Screen grab/The Guardian
And while the vast majority of dictators fall short of Hitler- or Stalin-like levels of cruelty, history is rife with oppressors, war criminals, sadists, sociopaths, and morally complacent individuals who ended up as unelected heads of government - to the tragic detriment of the people and societies they ruled.
Here's a look at 22 brutal dictators that you may not of heard of.