JFK could never compete with this North African heat. He had also been the minister of defense and finance, among others. During the Second World War, his army defeated the Nazis too. His New Lanark factories were a model for giving workers better conditions. He had such an impact as a dictator that the period between the Nationalist victory and Franco's death is known as Francoist Spain in the history of Spain. . 10 Cruelest Dictators Here is a list of the top 10 cruelest dictators. Adolf Hitler (German: [adlf htl] (listen); 20 April 1889 30 April 1945) was a German politician and leader of the Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; NSDAP). I Was Diagnosed With HIV During Pregnancy Heres My Story. Prince William. His leadership was marred with the blood of genocide against the Moldovans, Volga Germans, Cossacks, Poles, and even Armenians. Rafael Lenidas Trujillo Molina was a Dominican dictator. Sure, they were responsible for some of the most violent and deadly atrocities and history, but as Maxim shows, it doesnt matter who you are so long as youre willing to take your clothes off. But I think that since I am being discussed, then I am on the right track." Before his recent death, North Korea's 'Supreme Leader,'. If you like Antonio Banderas or Benjamin Bratt, youll fall in love with Cubas sexiest paranoid psychopath. Copyright 2011 - 2023 List25 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Poor Hoda. The coup led to the abolition of the monarchy of Cambodia. When he gave his introductory speech, he announced death to the revolution and to the EPRP (Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Party). Many of his killings were determined by the victims ability to pronounce certain words with a trill, or in other words, a rolling r to determine if they were real Dominicans. What a sadist. Kim Jong-il was the second Supreme Leader of North Korea. He is also most infamous for his ordering the Rape of Nanking, which killed almost 300,000 victims and 200,000 women sexually assaulted. Transcript . After leading the entire world into war as well as committing numerous war crimes, he certainly deserves a spot on this list. Subsequently, Franco ruled over Spain as a dictator from 1939 to 1975. Rank the most Brutal Famous 20th Century Dictators 1 Joseph Stalin (Soviet Political Leader & Dictator Who Led the Soviet Union from 1922 Until His Death in 1953) 296 153 Rate. In just four years, Pol Pot slaughtered 1 to 3 million Cambodians, or nearly 25% of the countrys entire population. Sadly, every once in a while, politicians and leaders decide to do things their own way (much to the dismay of the masses). Idi Amin started his career as a cook with the British colonial army of Uganda and became an army commander later. Trujillo took over the Dominican Republic after being trained by the US Marines. He used. From 1926 to 1989, Emperor Hirohito ruled as a dictator in Japan. Dictators often gain authority by taking advantage of chaos and manipulating their way to the top during desperate times. So how did they do it? But there have been several others too who were as cruel, if not more, than him. Bashar dropped hundreds of barrel bombs, which are exactly what they sound like, on his own people. Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq as its president from 1979 to 2003. Jean-Bdel Bokassa 7. 5. He liked to burn cities to the ground. Overall, he left about 1.5 million deaths in his wake. He also tortured dozens of foreigners for suspicion of spying, lied to weapons inspectors, and carried out acts of ethnic cleansing. Number five is Alfredo Stroessner of Paraguay who was a Paraguayan military dictator who seized power . His matinee idol cheekbones were the envy of every man in Libya. Although many were upset that hot list mainstay and Americas dream girlfriend Mila Kunis wasnt Number One, I decry the misandry in the list. Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq as its president from 1979 to 2003. Ceauescu and his wife were convicted of genocide and executed by firing squad. He showed his conviction to his the message by throwing three bottles filled with blood from his pedestal. Its frightening when you realize how passionately each of these dictators believed in their delusion and led many others to commit horrible crimes, all in the name of leadershipif you can call it that! From 1981 to 1989, he was the dictator of the Polish People's Republic. Mswati III. Kargil infiltration, confrontation with India and a steep rise in Pakistans GDP marked the presidency of the now-retired four-star general. Of course, given that he instituted the Red Terror, or the systematic elimination of millions of people including members of his own political party, this should come as no surprise. He also served as the prime minister and president of Poland during his influential political career. Here's a list, and it's quite interesting: Indira Gandhi. Poor Hoda. 10. Julia Agrippina is a must-have for any history buff or collector. He humiliated one even further by demanding he write an entire book telling him how great he was. This is an issue Mens Rights activists must take up, pronto. Saddam was . The Butcher of Uganda was known for his despotic rule and was responsible for almost 500,000 deaths. Roughly half a million people lost their lives due to extrajudicial killings and genocide during this time. 13. He was awarded capital punishment for treason, but the court order was annulled later. Deeply racist, he imprisoned millions of "enemies" in camps before executing them, stamped down on "degenerate" art and literature and . He gained support by promoting values like German nationalism and anti-semitism. Sources:washingtonpost.com,voanews.com,ibtimes.com,npr.org,news.bbc.co.uk,reuters.com,telegraph.co.uk. Juvnal Habyarimana was a Rwandan politician whose presidency, which spanned from 1973 until his death in 1994, was responsible for pushing Rwanda into extreme poverty. Ceauescu and his wife were convicted of genocide and executed by firing squad. In 2013, he was sentenced to 80 years in prison for crimes against humanity and genocide. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Your email address will not be published. Topping our list of the world's worst dictators is the infamous Mao Zedong. Country: Liberia. He invented it. Enver Hoxha 16. Though he was branded a traitor, his name was later cleared. Kim Jong-Il (1.6 million deaths) Kim Jong-il in 2010. Lon Nol was a Cambodian general and politician. As President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir was the ruler that negotiated the end of the Sudanese Civil War by giving in to what the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army was requesting. My book seriesWhy Leadership Sucks, now with two volumes, shares the challenges of aiming to lead as Christ did (the polar opposite of these dictators), as a servant of others first and foremost.. Kim Jong-il "I am the object of criticism around the world. He served as the prime minister of Cambodia from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1969 to 1971. Nero. .". As a colonial leader of Belgium, Leopold II was famous for essentially enslaving and killing nearly 15 million Congolese under the guise of his Congo Free State. He wanted nothing more than to crowd-surf on top of a sea of blonde poster-boys, whilst painting a perfect portrait of himself. As an army man, he overthrew President Arnulfo Arias in a coup in 1968 and became the de facto ruler of Panama a few years later. Hitler was power hungry as all hell, hated the shit out of Jews (and others), and wanted hegemony in Europe. - [Voiceover] Like all continents, South America has had its share of brutal dictators. He was eventually overthrown. Controversial Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin, ruled the Soviet Union for around 25 years from 1929 to 1953 and is credited for making it a prominent industrial and military power of the world. All in all, roughly 1 million died as a result of his initiatives. He was the absolute dictator of Germany from 1934 to 1945. Joseph Stalin became dictator of the Soviet Union after Lenin died, winning in a race-to-the-top against his rivals. When he was assigned to be general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Hideki Tojo was not content with his position, so he also assumed the position of Prime Minister, Army Minister, Home Minister, Foreign Minister, Education Minister, and Commerce Ministertalk about a lot of responsibility. Founded in 2010, Thought Catalog is owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. For over a decade, we've been at the bleeding edge of media, pioneering an infrastructure for creatives to flourish both artistically and financially. Read on to learn about the top dictators from history and today. Here is our list of the most famous assassinations in history. He was finally ousted by Che Guevara at the Battle of Santa Clara, as part of Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement. Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus (519 - 430 BC) was one of the Roman Republic's most admired figures. Capital Wasteland and the former United States, The secondary antagonist of the game, he has largely the same goals as President John Henry Eden, hoping to use the modified FEV he obtained from the Mariposa Military base, a virus used to create a race of, Businessperson turned politician who rises through politics over many years before becoming. He was known as the White Terror, purging the opposition for better leadership and country stability. Kim Jong-Il had nearly a quarter million people arrested during his rule and is directly responsible for the starvation and deaths of million of North Koreans. Below is a list of fictional dictators. Karl Marx (1818-1883) Karl Marx was the foremost Socialist intellectual. The form of government with a dictator as the leader is known as dictatorship and there are no effective constitutional remedies to limit his power. Fulgencio Batista was the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944. The Kaiser was pure swag. A revolutionary, politician and political theorist, Muammar Gaddafi seized power in Libya from King Idris in a bloodless coup in 1969 and became its authoritarian dictator for more than 40 years. The dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1945, Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist Party in 1919. Romanian dictators put themselves in great danger by seizing power - almost as much danger as being Kim Jong Un's relative. He was also ranked 19th in Parade Magazine's Top 20 list of "The World's Worst Dictators". However, his regime was also one of terror and brutality where numerous Soviet citizens lost their lives. Kargil infiltration, confrontation with India and a steep rise in Pakistans GDP marked the presidency of the now-retired four-star general. Ferdinand Marcos 8. With the smile to break a million hearts, young Saddam Hussein was a real looker, quietly aging into a silver fox. As expected, he instituted martial law and ruthlessly led a war against Eastern Pakistan. He also served as the Polish People's Army's last commander-in-chief; Polish People's Army became the Polish Armed Forces in 1990. They have the power to make laws, suspend elections, proclaim a state of emergency and repress political opponents without following any lawful procedures. Kim Jong Il ruled North Korea from 1997 until his death in 2011. Known as El Supremo, he banned all foreign trade in his bid to make Paraguay self-sufficient, thus eventually weaking it and curbing personal freedom. All Rights Reserved. King of Swaziland since 1986. Contemporary historians doubt whether some of these dictatorships actually occurred. He was also the countrys first president. Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia had no qualms about eliminating anyone he considered to be opposition. To make it more convincing, he killed 1.6 million of his own people. There are, however, a number of women who have come pretty close to being dictators. His brief tenure as the de facto president was one of the bloodiest periods during the then-ongoing Guatemalan Civil War. Your email address will not be published. He did so he can get power. Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet. He spent four years as the Russian Prime Minister from 2008 to 2012, though most experts believe he was still calling the shots. He enjoyed impaling his victims and supposedly even bathed in their blood. The founder of the. Isaaack/Shutterstock. In fiction, dictatorship has sometimes been portrayed as the political system of choice for controlling dystopian societies in books, video games, TV and movies. He hasbeen accused of human rights violations and is said to have ordered the execution of several North Korean officials. Quo Vadis (Mervyn LeRoy, 1951) Of the many historical epic of classic Hollywood, Quo Vadis was one of the largest scaled and most elaborately produced. Dictators in Americas Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai President of Afghanistan Abdelmadjid Tebboune President of Algeria Joo Loureno President of Angola Ilham Aliyev President of Azerbaijan Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa King of Bahrain Alexander Lukashenko President of Belarus Haji Waddaulah Sultan of Brunei variste Ndayishimiye President of Burundi Paul Biya 10. It opposed class discrimination and supported nationalism. Many of the dictators on this list are considered some of the worst people in the history of the world. Saparmurat Niyazov is guilty of less atrocities than other notorious dictators on this list, but he deserves to be on it for annoying the heck out of his people. He also served as the prime minister and president of Poland during his influential political career. His Great Leap Forward plan, which included his genius dont be shy, guys crop innovation, caused the greatest famine in history, killing nearly 40 million people. Anastasio Somoza Garcia, First of the Somoza Dictators Bettmann Archive / Getty Images Not only was Anastasio Somoza (1896-1956) a dictator, he founded a whole line of them, as his two sons followed in his footsteps after his death. He ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961, serving as president for 18 years and as an unelected military strongman for the rest of the time. My theoretical hymen just broke talking about him. It's easy to dehumanize them in your mind, but there were actually many dictators who painted and plenty of other dictators who had weird collections. ( and others ), and even Armenians 26th of July Movement as! And to the revolution and to the revolution and to the top during desperate times career as part! Ethnic cleansing the Fascist Party in 1919 of Poland during his influential political career of. Into war as well as committing numerous war crimes, he instituted martial law and ruthlessly a. 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