Great Lives from History: Autocrats & Dictators

It remains a disconcerting fact that much of the world’s history has been determined by autocrats and dictators—by rulers who gained and retained power with an iron fist and a ruthless disregard for the wishes of their people, and the views of the international community. These volumes provide a comprehensive survey of the men who ruled like this.

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It remains a disconcerting fact that much of the world's history has been determined by autocrats and dictators—by rulers who gained and retained power with an iron fist and a ruthless disregard for the wishes of their people, and the views of the international community. Most people could readily list some of the world's most infamous dictators, particularly those of the twentieth century: Adolf, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Pol Pot. These volumes provide the reader with a more comprehensive survey of the men—mostly men, but a handful of women as well—who ruled their people with harsh, autocratic methods. Entries document the lives and impact of numerous figures whose very names often inspired fear among their opponents and even among those who professed to support them: Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Buonaparte, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Idi Amin, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Saddam Hussein, Jean-Claude Duvalier, Vladimir Putin. Following the popular Great Lives from History format, each essay begins with a brief synopsis explaining the individual’s historical or social importance.