Worst 20th century dictator?

[MissCatholic]

Stalin is still a hero. Hitler is still remembered. Saddam wishes he was a legend. Franco was abit crazy. Mussolini was one hell of a dictator. Kim Jong Il - history still has to write his story. The guy from Cambodia made saddam look a mug.

But I`m going for Stalin. Sacred the hell out of everyone. Killed 20 million russians. No country suffered more than the USSR during WW2.

[Blue Rectangle]

Voted Stalin, but you should have included Mao as an option.  Stalin beats Mao for worst, but not by a lot.

Pol Pot is the name you were looking for.

Well, maybe I'm being a little hard on Mao.  Stalin killed 20+ million mostly through intent, Mao killed 20+ million mostly through stupidity.

[MissCatholic]

Pol Pot thats is name. I`ve never seen any programs about him. All i remember is seeing skulls of cambodians through a news report when i was a child/teenager.

[Shira]

Stalin ruled 30 years. Hitler ruled 12 years. The absolute number of people murdered by Stalin is higher than the number murdered by Hitler. But the Hitler’s annual murdering rate was higher than Stalin’s. The main reason for the Stalin’s murders was his paranoia about these “anti Communist” people. The base for Hitler’s murders was the inferiority of the murdered people race. So who is winning this competition?
An interesting question.

[KEmperor]

Mao.  Of those listed, Stalin.

[Hitchabrut]

Franco and Mussolini weren't terrible, but I would have to go with Stalin or Hitler. Hitler was an evil genius, although his strategic hindsight sucked, and Stalin was an evil idiot. Who is worse? I can't decide.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Pol Pot.

He was responsible for a higher percentage of deaths of the populace under his control than any of the others.

[Blue Rectangle]

Stalin ruled 30 years. Hitler ruled 12 years. The absolute number of people murdered by Stalin is higher than the number murdered by Hitler. But the Hitler’s annual murdering rate was higher than Stalin’s. The main reason for the Stalin’s murders was his paranoia about these “anti Communist” people. The base for Hitler’s murders was the inferiority of the murdered people race. So who is winning this competition?
An interesting question.

Hitler's killings were both politically and racially based.  His main reason for hating the Jews was that they were seen a pro-communist.  Stalin's killings had as much of a ethnic aspect as Hitler's, as the Ukrainians (among others) suffered for their race as much as anything.  Both enjoyed slaughtering Poles.

My main reason for voting Stalin is that he tends to get soft treatment from communist apologists and from those who are simply ignorant of history (the "he fought Hitler, therefore he's an OK guy" view).

[Beet]

Mao is not on the list? I think he's definitely up there.

But the true worst dictator of the century is Pol Pot ("the guy from cambodia"). Ever seen "Killing Fields"? It's an accurate movie.

[J. J.]

Franco and Mussolini weren't terrible, but I would have to go with Stalin or Hitler. Hitler was an evil genius, although his strategic hindsight sucked, and Stalin was an evil idiot. Who is worse? I can't decide.

Stalin was not as bloody as Hitler (even though the first 9 years of Hitler's rule was not particularly bloody).

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Hitler. He was worse than Stalin because his plans were much worse. Stalin was just more succesful. Hitler's true plans including exterminating 65 million people in Eastern Europe (not just the Jews, but just to make room for German settlers)

another candidate who should be on the list (in addition to Mao) is Enver Hoxha.

[J. J.]

Hitler. He was worse than Stalin because his plans were much worse. Stalin was just more succesful. Hitler's true plans including exterminating 65 million people in Eastern Europe (not just the Jews, but just to make room for German settlers)

another candidate who should be on the list (in addition to Mao) is Enver Hoxha.

The number of Jews killed by Hitler is estimated to be between 4 and 6 million; the number of non Jews killed is estimated to be around 4 million.

[Jake]

Hitler. He was worse than Stalin because his plans were much worse. Stalin was just more succesful. Hitler's true plans including exterminating 65 million people in Eastern Europe (not just the Jews, but just to make room for German settlers)

another candidate who should be on the list (in addition to Mao) is Enver Hoxha.

I plan to slaughter all non-Christians. Am I worse than Stalin and Hitler?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

You don't have the means to do it.

J.J.: This is what Hitler planned on doing once the war was hypothetically won. All of Eastern Europe would be turned into serfs for the German Empire, and those not fit to work would be exterminated to make room for German settlers. The planned number was 65 million.

[J. J.]

J.J.: This is what Hitler planned on doing once the war was hypothetically won. All of Eastern Europe would be turned into serfs for the German Empire, and those not fit to work would be exterminated to make room for German settlers. The planned number was 65 million.

Basically.  As a rule, prior to 1940 Jews (and Slavs) were not killed as a matter of course.  Deprived of their rights, robbed, abused, yes, but killed and not sent in large numbers to camps (many of 29,000 Jews arrested in  Kristallnacht were forced to sign over their property, beated, held for weeks, but not killed, for example).

Between 1940 and 1945 between 8 and 12 million civilians were killed by the SS (largely).  Most of these killing began in the summer of 1941, and didn't number in large numbers until mid-1942.  These civilians were not collateral casualties of war, nor resisters to the Nazis; these were people rounded up and killed by the Nazis (largely the SS).  You have the bulk of this staggering number killed in about three years, with resources going to the war as well.

You can do the math.  Hiter turned 50 in 1939; he could have had a another 15 to 25 years and might, had he won, had even greater resources to carry out the "cleansing" of non-Germans in eastern Europe.  You are talking about another 15 to 40 million people killed that were not combatants or collateral casualties.  Add to that the millitary casualties.

It makes Stalin look like a humanitarian.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Actually there is increasing evidence that Hitler not only had a medical condition which would lead to his natural death within a few years of the actual date of his death, but that he knew that he was not long for this world as he repeatedly told associates he had only a few years to accomplish his mission.

[minionofmidas]

Pol Pot had the most style, but I voted for Hitler.

[minionofmidas]

The inclusion of Kim Jong Il with these freaks is laughable, btw.
He doesn't play anywhere near their league.

As for Jake, yes, you are.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Its really hard to know how many people have died under Kim Jong Il, so, at this time, his inclusion is without sufficent merit.

[MissCatholic]

Hitler had Parkinsons disease. If you look at any films involving him hes always holding his left hand with his right hand from around 1943 as if he didnt it would always shake - a sign of parkinsons disease.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The inclusion of Kim Jong Il with these freaks is laughable, btw.
He doesn't play anywhere near their league.

As for Jake, yes, you are.

Kim Il Sung would be a more suitable inclusion.

[Blue Rectangle]

The inclusion of Kim Jong Il with these freaks is laughable, btw.
He doesn't play anywhere near their league.

As for Jake, yes, you are.

Kim Il Sung would be a more suitable inclusion.

Or maybe Chavez?




(j/k)

[minionofmidas]

The inclusion of Kim Jong Il with these freaks is laughable, btw.
He doesn't play anywhere near their league.

As for Jake, yes, you are.

Kim Il Sung would be a more suitable inclusion.

Kim Il Sung would be rather less suitable actually...Chairman Mao's absence from this poll is conspicuous.

[??????????]

Hitler. He was worse than Stalin because his plans were much worse. Stalin was just more succesful. Hitler's true plans including exterminating 65 million people in Eastern Europe (not just the Jews, but just to make room for German settlers)

What he had "planned to do" and what he actually did are two entirely different things. Real numbers mean much more then made up possibilities.

[Nation]

Gotta go with Pol Pot on this one.