Top 10 Worst Dictators in History

The Top 10 Worst Dictators in History: A dictator is a person who becomes the complete authority of a country or government. They often cruelly rule their kingdom or country. In a dictatorship, there will be no checks or balances to prevent abuse of power by these brutal persons. As per the modern political system, a dictator is the supreme power who has the maximum political power in that country. Under a dictatorship, dictators are not accountable for their actions and decisions. As well as they can even limit the citizens’ freedom and rights.

In this article, we are going to discuss the top ten worst dictators in World History.

Let us discuss.

Top 10 Worst Dictators in History

The Top 10 Worst Dictators in History

In world history, some leaders have been known for being very harsh and cruel. A few dictators stand out for their extreme brutality, bad temper, and lack of concern for human life. History is the witness of these dictators and their actions. Here we are going to discuss the top ten worst dictators in History as mentioned below.

Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong tops the list of the worst dictators. He led China from 1949 to 1976 who promoted communism in his times. His “Great Leap Forward” aimed to transform of the economy but resulted a massive famine. The “Cultural Revolution” under him suppressed his opposition and later it lead to widespread suffering for the citizens. Mao’s ruthless pursuit of power caused millions of deaths. His policies like excessive grain collection and forced labor camps, left many hungry and oppressed. It is estimated that 55 to 70 million people died under his rule. The death toll can reach even more than 80 million when we count the famine time deaths also. Mao Zedong’s policies and actions made him the most violent dictator in history.

Date of Birth – December 26, 1893

Death Date – September 9, 1976

Reign Period – 1949–1976

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan was the infamous founder of the Mongol Empire. He united nomadic tribes in Northeast Asia to become the “universal” ruler of the Mongols. His Mongol Invasions spanned Asia and Europe. He conquered a vast territory. His rule brought significant social, economic, and political changes to his territory covering over 23 million square kilometers. Genghis Khan’s horseback warriors caused widespread death and destruction. These actions established him as a renowned conqueror and brutal leader. Despite his leadership skills, Genghis Khan was vicious and ferocious. His conquests involved the killing of millions of civilians, siege tactics, and the use of “total war” strategy. These actions resultes in an estimated 40 to 60 million deaths. It is estimated that an 11-percent decrease in the world’s population was casued by his brutality. Genghis Khan remains one of history’s most brutal leaders.

Date of Birth – c. 1162

Death Date – August 18, 1227

Reign Period – 1206–1227

Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin was born in a poor family in Georgia who became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1924. Later he joined the Bolsheviks Party. Stalin played different roles in the time of Russian Revolution. He took over the power after the Lenin’s death. Stalin’s rule saw mass repression, ethnic cleansing, deportations, and purges. But he maintained popularity through a strong “cult of personality” untill his death. He initiated so many bad policies to eliminate dissent. It sent so many people to Gulag prison camps and countless others imprisoned, tortured, or executed in his times.

Stalin was responsible for the man-made famine in Ukraine. He also purged his military officers so many times. Though the exact death toll is uncertain but historians estimate around 40 million deaths due to his policies. Joseph Stalin’s brutal and ruthless reign solidifies his place as one of history’s most infamous dictators.

Date of Birth – December 18, 1878

Death Date – March 5, 1953

Reign Period – 1924–1953

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born dictator who ruled Nazi Germany. He rose to power in the 1920 by exploiting Germany’s First World War defeat to gain public support. Hitler was a person who was effected by “God Complex”. Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 and further he also became Fuhrer in 1934. He initiated so many aggressive foreign policies and a rearmament program. These actions of him also sparked the Second World War. His ideologies caused widespread devastation in Europe by the war’s end in 1945. Hitler, infamous for considering certain groups as “inferior,” implemented policies resulting in over 19.3 million deaths. Mass shootings, gas chambers, labor camps, death marches, and starvation became common in his time. His cruelty makes him one of history’s most evil dictators.

Date of Birth – April 20, 1889

Death Date – April 30, 1945

Reign Period – 1933–1945

Leopold II

Leopold II was the second King of the Belgians. He aimed defeat other European powers by establishing the Congo as a Free State. He wanted to enhance and establish Belgium’s power with a global standing. Despite the humanitarian motives, later his rule over the Congo turned brutal and exploitative. To assert control, Leopold II permitted extreme violence, including beatings, amputations, torture, and murder. He even authorized the burning of villages and kidnapping children for forced labor. These actions resulted in a high mortality rate. Leopold II’s actions caused the deaths of over 10 million Congolese. These actions made him as one of the worst dictators in history.

Date of Birth – April 9, 1835

Death Date – December 17, 1909

Reign Period – 1865–1909

Pol Pot

Pol Pot was a Cambodian leader. He was known for his contributions in the Khmer Rouge communist movement. He aimed to turn Cambodia into a one-party state and forced urban people to work on farms in his quest for an agrarian socialist society. Disregarding human life, he purged many Cambodians, leading to the Cambodian Genocide or “Killing Fields” campaign. Later, the Vietnamese Army removed him from the power. Pol Pot died in 1998 due to poor health. Pol Pot killed almost 2 million people through mass shootings. In his time forced labor, torture and deliberate starvation policies beacame common. These accounted around 25% of the Cambodian population. Most victims were Muslims, Chinese-Cambodians, and Vietnamese-Cambodians. If Vietnamese forces had not intervened in 1978, experts believe the killing would have continued into the 1980s. Pol Pot was the worst dictators for his extreme cruelty and violence.

Date of Birth – May 19, 1925

Death Date – April 15, 1998

Reign Period – 1975–1979

Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein served as Iraq’s dictator president. He took the power after a military coup in 1968. He forced his predecessor to resign and lead Iraq into decades of conflict and turmoil. Hussein initiated a brutal war with Iran and faced two wars with the United States. It resulted Iraq’s devastation. In 2003, a U.S.A led coalition removed Saddam from the power. He was captured for crimes against humanity. Saddam Hussein was known for human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests, torture, and violence. He targeted the Shi’a and Kurdish populations and killed them by using chemical weapons. His crimes include an estimated hundreds of thousands of confirmed murders. Some experts says the total count may exceed a million deaths.

Date of Birth – April 28, 1937

Death Date – December 30, 2006

Reign Period – 1979–2003

Idi Amin

Idi Amin became Uganda’s third president after a military coup. He was promoted through the ranks in the British Colonial Army and became the “Commander of the Uganda Military” in 1965. In 1971, Amin seized power in a coup and killed President Milton Obote. He shifted Uganda’s alignment from pro-Western to supporting Soviet interests. With the help of the Soviets, he carried out brutal attacks on dissidents and ethnic groups to maintain control. His dictatorship ended in 1979 when Tanzania was invaded. This incident forced him to go into exile. Amin executed, tortured, and jailed his political opponents and ethnic minorities during his dictatorship. He was infamous for systematic shootings, and running an underground prison for extreme torture. There are so many rumors that he also practices cannibalism and he eats his victims’ flesh and organs.

Date of Birth – May 17, 1925

Death Date – August 16, 2003

Reign Period – 1971–1979

Vlad the Impaler

Vlad III, also known as “Vlad the Impaler” or “Vlad Dracula”. He ruled the Wallachia or modern-day Romania three times. Facing internal conflict, Vlad aimed to stabilize Wallachia by taking ruthless measures like fear and intimidation to control the warring factions. Vlad is considered a national hero in Romania for defeating the great Ottoman Empire. Vlad’s extreme cruelty included impalement as a favorite execution method. He killed around 20,000 people in this way. He also constructed so many poisoned wells and burned crops to use them as various forms of torture and enemy execution. Vlad will be remembered as one of the worst dictators in history for his ruthless and vicious rule.

Date of Birth – 1431

Death Date – December 1476

Reign Period – 1448, 1456–1462, 1476

Ivan the Terrible

Ivan IV was also called “Ivan the Terrible”. He was the first Tsar of Russia who ruled for almost 37 years. He became the grand prince at just three years old after his father’s sudden death. With a group of reformers, he founded the “Chosen Council”. Ivan took charge and turned Moscow into the main state and administration hub at the age of 16. He concentrated a lot of power in his hands to transform Moscow into an empire. Ivan was known for his brutality, especially when he executed his perceived enemies. One of his worst crimes included the burning of Novgorod to the ground which killed 12,000 people. He enjoyed torturing enemies and burning them at the stake or boiling them alive.

In total, it is believed that Ivan was responsible for over 60,000 murders in total. Historians note this does not include countless tortured, mutilated, and displaced individuals. If we add them, the estimate will reach hundreds of thousands. This action makes Ivan one of the most brutal dictators in World history.

Date of Birth – August 25, 1530

Death Date – March 28, 1584

Reign Period – 1547–1584

Top Ten Most Evil Dictators of All Time

Here are the ten most evil dictators of all time as per their killings. We have to remember that exact kill count may vary as it is nearly impossible to figure out the exact one.

Top Ten Most Evil Dictators of All Time – As Per The Killings
Rank	Name	Country	Killings
1	Genghis Khan	Mongolia	40+ Million People
2	Ivan the Terrible	Russia	60,000+
3	Vlad the Impaler	Wallachia	80,000+
4	Leopold II	Belgium	10+ Million People
5	Mao Zedong	China	55 to 70 Million People
6	Joseph Stalin	Soviet Union	40+ Million People
7	Adolf Hitler	Germany	19+ Million People
8	Pol Pot	Cambodia	1.5 to 2 Million People
9	Saddam Hussein	Iraq	250,000 to 1-Million People
10	Idi Amin	Uganda	300,000 to 500,000 People

Conclusion

In a dictatorship, there will be no checks or balances to prevent abuse of power by these brutal persons. As per the modern political system, a dictator is the supreme power who has the maximum political power in that country. Till now there are so many countries where we can see the modern time dictatorship in a different approach. In this article we have discussed about the top 10 worst dictators in History.

Read More

Genghis Khan Biography

Hitler’s Rise to Power

FAQs on Worst Dictators in History

Who is the cruelest dictator in history?

Mao Zedong is the cruelest dictator in history. He led China from 1949 to 1976 who promoted communism in his times. His “Great Leap Forward” aimed to transform of the economy but resulted a massive famine.

Who are the top dictators of the world?

Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Adil Amin are considered as the top dictators of the world. Mao Zedong led China from 1949 to 1976 who promoted communism in his times. Idi Amin became Uganda’s third president after a military coup.

Who was the first dictator?

Titus Larcius is considered as the first dictator. Its a believe that he was the first person to act as a dictator.

Who are current dictators?

There are so many people including Aleksandr Lukashenko and Xi Jinping. Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus since the office’s establishment in 1994.

Which ruler killed the most people?

Mao Zedong killed the most people as a ruler. He killed around 55 to 70 Million People.