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From Stalin to Hitler, the most murderous regimes in the world
The 20th century witnessed death and slaughter on an unprecedented scale.
It was the century of the Holocaust and two World Wars; of communist, Nazi, fascist and military dictators who between them killed more than 100 million people.
Scroll down for the leaders themselves, listed in order of the numbers who died as a result of their rule.
The casualties of conflicts involving the U.S., the UK and France in Korea, Algeria, Vietnam, the Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq are excluded on the grounds that, though many would view these as unjust colonial wars by ‘imperialist’ powers, they weren’t fought by dictators.
Indeed, when the wars proved unpopular or unwinnable, they were brought to an end by the pressure of public opinion.
Mao Zedong: Victims 60 million
Joseph Stalin: Victims 40 million
Adolf Hitler: Victims 30 million
1 MAO ZEDONG
China (1949-76) Regime Communist Victims 60 million
China’s so-called ‘Great Helmsman’ was in fact the greatest mass murderer in history. Most of his victims were his fellow Chinese, murdered as ‘landlords’ after the communist takeover, starved in his misnamed ‘Great Leap Forward’ of 1958-61, or killed and tortured in labour camps in the Cultural Revolution of the Sixties. Mao’s rule, with its economic mismanagement and continual political upheavals, also spelled poverty for most of China’s untold millions. The country embraced capitalism long after his death.
2 JOSEPH STALIN
Soviet Union (1929-53) Regime Communist Victims 40 million
Lenin’s paranoid successor was the runner-up to Mao in the mass-murder stakes. Stalin imposed a deliberate famine on Ukraine, killed millions of the wealthier peasants – or ‘kulaks’ – as he forced them off their land, and purged his own party, shooting thousands and sending millions more to work as slaves and perish in the Gulag.
3 ADOLF HITLER
Germany (1933-45) Regime Nazi dictatorship Victims 30 million
The horror of Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship lies in the uniqueness of his most notorious crime, the Holocaust, which stands alone in the annals of inhuman cruelty. It was carried out under the cover of World War II, a conflict Hitler pursued with the goal of obtaining ‘Lebensraum’. The war ended up costing millions of lives, leaving Europe devastated and his Third Reich in ruins.
KING LEOPOLD II
Belgium (1886-1908)
Regime Colonial empire in Congo
Victims Eight million enslaved Congolese
HIDEKI TOJO
Japan (1941-45)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims Five million (Japan’s victims in World War II)
ISMAIL ENVER PASHA
Ottoman Turkey (1915-20)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims Two million (Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians)
POL POT
Cambodia (1975-79)
Regime Communist (Khmer Rouge)
Victims At least 1.7 million (political opponents)
KIM ILSUNG
North Korea (1948-94)
Regime Communist
Victims At least 1.6 million (political opponents/civilians through famine)
MENGISTU HAILE MARIAM
Ethiopia (1974-78)
Regime Communist military dictatorship
Victims 1.5 million (Eritreans/political opponents)
YAKUBU GOWON
Nigeria (1967-70)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims One million (Biafrans starved and soldiers killed in civil war)
JEAN KAMBANDA
Rwanda (1994)
Regime Tribal dictatorship (Hutu)
Victims 800,000 (Tutsis)
SADDAM HUSSEIN
Iraq (1979-2003)
Regime Ba’ath Party dictatorship
Victims 600,000 (Shi’ites, Kurds, Kuwaitis, political opponents)
JOSIP BROZ TITO
Yugoslavia (1945-80)
Regime Communist
Victims 570,000 (political opponents)
SUKARNO
Indonesia (1945-66)
Regime Nationalist dictatorship
Victims 500,000 (Communists)
MULLAH OMAR
Afghanistan (1996-2001)
Regime Islamist dictatorship (Taliban)
Victims 400,000 (political/religious opponents)
IDI AMIN
Uganda (1971-79)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 300,000-500,000 (political/personal opponents)
GENERAL YAHYA KHAN
Pakistan (1970-71)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 300,000 (Bengalis in East Pakistan)
BENITO MUSSOLINI
Italy (1922-45)
Regime Fascist dictatorship
Victims 250,000 (Ethiopians, Libyans, Jews, political opponents)
GENERAL MOBUTU SESE SEKO
Zaire/Congo (1965-97)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 230,000 (political opponents)
CHARLES TAYLOR
Liberia (1989-96)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 220,000 (political/military opponents and civilians)
FODAY SANKOH
Sierra Leone (1991-2000)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 210,000 (political opponents)
HO CHI MINH
North Vietnam (1945-69)
Regime Communist
Victims 200,000 (political opponents, South Vietnamese)
MICHEL MICOMBERO
Burundi (1966-76)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 150,000 (Hutus)
HASSAN ALTURABI
Sudan (1989-99)
Regime Islamist dictatorship
Victims 100,000 (political/religious opponents)
JEAN-BEDEL BOKASSA
Central African Republic/Empire (1966-79)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 90,000 (political opponents)
EFRAIN RIOS MONTT
Guatemala (1982-83)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 70,000 (peasants, political opponents)
FRANCOIS/ JEANCLAUDE DUVALIER
Haiti (‘Papa Doc’ 1957-71; ‘Baby Doc’ 1971-86)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 60,000 (political opponents
RAFAEL TRUJILLO
Dominican Republic (1930-61)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 50,000 (political opponents)
HISSENE HABRE
Chad (1982-90)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 40,000 (political opponents)
GENERAL FRANCISCO FRANCO
Spain (1939-75)
Regime Fascist/military dictatorship
Victims 35,000 (political opponents
FIDEL CASTRO
Cuba (1959-2006)
Regime Communist
Victims 30,000 (political opponents)
HAFEZ/ BASHAR ALASSAD
Syria (Hafez 1970- 2000; Bashar 2000-)
Regime Ba’ath Party dictatorship
Victims 25,000- 30,000 (political/ sectarian opponents
AYATOLLAH RUHOLLAH KHOMEINI
Iran (1979-1989)
Regime Islamist dictatorship
Victims 20,000 (political/religious opponents)
ROBERT MUGABE
Zimbabwe (1982-)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 15,000 (political/tribal opponents)
GENERAL JORGE VIDELA
Argentina (1976-83)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 13,000 (left-wing political opponents)
GENERAL AUGUSTO PINOCHET
Chile (1973-90)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 3,000 (political opponents)
The 20th century witnessed death and slaughter on an unprecedented scale.
It was the century of the Holocaust and two World Wars; of communist, Nazi, fascist and military dictators who between them killed more than 100 million people.
Scroll down for the leaders themselves, listed in order of the numbers who died as a result of their rule.
The casualties of conflicts involving the U.S., the UK and France in Korea, Algeria, Vietnam, the Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq are excluded on the grounds that, though many would view these as unjust colonial wars by ‘imperialist’ powers, they weren’t fought by dictators.
Indeed, when the wars proved unpopular or unwinnable, they were brought to an end by the pressure of public opinion.
Mao Zedong: Victims 60 million
Joseph Stalin: Victims 40 million
Adolf Hitler: Victims 30 million
1 MAO ZEDONG
China (1949-76) Regime Communist Victims 60 million
China’s so-called ‘Great Helmsman’ was in fact the greatest mass murderer in history. Most of his victims were his fellow Chinese, murdered as ‘landlords’ after the communist takeover, starved in his misnamed ‘Great Leap Forward’ of 1958-61, or killed and tortured in labour camps in the Cultural Revolution of the Sixties. Mao’s rule, with its economic mismanagement and continual political upheavals, also spelled poverty for most of China’s untold millions. The country embraced capitalism long after his death.
2 JOSEPH STALIN
Soviet Union (1929-53) Regime Communist Victims 40 million
Lenin’s paranoid successor was the runner-up to Mao in the mass-murder stakes. Stalin imposed a deliberate famine on Ukraine, killed millions of the wealthier peasants – or ‘kulaks’ – as he forced them off their land, and purged his own party, shooting thousands and sending millions more to work as slaves and perish in the Gulag.
3 ADOLF HITLER
Germany (1933-45) Regime Nazi dictatorship Victims 30 million
The horror of Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship lies in the uniqueness of his most notorious crime, the Holocaust, which stands alone in the annals of inhuman cruelty. It was carried out under the cover of World War II, a conflict Hitler pursued with the goal of obtaining ‘Lebensraum’. The war ended up costing millions of lives, leaving Europe devastated and his Third Reich in ruins.
KING LEOPOLD II
Belgium (1886-1908)
Regime Colonial empire in Congo
Victims Eight million enslaved Congolese
HIDEKI TOJO
Japan (1941-45)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims Five million (Japan’s victims in World War II)
ISMAIL ENVER PASHA
Ottoman Turkey (1915-20)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims Two million (Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians)
POL POT
Cambodia (1975-79)
Regime Communist (Khmer Rouge)
Victims At least 1.7 million (political opponents)
KIM ILSUNG
North Korea (1948-94)
Regime Communist
Victims At least 1.6 million (political opponents/civilians through famine)
MENGISTU HAILE MARIAM
Ethiopia (1974-78)
Regime Communist military dictatorship
Victims 1.5 million (Eritreans/political opponents)
YAKUBU GOWON
Nigeria (1967-70)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims One million (Biafrans starved and soldiers killed in civil war)
JEAN KAMBANDA
Rwanda (1994)
Regime Tribal dictatorship (Hutu)
Victims 800,000 (Tutsis)
SADDAM HUSSEIN
Iraq (1979-2003)
Regime Ba’ath Party dictatorship
Victims 600,000 (Shi’ites, Kurds, Kuwaitis, political opponents)
JOSIP BROZ TITO
Yugoslavia (1945-80)
Regime Communist
Victims 570,000 (political opponents)
SUKARNO
Indonesia (1945-66)
Regime Nationalist dictatorship
Victims 500,000 (Communists)
MULLAH OMAR
Afghanistan (1996-2001)
Regime Islamist dictatorship (Taliban)
Victims 400,000 (political/religious opponents)
IDI AMIN
Uganda (1971-79)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 300,000-500,000 (political/personal opponents)
GENERAL YAHYA KHAN
Pakistan (1970-71)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 300,000 (Bengalis in East Pakistan)
BENITO MUSSOLINI
Italy (1922-45)
Regime Fascist dictatorship
Victims 250,000 (Ethiopians, Libyans, Jews, political opponents)
GENERAL MOBUTU SESE SEKO
Zaire/Congo (1965-97)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 230,000 (political opponents)
CHARLES TAYLOR
Liberia (1989-96)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 220,000 (political/military opponents and civilians)
FODAY SANKOH
Sierra Leone (1991-2000)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 210,000 (political opponents)
HO CHI MINH
North Vietnam (1945-69)
Regime Communist
Victims 200,000 (political opponents, South Vietnamese)
MICHEL MICOMBERO
Burundi (1966-76)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 150,000 (Hutus)
HASSAN ALTURABI
Sudan (1989-99)
Regime Islamist dictatorship
Victims 100,000 (political/religious opponents)
JEAN-BEDEL BOKASSA
Central African Republic/Empire (1966-79)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 90,000 (political opponents)
EFRAIN RIOS MONTT
Guatemala (1982-83)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 70,000 (peasants, political opponents)
FRANCOIS/ JEANCLAUDE DUVALIER
Haiti (‘Papa Doc’ 1957-71; ‘Baby Doc’ 1971-86)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 60,000 (political opponents
RAFAEL TRUJILLO
Dominican Republic (1930-61)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 50,000 (political opponents)
HISSENE HABRE
Chad (1982-90)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 40,000 (political opponents)
GENERAL FRANCISCO FRANCO
Spain (1939-75)
Regime Fascist/military dictatorship
Victims 35,000 (political opponents
FIDEL CASTRO
Cuba (1959-2006)
Regime Communist
Victims 30,000 (political opponents)
HAFEZ/ BASHAR ALASSAD
Syria (Hafez 1970- 2000; Bashar 2000-)
Regime Ba’ath Party dictatorship
Victims 25,000- 30,000 (political/ sectarian opponents
AYATOLLAH RUHOLLAH KHOMEINI
Iran (1979-1989)
Regime Islamist dictatorship
Victims 20,000 (political/religious opponents)
ROBERT MUGABE
Zimbabwe (1982-)
Regime Personal dictatorship
Victims 15,000 (political/tribal opponents)
GENERAL JORGE VIDELA
Argentina (1976-83)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 13,000 (left-wing political opponents)
GENERAL AUGUSTO PINOCHET
Chile (1973-90)
Regime Military dictatorship
Victims 3,000 (political opponents)