Image: BBC/Ãâþýàvia Youtube/Nancy Wong via Wiki Commons
About This Quiz
So here's a question for you... Do the words "notorious" and "leader" really go together? In the case of this quiz, yes. But in the real world, not so much. These people may have been in their country's highest leadership position, but they were hardly leaders. In fact, they were... notorious. And now we ask you... Do you know them well enough to recognize them from a single photo?
It is not beginning to sound so dire, but the most depressing aspect of this quiz is that these "leaders" span the decades, even centuries! Just when you think the all-terrible one is overturned in one country, another rises or even worsens in another country! Such is the world we live in and it is up to the younger generations to break this cycle through education, democracy and simple kindness.
As we reflect on the horrific acts of Jean-Claude Duvalier and Talat Pasha, we are hopeful for a better tomorrow. From Pervez Musharraf to Fidel Castro, Kim Il-sung and all of his descendants, these notorious leaders have left a lot of pain and despair in their tracks. And though we don't want to add insult to injury, we still want to know... How well do you know these bad eggs?Â
It's time to see if you can recognize these notorious leaders. Be wary and proceed with caution!
YouTube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was a German politician who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and Leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, he initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and was a central figure to the Holocaust.
Francisco Franco
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Suharto
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Suharto
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet revolutionary and politician of Georgian ethnicity. Ideologically, he was a Marxist and a Leninist, though his own policies later became known as Stalinism.
Saddam Hussein
François Duvalier
YouTube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
François Duvalier
Ho Chi Minh
Pol Pot
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong was most commonly known as Chairman Mao. He was a Chinese communist revolutionary, poet, political theorist and founding father of the People's Republic of China, which he ruled from 1949 until his death in 1976.
Advertisement
Youtube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Pol Pot
Ruhollah Khomeini
Mobutu Sese Seko
Benito Mussolini
Known as Il Duce, meaning The Leader, Mussolini was the founder of Italian Fascism. He ruled as Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 - 1943, but after just three years in, he made a bold move from democracy to dictatorship.
Youtube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il was the leader of North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il-sung in 1994 until his own death in 2011. Did you know that he was actually born in Vyatskoye, Russia? North Korean records dispute that, however, saying he was born in the Baekdu Mountain in Japanese Korea.
Ruhollah Khomeini
Ferdinand Marcos
Muammar al-Gaddafi
youtube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Pol Pot
Pol Pot was a Cambodian revolutionary and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 to 1979. He was responsible for the Cambodian genocide carried out from 1975 - 1979.
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Omar al-Bashir
Talat Pasha
Advertisement
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Talat Pasha
Anastasio Somoza GarcÃa
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the President of Iraq from 1979 - 2003. On November 5, 2006, he was convicted by an Iraqi court of crimes against humanity related to the 1982 killing of 148 Iraqi Shi'a, and sentenced to death by hanging.
Leonid Brezhnev
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Hun Sen
Mobutu Sese Seko
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. While he has been praised for being a revolutionary hero of African liberation, he has also been accused of being a dictator responsible for economic mismanagement, widespread corruption, anti-white racism, human rights abuses and crimes against humanity.
YouTube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un has been the supreme leader of North Korea since December 17, 2011. He is the first North Korean leader to have been born after the country's founding.
Mobutu Sese Seko
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Ante Pavelić
Advertisement
Wiki Commons By Marcelo Montecino
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Ante Pavelić
Juvénal Habyarimana
Genghis Khan
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was a Cuban Communist revolutionary and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. Under his administration, Cuba became a one-party Communist state.
Nancy Wong via Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was also known as Chiang Chieh-shih and Chiang Chungcheng. He was a political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China from 1928 until his death in 1975.
Genghis Khan
Ruhollah Khomeini
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Janus Films
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a Ugandan politician and military officer who served as the President of Uganda from 1971 - 1979. Want to know how he became President? He launched a military coup in 1971 and declared himself so!
Francisco Franco
Kim Il-sung
Advertisement
Charlie Rose LLC
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Kim Il-sung
Leonid Brezhnev
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar Hafez al-Assad is the 19th and current President of Syria since July 17, 2000. In June 2014, he was included in a list of war crimes indictments of government officials and rebels handed to the International Criminal Court. Of course, he has rejected any such allegations...
Augusto Pinochet
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Augusto Pinochet
Leonid Brezhnev
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. was a corrupt Filipino politician who was President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled as a dictator and his regime was infamous for its corruption, extravagance, and brutality.
Talat Pasha
Youtube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Talat Pasha
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was the leader of North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He came to power after the end of Japanese rule in 1945 and authorized the invasion of South Korea in 1950.
Ziaur Rahman
Omar al-Bashir
Advertisement
n/a
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Omar al-Bashir
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco was a Spanish general who ruled over Spain as a military dictator from 1939 until his death in 1975. This period in Spanish history is commonly known as Francoist Spain.
Hideki TÅjÅ
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh was born Nguyá»…n Sinh Cung in 1890. He was a Communist revolutionary leader who was Chairman and First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam, and later served as President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1945 - 1969.
Juvénal Habyarimana
Suharto
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Youtube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Talat Pasha
Kim Il-sung
Ziaur Rahman
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Upon Gaddafi's death, then-U.S. President Barack Obama stated that it meant that "the shadow of tyranny over Libya has been lifted." Likewise, then-U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron stated that he was "proud" of his country's role in overthrowing "this brutal dictator."
Advertisement
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Kim Il-sung
Mobutu Sese Seko
Ferdinand Marcos
Nikita Khrushchev
During the Cold War, Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Did you know that he was responsible for the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union?
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Hun Sen
Hun Sen is the 34th and current Prime Minister of Cambodia - a role he has held since 1985. He is responsible for leasing 45 percent of the total land mass in Cambodia—mostly to foreign investors— and therefore threatening more than 150,000 Cambodians with eviction.
Mobutu Sese Seko
Omar al-Bashir
Takabeg via Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Hideki TÅjÅ
Hideki TÅjÅ was the 27th Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II. He is remembered as the notorious leader who ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Omar al-Bashir
Genghis Khan
Joseph Stalin
Advertisement
By Antônio Cruz/ABr (Agência Brasil [1]) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Joseph Stalin
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf is a Pakistani politician and a retired four-star army general who was the tenth President of Pakistan. He served from 2001 until his resignation, to avoid impeachment, in 2008.
Mao Zedong
Benito Mussolini
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Benito Mussolini
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (yes, that was his full name) was actually born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu on October 14, 1930. He was the military dictator and President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (which he renamed Zaire in 1971) from 1965 to 1997.
Idi Amin
Robert Mugabe
AFP
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Robert Mugabe
Nikita Khrushchev
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Nicknamed “Baby Doc,†Jean-Claude Duvalier was the President of Haiti from 1971 until he was overthrown by a popular uprising in 1986. Thousands of Haitians were killed or tortured, and hundreds of thousands fled the country during his presidency.
Adolf Hitler
Advertisement
ABC
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Adolf Hitler
Fidel Castro
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte was a Chilean general, politician and the dictator of Chile between 1973 and 1990. Following his rise to power, Pinochet persecuted leftists and political critics, leading to the executions of from 1,200 to as many as 80,000 people and the torture of tens of thousands.
Bashar al-Assad
tclim988 via Youtube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Bashar al-Assad
Ho Chi Minh
Benito Mussolini
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was the second and last Communist leader of Romania. His actions against anti-government protesters in 1989 was the case of the Romanian Revolution. By December 25th of that year, he and his wife were executed after being convicted of economic sabotage and genocide.
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Benito Mussolini
Hun Sen
Suharto
Suharto was the second President of Indonesia. He held office for 31 years, from the ousting of Sukarno in 1967, until his resignation in 1998. He is remembered as the most corrupt leader in modern history, having embezzled an alleged $15 billion to $35 billion during his rule.
Pervez Musharraf
Advertisement
BBC
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
François Duvalier
Known as "Papa Doc," François Duvalier was the President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. He was elected president in 1957 on a populist and black nationalist platform. After thwarting a military coup d'état in 1958, his regime rapidly became totalitarian.
Pervez Musharraf
Mao Zedong
Bashar al-Assad
emam.com via Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Bashar al-Assad
Ruhollah Khomeini
Sayyid Ruhollah Mūsavi Khomeini, known in the Western world as Ayatollah Khomeini, was an Iranian Shia Muslim religious leader and politician. He has been criticized for human rights violations of Iranians, which include his ordering the execution of thousands of political prisoners, war criminals and prisoners of the Iran–Iraq War.
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Suharto
colasito77 via Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Suharto
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski was a Polish military officer and politician who served as President from 1989 - 1990. On March 31, 2006, the Institute of National Remembrance charged him with committing Communist crimes. He evaded most court appearances, citing poor health.
Ferdinand Marcos
Nikita Khrushchev
Advertisement
Ãâþýàvia Youtube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Nikita Khrushchev
Augusto Pinochet
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev ruled over the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982. During his rule, the global influence of the Soviet Union grew dramatically. However, don't be fooled. His hostility towards reform, as well as his love for cronyism, led to the corruption and socioeconomic decline known as the Brezhnev Stagnation.
Fidel Castro
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Fidel Castro
Pervez Musharraf
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić was a Croatian fascist general and military dictator. From 1941 - 1945, he was responsible for the persecution of many racial minorities and political opponents in Croatia, including Serbs, Jews, Romani, and anti-fascist Croats.
Habesha Joy via Youtube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam was born on May 21, 1937, and became the leader of Ethiopia from 1977 -1991. He is responsible for the Ethiopian Red Terror which led to the death of more than 750,000 people.
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Leonid Brezhnev
Chiang Kai-shek
Advertisement
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Chiang Kai-shek
Omar al-Bashir
Omar al-Bashir was the 7th President of Sudan. However, in March 2009, he became the first sitting president to be indicted by the International Criminal Court for allegedly directing a campaign of mass killing, rape, and pillage against civilians in Darfur.
Mobutu Sese Seko
Adolf Hitler
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Juvénal Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana was a dictator. Did you know that electoral fraud was suspected for his unopposed re-election? Decide for yourself with these numbers: He won with 98.99 percent of the vote in 1978, 99.97 percent of the vote in 1983, and 99.98 percent of the vote in 1988. Just sayin'...
Adolf Hitler
Pol Pot
Mao Zedong
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Mao Zedong
Idi Amin
Francisco Franco
Anastasio Somoza GarcÃa
Anastasio Somoza GarcÃa was the President of Nicaragua from 1937 - 1947 and again from 1950 - 1956. In 1955, the constitution was amended to allow him to run for another term. Shortly after being nominated, he was shot on September 21, 1956, by poet Rigoberto López Pérez.
Advertisement
Croes, Rob C./Anefo via Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Ziaur Rahman
Ziaur Rahman was the seventh President of Bangladesh and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He was often criticized for ruthless treatment of his army opposition. He was assassinated by a group of army officers on May 30, 1981.
Francisco Franco
Bashar al-Assad
Hideki TÅjÅ
Youtube
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Hideki TÅjÅ
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin was the first leader and revolutionary of Soviet Russia, overthrowing the monarchy and turning Russia into a totalitarian state. He is most remembered for the "Red Terror" - a massive campaign by him under the Bolshevik government to imprison and execute the former ruling classes.
Chiang Kai-shek
Ferdinand Marcos
Wiki Commons
Which notorious world leader is seen here?
Ferdinand Marcos
Kim Jong-il
Joseph Stalin
Talat Pasha
Talat Pasha was one of the leaders of the Young Turks who ruled the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. He was responsible for ordering the arrest and deportation of Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople - beginning the horrific events of the Armenian Genocide which lasted from 1915 - 1923.
Advertisement
You Got:
/40
BBC/Ãâþýàvia Youtube/Nancy Wong via Wiki Commons