks to social media’s instant access to information, the masses still fall for the same manufactured media narratives. In this article, I aim to take a forensic look at several historical ‘media-inspired boogeymen’ and conduct an economic analysis of their respective countries before and after their downfall.
Were these political figures as evil or corrupt as portrayed by mainstream media outlets? Were the people actually better off under their reign, or not? What role does the media play in shaping people’s perspectives of global figures?