The Potter Discussion: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the Wizarding World Fandom

The Epic Downfall of Cornelius Fudge

March 12, 2023 Sound Owl Media Episode 172
The Potter Discussion: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the Wizarding World Fandom
The Epic Downfall of Cornelius Fudge
Show Notes Chapter Markers

In this episode, we discuss the downfall of Cornelius Fudge. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      2:09 The downfall of Cornelius Fudge. His reign began pretty well. The economy was stable and the secret of magic was safe. However, that didn’t stay. Once Voldemort began to creep back into the picture, Fudge fell apart. He was alright in the first book, but when the Chamber of Secrets opened, he was under fire. He arrested Hagrid just to show the world that he was doing something. In Prisoner of Azkaban, they can’t catch Sirius Black for the life of them. Fudge is panicked and he put everything they could on the case. It does eventually work, but Sirius then escaped, and they never saw him away. So, he was already set up for failure in the Goblet of Fire. The dark mark was cast at the Quidditch World cup and the world goes into a panic. Fudge denies Voldemort’s return as much as he can and convinces himself that Voldemort is gone. How wrong he is.

·      12:35 Fudge didn’t listen to Dumbledore. This was really the final nail in the coffin. Dumbledore is the one of the most powerful wizards in the world and the only person Voldemort feared. Fudge knew this and was writing to Dumbledore early on in his career. The times became good, and Fudge stopped writing. When evil came back, Fudge still believed Voldemort was gone, scared that the dark days would return. Dumbledore could see his crumble, so he sent envoys to the giants and pretty much became the Minister. There is a direct correlation between listening and the times going well, and not listening to him and times going bad. 

·      19:21 Fudge was far too controlled by fear. Fear dictated his entire life after the Prisoner of Azkaban, and it prevented him from seeing the truth. He had the facts in front of him and simply ignored them. He did everything he could to make sure the world thought Voldemort wasn’t back, as if that would kill Voldemort again. If he had just done one single thing right, they would have stood a chance. But he didn’t and Voldemort returned. Fudge acted too late and didn’t do what he was supposed to. By the time Fudge finally realizes what was really happening, it was too late.

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Intro
He was doomed to fail
Didn't listen to Dumbledore
Too controlled by fear