The true measure of a man is how he or she is remembered. Among the great people of history, a few of our world leaders will be remembered for their actions-not positive, but negative. Some will be remembered with horror for the things they caused to happen, the deaths that they caused to take place, the economic woes they caused, or for their vast and outstanding attack on human rights.
Others will be remembered for the wars they began or the questions surrounding their policies and leadership. We do not compare these lives or leadership, merely state that they are among those which are currently most questioned and most notorious of all leaders of men.
Our list of the some of the most notorious or infamous world leaders include:
1.Ayatollah Khomeini
Spent ten years as the leader of Iran and Islam. He was one of the most strict and difficult people to please, and according to reports, the punishment for disagreeing with him was swift and severe.
While conversing at the Fayzieah School on August 30, 1979, Khomeini stated: "Who's trying to bring corruption and destruction to our country in the name of democracy will suffer. They are worse than the Jews of Banu-Ghorizeh, and they should be hanged. We will torture them on the orders of God ..."
In 1988 Khomeini ordered that the court officials judge everyone that was charged guilty and kill them. Thousands died in prison while more than thirty thousand political activists against Khomeini also died. Khomeina died at aged 86 in 1989.
2. Idi Amin Dada
At one time a doctor, charged with healing the sick, Idi Amin along the way to being ruler of his country seemed to lose that small spark of humanity. Taking power from another regime in a military uprising, he violated human rights excessively, and was responsible for many thousands of killings, which historians number between 80 thousand and half a million. Never, until his death did he offer any kind of remorse for the starving, beating, murders or ethnic cleansing that he brought about.
3. Hitler
Who needs an explanation of why Hitler has been added to this list? Among the most cruel and horrific his deeds with the Jews and the holocaust will be forever imprinted into our memories. Responsible for several million deaths, Hitler goes down in history as a violently made man of genius IQ who wasn't seen as a threat to his country until far too late.
4. Pol Pot
Another in our array of the most notorious and the most prolific killers on the list. The leader of the Khmer Rouge as well as the Cambodian Prime minister until 1979 was responsible for the murder of more than 2 million people. All in all he was either directly or indirectly responsible for the death of more than one third of his country through mass executions and burials or slave labor of his people in the fields. He became best known for his "fields of murder."
5. Fidel Castro
Hailed as a wonderful leader and the savior of his people, Castro is also among the most notorious and the most hated and feared by some. Known for perpetrating arrests against those who even speak ill of him, he is also hailed by his people for turning around the economy and helping them to become more prosperous. Do you see him as a petty despot, or a hero? That would depend on which side of Castro you ended up on.
6. George Bush
Noted as one of the most restrictive of presidents in the United States, Bush was president in a time when the twin towers were torn from the ground and American's lost some innocence along with their freedom. Who was Bush? Did he really steal American freedom or were his reasons for war and erosion of American rights sufficient for the actions that he took?
7. Kim Jong Il
The leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea has been in power for more than half of his life. Among those things he is most noted for, the deifying of himself and his father, the cruel and brutal treatment of political opponents, as well as his having changed the constitution of Korea to have himself named the "supreme leader." Sham trials and lengthy terms of hard labor are a staple diet of Korea under his rule. Speculation is rampant that he will step down later in September of 2010 in favor of his son.
8. Stalin
Known , for his brutality with detractors, and for his absolute refusal to hear a word bad about himself, he was also noted for his support of Lenin, though Lenin would as soon have not had Stalin to replace him. He was also known for his hatred and rising against Hitler, as well as his "scorched earth policy" to deal with the invaders. While he was not the leader many would have chosen Stalin remains virtually a legend and in fact, the structures that he put in place for government remained so until Gorbachev came to power in the mid 80s.
9.Charles Taylor
He was the president of Liberia from August 1997 to August 2003 when he resigned. He founded the National Patriotic Front of Liberia and launched an uprising to overthrow the Doe regime. This started the First Liberian Civil War. He became a prominent warlord. In 1997 he became president.During his presidency he is alleged to have supported the Sierra Leone rebels Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and giving them weapons.He also has been charged with war crimes by supporting RUF in their killing of thousands of civilians as well as torture. The RUF also recruited child soldiers and Charles Taylor was accused of helping them with this. He is currently in custody and undergoing a prolonged trial for his crimes against humanity and war crimes.
10. Saddam Hussein
Beginning in 1979 and lasting until 2003, Saddam Hussein lorded over Iraq with a fist of iron and killing all of those who opposed him. Touted and denigrated as the Hitler of modern times, Hussein drained swamps to starve out thousands who relied upon them for food, executed literally millions who opposed him and is also known for his ill treatment of the wives and daughters of those who opposed him. In some cases, even members of his own family disappeared without a trace. Using chemical weaponry against Iran, and even his own people. Hussein was executed in Iraq for his crimes against his country in 2006.
The above list is far from exhaustible there are many more infamous world leaders.
