List of authoritarian rulers/dictators
editState | Portrait | Ruler | Tenure | Title(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First French Empire | Napoleon I (1769-1821) |
13 December 1799 - 6 April 1814/22 June 1815 | First Consul of the French Republic (1799-1804) Emperor of the French (1804-1814/15) |
Forced to abdicate after his defeat by the Sixth Coalition. Escaped from exile and regained his throne for three months in 1815, but was again defeated by the Seventh Coalition at Waterloo. He abdicated for the last time and was exiled to the Pacific Island of Saint Helena. After his final defeat the Bourbons were restored to power. Died in exile, age 51. | |
Mexico | Porfirio Diaz (1830-1915) |
10 January 1876 - 25 May 1911 | President of the Mexican Republic | Overthrown by Maderistas during the first stage of the Mexican Revolution. Succeeded by Francisco I. Madero. Died in exile, age 84. | |
Second French Empire | Napoleon III (1808-1873) |
20 December 1848 - 4 September 1870 | President of France (1848-1852) Emperor of the French (1852-1870) |
Dethroned after being captured by the Prussians at the Battle of Sedan. The Second French Empire was dissolved and replaced by the French Third Republic. Died in exile, age 64. | |
Kingdom of Italy | Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) |
31 October 1922 – 25 July 1943 | Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy | Dismissed by Victor Emmanuel III after Italy was invaded by the Allies during World War II. He was made the leader of the Italian Social Republic which was a puppet state of Nazi Germany in 1943. He tried to flee the Allied forces invading but was captured by communists partisans and publicly executed, age 61. | |
Zimbabwe | Robert Mugabe (1924-2019) |
18 April 1980 – 21 November 2017 | Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (1980-1987) President of Zimbabwe (1987-2017) |
Ousted in a coup by his own party. Died in exile, age 95. | |
Nazi Germany | Adolf Hitler (1917-1989) |
30 January 1933 – 30 April 1945 | Führer and Chancellor of Germany | Defeated by Allied forces towards the end of World War II. Committed suicide in his bunker while Berlin was under siege, age 56. | |
Philippines | Ferdinand Marcos (1889-1945) |
30 December 1965 – 25 February 1986 | President of the Philippines | Removed from power by the People Power Revolution in 1986. Democracy was restored and he was succeeded by the leader of the revolution, Corazon Aquino. Died in exile, age 72. | |
Sudan | Omar al-Bashir (1944-) |
30 June 1989 – 11 April 2019 | Chairmen of Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (1989-1993) President of Sudan (1993-2019) |
Ousted by a military coup after widespread protests across the country demanding his removal from power. He is currently being held in prison after being charged with corruption. | |
Cuba | Fidel Castro (1926-2016) |
16 February 1959 – 24 February 2008 | Prime Minister of Cuba (1959-1976) President of Cuba (1976-2008) First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (1965-2011) |
Remained in power until his retirement in 2008. He was succeeded as President and First Secretary of the Communist party by his brother, Raúl Castro. Died in Cuba, age 90. | |
People's Socialist Republic of Albania | Enver Hoxha (1908-1985) |
20 October 1944 – 11 April 1985 | Prime Minister of Albania (1944-1954) First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania (1941-1985) |
Remained in power until his death. Died in Albania, age 76. | |
Argentine Confederation | Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877) |
First Term: 6 December 1829 – 5 December 1832 Second Term: 7 March 1835 – 3 February 1852 |
Caudillo and Governor of Buenos Aires Province | After his first term of Governor came to an end and he went into retirement, his supporters staged a coup and he was returned to power in 1835 and remained as governor until he was defeated by the Empire of Brazil in the Platine War. He fled Argentina and absconded to Britain. Died in Britain, age 83. | |
Rwanda | Juvénal Habyarimana (1937-1994) |
1 August 1973 – 6 April 1994 | President of Rwanda | Killed after his plane was shot down by missiles. Died age 57. | |
Republic of China | Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) |
Mainland China: 15 December 1931 - 21 January 1949 Taiwan: 1 March 1950 – 5 April 1975 |
Chairman of Military Affairs Commission (1931-1946) Chairman of the Nationalist government (1943-1948) President of the Republic of China (1948-1949, 1950-1975) |
Ruled mainland China as a military dictator, using various titles. He was the leader of the Nationalists during the Chinese Civil War. His government was defeated by the Communists led by Mao Zedong. He and the rest of the Nationalists fled to the Island of Taiwan, where they formed a government and claimed to be the legitimate government of China. He then ruled Taiwan as President till his death. Died in Taiwan, age 87. | |
Egypt | Hosni Mubarak (1928-2020) |
14 October 1981 – 11 February 2011 | President of Egypt | Forced to resign after the 2011 Egyptian revolution began. He was subsequently put on trial for killing peaceful protesters during the 2011 Revolution. He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later overturned and he was released in 2017. Died in Egypt, age 91. | |
Francoist Spain | Francisco Franco (1892-1975) |
1 October 1936 – 20 November 1975 | Caudillo and Head of the Spanish state | He led the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. He successfully overthrew the Second Spanish Republic and installed himself as Head of state. He remained in power till his death. After his death, the fascist Spanish state lead by Franco was dissolved and the Kingdom of Spain was restored, with Juan Carlos I as king. Died in Spain, age 82. | |
Soviet Union | Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) |
21 January 1924 - 5 March 1953 | Leader of the Soviet Union (1924-1953) General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922-1952) Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1941-1953) |
He led the Communist Party of the Soviet Union following the death of its founder, Vladimir Lenin. His political ideologies became known as Stalinism. He remained in power until his death. Died in Moscow, age 74. | |
Central African Empire | Jean-Bédel Bokassa (1921-1996) |
1 January 1966 - 21 September 1979 | President of the Central African Republic (1966-1976) Emperor of Central Africa (1976-1979) |
He took power after successfully staging a coup against the government of David Dacko. He installed himself as president and ruled through a de-facto military dictatorship. In 1976, he declared himself Emperor of Central Africa reigning as Bokassa I. His government was toppled after a military operation carried out by the French government. He went into exile and was tried in absentia where he was found guilty and sentenced to death. He returned to the CAR and was arrested; his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He was released in 1993 and from then on led a private life. He died in Bangui, age 75. | |
Portugal | António de Oliveira Salazar (1889-1970) |
5 February 1932 – 27 September 1968 | Prime Minister of Portugal | He created the Estado Novo regime which ruled Portugal for over 40 years. He was forced to retire due to health complications. Died in Portugal, age 81. | |
Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya | Muammar Gaddafi (c.1942-2011) |
1 September 1969 – 20 October 2011 | Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (1969-1977) Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution (1977-2011) |
Overthrown by rebel forces during the Libyan Civil War. Following the Battle of Sirte, Gaddaffi was captured and brutally executed by rebel soldiers. Died age 68 or 69. | |
Tunisia | Habib Bourguiba (1903-2000) |
11 April 1956 – 7 November 1987 | Prime Minister of Tunisia (1956-1957) President of Tunisia (1957-1987) |
He was made Prime minister by King Muhammad VIII al-Amin. Soon after he dethroned Muhammad VIII and declared Tunisia a republic, installing himself as president for life. He was removed from power by his Prime minister, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Died in Tunisia, age 96. | |
Kingdom of Hungary | Miklós Horthy (1868-1957) |
1 March 1920 – 16 October 1944 | Regent of Hungary | Upon the removal of Charles I as King of Hungary, Hungary was left without a monarch. In 1920, Horthy was chosen to act as regent for the now vacant throne of Hungary. Attempts were made by the former king, Charles I, to regain his throne but they were stopped by Horthy. He joined the Axis powers in World War II, led by Nazi Germany. He remained in power until he declared an armistice with the Soviet Union, after which he was arrested and forced to resign by the Germans. After the war he lived the remainder of his life in exile. Died in exile, age 88. | |
People's Republic of China | Mao Zedong (1893-1976) |
1 October 1949 – 9 September 1976 | Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (1941-1976) Chairmen of the Central People’s Government (1949-1954) Chairmen of the People’s Republic of China (1954-1959) Chairman of the Central Military Commission (1954-1976) |
He led the Communists during the Chinese Civil War. He successfully defeated the Nationalist government led by Chiang Kai-shek, forcing them to retreat to the island of Taiwan. He then proclaimed the foundation of the Peoples Republic of China. His political philosophies became known as Maoism. He remained in power till his death. Died in China, age 82. | |
Zaire | Mobutu Sese Seko (1930-1997) |
24 November 1965 – 16 May 1997 | President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1965-1971) President of Zaire (1971-1997). |
After the Congo Crisis, he successfully took power and declared himself President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which he renamed Zaire. He was overthrown during the First Congo War by rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila. He went into exile and died three months later from cancer. Died, age 66. | |
Nicaragua | Anastasio Somoza García (1896-1956) |
1 January 1937 – 29 September 1956 | President of Nicaragua (1937-1947, 1950-1956) |
He seized power after launching a coup against the government of Juan Bautista Sacasa. He served two terms as president but when he wasn’t president he was still the de facto head of state as a military dictator. He remained in power until he was assassinated by Rigoberto López Pérez in León, Nicaragua. Died age 60. | |
North Korea | Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) |
9 September 1948 – 8 July 1994 | Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1948-1994) Premier of North Korea (1948-1972) Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (1949-1966) General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (1966-1994) President of North Korea (1972-1994) |
After Japan ruled Korea collapsed following the Japanese surrender in World War II, Korea was eventually divided in two. He became the leader of the Soviet backed North Korea thus founding the Kim dynasty dictatorship. He attempted to invade South Korea to unify the peninsula under communist rule, but the war ended in a stalemate. He remained in power until his death and was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong Il. He died age 82. | |
Kazakhstan | Nursultan Nazarbayev (1940-) |
24 April 1990 – 20 March 2019 | President of the Kazakh SSR (1990-1991) First Secretary of the Central Commitee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan (1989-1991) President of Kazakhstan (1991-2019) |
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union he served as the final leader of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. Upon Kazakhstan's independence he continued to rule as an autocratic leader. He remained in power until he was forced to resign amid protests against his government. He currently resides in Kazakhstan. | |
Chile | Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006) |
11 September 1973 – 11 March 1990 | President of the Government Junta of Chile (1973-1981) President of Chile (1974-1990) Commanders-in-Chief of the Chilean Army (1973-1998) |
He took power in a US backed coup which ousted newly elected socialist president, Salvador Allende. After the coup he was chosen by the military junta to serve as Supreme Head of the State and President. In 1988, a referendum was held to decide whether Pinochet will be allowed 8 more years in power, he lost the vote. This led to a democratic election in 1990 and his resignation as President, though he remained as Commander-in-Chief of the Army until 1998. In 1998, he was arrested in London on an international arrest warrant, following a legal battle he was allowed to return to Chile on the grounds of ill-health. In 2004, a Chilean judge ruled he was fit to stand trial and was placed under house arrest. By the time of his death in 2006, there were over 300 pending charges against him for crimes committing by him and his regime. Died age 91. | |
Syria | Hafez al-Assad (1930-2000) |
14 March 1971 – 10 June 2000 | President of Syria | In 1971, he was chosen by the Ba’th party to be its new leader and subsequently President of Syria. He quickly made Syria into a dictatorship. He was the patriarch of the Al-Assad family, which still rules Syria to this day. He remained in power till his death and was succeeded by his son, Bashar al-Assad. He died age 69. | |
Socialist Republic of Romania | Nicolae Ceaușescu (1918-1989) |
19 March 1965 – 22 December 1989 | General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party (1965-1989) President of the State Council of Romania (1967-1989) President of the Socialist Republic of Romania (1974-1989) |
In 1965, he was chosen as the new leader of the Romanian Communist Party. He created a cult of personality in Romania as a way for his regime to stay in power. In 1989, protests began against his government, he ordered the military to fire upon the demonstrators. This received public outcry and only worsened the situation, which evolved into the Romanian Revolution and he was subsequently overthrown. He attempted fo flee Romania with his wife, Elena, but was captured by the military that had now joined the rebels. He and Elena were executed by firing squad on live television 3 days later by the military. He died age 71. | |
Paraguay | Alfredo Stroessner (1912-2006) |
15 August 1954 – 3 February 1989 | President of Paraguay | He took power in a coup which was supported by the military. He then declared himself President and quickly formed into a dictatorship. He remained in power until he was overthrown by coup led by one of his close advisers, Andrés Rodríguez. He died in exile, age 93. | |
North Vietnam | Hồ Chí Minh (1890-1969) |
2 September 1945 – 2 September 1969 | President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945-1969) Chairman of the Workers Party of Vietnam (1951-1969) |
In 1930, he founded the Communist Party of Vietnam. He led the August Revolution against the Empire of Vietnam and Japan. His forces won the war and the Vietnamese monarchy was abolished. He founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, more commonly known as North Vietnam. He led the Communists during much of the Vietnam War, which was his attempt to invade the non-communist South Vietnam. The communists would eventually win the war after his death. He remained in power till his death. Died age 79. | |
Tunisia | Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1936-2019) |
7 November 1987 – 14 January 2011 | President of Tunisia | He was appointed Prime minister by President Habib Bourguiba, after which he overthrew Bourguiba after declaring him incompetent and unable to remain serving as president. He then created an authoritarian regime in Tunisia. He remained in power until he was overthrown in the Tunisian revolution. He died in exile, age 83. | |
Angola | José Eduardo dos Santos (1942-2022) |
21 September 1979 – 25 September 2017 | President of Angola | After the death of the first president and founder of the ruling party of Angola, Agostinho Neto, dos Santos was chosen by the party to succeed him. He remained in power until his retirement. He was the second longest serving dictator in African history. He died in Spain, age 79. | |
Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma | Ne Win (1911-2002) |
4 July 1962 – 23 July 1988 | Chairman of the Burma Socialist Programme Party (1962-1988) Chairman of the Union Revolutionary Council (1962-1974) President of Burma (1974-1981) |
He launched a coup against the government of U Nu. His party, the Burma Socialist Programme Party, served as the ruling party after the coup and Nu Win as chairman was the de facto leader of the country. He remained in power until he and his party were overthrown by the military in a coup after the 8888 Uprising. He died under house arrest, age 92. | |
Dominican Republic | Rafael Trujillo (1891-1961) |
16 August 1930 – 30 May 1961 | President of the Dominican Republic (1930-1938, 1942-1952) Generalissimo of the Democratic Republic (1930-1961) |
He was elected in a fraudulent election in 1930 and from then on served as a military dictator for 30 years. When he wasn’t serving as president he was the de facto leader while a figurehead had the actual title of president. He remained in power until he was assassinated by a group of gunmen. He died age 69. | |
Indonesia | Sukarno (1901-1970) |
18 August 1945 – 12 March 1967 | President of Indonesia | He lead the independence movement against the Dutch, which was successful. Upon Indonesia’s independence he became president. He quickly created an authoritarian government. He was forcibly ousted from his position by General Suharto. He was placed under house arrest where he died. Died age 69. | |
Finland | Urho Kekkonen (1900-1986) |
1 March 1956 – 27 January 1982 | President of Finland | After winning the Finnish election in 1956, he progressively became more autocratic. He kept a strong grip on Finnish politics for over 30 years. He remained in power till he was forced to resign due to ill-health. He died in Finland, age 85. | |
Uzbekistan | Islam Karimov (1938-2016) |
23 June 1989 – 2 September 2016 | First Secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan (1989-1991) President of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (1990-1991) President of Uzbekistan (1991-2016) |
He served as the last communist leader of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic before the Soviet Union collapsed. However, he stayed in power and served as the first president of the now independent Republic of Uzbekistan. He remained in power till his death. He died age 78. |