5 Most Cruel Dictators From History

They say that it takes compassion for humanity, love for country; and a strong pursuit of justice and mercy to become a strong and respected leader. However, every once in a while there are politicians that decide to do things their own way (much to the dismay of the masses). These cold-blooded dictators do not care for the value of life as much as they do achieving their selfish motives of domination, power, and immortality. These are 5 of history’s deadliest dictators.

* Mao Zedong

Famous for being one of the communist leaders of the Republic of China beginning around World War II, Mao Zedong was a ruler who thirsted for power. In his first five years, he killed about 4 to 6 million by indiscriminately sentencing them to death. His policies also starved about 20 million and on top of that he had numerous enemies of the state executed.

* Adolf Hitler

To most people Adolf Hitler does not need much of an introduction as he was famous for being the leader of the Nazis – a German party that was responsible for the deaths of over 17 million people including 6 million Jews and after leading the entire world into war as well as committing numerous war crimes he certainly deserves a spot on this list.

* Josef Stalin

Josef Stalin became the leader of Soviet Union after Lenin died in 1924, and launched government programs that would make the country more progressive. His attempt to move to the new economy, however, led to the starvation of nearly 10 million people. With many intellectuals and activists not in favor of his leadership, Stalin also launched the “Great Purge”, killing every person who opposed him and his ideals.

* Hideki Tojo

When he was assigned to be general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Hideki Tojo was not content with his position so he also assumed the position of Prime Minister, Army Minister, Home Minister, Foreign Minister, Education Minister, and Commerce Minister…talk about a lot of responsibility. He also made ties with the Nazis hoping that he would rise to power alongside Hitler. Due to his relentless acts of attacking other Asian countries, he was directly responsible for the deaths of over 5 million individuals.

* Koki Hirota

Like Emperor Hirohit, Koki’s ability and power to affect the atrocities committed by the military was questionable. Unlike Hirota, however, he was executed for war crimes that included being privy to information that could have prevented numerous atrocities.