10 Most BRUTAL And INSANE Dictatorships In World History

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VOICE OVER: Peter DeGiglio WRITTEN BY: Aidan Johnson

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely... Join us as we explore history's most bizarre and brutal authoritarian regimes! From leaders who claimed to descend from heaven to those who banned glasses and the word "intellectual," these dictatorships went beyond mere oppression to reach truly absurd levels of control, personality cults, and human rights violations. Our countdown includes Turkmenistan's bizarre bans, North Korea's "eternal president," Gaddafi's Revolutionary Nuns, Idi Amin's claim to Scotland, and dictators who believed in voodoo, feared witchcraft, and served human flesh to ambassadors. Which regime do you find most disturbing? Let us know in the comments below!

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan

This Central Asian nation came under the rule of Saparmurat Niyazov in 1985, who turned it into a horrific and strange dictatorship. For example, you were not allowed long hair or a beard until the age of 70. The president made it almost a requirement to read his book. To get a government position or a drivers licence, you had to pass a test on it. To help him quit smoking in 1997, he banned everyone else from doing it in public. Dogs werent allowed in the capital, and all hospitals outside of it were also banned. Since his death in 2006, the country has had two more dictators. Theyre slightly more relaxed, but still incredibly oppressive.

Were there any particularly wild regimes we forgot to mention? Let us know in the comments section!

dictatorships authoritarian regimes Rafael Trujillo Muammar Gaddafi Idi Amin François Duvalier Mobutu Sese Seko Francisco Macías Nguema Yahya Jammeh Kim Jong Un Jean-Bédel Bokassa Saparmurat Niyazov personality cult human rights violations voodoo North Korea Libya Uganda Haiti Zaire Equatorial Guinea The Gambia Turkmenistan Dominican Republic Central African Empire

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