Who is the greatest ever dicatator on Earth?

It's hard to make the case that the early Roman Emperors were dictators. Many ruled with the consent of the Senate and could be removed (or killed) from power. Later on, not so much. But the roman republic was not a dictatorship; in any sense.

 

Regarding illegal immigration, I'd like to believe otherwise, but in too many (though not all) instances, I'd agree with you, Dead. Regarding the little schickelgruber, it frightens me when young people take to him as some sort of cult-hero figure; they are removed from the pain, as you say, and this is dangerous.

 

defently Bonaparte!!!!

 

I don't know a whole helluva lot about him. I have my Thucydides, and Caesar's Conquest (a more entertaining read, for this gallic-blooded one, is the novel Druids, by Morgan Llewelyn - huge fan of Vercingetorix), but no Livy, Suetonius, Tacitus. Can you recommend a good read on the Caesars? Ever read Ronald Syme?

 

We do use a roman calendar after all. Augustus was just following after Julius (july) and even had august made to be 31 days so his month was inferior to Julius'. Quite an ego

 

Hitler is the synonym of Dictator

 

I would say Stalin.

Russia has yet to fully recover and many a dictator since tried their best to emulate him. Saddam included (not just emulating the mustache).

And who the hell is this Mabus that's being vaguely referred to? Stop putting so much faith in this Nostradamus crapola.

 

In modern times; Stalin, Mao, Hitler.

 

I hardly think those guys can be called "modern".

 

This thread sucks.

If by "greatest", you mean "most horrible", I submit to you one of a long string of evil men who headed the Ottoman Empire: Sultan Abdul Hamid.

3/4 of the posters in this thread could use a history lesson.

 

They were to me, in the sense they were the first autocrats to understand the importance of mass politics. This is modern, distinguishing them from patron-client led dictatorships of the past. During Hitler's 1933 campaign, he hopped on board his tri-motor, scurrying all over Germany to rally the troops. In using every instrument of state power to align all economic and political bodies under one corporatist roof, yep, I call that "modern."

By the way, Shamess - beautiful part of your country, there. My wife and I visited Hook Norton, Chipping Norton and other areas nearby, and fell in love with this part of England.

 

Hmm.. This might sound extreme but Russia was doing just(economically) fine with Stalin that achieved record growth. Sovjets fall was a result from post-Stalin politics. Gorbatjov and Elcins record isn't better(economical). Russia was basically feudal country when Stalin arrived to power and he leaved it as a serious competitor to the western world.

However, this does not justify everything that Stalin did.

 

Good point.