Presents the life and leadership of Dictator Fidel Castro focusing on the revolution, the takeover, and how citizens lived under his rule. Also examines Cuba's economy, relationships with other nations, and political prisoners.

Examines the rule of Mao Zedong in China from the 1950s to the 1970s. Describes how he came to power in 1949 after a long civil war and immediately created a Communist, totalitarian state. Discusses his 1960s Cultural Revolution intended to eliminate the remaining elements of traditional Chinese society.

Saddam Hussein, one of the world's most infamous dictators, rose to power through Iraq's powerful Baath Party and became the nation's president in 1979. His goals included achieving pan-Arabism, more evenly distributing the nation's oil wealth, and extending the party's power by reaching into every aspect of Iraqis' lives. However, through his failed economic programs, greed, corruption, and the murder of thousands, Hussein and his government brought...

Pol Pot, one of the world's most infamous dictators, rose to power in the 1960s in the Southeast Asian country of Cambodia. In the mid-1900s, Cambodia had been chafing for centuries under Thai, Vietnamese, and French control. As leader of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia's communist rebel movement, Pol Pot won control of Cambodia in 1975. He intended to establish a farming utopia. Declaring that society needed purification, he set out to extinguish capitalism,...

Profiles the dictatorship of the Assads in Syria, from their rise to power to the present day.

The harsh dictatorship that Burma has endured for many years is explored, and Than Shwe's human rights abuses are highlighted.