Dic­ta­tors facts

Muammar Gaddafi. Beginning in the 1980s Gadaffi travelled with his Amazonian Guard, which was a group of female bodyguards, hand-picked by Gaddafi himself. They reportedly were sworn to a life of celibacy. However, in the latter days of the Libyan civil war, accusations emerged from five members of the Amazonian Guard of rape and other abuse by the upper echelons of the Gaddafi government.

Fidel Castro ruled Cuba for 52 years (1959-2011). He was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Commander in Chief of the country’s armed forces, Prime Minister (1959-1976) and President (1976-2008).

Dominican Republic . Rafael Trujillo was a Dominican politician, soldier and dictator, who ruled the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. His 31 years in power are considered one of the bloodiest eras ever in the Americas. Trujillo and his regime were responsible for many deaths, including between 1,000 and 30,000 in the infamous Parsley massacre.

Libya. Gaddafi was a controversial and highly divisive world figure. Supporters lauded his anti-imperialist stance and work in unifying Africa and the Arab world, and he was decorated with various awards. Conversely, he was internationally condemned as a dictator and autocrat whose authoritarian administration violated the human rights of Libyan citizens and supported international terrorism.

China. This is Mao Zedong's official portrait at Tiananmen gate. In the mid-1990s, Mao Zedong's picture began to appear on all new Renminbi currency. This was officially instituted as an anti-counterfeiting measure as Mao's face is widely recognized in contrast to the generic figures that appear in older currency.

Venezuela. Hugo Chávez was the President of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013. He was a highly controversial and divisive figure both at home and abroad.

In 1953. In 1952, the Bavarian authorities ordered the Berghof to be blown up. This was done in 1953 using dynamite. Until today, we can see the remains of the building.