Looking for reasons to study history? If so, you don’t have to look very far. You can study any aspect of history that aligns with your interests.
There have been numerous tyrants of the 20th century. These oppressors have led to great death and destruction throughout various parts of the world. Take Enver Pasha for example. He was in power for five years and his death toll was 1.1 to 2.5 million. Vladimir Lenin is another example. He was in power from 1917-1924. The death toll under his power was four million.
Most people have heard of Adolf Hitler. His tyranny lasted from 1934-1945 when 17 to 20 million people lost their lives during the Holocaust. Also in power during some of the same years was Chiang Kai-Shek who overseen the 1947 massacre in Taiwan. 10 million people lost their lives under Kai-Shek’s power.
When Joseph Stalin was in power from 1941-1953, an estimated 40 to 62 million people lost their lives while working in forced labor camps. And from 1943-1976, 45 to 75 million lost their lives while Mao Zedong claimed power and carried out the great famine in China.
Michel Micombero was in power for 10 years and overseen the death of 150,000 to 300,000 lives during the sparking civil war in Burundi. Saddam Hussein was in power for more than three decades and led to the loss of two million lives during the Kurdish genocide.
Four dictators who are currently still in training are Alexander Lukashenko, King Mswati III, Isaias Afwerki, and Yahya Jammeh. Lukashenko is knowing for sending dissenters into forced labor camps, while Mswati III spends all of his time simply marrying young women. As of now, he has 15 wives. Afwerki encourages torturing and imprisonment of political foes, and Jammeh goes around jailing suspected witches as well as threatening gays with exile or beheading.
To learn more about the 20th century’s worst tyrants, check out this neat infographic.
Click image to enlarge.
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