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Famous Dictators Quiz #1

We give you the dictator. You give us the country they ruled.
Answer must correspond to the yellow box
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: August 30, 2018
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First submittedAugust 19, 2010
Times taken167,171
Average score59.1%
Rating4.51
4:00
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 / 22 guessed
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Dictator
Country
Adolf Hitler
Germany
Benito Mussolini
Italy
Mao Zedong
China
Josip Broz Tito
Yugoslavia
François "Papa Doc" Duvalier
Haiti
Fidel Castro
Cuba
Augusto Pinochet
Chile
Saddam Hussein
Iraq
Kim Jong-il
North Korea
Francisco Franco
Spain
Napoleon Bonaparte
France
Dictator
Country
Nicolae Ceausescu
Romania
Mobutu Sese Seko
Zaire
Idi Amin
Uganda
Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwe
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Libya
Manuel Noriega
Panama
Ferdinand Marcos
Philippines
Rafael Trujillo
Dominican Republic
Sulla
Rome
Leonid Brezhnev
Soviet Union
Hosni Mubarak
Egypt
+1
Level 7
Jun 1, 2014
actually adolf hitler is from austria not germany. he led nazi germany but wasnt german. please fix! its false info!
+9
Level 65
Feb 15, 2016
Dictator of Germany, not necessarily born in Germany.
+4
Level 59
Mar 22, 2017
The quiz asks for the country that the individual ruled - their nationality is not relevant in this quiz.
+4
Level 70
Sep 17, 2018
When Hitler was born Germany has only been around for about 20 years. Just because Austria didn't happen to be one of the countries that unified into Germany right at the beginning, that doesn't mean Hitler wasn't German. Nationality is not something that is fixed, and when Germany annexed Austria Hitler was also leader of Austria. "Germany" and "Austria" we're not at that time fixed concepts like "the USA" or "Canada" are today. But anyway the quiz does ask for the country they ruled, not their nationality, and Hitler ruled Germany.
+3
Level 7
Jun 1, 2014
oh wait never mind didnt see the top bit
+7
Level 83
Jun 14, 2014
Shouldn't Scotland work for Idi Amin?
+2
Level 37
Sep 29, 2015
The last King, didn't James McAvoy succeed him :)
+3
Level 48
Jul 1, 2018
You just made my day, bro :)
+3
Level 55
Jan 14, 2015
I thought putting Sulla was really cool. His title was officially Dictator (said in a Latin accent, of course). It would also have been appropriate to put Julius Caesar, whom everybody thinks was the first Roman Emperor, which he wasn't.
+1
Level 62
Feb 24, 2015
Seko, Trujillo and Sulla got me.
+1
Level 77
Jun 2, 2018
I got Mobuto quickly. But I had the advantage of visiting Zaire whilst he was dictator there. The extent of his evil grip on power amazed me.
+1
Level 50
Jul 19, 2015
Where's Porfirio Diaz or Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna? We Mexicans have our not-so-bright history as well.
+3
Level 63
Jul 30, 2015
I have a problem referring to the USSR leaders (except Stalin) as dictators as they had to answer to the central committee and dictators answer to no one.
+1
Level 55
Jul 30, 2015
I sort of agree, in that if the question said Stalin, nobody would complain about calling him a dictator.
+4
Level 56
Dec 16, 2015
Yes, surely Stalin is a far better example of a Soviet dictator.
+2
Level 50
Feb 15, 2016
Dictatorship of the proletariat
+5
Level 69
Oct 9, 2019
@TangoMike DotP is a term used by communists to describe a society controlled by the working class rather than the rich, not literally a dictatorship.
+3
Level 57
Feb 15, 2016
A couple more you could add on would be Chiang Kai-Shek of Taiwan/China (ROC) and maybe General Ne Win of Myanmar (Burma).

Great quiz though!

+1
Level 35
Feb 15, 2016
you missed Porfirio Díaz in México
+1
Level 57
Sep 27, 2021
True, that's the only dictator missing from this quiz.
+1
Level 29
Feb 16, 2016
I got Sulla the first... Enjoy your life.
+5
Level 65
Sep 6, 2016
Why not include Sulla's full name, since he had one...Lucius Cornelius Sulla [add a Felix at the end if you're feeling fancy]
+2
Level 37
Aug 30, 2018
To CardinalSin: In answer to your question,"what right does Elizabeth have to be queen?" - A birth right.
+1
Level 27
Nov 6, 2018
Got all with only 30s left good quiz. I knew sulla from latin class
+1
Level 45
Dec 2, 2018
How was Stalin not in there?
+1
Level 69
Oct 9, 2019
brezhnev is more well known in the region
+4
Level 59
Aug 19, 2020
In what region?
+2
Level 57
Sep 27, 2021
There is no region where Brezhnev is more well known than Stalin.
+1
Level 43
Feb 21, 2024
Brezhnev is less known therefore harder quiz.
+1
Level 58
Dec 14, 2018
Please accept PRK
+1
Level 58
Feb 3, 2019
Is 50% good for a 12 y/o
+6
Level 70
Feb 28, 2019
Nope! I'm afraid it's the short bus for you
+3
Level 49
Apr 20, 2019
That's pretty bad not gonna lie.
+7
Level 82
May 12, 2019
For a 12 year old? I'd say it's pretty good actually.
+3
Level 66
Jun 27, 2019
The average score is 14 so yes, I would say that is good for a 12 yo. Definitely not bad. Most of the people on this site are older than that, and could have heard of several from the news. Only some are covered in history classes.

So anyone saying getting 11 is bad for a 12 yo, has got some issues. (inferiority or superiority.. always hard to tell..)

even it it was bad, no need to rub it in someone's face.

+1
Level 57
Sep 27, 2021
They don't think it's bad, they're just making fun of the obnoxious behaviour.
+1
Level 72
Sep 19, 2019
I doubt I would have done that well on a similar quiz when I was 12. Mubarak and Gaddafi would have still been in power but I doubt I could have named them.
+1
Level 43
Feb 21, 2024
Dont listen to these people, that's pretty good for a kid.
+1
Level 28
Jul 30, 2019
I would suggest adding DRC or congo to zaire, because for many other quizzes the modern name is accepted, so it's better to be consistent.
+2
Level 75
Sep 19, 2019
Nice idea! Would suggest mentioning in the caveats that some of the countries no longer exist
+1
Level 41
Sep 19, 2019
Suprised by a lot of these being guessed more than Mugabe.

Also is there any reason why Stalin was omitted from this quiz?

+2
Level 67
Feb 29, 2020
He's in the next one
+1
Level 24
Sep 27, 2019
Wait...Brezhnev?
+2
Level 69
Oct 9, 2019
some of these aren't dictators by definition, just authoritarian leaders.
+2
Level 59
Aug 19, 2020
In modern English, "dictator" pretty much is a synonym of "authoritarian leader".
+2
Level 67
Feb 29, 2020
Ohhh right Zaire was where that Muhammad Ali fight was
+2
Level 67
Feb 29, 2020
Now DR Congo ofc
+1
Level 68
Apr 16, 2020
Since when is Rome a country? The answer to Sulla should be Italy.
+1
Level 78
Apr 23, 2020
Since when is Italy a country? 'Rome' or 'Roman Empire' are the most appropriate answers for Sulla.
+1
Level 78
Jul 2, 2020
Italian unification also known as the Risorgimento - 17 March 1861.

Rome was a country, arguably.

+1
Level 78
Oct 10, 2020
EcceHomo, you answered my rhetorical question.
+2
Level 78
Feb 22, 2022
Sorry Albert, my bad.
+1
Level 59
Aug 19, 2020
Italy didn't exist as a country at the time. Sulla was the dictator of Rome. The quiz is correct.
+1
Level 78
Jun 24, 2021
Arguably, Rome has been a country longer than Italy has. You had the Roman Kingdom (752-509 BC), Roman Republic (509-27 BC), Roman Empire (27 BC - 285 AD), Western Roman Empire (285-476), and the Papal States (754-1870). The Kingdom of Italy incorporated Rome in 1871 and in 1946 became the Italian Republic. Rome was a country for either 2,344 years or 1,228 years if you don't want to count the Papal States as Rome. Italy has been a country for 160 years.
+1
Level 43
Apr 27, 2020
Surprised so few got Trujillo, el jefe
+1
Level 45
Jun 10, 2020
How about adding Mohammed Farrah Aidid? He was a famous Somalian dictator and plunged the country into poverty and despair.
+2
Level 6
Jul 28, 2020
Why ZSRR is not accepted?
+1
Level 55
Nov 2, 2020
1. Soviet Union - Russia

2. Yugoslavia - Serbia

3. Zaire - DRC

4. Rome - Italy

+1
Level 57
Sep 27, 2021
No.
+1
Level 64
Jan 30, 2023
Russia and DRC work for the Soviet Union and Zaire, respectively.
+1
Level 43
Feb 21, 2024
I really don't like these "modern country for historical polity" quizzes.

It doesn't make sense. Sulla wasn't an Italian in the modern sense.

+1
Level 46
Nov 20, 2020
What about Stalin?
+2
Level 51
Dec 5, 2020
21/22 missed egypt
+4
Level 59
Dec 12, 2020
You may want to give your definition of a dictator, you clearly mix many different ages and it is historically wrong to put aside Hitler or Mussolini with older leaders like Napoleon or Sulla or with more recent ones like Saddam Hussein.

This list does not make any sense, if you just take the fact that power was in the hands of a unique person you could put in there any king in history like Henry VIII or king Richard and I'm quite sure you wouldn't describe them as dictators though.

+3
Level 77
Jun 24, 2021
Why would the quiz need to define "dictator"? It's a common word. I teach political studies, though, so I'll go over what I know. Dictatorships are typically ruled by a single authoritarian leader, but in some cases they can be oligarchical. Most dictatorships today control the political process and media to the point that there is no challenge to their power. Dictators today also often have a cult of personality. The term dictator has historically been used simply to mean a single person who has achieved power in non-democratic or monarchical ways (i.e., no vote and no longstanding tradition to explain their power). There can be bad dictators, despots, and good leaders, commonly called benevolent dictators. Lee Kuan Yew is probably the best example of a benevolent dictator. Also, keep in mind that there are different forms of dictatorship. Totalitarianism is an extreme type of dictatorship that more or less tries to control the lives and beliefs of its citizens.
+1
Level 59
Sep 28, 2021
I think the quiz should define what is a dictator because it gives a list of people who are not commonly called dictators.

For instance, were Queen Victoria or Louis XVI dictators ? It quite matches your definition and thus could be put in this quiz but I'm not sure everybody would call them that way.

Moreover, you're giving a definition of a dictator "today", pointing out that mixing areas by using a single term for all these people is a nonsense.

+2
Level 77
Jun 28, 2023
You seem to have missed the “monarchical tradition” part of my explanation.
+1
Level 43
Feb 21, 2024
Queen Victoria? Leaning towards no. The British Parliament was fairly developed in its ability to counteract the monarchy at that point. She didn't veto any laws or forcefully dissolve any governments but did have more say than modern constitutional monarchies do.

King Louis XVI? Objectively a dictator. Absolutist France was ruled by royal decree.

+1
Level 43
Feb 21, 2024
Actually yes, I would refer to absolute monarchs as hereditary dictators.
+2
Level 52
Dec 21, 2020
Wheres Hirohito?
+1
Level 58
Jun 24, 2021
He was an emperor/king. There where a lot of kings and queens with absolute power over their country in history, french, british/english, dutch, swedish, spanish, chinese, russian, persian, egyptian, babylonian,... the list is endless.

A lot of them lead their countries into wars which brought destruction and despair over their citizen.

Would you describe all of them as dictators?

+1
Level 66
Jun 24, 2021
Then what is Napoleon doing on this list?
+3
Level 77
Jun 24, 2021
Napoleon did not succeed the throne because of longstanding tradition, and is therefore not a monarch. He took power by force in a coup d'etat, which is probably one of the most dictatorial ways to come to rule a country.
+1
Level 43
Feb 21, 2024
Would every monarch who took power in a coup or through civil war be a dictator then? Think Queen Mary or the Tudors.
+1
Level 18
Apr 17, 2021
Why Brezhnev but not Stalin?
+3
Level 78
Jun 24, 2021
Brezhnev is more fun to spell? Stalin appears in a lot of quizzes already so Quizmaster decided to spread the love around a little?
+1
Level 67
Jun 13, 2021
Got Trujillo
+1
Level 66
Jun 24, 2021
By next year you'll be able to add Boris Johnson.
+1
Level 66
Jun 24, 2021
In that case Merkel would also be a fine addition.
+1
Level 77
Jun 24, 2021
Merkel is stepping down before next year.
+1
Level 70
Jun 24, 2021
or sleepy joe
+1
Level 48
Jun 24, 2021
i didnt get ,romania, uganda or libya. but apparently i missed the memo
+2
Level 76
Jun 26, 2021
So I made a tongue in cheek comment in reply to someone comparing one dictator favorably to another, get insulted by someone else in response, then reply to this comment without insulting even if with harsh words, and our comments get deleted. Except the original comment I replied to. Well done. I guess it's ok to defend fascists here, but not to call out the people who do it.
+1
Level 34
Sep 17, 2021
Where's Enver Hoxha bruh
+1
Level 65
Jan 18, 2022
Completely failed the right side
+1
Level 67
Feb 17, 2022
It really should be "Infamous Dictators quiz".
+2
Level 46
Jun 19, 2022
Tito was not a dictator, he was a president for life. In Socialist Yugoslavia the people ruled, so it doesn't even make sense that he is a dictator. Please fix this attrocity that is written in here to tie Tito, the man who saved his people and singlehandedly liberated and made one of the most powerful nations of the 20th century, together with monsters like Hitler or Mussolini.
+3
Level 82
Nov 15, 2022
Poe's law
+1
Level 64
Jan 30, 2023
If you accept Russia for the Soviet Union, can you accept Serbia for Yugoslavia, please? Josip Broz Tito is even in the Serbia Country Quiz.
+2
Level 55
Mar 22, 2023
Should put Queen Victoria on here, and every President of US :-)
+1
Level 69
Jun 28, 2023
You apparently don't know your history very well.
+1
Level 20
Jun 23, 2023
16/22 :)
+1
Level 56
Jun 28, 2023
where is dictator tal?
+2
Level 65
Jun 28, 2023
Justin Trudeau totally fits Dimby"s excellent definition(s) of a dictator.
+2
Level 67
Jun 28, 2023
He was installed democratically and can be removed democratically.
+1
Level 85
Jun 28, 2023
Sulla ruled the Hudson.
+3
Level 69
Jun 28, 2023
Napoleon a dictator? We was a popular Emperor that made sweeping changes in France and contributed to the end of the French Monarchy. Metric system. Napoleonic Code. Education reforms. Central bank and revamped financial system. His influence enhanced the revolution that slowly got rid of the absolute power of the absurd monarchies.
+1
Level 67
Jun 28, 2023
Just missed Rome
+1
Level 23
Jun 28, 2023
Also check out similar quiz by Megataco!
+1
Level 43
Oct 6, 2023
No Stalin?