The world has seen a number of famous dictators who possess absolute power over the government of a nation. Dictators are authoritative figures and operate under a totalitarian system of government. A dictator’s powers are not limited and a good majority of them have shown leadership in cruelty, oppression, harshness and total abuse of power, which very much defines a tyrant.
Dictatorship was a common way of ruling in the ancient era, but this system has diminished considerably since the introduction of democracy. However, some countries retain their old way of ruling, while some that hide under the umbrella of democracy still find themselves under the control of political tyrants. Today we will be looking at ten famous dictators the world has never known.
adolf hitler
Adolf Hitler is a dictator the world will never forget, only for being the mastermind who orchestrated World War II which lasted 6 years and cost millions of lives. Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn in Austria on April 20, 1889. He had Austrian and German nationality. Hitler was a politician and leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, better known as the Nazi. He took office as Führer of Germany on August 2, 1934 and also as Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. He held these two positions until his death on April 30, 1945. After war projects dedicated to the failed, Hitler committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth, but not before shooting his wife Eva Braun.
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin was one of the most famous dictators and ruling figures of the 20th century. He is famous for being a communist revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953. He lived between 1878 and 1953 and was born as Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili on December 18, 1878 in the Caucasus Viceroyalty , Russian Empire (now Georgia). During the time of his rule his subjects had virtually no authority, Stalin had complete control over every aspect of the country, be it social, financial or political. His tenure resulted in numerous executions, starvation and death. On March 5, 1953, Stalin was pronounced dead following a cerebral hemorrhage.
Idi Amin
Idi Amin’s date of birth is not known, but according to research, the former OAU president was born between 1923 and 1928. Idi Amin was Uganda’s third president and he assumed the office on January 25, 1971. Idi Amin served in the Ugandan army and the British army when the West African country was under its European colonial masters. After Uganda’s independence in 1962, his position in the army became major and in 1965 he was appointed commander of the army.
During his tenure as army commander, Amin embezzled army funds and needed to be arrested. He learned that President Milton Obote intended to have him arrested, which led Idi Amin to launch a coup in 1971. His coup was successful and he declared himself the 3rd President of Uganda . During his tenure as Ugandan dictator, he was nicknamed “His Excellency President of Life, Marshal Alhaji, Mr. Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE”.
In 1978, Idi Amin tried to expand the territorial process in Tanzania. His attempted annexation to Tanzania led Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere to send troops who invaded Uganda and took control of Kampala deposing Idi Amin from power. Idi Amin then went into exile. He fled to Saudi Arabia where he lived until his death on August 16, 2003. He was married 5 times and had 43 children.
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein was best known as one of the world’s famous dictators and President of Iraq. He was born on April 28, 1937 in Al-Awja, Iraq and died on December 30, 2006 in Kadhimiya, Baghdad, Iraq. He used to be part of the Iraqi army, he had the rank of marshal in the Iraqi armed forces. During his time in the army, he was nicknamed “Butcher of Baghdad” and “VIC”, which meant “Very Important Criminal”. He served as Vice President under General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and became President of Iraq on July 16, 1979.
As president of Iraq, he was praised in Arab regions for his constant opposition to the United States and his constant attack on Israel, he was always condemned by Western leaders for his brutal dictatorship. Saddam Hussein’s term ended in 2003, when the United States led a coalition that invaded Iraq and removed him from power, ending his 24-year dictatorship of the Middle Eastern country. Since Saddam Hussein’s trial took place in his home country, he was found guilty of crimes against humanity by an Iraqi court for the murder of 148 Iraqi Shiites in 1982 and sentenced to death by hanging. His execution took place on December 30, 2006.
Benito Mussolini
The founder of Italian Fascism, Benito Mussolinia lived from July 29, 1883, the date of his birth, to April 28, 1945, the date of his death. He ruled Italy between 1922 and 1943 as the country’s prime minister. During his time as Prime Minister, he was the youngest Prime Minister in Italian history. His leadership began as a democratic ruler until his third year in office, when he turned to his dictator side for the rest of his tenure on the European nation. After his merger with Hitler during World War II, he became a fugitive in his homeland. In April 1944, while attempting to flee to Switzerland with his mistress Clara Petacci, he was captured a second time and executed by firing squad on April 28, 1945.
Muammar Gaddafi
Gaddafi was one of the toughest and most famous dictators the world has seen, especially across the African coast. He ruled Libya for 32 years between September 1, 1969 and October 20, 2011. The dictator ruled Libya as a brotherly leader and guide of the Libyan revolution, a position he created on his own. Like most dictators, Gaddafi was in the army and he served the Libyan army until his death. He was considered Colonel Gaddafi.
Gaddafi has been accused by world leaders as a human rights violator. He has also been accused of distorting world peace by sponsoring terrorism. The United States carried out a failed attack against Libya with the aim of killing Gaddafi. In 2011, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) took the same approach and although Gaddafi escaped attack, this time he found himself in the hands of a group of rebel militias who captured Gaddafi and his aides and killed them.
Kim Jong Il
Kim Jong-il was the second Supreme Leader of North Korea, he succeeded his father, Kim Il-sung, the first Supreme Leader of North Korea. Kim Jong-il assumed the post of supreme leader of North Korea in 1994 and held it until his death in 2011. The dictator has been accused of various human rights violations. The former North Korean leader was born in the Soviet Union on February 16, 1942 and died in Pyongyang, North Korea on December 17, 2011, at the age of 70.
His principle during his reign was “Songun” which translates as “military first”, which resulted in his people suffering from starvation. He has been called many names such as ‘Great Chief’, ‘The Dear Chief’ and many more. After his death in 2011, his third son, Kim Jong-un, succeeded him as supreme leader of North Korea.
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco is famous as the dictator of Spain. He was born on December 4, 1892 and died on November 20, 1975. The Spanish general ruled Spain from 1936 until his death in 1975. He served in the Spanish armed forces from 1907 to 1975. He served as a captain army general., the Air Force and the Navy. Before his death, he restored the monarchy in Spain. Franco died at the age of 82 and was succeeded by King Juan Carlos.
Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong-un is the only member of our 10 worst but famous dictators who are still alive and in power. He succeeded his father Kim Jong-il as supreme leader of North Korea. He started his diet on December 17, 2011, after his father passed away. Just like his father, Kim goes by several names such as “young general”, “great successor” and many more. He adopted his father’s “army first” principle and also violated several human rights which led to the UN condemning his actions. Kim ensured North Korea’s continuity in the development of nuclear warheads and was subject to UN and US sanctions.
Manuel Noriega
Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno was a Panamanian military and political personnel. He was best known as Panama’s military leader between August 12, 1983 and December 20, 1989. He served in the Panamanian Defense Forces from 1967 to 1990 and retired as a general. During his rule over Panama, he worked for the CIA and was known to be one of the CIA’s top sources of intelligence. Although he had good relations with the United States, he still committed clandestine crimes such as money laundering, racketeering, and drug trafficking.
United States. invaded Panama and captured Manuel, who was then taken to the United States where he stood trial. He was found guilty of most of the charges against him and sentenced to 40 years in prison. However, he did not serve half of his sentence as he was released early for good behavior. In 2017, Manuel was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In an attempt to remove it, the operation cost him his life.