Adolf Hitler: That Russia Thing Again
Let’s go from the black Hitler to the real Hitler. Of course, Adolf Hitler needs no introduction in the world of dictators, as he stands above all others, except …
Robert Mugabe: “Let Me Be a Hitler Tenfold”
Our next dictator is an interesting case because he not only did some crazy things that caused a lot of misery, he was one of the few cases that …
Muamar Gaddafi: Why Didn’t He Promote Himself?
Aviator sunglasses… check! Plenty of medals never won in battle…check! Female bodyguards… Meet former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, known to his people as the “Brotherly Leader and Guide of …
Rafael Trujillo: “God in Heaven, Trujillo on Earth”
When we think of a prototypical Latin American dictator, leftwing or rightwing, images of a man with carefully coifed facial hair wearing a uniform with plenty of medals and …
Kim Jong-Il: Dear Leader, We Need Some Food
The 1990s may have seemed like a boring time for many people in the world, especially historians. When the Cold War ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the …
Napoleon Bonaparte: Russia Will Be Easy to Conquer
When you think of dictators, Napoleon Bonaparte usually isn’t the first person to come to mind. He never subjected any people to mass starvation, he never devised a large …
Nicolae Ceauşescu: Do as I Say, Not as I Do
When Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu was overthrown on December 21, 1989, and executed the next day, it happened so quickly that many people around the world almost missed it. …
Joseph Stalin: Farmers Bad, Starvation Good
Dictators for the most part are very manipulative people. They know how to give the people what they want, when to take it from them, and what their weaknesses …
Idi Amin: Did He Really Think He Was the King of Scotland?
As we continue our journey through the crazy things that dictators have done, it may sometimes seem like a descent into madness. Although there’s really no way of knowing …
Augusto Pinochet: Free Helicopter Rides for His Enemies
As much as all dictators are infused with a healthy dose of paranoia, many of them—rightwing and leftwing—are actually pretty innovative with their methods of torture and repression. The …