Top 10 Dictators In History

The Top Ten
1 Adolf Hitler (Germany) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 - April 30, 1945) was a German politician of Austrian descent who served as the leader of the Nazi Party since 1921, Chancellor of Germany since 1933, and Führer of Nazi Germany since 1934. As dictator of Nazi Germany, he reversed the Treaty of Versailles, initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was a central figure of the Holocaust. He committed suicide two days before Soviet soldiers stormed his underground shelter in Berlin.

If Adolf Hitler had died in 1938 he would have gone down in history as one of the greatest leaders in history. 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. Every one had jobs, every one was happy, he did more to protect the animals and 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.

Hitler was a brilliant politician who turned Germany at the time into the worlds second most powerful country to of course the USA. If he never lost his mind and attempted to eradicate an entire group of people he could have been the most admired man in history even if he still attempted to conquer the entire earth. He was ballzy and admirable circa 1939 and before that then he went crazy and turned evil awaking the sleeping monster that is AMURICA!

He's the either the best or the worst dictator depends on your opinion.
My opinion is he is one of my favorite anime villains of all time because he killed Jewish people by getting killed by his armies or gas experiments.
I guess he deserve to be number 1 because he is an evil leader but smartest of the people in history.

He hated everyone German he hated Jews communists (he would make a good fit with these monsters) and would send a child with a pistol to kill Winston Churchill.

2 Joseph Stalin (USSR) Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Georgian dictator, and was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. Holding the post of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he was effectively the dictator of the state.

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.

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

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 was his father I would be so disapointed in this terrible man.

I didn't know why the Communist Germany side didn't made the economy better. :/

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. His Marxist–Leninist theories, military strategies, and political policies are collectively known as Maoism or Marxism–Leninism–Maoism.

Mao staved to death more of his own countrymen than Stalin and Hitler did combined!

He's the one who started communism!

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

He killed up to 78 million definitely the worst dictator in history

4 Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh)

She is the biggest oppressors alive without any doubt. not only she killed thousands of innocents but she is also killing the democracy of Bangladesh which was earned by millions of lives. Funny thing is she is claiming to be the saviour of democracy by shooting innocents on street, taking away the right to vote, the right to protest, right to give free opinion, and so on. The so called constitution that she is always on about which was amended according to her own desire and Hasina claims she is only following the constitution. No one can say against her or they will be put to prison or shot dead by her dogs. (Police)
Bangladesh needs help. My request to the whole world if anything can be done against this dictator then not only millions of lives will be saved but also a beautiful country will be saved.

What Hasina of Bangladesh doing is even worse than any other mentioned dictators here. Hasina's cruel and oppressive rule on Bangladeshis happening under the name democracy. She is systematically keeping a large number (170 million) of Bangladeshi people quite by none-judicial killing, abduction, blackmailing you name it. All these happening in Bangladesh because there is no working judicial system. The law enforcement, administration, Army, local governments all are operated by Hasina and her party people and of course Modi government of India! Help us!

She is the classic example of an oppressor. Cloaked under the "democracy" is vile and vindictive dictatorship. She claims to be the holder of the "spirit" of liberation of Bangladesh 1971 from the Pakistani regime. Now she has become like the corrupt and cruel Pakistani rulers pe liberation of Bangladesh. An expert in Judicial killing, she is highly intolerant of religious movement, organisation and any opposing ideas than hers. She can also be mellow dramatic in her actions and when begging for vote at times of general elections.

She has a loyal police force comprised of the people from her home district. This police force kills opposition without mercy and committed genocide against "Hefajat e Islam", an organization of religious mu slims. She uses this police force to kill, abdicate and torture whoever is against her. Also, she has a fanatic group called "Shahabagis" who act as cheerleader of all her activities. The T.V. and print media which is mostly own by partisan businessmen and employs partisan journalists act as a propaganda machine for her atrocious steps.

5 Mustafa Kemal (Turkey)

He is the best dictator ever existed. He even tried to form two other parties but they led to huge revolutions which wanted to bring the caliphate back.

It's easy to judge him but in 1923 Turkey was like Saudi Arabia. So it was very difficult to change the country in a secular country. Just read all his reform and say if he was a bad person.

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

Best dictator you can ever had.

6 Lee Hsien Loong (Singapore)
7 Fidel Castro (Cuba) Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, known as Fidel Castro (August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016), was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. Politically a Marxist–Leninist and Cuban nationalist, he also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 1961 until 2011. Under his administration, Cuba became a one-party Communist state; industry and business were nationalized, and state socialist reforms implemented throughout society.

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

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

8 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.

Direct genocide, this man was a psychopath with power.

9 Vladimir Lenin (Russia) Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (22 April 1870–21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1924 and of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1924. Under his administration, Russia, and later the Soviet Union, became a one-party socialist state governed by the Communist Party. Ideologically a Marxist, his developments to the ideology are called Leninism.

He revolutionized and made great improvements to Russia and changed the way political scientist think. unfortunately had a lot of his work undone by stalin who I can not understand why is at the top as well as any of the other top picks. I believe this is greatest dictators not worst.

Huge part of the Russian revolution. Really spread the ideas of communism and made the world more aware of the ideology.

Stupid commie with a shiny head who loved to keep a country below him economically.

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 rain as dictator but also untied the people of Russia and and looked out for the little guy. He was truly the best leader the world had ever seen.

10 Colonel Gaddafi (Libya)

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

The Contenders
11 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 dropped all pretense of democracy and set up a legal dictatorship.

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

He founded modern fascism which is the best ideology ever.

At least Hitler was clever, not B. Musso.

Pretty awesome dictator who's Roman salute was stolen by Hitler

12 Idi Amin Dada (Uganda) Idi Amin Dada was a Ugandan politician and military officer. He was the President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin was born either in Koboko or Kampala to a Kakwa father and Lugbara mother. In 1946 he joined the King's African Rifles of the British Colonial Army.

Conqueror of the British empire he lame people with job offers only to drown them in lake victoria

13 Kim Jong-il (North Korea) Kim Jong-il (born Yuri Irsenovich Kim; 16 February 1941 - 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly referred to as North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim Il-sung, the first Supreme Leader, until his own death in 2011, when he was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un. By the early 1980s Kim had become the heir apparent for the leadership of the country and assumed important posts in the party and army organs.

I'm a South Korean person and I remember Kim Jong il on the news24/7 for what he did!

14 Julius Caesar (Roman)

Julius Caesar technically was a Dictator but he truly was not a evil bastard like the name suggests.He really was quite sensible to all people and was a badass who banged 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.

15 Vlad III the Impaler (Wallachia)

An Ortodox hero towards its people and a cruel sadistic tyrant towards criminals and Turks not to mention the bloody inspiration for Dracula. Need I say more?
Oh and also maked Ivan the Terrible look like a lamb. Impaling can be so cruel.

Check out more articles regarding him. A lot of facts regarding Vlad makes him very 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 is a well intended extremist.

16 Hamidur Raship Tapu (BDC)

Number 1 tapu khan

17 Saddam Hussein (Iraq) Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and later, the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organization Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region—which espoused Ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and socialism—Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup that brought the party to power in Iraq. ...read more.

He's better than Bush,

18 King Herod (Israel)

Also he was the king of Galilee because israel wasnt founded until 1947 and wasnt recognised as a nation until recently.

19 Augusto Pinochet (Chile)

Saved the country from the Cuban-Soviet invasion, stopped the starvation of the Chilian people and the country quickly became rich. One of the most hated rulers by global propaganda.

Man was very charitable with his helicopter ride expenditures.

He saved his country from dirty communists.

20 Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) Robert Gabriel Mugabe (21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) from 1975 to 1980 and led its successor political party, the ZANU – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), from 1980 to 2017. Ideologically an African nationalist, during the 1970s and 1980s he identified as a Marxist–Leninist, and as a socialist after the 1990s.
21 Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines)

This dude ruled the Philippines for 21 years under dictatorship.

22 Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore)
23 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.

He was a great man but he was very evil.Party was on top of the rest.

24 Nicolae Ceauşescu (Romania)

A paranoid tyrant who lived in an ivory tower while. While I do respect his attitude 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 by destroying national monuments, starving people to death, overworking people to death, using the cult of personality to fill his already giant ego, torturing political opponents (despite freeing them during his early rule) and considering them mentally mad for opposing him. Who tried. The mistrust in Romania nowadays (and other flaws) was all thanks to his evil methods.
His wife Elena is even worse than him and an even more idiotic & cruel ruler.
I'm glad those two were executed via firing squad.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

I am Romanian so I know.

And he is probably the only dictator in history to meet many famous people in person like Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Queen Elizabeth, Saddam Hussein, ...more

I agree with the comments. Nicolae Ceausescu corrupted by the communist idea and become a tyrant. Millions suffered from him and died. Also his era luckier crowds emigrated, lots of people forced to leave Romania. The securitate (communist police) terrorised citizens... 1965-1989 long years, but in 1989 he could not escaped from his destiny. "You reap what you sow" Ceausescu's fate should be an example how dictators ending.

25 Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) Hồ Chí Minh, was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was Chairman and First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam.

This dude led to some fairly pointless war that everybody got drafted to. He also inspired the greatest series of Yoda ASMR.

Kill more than a thousand innocent people and hide it, write fake history for student to learn now

8Load More
PSearch List