Famous Dictators - List of Famous Dictators

A dictator is a leader who holds absolute authority and an extraordinary degree of personal power. They have the power to make laws, suspend elections, proclaim a state of emergency and repress political opponents without following any lawful procedures. The form of government with a dictator as the leader is known as dictatorship and there are no effective constitutional remedies to limit his power. Adolf Hitler, one of the most notorious dictators to have ever walked the earth was someone who is almost synonymous with the word. But there have been several others too who were as cruel, if not more, than him. Pol Pot, the self-proclaimed leader of the communist movement in Cambodia was another infamous dictator who is alleged to have wiped off a fifth of the Cambodian population. As the third president of Uganda, Idi Amin ruthlessly abused his powers and his rule was characterized by rampant abuse of human rights, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, and wide spread corruption. Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe is another dictator who is often compared to Adolf Hitler for the immeasurable cruelty he inflicted on the people. Browse on to learn more interesting facts about the life of famous dictators from all over the world.

The Most Famous Dictators

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Idi Amin1925UgandanA Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin is remembered for his brutal regime and crime against humanity
Manuel NoriegaFebruary 11, 1934PanamanianManuel Noriega was a Panamanian dictator, who ruled Panama as military dictator from 1983 to 1989
Pol PotMay 19, 1925CambodianPol Pot was the Cambodian revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge
Kim Jong-unJanuary 8, 1983North KoreanKim Jong-un is the current Supreme Leader of North Korea, a position inherited from his father Kim Jong-il
Siaka StevensAugust 24, 1905Sierra LeoneanSiaka Stevens was the third Prime Minister of Sierra Leone who later became the first President of the country
Adolf HitlerApril 20, 1889GermanAdolf Hitler was the infamous dictator of Germany who carried out the genocide of Jews and was majorly responsible for the World War II
Saddam HusseinApril 28, 1937IraqiSaddam Hussein was the fifth President of Iraq whose regime lasted for nearly two and a half decades
Ne WinMay 14, 1911BurmeseNe Win is a politician from Burma, who is known for having practiced military law in his country for more than 26 years
Nicolae CeaușescuJanuary 26, 1918RomanianNicolae Ceaușescu was the General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party, Romania’s last Communist leader
Benito MussoliniJuly 29, 1883ItalianBenito Mussolini was an Italian politician and leader of the Fascist party, who ruled the country as Prime Minister from 1922 until 1943
Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein was the fifth President of Iraq whose regime lasted for nearly two and a half decades

IraqiApril 28, 1937264 views

Fulgencio Batista

Fulgencio Batista was the dictator of Cuba

CubanJanuary 16, 1901143 views

Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini was an Italian politician and leader of the Fascist party, who ruled the country as Prime Minister from 1922 until 1943

ItalianJuly 29, 1883237 views

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was the infamous dictator of Germany who carried out the genocide of Jews and was majorly responsible for the World War II

GermanApril 20, 1889339 views

Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco was a Spanish general who took control of Spain after the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and established a military dictatorship

SpanishDecember 4, 1892212 views

Juan Manuel de Rosas

Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rosas was an Argentinean dictator

ArgentinianMarch 30, 1793155 views

Manuel Noriega

Manuel Noriega was a Panamanian dictator, who ruled Panama as military dictator from 1983 to 1989

Kim Jong-il

Kim Jong-il was the supreme leader of North Korea for 17 years, from 1994 to 2011

Nicolae Ceaușescu

Nicolae Ceaușescu was the General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party, Romania’s last Communist leader

RomanianJanuary 26, 1918238 views

Lon Nol

Lon Nol was a Cambodian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Cambodia twice and was the self-proclaimed President of Khmer Republic.

CambodianNovember 13, 1913225 views