Despot Calling the Kettle... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Josef Stalin

Josef Stalin (1878-1953) was the leader and dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from the late 1920s until his death. He took part in the Russian Revolution of 1917 and later rose to become General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1922. Under his leadership, the Soviet Union went from an agrarian society into an industrial and military superpower.

However, he ruled by terror and, between 1934 and 1939, orchestrated "The Great Purge" where his enemies were imprisoned, exiled or executed.

He is said to be responsible for the deaths of about 20 million people - that is some statistic!

Answer: Attila the Hun

Attila established the Hunnic Empire and ruled the Huns from 434 AD until his death in March of 453 AD in Hungary. The Roman Empire had already been weakened by the Visigoths, leaving Attila's forces able to decimate Roman cities and towns. He broke treaties, razed towns, killed civilians...and that was just before breakfast! Somehow, between all the fighting and conquering, he managed to meet a young woman named Ildico and, in 453 AD, they were married.

Historian Will Durant wrote "He celebrated the wedding with an unusual indulgence in food and drink...he was found dead in bed beside his young wife; he had burst a blood vessel" and the blood choked him to death.

Answer: Khmer Rouge

Pol Pot (1925-1998) led the Khmer Rouge movement in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, during which time at least 20% of the population, i.e. 1.5 million out of 7.5 million Cambodians, died of starvation, overwork, disease or execution. The Khmer Rouge, formed in 1968, was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party in Kampuchea.

They attempted to set up a classless society, but their actions produced massacres on a massive scale, sometimes known as "killing fields". They were finally overthrown by an invading Vietnamese army in 1979. Pol Pot was never brought to justice for his crimes.

Answer: Joaquin Guzman

The Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo is actually Joaquin Achivaldo Guzman Loera. While he does not rule over a country, he is the head of the criminal organization known as the Sinaloa Cartel, after the Mexican Pacific coast state of Sinaloa. The United States Department of the Treasury considers El Chapo ("the Shorty") to be "the most powerful drug trafficker in the world". Guzman's cartel ships cocaine from Colombia through Mexico to the U.S., in addition to distributing meth, marijuana, ecstasy and heroin.

He has been caught and escaped several times.

Answer: Josef Mengele

While all the choices above held high positions under Hitler's rule, it was Dr. Josef Mengele who was nicknamed the Angel of Death, i.e., in German - Todesengel. During World War II, Mengele was an SS officer and doctor at Auschwitz. He was one of the doctors who selected the victims to be sent to the gas chambers; additionally, he was known to perform deadly experiments on the prisoners - all in the name of science! He left Auschwitz in January 1945, fled to South America and was never captured or brought to justice for his crimes.

Answer: Romania

Nicolae Ceausescu (1918-1989) was the General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989. Ceausescu's regime became increasingly repressive, mirroring the rule under Stalin. His government controlled the media and dissent was not permitted.

He had secret police, the Securitate, which were among the most brutal in the world. Finally, after almost 25 years under his oppressive rule, on December 25, 1989, Ceausescu and his wife Elena were executed by a firing squad.

Answer: Tamerlane

Tamerlane (1336-1405), also known as Amir Timur, ruled the Timurud dynasty across Persia and Central Asia. Tamerlane (Persian for 'Timur the Lame') is said to be a descendant of Genghis Khan. Legendary for his ruthless savagery, he massacred entire populations, including 80,000 residents of Delhi, India. He is also known to have built towers out of the skulls of his victims.

Chou En-lai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China.
Kim Jong Un took over as leader of North Korea in 2011.
Chiang Kai-shek served as a leader of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1975.

Answer: Robespierre

Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794) is often cited as responsible for the Reign of Terror, i.e., September 5, 1793 to July 28, 1794, during the French Revolution. The revolution was being fought for a democratic France, but Robespierre exchanged those ideals for fanaticism.

As leader of the Committee of Public Safety (oxymoron?) he turned the country into a 'police state', sending his enemies to the guillotine without benefit of a trial. It is estimated that, during his 'reign', 40,000 men and women were either executed or died in prison, while another 300,000 were imprisoned. Only with his beheading did the Reign of Terror end.

Answer: Francois Duvalier

Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier (1907-1971) was elected President of Haiti in 1957 with the backing of the army; in 1964 he declared himself President for Life. He had promised to help the poor black majority but, instead, had his secret policemen (the 'Tonton Macoute') murder and torture his opponents. He used fear, voodoo and intimidation to keep his subjects in line, occasionally displaying a victim's severed head in the marketplace as a warning to others.
He collected unofficial taxes and tributes and left Haiti as one of the world's poorest countries.
Mugabe is from Zimbabwe, Mubarek from Egypt and Amin from Uganda.

Answer: Muammar Gaddafi

Colonel Gaddafi (1942-2011) ruled Libya from 1969 until his death. During his tenure, Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a terrorist bomb on December 21, 1988. The plane crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members, in addition to 11 more people on the ground. It was not until 2003 that Gaddafi took responsibility for the bombing and compensated the families of the victims, while still asserting that he had never given the order for the attack.
Khomeni ruled Iran. Hussein controlled Iraq. Bin Laden was the founder of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.