World has seen extremely powerful yet people first leaders whose values, style of leadership and work are celebrated till today. Same way, world has also seen brutal tyrant dictators who became their own country’s worst nightmare, who have brought terror into the peaceful minds of their own people. It is said that in the recent centuries under the rule of these dictators more people lost their life than any other natural calamities. In this article we have listed the Top 10 brutal dictators of world from the pages of history.
Top 10 brutal dictators of world
10) Genghis Khan (Born Temujin) – 1162 – 1227
Genghis Khan was a Mongol Emperor, who started his military career at the age of 20 and with his evil & brutal plans went out to unite the mongol tribes. To take on the Tatar army who killed his father, he ordered killing of all the Tatar male who were taller 3 feet and above. With his military might, Taichi’ut tribe was defeated and their chiefs were boiled alive to death! He gained control of central and eastern Mongolia by defeating Naiman tribe during 1206 which was powerful at the time. Victories after victory made other tribes and rulers to surrender and make peace with him and Temujin became Genghis khan, which is said to mean ‘universal ruler’. His army made his enemy survivors as human shields for his later battles. After his horrific glory, in 1227 he died mysteriously though most experts attribute illness as the cause of his death.
9) Idi Amin – 1923–1928
Idi Amin was known for being worked for British army, Uganda’s politician, military officer and Ugandan President during 1971 to 1979. He is notoriously known as “Butcher of Uganda”. During his rule, his enemies/opponents had to face imprisonment, torture or death and sometimes all of these. Between 100000 to 500000 Ugandans were killed during his tyrant rule. He ordered Asian out of Uganda and blamed them for the country’s great economic crisis and called on them “economic war”. Amin had a brutal habit of killing people by cutting of genitals, limbs and bleed the victim to death. He is know for killing and torturing people in all the brutal ways possible. Also women faced extreme torture, rape and finally death. The most dangerous and cruel leader who became Ugandan’s worst nightmare.
8) Shaka Zulu – 1816 – 1828
Shaka kaSenzangakhona known as Shaka Zulu was Zulu Kingdoms’ one of the most influential and powerful monarch. He is known for uniting African Nguni people with his commanding power and tactics. His brutal rule started revealing after death of his mother where he started slaughtering his own people. He ordered his military to kill anyone who is not mourning properly for his mother’s death. His brutality finally came to an end when he was murdered in 1828 by his half brothers.
7) Vlad the Impaler – 1431 – 1477
Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler also known as the Vlad Dracula. As he was known for, he enjoyed torturing his victim in the most horrible ways like impaling his victims with wood or metal pole which used be vertically inserted so that victims can suffer and die slowly. This was not the only horrific acts against his victims which he enjoyed. He used to drove drill nails to head victim’s head, burning alive, roasting, beheading and countless psychopathic brutal acts. It is said in the history that he killed anywhere between 50 thousand to 1 Lakh people, although it is small compared to atrocities of other dictators, but he owns first spot when it comes to reputation for cruelty! Vlad was murdered in 1477.
6) Pol Pot – 1925 – 1998
Born Saloth Sar, was a Cambodian politician & communist dictator known for leading the Khmer Rough from 1963-97. In his rule, 25% to 35% population of the country i.e about 1 to 3 million people were tortured and killed. In order to build a equal society he forced urban people to work in forms and do slave lobar where many suffered to death because of malnutrition, starvation, poor medication and executions where live buried. His cruelty not just stop there – workers who did mistakes were brutally tortured to death or shot, impaled with bamboo sticks and even hammered the head; he even ordered once to cut babies limbs. He died on April 15th, 1998 where rumours say that he was poisoned or committed suicide.
5) Kim II Sung – 1912-1994
Kim II Sung was a communist dictator of North Korea and served as President from 1972 to 1994. Reports from history say that he caused the death of about 3 million people. He executed the killing of all officers and rivals who fought with him in the Korean war. During this time, his regime captured about 200 thousand political prisoners and executed them in concentration camps. He was famous for killing anyone who speaks against the regime or even a small mistake that could be dropping the picture of him on the floor.
4) Saddam Hussein – 1937 – 2006
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the president of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 known for his control, power and dictatorship. He planted and executed the brutal genocide against the rebels who fought against his regime. It majorly included the Kurds, Shabaks, Madeans, Assyrians and other ethnic groups. Under his rule it is estimated that about 2 million people died. During this genocide his army used mustard and nerve gas and also poisonous chemical weapons which caused the death of up to 100000 people. The worst part was for his amusement he used to ask his men to torture and record the videos of victims to watch during his dinner time. These evil acts makes him to sit in the 4th position in the top 10 brutal dictators of world.
3) Adolf Hitler – 1889-1945
Adolf Hitler known for his Nazi party and the atrocities & brutality during his dictatorship rule. He was a German politician, founder of Nazi party and also served as Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945. He became directly responsible for brutally torturing and killing of about 17 million people. He planned and executed extermination of majority Jews who found not fitting his nationalism agenda. Anyone who were against and opposed his rule were put into the concentration camps and killed brutally with poisonous gas chambers. It included majorly Jews followed by Christians, Gypsies, women, children and mentally disabled. Hitler sits in 3rd position in the list of top 10 brutal dictators of world.
2) Josef Stalin – 1878-1953
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin ruled Soviet Union as dictator from 1920 to 1953. He is said to be the cause of more than 23 million people death and said to be the most evil dictators in the world history. After the death of Lenin in 1924, Stalin emerged as the Soviet Unions’ new leader. His ‘Five year economic Plan’ affected the country and caused sever famine as he forced all labour class people to join state’s farmer co-operative. In Ukraine alone this has caused death estimates of about 3 million people. Whoever opposed the farmers co-operative got their land seized or brutally killed or deported. The
survivors were ported to labour camps which can be compared to concentration camps of Nazis. These labour camps pushed them to work till death due to starvation & disease. “Great Purge” is what it they called, where whoever opposed Stalin were killed. He sits 2nd in the list of top 10 brutal dictators of world.
1) Mao Tse-Tung – 1893-1976
Mao Zedong or Mao Tse-Tung said to be the founding father of People’s republic of china, the most brutal dictator ever in history. His policies and rule killed and caused the death of as many as 49 million which tops the list of brutality and evil. He started programs like the Cultural Revolution and Great Leap forward which led to death of around 20 million people due to starvation. About 2 to 3 million people were killed systematically by his regime. This makes him to sit in the first position of top 10 brutal dictators of world.
Take a deep breath and relax. This ends the top 10 brutal dictators of world. I am sure you would be thinking what heights a man can go to satisfy his evil ego. The conclusion is, life is very precious, it is an opportunity to experience the beautiful world and to help the needy. But few nation’s bad that some brutal, evil willed people take control of the greatest positions and political power where instead of keeping & protecting the peace of the nation, they cause the destruction of their own people & land.
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