Top 10 Dictators in History

1. Adolf Hitler (Germany)

   

   Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 to April 30, 1945) was a German politician of Austrian descent who led the Nazi Party from 1921, served as Chancellor of Germany from 1933, and held the position of Führer from 1934. As dictator of Nazi Germany, he reversed the Treaty of Versailles, initiated World War II... read more

   If Adolf Hitler had died in 1938, he would have gone down in history as one of the greatest leaders ever. He turned the ruin that was Germany after the Treaty of Versailles into the greatest country on earth. He was adored by the German people. The poor loved him, the common people loved him, and the rich loved him. Everyone had jobs, everyone was happy, and he did more to protect animals and the environment than almost any other world leader in history. Hitler started out leading a country with no military, and in 5 years, he had a military strong enough to conquer the world. If it hadn't been for the war, and especially the Holocaust...

2. Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union)

   

   Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Georgian revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death on March 5, 1953. He held the title of General Secretary of the Communist Party's Central Committee, which gave him effective control over the Soviet state. His rule was marked by rapid... read more

   Joseph Stalin is easily worse than Hitler. Stalin is responsible for some 60 million deaths, while Hitler is responsible for 30 million. Although both numbers are bad, you cannot deny that the bigger the number, the worse the dictator.

   Because he built the glorious USSR and prevailed against all odds against the Axis aggressors. He never gave up, even in the worst situations, and brought communism to Eastern Europe.

   This man killed almost a quarter of his people. I would execute him at first sight. He never cared for the USSR. He cared for himself and power. If I were his father, I would be so disappointed in this terrible man.

3. Mao Zedong (China)

   

   Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary and founding father of the People's Republic of China, which he governed as Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976.... read more

   He's the one who started communism in China.

   Not only starvation, this man also tried to erase the history of one of the oldest civilizations on Earth.

4. Benito Mussolini (Italy)

   

   Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician, journalist, and leader of the National Fascist Party, ruling the country as Prime Minister from 1922 until he was ousted in 1943. He ruled constitutionally until 1925, when he established a legal dictatorship. Mussolini allied Italy with Nazi... read more

   I'm Italian, and I think that Mussolini tried to expand Italy, but he failed so badly. He is now very embarrassing.

   Pretty awesome dictator whose Roman salute was stolen by Hitler.

   First fascist dictator. Hitler took inspiration from him despite Mussolini's failures in World War II.

5. Pol Pot (Cambodia)

   

   Pol Pot, born Saloth Sar, was a Cambodian revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge from 1963 until 1997. From 1963 to 1981, he served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea. He was responsible for policies that led to the deaths of approximately two million people during the Cambodian... read more

   Responsible for direct genocide, this man was a psychopath with power.

6. Fidel Castro (Cuba)

   

   Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, known as Fidel Castro (August 13, 1926 - November 25, 2016), was a Cuban politician and revolutionary. He governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party... read more

   One of the most iconic leaders who inspired countless revolutions throughout Africa and Latin America.

   This small island nation threatened the greatest nation at the time, the USA.

7. Kim Jong-il (North Korea)

   

   Kim Jong-il (born Yuri Irsenovich Kim. February 16, 1941 - December 17, 2011) was a North Korean politician who served as the second Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 1994 until his death in 2011. He succeeded his father, Kim Il-sung, the country's founding leader, and... read more

   I'm a South Korean person, and I remember Kim Jong-il on the news 24/7 for what he did!

8. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (Turkey)

   

   Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (c. 1881 to 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey. He served as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938.... read more

   It's easy to judge him, but in 1923, Turkey was like Saudi Arabia. It was very difficult to change the country into a secular one. Just read all his reforms and decide if he was a bad person.

   He is the best dictator who ever existed. He even tried to form two other parties, but they led to huge revolutions that sought to bring back the caliphate.

   Atatürk is the greatest, most benevolent, and most intelligent dictator that has ever lived on this planet.

9. Julius Caesar (Roman Republic)

   

   Gaius Julius Caesar (July 12/13, 100 BC - March 15, 44 BC), commonly known as Julius Caesar, was a Roman politician, military general, and author. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. His writings, military campaigns, and political reforms had... read more

   Julius Caesar was technically a dictator, but he truly was not the evil bastard the title suggests. He was quite sensible to all people and was a badass who had a relationship with Cleopatra. The only people who didn't like him were the Senators who worried about having their jobs done for them.

   He was an imperialist and just wanted to advance into the future.

10. Kim Il-sung (North Korea)

    

    Kim Il-sung was the first Supreme Leader of North Korea, serving from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the title of Premier from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to 1994. Kim established a one-party state and laid the foundations for the Kim dynasty that continues... read more

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Juan Peron (Argentine)

    
12. ?

    Oliver Cromwell (England)

    
The Contenders

13. Vladimir Lenin (Soviet Union)

    

    Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (April 22, 1870 - January 21, 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1924 and of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1924. Under his leadership, Russia... read more

    He revolutionized and made great improvements to Russia and changed the way political scientists think. Unfortunately, a lot of his work was undone by Stalin, who I cannot understand why is at the top, as well as any of the other top picks. I believe this is about the greatest dictators, not the worst.

    A huge part of the Russian Revolution. He really spread the ideas of communism and made the world more aware of the ideology.

    Lenin was one of the only good leaders in history. Not only did he turn Russia into one of the greatest countries of all time during his reign as dictator, but he also united the people of Russia and looked out for the little guy.

    He was truly the best leader the world had ever seen.

14. Kim Jong-un (North Korea)

    

    Kim Jong-un (born January 8, 1983) is a North Korean politician who has served as Supreme Leader of North Korea since December 2011 and as Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea since April 2012. He's the third leader in the Kim dynasty, following his father Kim Jong-il and his grandfather Kim Il-sung... read more

    Trying to develop and open up the country. No one knows much about him apart from some bad things.

    The most totalitarian and closest thing to a Big Brother regime today.

15. Idi Amin Dada (Uganda)

    

    Idi Amin Dada was a Ugandan politician and military officer who served as President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He was born in either Koboko or Kampala to a Kakwa father and a Lugbara mother. In 1946, he joined the King's African Rifles, a regiment of the British colonial army.

16. Hideki Tojo (Japan)

    

    Hideki Tōjō was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 27th Prime Minister of Japan, serving from October 17, 1941, to July 22, 1944. He also led the Imperial Rule Assistance Association during World War II. As Prime Minister, he authorized the attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United... read more

17. Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)

    

    Hồ Chí Minh was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who served as Chairman and First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam. He was also Prime Minister from 1945 to 1955 and President from 1945 until his death in 1969. He was a key figure in the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam... read more

18. Vlad III the Impaler (Wallachia)

    

    Vlad III, also known as "Vlad the Impaler" or "Vlad Dracula", was born in 1431 and served as a Romanian monarch. He ruled the principality of Wallachia three separate times before his death in either 1476 or 1477. Vlad is most famous for his reputation as a brutal and authoritarian ruler, especially... read more

    An Orthodox hero to his people and a cruel, sadistic tyrant to criminals and Turks - not to mention the bloody inspiration for Dracula. Need I say more? Oh, and he also made Ivan the Terrible look like a lamb. Impaling can be so cruel.

    Check out more articles regarding him. A lot of facts regarding Vlad make him the best dictator of them all.

    A personality with two sides: the side of a hero and the side of a tyrant.

    He did everything for justice and for his people.

    I'd say he was a well-intended extremist.

19. Saddam Hussein (Iraq)

    

    Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving from July 16, 1979, until April 9, 2003. A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and later the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party - Iraq Region, which espoused Ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and socialism... read more

20. Muammar Gaddafi (Libya)

    

    Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, commonly known as Colonel Gaddafi, was a Libyan revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. Born in 1942 near Sirte, Libya, he rose to power through a military coup on September 1, 1969, which deposed King Idris I. Gaddafi initially served as the Revolutionary... read more

    He's the worst. He caused the destruction of Libyan culture and killed many people by starving them or massacring them.

21. Maximilien de Robespierre (France)

    

    Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre, born May 6, 1758, was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the most influential leaders of the French Revolution. He was a central figure during the Reign of Terror and a key member of the Committee of Public Safety.... read more

22. King Herod (Judea)

    

23. Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe)

    

    Robert Gabriel Mugabe (February 21, 1924 - September 6, 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He led the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) from 1975 to 1980 and its successor party,... read more

24. Nicolae Ceauşescu (Romania)

    

    Nicolae Ceaușescu (26 January 1918 - 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He served as the General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and was the second and last communist leader of Romania.... read more

    A paranoid tyrant who lived in an ivory tower. While I do respect his stance against Russia and his early liberal views and patriotic ideals, the moment he set foot in China and North Korea, he became a megalomaniac tyrant who ruined Romania. He destroyed national monuments, starved people to death, overworked them to death, used the cult of personality to inflate his already giant ego, tortured political opponents (despite freeing them during his early rule), and considered them mentally mad for opposing him. The mistrust in Romania nowadays (and other flaws) is all thanks to his evil methods.

    His wife Elena was even worse than him - an even more idiotic and cruel ruler. I'm glad those two were executed by firing squad. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

    I am Romanian, so I know.

    He is probably the only dictator in history to have met many famous people in person, like Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Queen Elizabeth, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il, Mao Zedong, the Shah of Iran (before being dethroned), and many, many more.

25. Napoleon Bonaparte (France)

    

    Napoléon Bonaparte (August 15, 1769 - May 5, 1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution. He became Emperor of the French in 1804 and led successive military campaigns across Europe. His Napoleonic Code and administrative reforms continue to influence... read more

    Greatest military mastermind ever seen!

26. Enver Hoxha (Albania)

    

    Enver Halil Hoxha was an Albanian communist politician who served as the head of state of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania. Under his rule, Albania became one of the most isolated and repressive countries in the world. His leadership... read more

    He was a great man, but he was very evil. The party was on top of the rest.

27. Vladimir Putin (Russia)

    

    Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born October 7, 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is currently serving as the president of Russia, a position he has held since 2012. He previously served as president from 2000 to 2008 and was prime minister from 1999 to 2000, and again from... read more

    Very famous at the moment. Not actually a dictator, but all the same, it's the biggest invasion in Europe since WWII.