Which modern leader held the most absolute power?

Which modern leader held the most absolute power?

  • Joseph Stalin

    Votes: 48 54.5%
  • Adolf Hitler

    Votes: 8 9.1%
  • Mao Zedong

    Votes: 7 8.0%
  • Kim Il-sung

    Votes: 22 25.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 3 3.4%

  • Total voters
    88
The question is of course somewhat subjective. It would depend on both the length and "depth" of the individual leader's level of unrestrained and unquestioned power within their regimes.

Note that I am only referring to absolute power in a domestic politics sense. Thus responses should NOT take into account the strength of the regime on the international stage.

The poll is also NOT about which leader was the most evil.
 
Last edited:
Wouldn't that be the Pope in both de jure and de facto?

Interesting point. But I can't imagine any modern Pope could ever hold the kind of absolute power over the Catholic Church to the degree that, say, Stalin held over the USSR.

He is certainly the undisputed leader of the Roman Catholic Church but his power is definitely confined and constrained. A Pope that overstepped would be ignored and removed as happened in the past.
 
Last edited:
POTUS - filler

POTUS is certainly the most powerful leader when viewed in an international context. But definitely not when viewed in a domestic power context. He is constrained by the law, Congress, SCOTUS, etc.

In fact, Prime Ministers in Parliamentary Systems can be said to be more powerful domestically as they, by definition, control both the Executive and Legislative branches simultaneously.
 
Last edited:

Sabot Cat

Banned
Power in the international stage factors into domestic power. In my mind, Kim il-Sung will never be as powerful as Stalin because the former is ultimately at the mercy of the latter even when it comes to running his own nation.
 
If we leave out proportions (ie size of their countries and thus number of people controlled), they're all broadly equal, with Mao half a step behind because of the periods in which he delegated and the structure of the PRC. Hitler perhaps 'wins' because he had such total control and could - and did - rule on a whim on tiny matters and huge ones.
 
If we leave out proportions (ie size of their countries and thus number of people controlled), they're all broadly equal, with Mao half a step behind because of the periods in which he delegated and the structure of the PRC. Hitler perhaps 'wins' because he had such total control and could - and did - rule on a whim on tiny matters and huge ones.
Although the same was true of Stalin. It got to the point that when he locked himself in his room for a few days after Barbarossa started the Soviet government basically shut down. Hitler's subordinates were at least willing to do things independently (hence the idea that the Holocaust started by Himmler and co. "working towards the Fuhrer").
 
Thinking about it further, its hard to beat Kim Il-sung. He developed such absolute power that he continues to sort of hold it from the grave as "Eternal President". I believe citizens are required even now to set up "shrines" and "worship" him as a god.

And he set it up so that only his descendants would have the legitimacy to rule. Such power does he hold that today his 20-something grandson wields absolute power simply by sharing his genes!

During their lifetimes, Stalin was very close but he couldn't maintain that power in death. That is why Khrushchev could denounce him. OTOH, there's no way though that anyone in the current North Korean regime could even consider something like that!

Hitler, I think, had somewhat less absolute power than Stalin. He actually faced some opposition and had many attempts on his life, especially the famous plot on 1944.

As for Mao, I'm not sure he ever held the kind of power that even Stalin held over their respective regimes.

My domestic absolute power ranking is:
Kim Il-sung
Joseph Stalin
Adolf Hitler
Mao Zedong
 
Stalin is definitely an understandable choice. But did Stalin ever hold or exercise the absolute power over the ordinary citizen to the same extent as Kim Il-sung?

North Koreans were brainwashed and forced to worship Kim as a living God and constantly praise and thank him for everything in their lives. It wasn't enough to not oppose him, you had to actively show devotion as well.

Did Stalin ever reach that level of unquestioned loyalty and devotion from the Soviet peoples? (Genuine question not a rhetorical one.)
 
Last edited:
Papa doc duvalier.

The complete tyrant.
Amongst 30,000 killed, he had 19 guard officers shot (who were presumably involved in shooting a lot of the others), and listed there names at a speech a few days later.
Kept the head of one of his opponents in his cupboard.

Total control of the economy (destroyed it), who had control of what, allocated land at will (and shot anyone who objected), and convinced most of the survivors he was a voodoo priest with a direct line to god.

According to Wikipedia his most celebrated image shows Christ, with his hand on Papa Docs shoulder, and the tag line "I have chosen him".

So, control of economy, where you lived, how you lived, life, death, and the after life.
 
Top