Strangest Dictator of the 20th Century

[amadeus]

Who do you think is the strangest dictator of the 20th century? I voted Mu'ammar Qadaffi of Libya...he's one nutty character

 

[Sodak]

You forget Idi Amin!

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

Who was that dictator down in Paraguay who got a third of his country killed by staating war with Brazil, Argentina, & Paraguay at the same time?

 

[Richard III]

Lefty, I'm afraid whoever he was, he doesn't really qualify, since that wasn't the 20th century (I'm pretty sure it wasn't, anyhow)

But all of the dictators above seem pretty normal by dictator standards. Where are the real wierdos:

Idi Amin (as mentioned above),
Mussolini (The new Rome! koo-coo, koo-coo!)
Baby doc
Ferdinand Marcos
Mobutu ...

And, since he can fairly be said to have clinched the title in two centuries, Robert Mugabe?

Peron might make the list, although more because his politics were strange as opposed to his personality.

 

[Alcibiaties of Athenae]

The poll should have had an "all of the above".

 

[Nahuixtelotzin]

Gaddhafi is definitely one of the most and his outfit is sooooo cool.

What about Bokassa?
Ruben Batista?

If Castro applies, Batista necessarily has to be in the list...

 

[Rain]

Qu'daffy is definitely over the edge lol.

 

[Shabbaman]

Mussolini?

Chroestjov (Chrushew for all ya americans out there) is one of my favorites. Like, banging your shoe on the table at a U.N.-meeting? Sure way to get the diplomacy-victory...

 

[Shabbaman]

By the way, I think Dub'ya will make his way into the 22nd century poll...

 

[allhailIndia]

I would have to say that Papa Doc Duvalier was the strangest dictator of this century. He used "Magic" and Voodoo and apparently an army of zombies to keep his country in his hands

 

[Kublai-Khan]

Originally posted by Richard III

Peron might make the list, although more because his politics were strange as opposed to his personality.

Peron?

Why?

 

[amadeus]

Originally posted by allhailIndia
I would have to say that Papa Doc Duvalier was the strangest dictator of this century. He used "Magic" and Voodoo and apparently an army of zombies to keep his country in his hands

Correction! The guy that sold blood was Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua (1936-1956.) My mistake...

He did, though, use Voodoo, etc.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Qu'daffy...apparently his "little Green Book" is a hoot and a half...

 

[Lt.Col. Kilgore]

Pol Pot is by far the strangest as I see it. He slaughtered aprox. 2 million people through execution and killed many more with agricultural reforms as seen in China. He killed or destroyed anyone or anything that showed any outside influence. He was trying to 'cleanse' Cambodia and turn the government and social structure into one that was extremely efficient and would greatly advance Cambodia in all aspects. If this was his objective I wonder why he took such actions. Either he was very stupid or very much insane.

 

[Hitro]

I would have voted for Jean-Bédel Bokassa (Dictator of the Central African Republic) if possbile.
The man was truly mad. And many say he also was a cannibal, though this hasn't been proven.

 

[donsig]

Tough. I guess it depends on how you define 'strange'. Castro seems to stand out from the group listed. He's almost normal compared to the rest of them on the list. Guess that makes him strange.

What about Tito? When I think of dictators I think of someone who is not so good, someone the people are not happy with. Could be just my American ignorance. I once worked with a young man who had been born in Yugoslavia. he was fairly Americanized by the time I knew him. I once said something about Tito and he got pretty upset and told me not to say anything bad about Tito!

 

[Greadius]

Originally posted by donsig
I once worked with a young man who had been born in Yugoslavia. he was fairly Americanized by the time I knew him. I once said something about Tito and he got pretty upset and told me not to say anything bad about Tito!

Maybe he thought you were talking about Tito Jackson

I voted for Pol Pot, just because I can't concieve how his mind could work; how could someone that wanted to DO something with his country kill so many people and hope to actually accomplish it? Most of the dictators on that list at least wanted to murder people from different countries.

About Idi Amin, isn't he living in Saudi Arabia after that mess he caused?

 

[Richard III]

Originally posted by Shabbaman
By the way, I think Dub'ya will make his way into the 22nd century poll...

Yes, that whole standing for election thing is a real sign. Oh, yes, and that whole thing about how all evidence shows that he would respect the results of a second election is a big sign too. And his being prevented from running a third time by a constitutional amendment thing. All and all, it really does add up to the textbook example of a dictatorship, doesn't it?

That was sarcasm, for those who missed it.

R.III

P.S. Peron, because of the whole Peronista movement. The bizarre union of labour, nationalism and anti-establishmentarian militarism was somewhat strange, to say the least. Kind of like what national socialism would have been like if it had been invented in a Starbucks (no offence to Starbucks meant, of course). But as I'd said, he himself wasn't that strange, it was just his professional habits. Nothing to compare to Bokassa, Pol Pot or the others discussed at this table.

And what about Caucescu? He was WEIRD.

 

[Daaraa]

I voted Pol Pot.
I think he was the only one to accomplish the exact opposite of what he wanted. A Great and Powerful Khmer (Cambodian) Empire.
The moron attacked Vietnam a few times with a very inferior group of rag-tag teenagers (they were pure) just after the US's Vietnam war. Probably the height of the Vietnamese army's power.

 

[Hamlet]

Yep, PP was a bit on the wacky side.