[CasX]

I hope you're kidding. Saddam Hussein is nowhere near the 'greatest' dictator of all time. THAT is an overwhelming lack of historical knowledge, and an incredibly huge bias towards the present time and situation. Sorry...but nope.

Saddam is NOWHERE near the top with:
- political ability
- strength of character
- leadership ability
- population manipulation
- power wielded
- people killed
- people affected
- historical legacy

History will judge Saddam...as a nobody.

More on who I would choose some other time.

[Freedom]

Saddam is NOWHERE near the top with:
- political ability
- strength of character
- leadership ability
- population manipulation
- power wielded
- people killed
- people affected
- historical legacy

I hope YOUR kidding.
-Leadership Ability: He had total control over everything
-Population Manipulation: Come on...30million people think America is more Evil then him...that is great population manipulation.
-People Affected: About 40% of the population from 1979 have been the victim of genocidal murders, deportations, internal displacement, gross human rights violations, use of Chemical weapons against his own people, torture.
-Saddam Hussein had Jacque Chirac by the "balls". Russia and China also where under Saddam sphere of influence.
-I still maintain that the victims during the Sanctions era where mostly Saddams fault
-The huge increase in cancers and deformations in Iraq from 1991-1994 are directly linked to Saddams use of chemical weapons
-He has funded the Palestinian movement and many other Islamic or other Terrorists
-Plotted to bomb the WTO first time round, attempted to assasinate Bush Sr.
-In 25 years he has invaded Iran and Kuwait and bombed Isreal and Saudi Arabia and also attempted to bomb Qautar.
-Has successfully manipulated Arabs to think he is a champion of Islam and thus single handedly increased volunteers to various Terrorist network
- If the Guerrilla campaign is indeed organised by Saddam(some evidence suggest so others dont) then he might successfully defeat the Americans giving him automatic cult status(this remains to be seen of course)
-Saddam is a lot smarter then Hitler as he has tried to eliminate the Kurds by forcing them to lose their Kurdish identity, you cannot be educated or treated in Hospitals unless you pledge you support for Saddam.

I suppose i can only conceed that he may not be Ceaser or someone, but i think of the 20th century he is at least top 5. I dunno i guess i was kinda bias to todays situation. But common 30million people marching to leave the guy in power is unprecedented and he deserves recognition for it.
[/quote]

[Togliatti]

Hussein can't be in the top 5 20 century' dictators.

Mao,Hitler,Kim,Tito,Mussolini,these are the biggest recent dictators to me.

Not to forget Castro,the strangest and most 'unusual' one.

[Freedom]

Mussolini? The guy didnt have the chops to kill the damn jews. He was a continuing weak link to the Japaneese and Germans.
Castro? I really think this guy has the best interest of his populace at heart

Saddams manipulation of the UN and people fears and prejudice against America is absolutely amazing.

I'm not to up on Kim and Tito...but from what i gather Tito wasnt that bad.

[Togliatti]

Mussolini? The guy didnt have the chops to kill the damn jews. He was a continuing weak link to the Japaneese and Germans.
Castro? I really think this guy has the best interest of his populace at heart

Saddams manipulation of the UN and people fears and prejudice against America is absolutely amazing.

I'm not to up on Kim and Tito...but from what i gather Tito wasnt that bad.

Bah..to evaluate the imprtance of a dictator there are many factors:the concentration of power,the "building of consence",the ability to penetrate every aspect of social life.

Hitler was great in everything,unfortunately..

Mussolini was really able to compnetrate every aspect of social life in Italy with Fascist Ideology,able to delete every opposition and to take the leadership in an apparently democratic way.From a technical point of view,he was a perfect dictator until 1938,when his sudditance to Hitler became too explicit.

Kim became a sort of Myth in his population,he's the biggest example of a genius of image-building:a sort of God of Propaganda,able to make feel strong one of the poorest country in the whole world.

Castro is the most 'absurd' character,apparentely out of real world,he still got the leadership in a 'communist' country.He's doubtelss the most intersting and singular personality.


Saddam it's just a product of Cold War,he could do anything he wanted for more tha 15 yrs,but he's just a minimal character in the novel of History,IMO.

[Freedom]

Okay i'll give a different answer...

For sheer killability i'd say King Leopard.
For manipulation of the international community Saddam Hussein

[MB.]

Augustus

The Pax Romana

Or... *maybe*

Kublia Khan

The Yuan Dynasty

[Mr. Smith]

Stalin and Napolean

[MB.]

In ALL of recorded history you can't find a 'better' dictator then the egotis Nap, and the other egotist Joe?

Come on man!

[Adrien]

I agree with CasX and Togliatti, Hussein is nothing compared to Hitler or any of those real mad geniuses. What he did you can find it in many other countries in the world (i especially think of Africa). He's absolutely not a great dictator, and the only importance he has is the one "we" gave him.

And Bill, Napoleon was a great dictator!

[MB.]

No, he's got too much worship and myth around him. There are museums with peices of his hair-- remind you of anyone? Mohammad perhaps?

[Adrien]

Hehe, i went to the Invalides, the Museum with the tomb of Napoleon and a museum dedicated to him.. really impressive.

Anyway, everything in Napoleon is fascinating and brilliant: the way he took power, what he did while is was in power, the family affairs, the love stories, his military tactics and campaigns, his exile, his incredible return, then his second exile, and the fact that he build his myth himself, with what we call the "Pink Legend", opposing it to the "Black Legend" of Napoleon III.

But i guess i'm biased Bill.

[Comrade Juanito]

Julius Caesar was a good dictator, he improved his country, modernived it, created new jobs for many of the romans, expanded his nations borders, competed against the senate for major rights for roman slaves and citizens and didnt even have to go through a military cue, he was appointed dictator! i doubt that would ever happen with a country like the US swatting down dictators left and right.

[FascistDictator]

Francisco Franco. Why, because he out smarted the the strongest dictators of WWII. And he was the last of the Fascists in Europe.
Franco I salute you.

[Brio]

Probably not the greatest dictator but definetly a honourable mention would have to be Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He was a brilliant military tactician (never lost a battle) and modernized Turkey immensely.

Also FascistDictator thats a good call with Franco.

[CasX]

Francisco Franco...was the last of the Fascists in Europe.

...and Europe celebrated.

[Black]

Surely Gengis Khan , Napolean, Stalin, Hitler they were all great Dictators. Augustus Caeser, Vespasian were good too. But I prefer Constantine the Great, he not only brought posperity ,unity to the Roman Empire, but did help many spiritual advancements as well.
Cheers

[Classical Liberal]

I think one great dictator many forget (except maybe Gen Talonius) is Cincinnatus. For those who don't know him, he was called on by his people to save the Roman army and Rome itself. He stopped his work as a farmer and basically saved the Army quite quickly (don't remember much, I think he surrounded the enemy). Instead of serving out the whole six-month term, he resigned and went back to farming. Now that's a spotless record, and I suppose that supports dictatorship.

[FascistDictator]

I believe that Fransico was a good dictator, if you can say that. He didnt kill his people, what he did do was united the country after a bitter civil war in the late 30's.

[Adrien]

An awfully violent war that *he* provoked and won with the help of fascists and nazis..