Born on July 29, 1883, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini, referred to affectionately by his supporters as Il Duce (“The Leader”), was the first of a series of modern dictators to rise in Europe, serving as the Prime Minister of Italy from 1922-1943. Under Mussolini, Italy became part of the Axis, fronted by Nazi Germany and…
In the current social-political climate of the West, there have been frequent calls for more females in government and positions of power. While not a bad idea at all in terms of equality, one idea espoused by many of these advocates is that men have had their time as the dominant species, and during that…
If you’ve seen “The Last King of Scotland,” have read a book, or at worst just spend a lot of time on Wikipedia then you would have heard of Idi Amin. Idi Amin was a bat-shit crazy dictator that ruled Uganda with such an iron fist that so many bodies were thrown into the rivers…
Dictator Swagger:On This Day April 19, 1993 – Waco, Texas: After a 51-day standoff with Texas law enforcement and federal agents, U.S. attorney general Janet Reno authorizes an assault on the compound of the Branch Davidians, which leaves 76 people dead, including Branch Davidian leader David Koresh and 25 children. The evolution of the Branch…
Dictator Swagger:On This Day April 15, 1912 – Pyongyang, Korea: Kim Il Sung, the man who would become North Korea’s Great Leader, is born Kim Song Ju during the Japanese colonial occupation of Korea. In the 1920s, Kim’s family relocated to Manchuria to either escape famine (non-North Korean history) or take part in revolutionary activities…
Dictator Swagger:On This Day Tirana, Albania – April 11, 1985: Albania’s communist leader Enver Hoxha dies of complications brought on by a ventricular fibrillation. Hoxha had been in increasingly fragile health since a 1973 heart attack and, in his final weeks, had been confined to a wheelchair. Hoxha’s handpicked successor Ramiz Alia assumed control of…
Dictator Swagger:On This Day Baghdad, Iraq, April 9, 2003: With the help of U.S. troops, Iraqi civilians tear down a statue of Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad. In a display of insensitivity, a U.S. marine draped a U.S. flag over the head of the statue, which reportedly stunned the crowd and drew ire from Arab…
Dictator Swagger:On This Day April 7, 2020 – Hissène Habré, the former dictator of Chad from 1982-1990, has been granted 60 days of house arrest due to the increased risk of his contracting COVID-19 in prison. The decision to move Habré from Cap Manuel Prison was made by the Senegal Ministry of Justice, the body…