15 Infamous Dictators Around the World

15 Infamous Dictators Around the World

A dictator is a political leader who possesses power their actions towards the people of their country are called a dictatorship. Dictators are known for their harsh rules and laws that can sometimes oppress the entire nation or a part of it. It should be noted that such leaders usually sit in their positions of power until the point of their death. On most occasions, they ensure that the rule of the nation will be passed down to their children or close relatives.

There are different forms of dictatorship that have a negative effect on the nation. Sometimes, it is very hard for a country to recover after it is ruled by a dictator. Dictators are known for being crowd manipulators as well as crowd pleasers.

Here are the 10 Infamous Dictators around The World;

1. Adolf Hitler, Germany

Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S33882 / CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons

He was an Austrian-born German politician who was born on April 20, 1889. Adolf served in the German army during World War I. After the first world war, Adolf became involved in politics and joined the German Workers’ Party which he renamed the Nazi Party. In 1923, he led a coup to seize power in Munich but it failed, and was imprisoned for five years. While he was in jail, he wrote an autobiography and manifesto known as My Struggle.

In 1933, Adolf was appointed Chancellor of Germany and quickly consolidated power and became the dictator of the country. It didn’t take him long to initiate the Holocaust which was a systematic genocide of six million Jews during the Second World War. However, Adolf didn’t stop there, he ordered the deaths of millions of other people including homosexuals, people with disabilities, and Roma. Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, after Germany was defeated in the war.

2. Benito Mussolini, Italy

He was an Italian dictator and journalist who founded the National Fascist Party. He was born on July 29, 1883, in Dovia di Predappio, Italy. Benito was appointed as Prime Minister because he led the March on Rome in 1922. As the dictator of Italy, he allied with Nazi Germany in World War II. It should be noted that Benito was a skilled manipulator of public opinion. Mussolini is recorded as a ruthless dictator who was responsible for the deaths of millions of people.

3. Joseph Stalin, Soviet Union

U.S. Signal Corps photo., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He was a revolutionary and political leader who led the Soviet Union. Joseph was born on December 18, 1878, in Georgia, in the Russian Empire. He was arrested and exiled several times for his revolutionary activities. Joseph joined the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party in 1898. He played a key role in the Red Army’s victory in the Russian Civil War. He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1952. 

Stalin rose to power when Vladimir Lenin in 1924. During the Second World War II, he led the Soviet Union to victory over Nazi Germany. He achieved absolute power through his political skills, his ruthlessness, and the cult of personality he created around himself.

4. Mao Zedong, China

He was a communist revolutionary, political theorist, and poet who ruled the People’s Republic of China. He was born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan, China. Mao joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 and slowly rose through the party ranks. Mao implemented a series of economic and social reforms including the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward. The latter failed to industrialize China while the Cultural Revolution led to the deaths of millions of people.

Mao used violence to maintain power. This caused the deaths of many people including his own countrymen. To the people of China, he made himself a god-like figure because of the cult personality he created.

5. Idi Amin, Uganda

 He is noted as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin was also a military officer who seized power through a coup d’etat. He was a brutal dictator who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. His rule was marked by brutality and repression, he imprisoned opponents, expelled the Indian population in Uganda, as well as executing anyone who tried to rise up against him. In 1979, Amin was overthrown by a Tanzanian-backed invasion.

6. Pol Pot, Cambodia

He was the leader of the Khmer Rouge which was a communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Pol was born on May 19, 1925, in Saloth Sar, Cambodia. Pot joined the Communist Party of Kampuchea in 1960 and rose through the party ranks. In 1975, the party overthrew the government of Lon Nol. After they had taken control of the government, Pol became the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea which was the name of Cambodia at the time.

During his rule, Pol Pot implemented radical programs of social and economic change. He evacuated the cities and forced his people to work on collective farms. Aside from that, he also executed or imprisoned anyone who was seen as a threat to the regime. Pol Pot’s policies resulted in widespread famine and disease as well as the death of an estimated two million people.

7. Saddam Hussein, Iraq

See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He was the fifth president of Iraq. He was born in 1937, in Al-Awja, Iraq. Hussein was in the Ba’ath Party when he rose to power as the deputy leader of the party of the de facto ruler of Iraq. Hussein was later the president of Iraq in 1979. Through executing his opponents and establishing a cult personality, he was able to maintain power.

However, his regime was characterized by violence and repression. He also invaded Iran in 1980 causing a long and bloody war. Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990 which led to the Gulf War. In 2003, Hussein’s regime was overthrown when the United States invaded Iraq.

8. Francisco Franco, Spain

He was a Spanish military general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. Francisco was born on December 4, 1892, in El Ferrol, Spain. Francisco ruled over Spain from 1939 to 1975 assuming the title Caudillo. His dictatorship is noted for being the most repressive in Europe.

9. Bashar al-Assad, Syria

Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

He is the current as well as 19th president of Syria since July 17, 2000. He was born on September 11, 1965, in Damascus. Bashar has been the president of Syria since 2000. Even though he has been able to maintain stability in the country. His presidency has been criticized for his human rights record. The Syrian government has been accused of using torture and extrajudicial killings. Bashar has been criticized for his human rights record as well as his failure to end the Syrian Civil War.

10. Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea

He is the current president of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He is noted as the longest-serving president in Africa as well as one of the longest-serving dictators in the world. Teodoro came to power in a coup against his uncle Francisco Macias Nguema. When he new to the seat, he promised to restore democracy and improve the lives of his people. However, he became an authoritarian who was corrupt. He imprisoned and executed his opponents while he enriched himself and his family.

11. Kim Jong-un, North Korea

Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

He is the current supreme leader of North Korea. Since 2011, Kim Jong-un has been in power after succeeding his father. He has been criticized for his continued development of nuclear weapons. Kim Jong-un’s rule has been accused of using torture, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detention. His government has suppressed the freedom of North Koreans. It has been noted for taking away the food rations and life expectancy from the people of the country.

12. Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe

He was the first Prime Minister and later the President of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2017. Robert is known for his role in Zimbabwe’s liberation from British colonial rule. His authoritarian rule and economic policies led to a decline in the country’s economy. After a military coup in 2017, Robert had no choice but to resign. Robert is known for rigging elections to remain in power, he used intimidation, controlled the media, and suppressed freedom of speech.

13. Omar al-Bashir, Sudan

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jesse B. Awalt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He was the president of Sudan from 1989 to 2019. He was a dictator who ruled the country with an iron fist. Bashir is noted for being responsible for hundreds of thousands of people as well as the displacement of millions. He would openly support terrorism including a few terrorist groups. Aside from rigging elections to ensure he maintained power, he suppressed opposition and implemented a number of policies that harmed the Sudanese people.

Bashir’s rule collapsed the economy of Sudan as well as displaced millions of people from their homes. He is remembered for his authoritarianism, economic ruin, and mass violence.

14. Muammar Gaddafi, Libya

He was the de facto leader of Libya from 1969 until his assassination in 2011. He also served as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977. Muammar imprisoned and executed his political opponents. He chose to enrich himself and his family while the people of Libya suffered. His rule is accused of suppressing freedom of expression and association. Muammar implemented a number of policies that harmed the Libyan people such as price controls and support of terrorism.

15. Yoweri Museveni, Uganda

U.S. Department of State, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He is the current president of Uganda since 1986. He is the longest-serving president in Uganda’s history. In 1979, he led an invasion of Uganda that would overthrow the government of Amin. Museveni’s authoritarian rule has led to the rigging of elections to ensure power and imprisoned his political opponents. His rule has abused the human rights of the people of Uganda.

All in all, these presidents have established a negative legacy for their cruelty in leading their respective countries. They have greatly influenced their countries but on a very negative scale. Aside from being dictators, they were authoritative and controlling towards their people. In most of these cases, the respective presidents came to power through nepotism.