Dictatorship affects millions of people worldwide and has been affecting people for years. Many feel that after Hitler’s reign, dictatorship is not a major issue. However, there are still dictatorships happening worldwide to this day. What is a dictator? A dictator is a person who has total power over a group of people or country. Under a dictator’s ruling people cannot stop them from making decisions, even those that affect the public, citizens’ basic rights are taken away, creating an environment full of fear. Three major dictators who did, or currently are, abuse their power are Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un.
Adolf Hitler is a name that haunts millions of people. He made a large impact on the world from 1933-1945, and was the cause of around 6 million deaths. Hitlers rise to power was established by intense force. Hitler made numerous irrational decisions that nobody was able to stop him from due to his immense amount of power. Hitler’s invasion of Poland happened because he wanted to control the Soviet Union, however, this is not the only reason for his invasion. As Anne Frank wrote in her diary, “…he wanted Germans to live there. He considered the Polish people inferior and only fit as a workforce.” The invasion of Poland led to the beginning of World War 2. The primary reason for Hitler’s abuse of power was so that Germans would be the only race, as he believed that Germans were superior to all other races. The National Museum article states, “The ultimate aim of the Nazi Party was to seize power through Germany’s parliamentary system, install Hitler as dictator, and create a community of racially pure Germans loyal to their future, who would lead them in a campaign of racial cleansing and world conquest.” The goal of Hitler and his Nazi party went so far as to send non-German people, specifically jews, to concentration camps where they were abused and killed. Those who managed to escape the camps lived to tell stories and share their experiences in hopes nothing like this would ever happen again, but unfortunately, they were wrong.
Vladimir Putin is a modern-day dictator, and like Hitler, he invaded a nearby country that caused thousands of deaths and more to come. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been going on since 2014, and Vladimir Putin has been tormenting the people of Ukraine endlessly. Meanwhile, Russia would not receive benefits from the war. Professor Dan Saltzer from University of Michigan says, “But this war is not in Russia’s national interest in any meaningful way. Nobody is threatening Russia’s territorial integrity or even questioning it.” Putin wants as much land as possible, and is willing to kill for his goal. Multiple dictators just want to rise to power and gain more land. Putin’s aims are both internal and external, internally, he focuses on maintaining his power. Externally, he aims for Russia to reclaim the status the Soviet Union lost after the Cold War. He likely believes he’s the only one with the necessary determination and strength to achieve this, viewing others around him as weak in comparison. Ironically, by invading Ukraine to advance Russia, this is causing the opposite effect, damaging Russia’s standing and economy. Putin’s extreme military force is what he uses to show his power. BBC news declares, “It did not take him long to show he was prepared to use military power to undermine pro-Western leaders in former Soviet states.” As he aims to build his status, Putin is quickly becoming a powerful dictator who is feared across his country.
Kim Jong-un is the ruler North Korea who leaves the public in fear by his use of power. Kim Jong-un does not let anyone inside of his borders, which is why others are very worried about the activities in North Korea. If anyone is caught talking badly on his name, he has both them and their families executed, the number of how many he has killed remains unknown. He uses many forms of his power to abuse his citizens, HRW announced, “Former detainees said they were forced to sit still on the floor for days, kneeling or with their legs crossed, fists or hands on their laps, heads down, and with their eyes directed to the floor. If a detainee moved, guards punished the person or ordered collective punishment for all detainees.” The torture that he puts upon the residents of North Korea cannot be stopped because of how much power he has over the people. Just like other dictators, he uses military force to keep his people in check, BBC news reported, “His single-minded development of North Korea’s nuclear and missile program appears to have led to it making rapid strides. Of the six nuclear tests that took place between 2006 and 2017, four happened under Kim Jong Un.” The people of North Korea and other countries are too afraid to interfere or go against North Korea because of it’s strong and advanced military.
In conclusion, dreadful dictators like Hitler aren’t in the past and are still have a place in today’s world. These dictators abuse their power to make the citizens of the country they rule live in fear instead of in honor. Dictators cannot be stopped unless the people take a stand to change their country for the better. If a constitution was written or an agreement between countries to ban dictators, then the world would be a much safer and better place for everyone. Lamentably, it is not this easy and a lot harder than it sounds. Nonetheless, new generations may be able to stop dictators once and for all.
