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Hassan al-Banna

2017-05-14T18:24:13Z

SteveVi:

'''Hassan al-Banna''' (1906-1949) was the [[Egypt]]ian founder of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]].

Alternate spellings: Hasan El Banna, Hasan Al Banna, Hassan El Banna. (The English spelling of Middle-Eastern names is often arbitrary, since it is not possible to find exact English equivalents for some letters.)<ref>http://www.mideastweb.org/Middle-East-Encyclopedia/hassan-al-banna.htm Retrieved March 30, 2015</ref>

Born October 14, 1906 near Cairo Egypt, died February 12, 1949.

Radical (violent jihab-promoting) Islamist and founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (also called Jamaat al-Ikhwan)<ref>Online Middle East Encyclopedia, Hassan al Banna</ref>

'''Early life'''

Hassan was born to pious Muslim parents. His father sold record players and repaired watches to make a living, but he was also a local imam, Shayk (Sheik) Ahmad al-Banna. He was a teacher of the Hanbali Madh’hab Fiqh school of Islamic jurisprudence, and well-regarded in the community. He studied Islam and wrote and collaborated on books on Islam. The family owned property but was not wealthy.<ref>Online Middle East Encyclopedia, Hassan al Banna</ref>
By the age of 13, Hassan was involved in politics, participating in the 1919 demonstrations during the revolution against British rule. At 15, he joined the Hasfiya Iufi Order, having been interested since the age of 12.<ref>Online Middle East Encyclopedia, Hassan al Banna</ref>

'''Education and Influences'''

In 1923, he entered the State Teacher’s Training Center, and graduated at the age of 16, first in his class. Then he entered Dar al-Ulum College (Al Azhar University) in Cairo. Those proved to be influential years in his life. He met many prominent Islamic scholars because of his father’s connections. The greatest influence was his adverse reaction to the breakdown of Islamic society and the trend toward secularism that he found in the city. He was concerned that young people were abandoning Islam and blamed the onslaught of Western culture.<ref>ibid.</ref> The teaching he received there may also have been influential. Several other radical Islamists also studied there, including Abdulla Azzam, 1941-1989, an educator considered “gatekeeper of the jihad”; Huari Boumedienne, 1932-1978, an Algerian dictator; Sayyid Qutb, 1906-1966, Muslim Brotherhood philosopher and successor of Hassan, and Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, 1936-2004, Hamas leader.<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/6321/000135227/</ref> Hassan graduated in 1927.
Al Hassan was a follower of Islamic reformists, the Egyptian Muhammed Abduh and his disciple, the Syrian Rashi Rida. They believed that the trend of declining Islam could only be reversed by a return to “pure” Islam.<ref>Op. cit.</ref>

'''Affiliations & Philosophy'''

Al-Banna was a Sunni Muslim <ref>ibid.</ref> He was heavily influenced by the extremist Wahhabi Islam of Saudi Arabia.<ref>Erick Stakelbeck, The Brotherhood—America’s Next Great Enemy, Regnery Publishing, Washington, D.C., 2013</ref> Al-Banna claimed to be a Salafi, but other Salafis criticized both him and his mentors, Abduh and Rida. They saw his cause as a political expediency. .”<ref>Online Middle East Dictionary, Hassan Al-Banna</ref>

'''Early Work and Efforts to Attract Followers'''

Although a strict Muslim, Al-Banna made many adaptations in order to attract followers. He adopted semi-western dress and a modest, trimmed beard. He preached at sites where followers of folk Islam worshiped dead “saints” a practice he despised, yet he did so without criticizing the practice, drawing followers to himself. He took work as an Arabic language teacher in a state primary school in Ismailiya near the Suez Canal zone. At night he gave classes to his pupils’ parents. While a teacher, he also preached in local mosques and coffee houses, dedicating his life to being a “counselor and teacher” of young and old alike.<ref>Online Middle East Encyclopedia, Hassan al Banna</ref>

Al-Banna wanted Islam to be more active in condemning and combatting atheism, Christian missionary work, and colonialism.<ref>Ibid.</ref> Key themes of his teaching were violent jihad, the cult of martyrdom, the supremacy of Islam, the restoration of the Islamic caliphate, the decadence and he believed, imminent demise of the West, anti-semitism and later, anti-Zionism.<ref>Online Middle East Encyclopedia</ref>

'''Founding of the Muslim Brotherhood'''

The Muslim Brotherhood was launched in March, 1928, barely one year after Al Hassan completed university. The impetus in Al-Banna’s mind seems to have been his devastation over the abolition of the last caliphate of the Ottoman Empire by Kemal Atatürk in 1924.<ref>http://counterjihadreport.com/history-of-muslim-brotherhood-penetration-of-the-u-s-government/ Accessed March 30, 2015</ref> He wanted to revive political aspects of Islam that had declined under British rule.<ref>Spencer, Stealth Jihad, Regnery Publishing, Washington, D.C., 2008, p. 14</ref> But his goals transcended politics. There were not just about anticolonialism or the renewal of Islam. Rather, they were about a world revolution establishing Islam as the dominant religion of the world.<ref>Online Middle-East Encyclopedia, “Hassan Al-Banna”</ref> He said, “We will not stop at this point (freeing Egypt from secularism and modernity) but will pursue this evil force to its own lands, invade its Western heartland, and struggle to overcome it until all the world shouts by the name of the Prophet and the teachings of Islam are spread throughout the world. Only then will Muslims achieve their fundamental goal…and all religion will be exclusively for Allah.”<ref>Habeck, Knowing the Enemy, p. 120.</ref>

'''Goals of the Muslim Brotherhood in the time of Al-Banna'''

In 1934 Al-Banna wrote that “it is a duty incumbent on every Muslim to struggle towards the aim of making every people Muslim and the whole world Islamic.”<ref>Spencer, Onward Christian Soldiers, p. 218.</ref> He rejected the Western ideal of democracy because it did not line up with his ideal of universal Islamic rule. According to him, “the nature of Islam is to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its laws on all nations, and to extend its power to the entire planet.”<ref>Andrew C. McCarthy, Willful Blindness—A Memoir of the Jihad, Encounter Books, New York & London, 2008, p. 39</ref> His writings paved the way for all the forms of jihad that would come later. Concerning jihad, he wrote, “Fighting the unbelievers involve all possible efforts that are necessary to dismantle the power of the enemies of Islam including beating them, plundering their wealth, destroying their places of worship and smashing their idols.”<ref>McCarthy, The Grand Jihad, p. 56</ref> He developed their motto, still in use today: “God is our purpose. The Prophet is our leader. The Qur’an is our constitution. Jihad is our way. Dying for God’s cause is our supreme objective.”<ref>Online Middle East Dictionary, Hassan Al-Banna</ref>
Although it has tried to project a moderate image to the Western world, the character of the Muslim Brotherhood has been “extremist and violent from its inception.”<ref>Online Middle East Dictionary, Hassan Al-Banna</ref> Its original charter, Article (2) declared as its goals “establishing Allah’s law in the land, establishing the Islamic State, and building a new basis of human civilization as is ensured by the overall teachings of Islam.”<ref>Online Counter-Jihad Report, History of the Muslim Brotherhood</ref> It also declared in Article (3) E, “The Islamic nation must be fully prepared to fight the enemies of Allah as a prelude to establishing an Islamic state.” .”<ref>Online Counter-Jihad Report, History of the Muslim Brotherhood. From 2005 to 2011, the Original By-Laws were posted on line by the Brotherhood’s English-speaking website, Ikhanweb. Since then they have been preserved by Steven Emerson at The Investigative Project on Terrorism. See www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/673.pdf.</ref> “Yet al-Banna was “not offering Muslims a new version of Islam, but a deeply traditional one. The call to restore the purity and vitality of Islam has always struck a chord among Muslims.” This was part of the reason for its attractiveness and rapid growth.<ref>Spencer, Onward Christian Soldiers, p. 220</ref> Stackelbeck agrees, noting that Al-Banna didn’t create it “ex nihilo”. “The Muslim glorification of martyrdom is as old as Islam itself and comes directly from the Koran and Hadiths.”<ref>Stakelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 75</ref>

'''Methods of the Al-Banna’s Muslim Brotherhood'''

Al Banna’s Muslim Brotherhood was inherently subversive. He used it as a channel of political discontent,” leading agitation against the government<ref>Online Middle East Dictionary, Hassan Al-Banna</ref> He developed separate sections to promote the brotherhood amongst various groups, and developed businesses, schools and clinics to support it financially and aid in recruiting. .”<ref>Online Middle East Dictionary, Hassan Al-Banna</ref>
On one level, the Muslim Brotherhood operated openly as a social and political membership organization. On the other hand, other aspects of it also operated secretly, training combatants, enforcing their ideas by intimidation, initiating attacks against Jews, assassinating officials.<ref>Spencer, Onward Muslim Soldiers, p. 219</ref> These underground cells began major acts of violence in the 1940s.<ref>Online Middle East Dictionary, Hassan Al-Banna</ref> They have been described as acting with “military-like efficiency”<ref>McCarthy, Willful Blindness, p. 39</ref> A group of Brotherhood members were tried and found guilty of violence. Eight months later, the judge was assassinated by two Brotherhood members.<ref>Online Middle East Encyclopedia, Hassan al Banna</ref>

'''The Art of Death'''

Al-Banna called martyrdom by jihad “the art of death” in a famous essay by that name. He insisted that the Qur'an teaches believers to love death more than life.<ref>Stakelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 14</ref> One of the Brotherhood’s goals was to “mobilize the entire Ummah into one body to defend the cause with all its strength…to jihad, to warfare…<ref>http://counter-jihadreport.com/history-of-muslim-brotherhood-penetration-of-the-u-s-government/ Accessed March 30, 2015, quoting “On Jihad” by Hasan al-Banna. Accessed online January 1, 2013 at http://www.islamic-world.net/book/jihad_preface.htm</ref>
The call was always to Dawa (proselytization), then to jihad. Another method of operation was gaining control of mosques and Islamic centers.<ref>Stakelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 7</ref>

'''Muslim Brotherhood Association with Nazis'''

The growth of the Muslim Brotherhood was aided by its association with Nazism and the Third Reich.<ref>Middle East Dictionary, Hassan al Banna</ref> The two movements share several common views and goals: hatred of the Jews, authoritarianism, addiction to violence, desire to defeat the British, and a predilection to say one thing while doing another. .”<ref>Middle East Encyclopedia, Hassan Al Banna</ref>

'''Growth of the Muslim Brotherhood'''

Using the slogan formed by Al-Banna, “Islam is the answer,” the Brotherhood spread like wildfire.<ref>Stackelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 7</ref> By 1936, only 8 years after its founding, the Muslim Brotherhood had about 800 members around Cairo, and braches in eleven countries, including one in Paris, France.<ref>Spencer, Onward Christian Soldiers, p. 219-220.</ref> Two years later there were nearly 200,000 in Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine. On the eve of World War II, there were half a million in 2,000 branches around the world<ref>Middle East Encyclopedia, Hassan al-Banna</ref> By the late 1940s, there were about 2 million. Today, there are 100 million members or devotees.<ref>Stakelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 7</ref>

'''Death'''

In December 1948, Prime Minister Mahmoud El-Norqrashi Pasha had dissolved the Muslim Brotherhood by military decree because they had secretly plotted to overthrow the monarchy. Twenty days later, the Muslim Brotherhood assassinated him. In typical Muslim Brotherhood duplicity, Al-Banna publicly declared that those who did it were “neither brothers nor Muslims.” The government, unconvinced, had him assassinated on February 12, 1949. Al-Banna was 43 years old. The Muslim Brotherhood went underground, where it continued to pursue its goal of Islamic world domination.<ref>Online Middle East Encyclopedia, Hassan al Banna</ref>

'''Legacy'''

Al-Banna is a revered figure in the Muslim world today, amongst those who claim to be “moderates” as well as “radicals”.<ref>Robert Spencer, Onward Muslim Soldiers, Regnery Publishing, Washington, D.C., 2003</ref> He invoked the term “Islamism” to describe terrorists and all who share the terrorist goal of installing a society ruled by Shariah law, which was one of his own top goals.<ref>Andrew D. McCarthy, The Grand Jihad—How Islam and the Left Sabotage America, Encounter Books, New York & London, c. 2010, p. 38-39.</ref> The Muslim Brotherhood has never disavowed its jihadist founder.<ref>Stakelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 79</ref> The statements and actions of Al-Banna laid the groundwork for the anti-semitism of today’s organization.<ref>Stakelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 84</ref> Stakelbeck, an acclaimed expert on terrorism, sees Hassan al-Banna’s main accomplishment as “updating and repackaging the time-tested Islamic supremacist ideology of jihad and conquest for the restless masses of his day.”<ref>Stackelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 79</ref> Despite Al-Banna’s published writings advocating violent jihad and the overthrow of Western Civilization, the Muslim American Society calls the group “moderate” and admits that they are influenced by the ideas of the Brotherhood.<ref>Stakelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 211</ref> Today, the Muslim Brotherhood boasts of seventy offshoot terrorist organizations.<ref>Brigitte Gabriel, They Must Be Stopped, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2008, p. 73</ref> Two of these organizations are Hamas and Al Qaeda.<ref>Spencer, Stealth Jihad, p. 14</ref> The Hamas Covenant specifically identifies Hamas as the Palestinian faction of the Muslim Brotherhood.<ref>Stakelbeck, The Terrorist Next Door, p. 201.</ref> In fact, Stakelbeck claims that “all modern jihadists trace back in one way or another to the Muslim Brotherhood and the teachings of Al-Banna and his successors.”<ref>Stakelbeck, The Brotherhood, p. 75</ref> He calls the Muslim Brotherhood the “dean of all modern Islamic terrorist groups, having provided the ideological inspiration and blueprint for Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and many of today’s most violent jihadist outfits.”<ref>Stakelbeck, The Terrorist Next Door, p.37</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Sunnis]]
[[Category:Egypt]]
[[Category:Islam]]

List of dictators

2017-05-10T05:40:41Z

SteveVi: Correction

The following is a list of national leaders ([[Head of state|heads of state]] and/or [[Head of government|heads of government]]) commonly regarded as modern [[dictator]]s. This usage usually carries a pejorative sense and refers to a ruler who:

* Rules by decree, via an Enabling Act or similar laws passed by a legislature allowing him to do so;
* is an absolute ruler of a [[state|sovereign state]], usually appointed, but without hereditary ascension;
* governs outside the otherwise accepted [[rule of law]];
* commonly (but not necessarily) gaining power through [[fraud]], a coup d'état, resorting to either again to continue in power;
* may develop a [[cult of personality]];
* may be autocratic, oppressive, despotic or tyrannical.

Some so-called "benevolent dictators" may be viewed as beneficial and their leadership seen as a "necessary evil".
The modern usage of the term 'dictator' developed largely in response to instances of autocratic rule in [[republic]]s, so traditional [[monarch]]s are not usually described as dictators in historical commentary. Also excluded from this list are those who held absolute power during national emergencies, but restored the rule of law soon thereafter. Otherwise those included have been widely cited by historians or described by the [[Mass media|media]] as dictators. Any controversy surrounding such characterisation is mentioned in the notes.

The list is sorted according to when each dictator began their years in power. This refers to any years in office as a head of state, government or the like before their dictatorship was established. Any years of elected and judicial rule may be indicated parenthetically.

==Africa==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
|align=center|[[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] ||align=center| [[Egypt]] ||align=center| 1954–1970 || Prime Minister of Egypt 1954-1962; President of Egypt 1956-1970. Part of a group of officers in control of Egypt after the coup against British supported [[Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk]] in 1952; In February 1954, Nasser forced {{fact}} President [[Muhammad Naguib]] to appoint him prime minister and give up most practical power to him; later in that year Naguib resigned and Nasser became president by self-appointment; elected by popular vote (as only candidate) in 1956, and subsequently. Many personalistic elements to Nasser's rule, but nominal parliamentary system under Nasser's 1956-1970 presidency {{fact}}, until his death in 1970.
|-
|align=center|[[Ahmed Sékou Touré]] ||align=center| [[Guinea]] ||align=center| 1958–1984 || President of Guinea. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/DIAINS.html], [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2003/profile_jazz.shtml]) with estimates of up to 50,000 extrajudicial killings during his rule (see [http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat6.htm]) and 250,000 Guineans fleeing his rule ([http://www.africanet.com/africanet/country/guinea/history.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[David Dacko]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 1960–1966 1979–1981 || President of the Central African Republic. Banned opposition (see [http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad36]); Gained power by coup in 1979, though subsequently stood for election (see [http://www.african-geopolitics.org/show.aspx?ArticleId=3638]).
|-
|align=center|[[Kwame Nkrumah]] ||align=center| [[Ghana]] ||align=center| 1960–1966 || Created an single-party-system. Described himself as "African [[Lenin]]".
|-
|align=center|[[Modibo Keita]] ||align=center| [[Mali]] ||align=center| 1960–1968 || Schoolteacher and first President of Mali. Forced socialization and extensive protectionism severely harmed the economy and continued the country's dependence on aid donors. Discontent with these policies led Keita to implement his own "Cultural Revolution" and establish a network of people's militias to inform on and punish dissent. In the last few years of his presidency, full powers were vested in an extralegal "National Committee for Defense of the Revolution". He was deposed in a military coup.
|-
|align=center|[[François (Ngarta) Tombalbaye|François Tombalbaye]] ||align=center| [[Chad]] ||align=center| 1960–1975 || Head of State 1960-1962; President of Chad 1962-1975. Never fought a contested election; imprisoned opposition leaders. Launched a "Cultural Revolution" in the early 1970s encouraging ''[[authenticité]]''.
|-
|align=center|[[Félix Houphouët-Boigny]] ||align=center| [[Côte d'Ivoire]] ||align=center| 1960–1993 || President of Côte d'Ivoire. Ruled until 1990 with all opposition banned, but not considered particularly repressive. Relocated the official capital to his home village of [[Yamoussoukro]] and constructed the [[Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro]], the largest religious structure in Africa.
|-
|align=center|[[Milton Obote]] ||align=center| [[Uganda]] ||align=center| 1962–1972 1980–1985 || Prime Minister of Uganda 1962-1966; President of Uganda 1966-1971 and 1980-1985. Suspended the constitution and declared himself President and Prime Minister in 1966.
|-
|align=center|[[Hastings Kamuzu Banda]] ||align=center| [[Malawi]] ||align=center| 1963–1994 || Prime Minister of Malawi 1963-1966; President of Malawi 1966-1994. Banned all opposition in 1966; declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1971; exiled and killed opposition leaders. Ordered that a letter bomb be sent to exiled opposition leader [[Attati Mpakati]]; suspected of being involved in the car crash deaths of senior Congress Party leaders; violently crushed an attempted rebellion. Aged 98, he allowed and lost a free election in 1994.
|-
|align=center|[[Kenneth Kaunda]] ||align=center| [[Zambia]] ||align=center| 1964–1991 || President of the Republic of Zambia 1964-1991.Elected 1964, banned all political parties in Zambia, viewed himself as "WAMUYAYA" (eternal President).Accused of torturing political opponents.Defeated by Frederick Chiluba in 1991.
|-
|align=center|[[Houari Boumediene]] ||align=center| [[Algeria]] ||align=center| 1965–1978 || 
President of Algeria from June 19, 1965 to his death, (December 27, 1978; Chairman of the Revolutionary Council until December 12, 1976). In June 1965, Boumédienne seized power in a bloodless coup. Initially lacking a personal power base, he was seen as a weak ruler. But after a botched coup attempt against him by military officers in 1967 he tightened his rule, and then remained Algeria's undisputed ruler until his death in 1978.
|-
|align=center|[[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 1966–1979 || President of the Central African Republic 1966-1976; Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire 1976-1979. Bokassa overthrew the autocratic Dacko in a swift coup d'état and assumed power as president of the Republic and head of the sole political party, the Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique Noire (MESAN). Bokassa abolished the constitution of 1959 on January 4 and began to rule by decree. He proclaimed himself emperor in 1976 (see [http://www.african-geopolitics.org/show.aspx?ArticleId=3638]).
|-
|align=center|[[Gnassingbé Eyadéma]] ||align=center| [[Togo]] ||align=center| 1967–2005 || President of Togo. Gained power in a coup; never fought a contested election until 1998; banned, tortured and killed opposition. Fostered a cult of personality that was reinforced after he was the sole survivor of an airplane crash in 1974. In late 1991, troops loyal to Eyadéma closed a constitutional conference that had shifted most executive power to a new transitional government and banned Eyadéma's RPT party. January 1993 saw a mass exodus of residents to neighboring states after security forces fired on pro-democracy demonstrators. Further repression followed a purported 1994 coup attempt (see [http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/mar/data/togoewechro.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[Omar Bongo]] ||align=center| [[Gabon]] ||align=center| 1967–2009 || As vice president, he acceded to the presidency following the death of President [[Léon M'ba]]. In 1968, Bongo decreed a one-party state under his [[Gabonese Democratic Party]] and was thrice elected unopposed in the 1970s and 1980s. He became very wealthy during the country's oil boom. Open elections were held in 1990 and Bongo was re-elected in 1993, 1998 and 2005. Observers have criticized the elections as unfair and corruption watchdogs have accused the president of [[nepotism]]. Riots resulting from the mysterious death in 1990 of prominent dissident [[Joseph Rendjambe]] in a government hotel room were put down by French troops.
|-
|align=center|[[Moussa Traoré]] ||align=center| [[Mali]] ||align=center| 1968–1991 || Chairman of the Military National Liberation Committee 1968-1969; Head of State 1969-1979; President of Mali 1979-1991. Seized power in a coup; banned all opposition; installed a police state; established one-party state in 1979.
|-
|align=center|[[Francisco Macías Nguema]] ||align=center| [[Equatorial Guinea]] ||align=center| 1968–1979 || President of Equatorial Guinea 1968-1979. Elected in 1968 but declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1972; "extreme personality cult"; over a third of population fled his regime. Banned fishing and sanctioned the deaths of most of his pre-independence political rivals, including ex-prime minister [[Bonifacio Ondó Edu]] and foreign minister [[Atanasio Ndongo Miyone]]. Declared an [[Atheism|atheist]] state by Spanish dictator [[Francisco Franco]]. As many as 50,000 civilians were killed, in particular those of the [[Bubi]] ethnic [[minority]] on [[Bioko]] associated with relative wealth and [[intellectual]]ism.
|-
|align=center|[[Gaafar Nimeiry]] ||align=center| [[Sudan]] ||align=center| 1969–1985 || Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council 1969-1971; President of Sudan 1971-1985. Gained power in a military coup, banned opposition, dissolved southern Sudanese government, imposed sharia law. Executed several leading communists (the most prominent being [[Abdel Khaliq Mahjub]] and [[Joseph Garang]]) after a botched 1971 coup attempt.
|-
|align=center|[[Mohamed Siad Barre]] ||align=center| [[Somalia]] ||align=center| 1969–1991 || Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council 1969-1976; President of Somalia 1976-1991. In 1969, during the power vacuum following the assassination of President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, the military staged a coup and took over. Barre was to rule for the next twenty-two years. He attempted to develop a personality cult; large posters of him were common in the capital Mogadishu during his reign, many of which can still be seen today. He dreamed of a "[[Greater Somalia]]" and tried unsuccessfully to annex the [[Ogaden]]—legally Ethiopian territory—in 1977 to realize this end (see [[Ogaden War]]).
|-
|align=center|[[Idi Amin]] ||align=center| [[Uganda]] ||align=center| 1971–1979 || [[President of Uganda]], later (1976) declared as [[President for Life|for Life]]. Deposed in 1979 after declaring war on [[Tanzania]].
|-
|align=center|[[Mengistu Haile Mariam]] ||align=center| [[Ethiopia]] ||align=center| 1974–1991 || Chairman of the Provisional Military Administrative Council ([[Derg]]) in 1974 and 1977-1987; President of Ethiopia 1987-1991. One-party state; repression of opposition; tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings.
|-
|align=center|[[Olusegun Obasanjo]] ||align=center| [[Nigeria]] ||align=center| 1976-1979 || Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria between 1976 and 1979. Elected President of Nigeria in 1999. Chairman of the [[African Union]] 2004-2006.
|-
|align=center|[[Jean-Baptiste Bagaza]] ||align=center| [[Burundi]] ||align=center| 1976–1987 || President of Burundi. Widely described as a military dictator (see [http://www.africanews.com/article265.html], [http://www.electionworld.org/history/burundi.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[Albert René]] ||align=center| [[Seychelles]] ||align=center| 1977–2004 || President of Seychelles. Deposed the elected president Sir [[James Mancham]] and promulgated a one-party constitution after a period of rule by decree. Created the [[National Youth Service]] (NYS), a compulsory educational institution that included traditional curricula interlaced with political indoctrination and paramilitary training.
|-
|align=center|[[Daniel arap Moi]] ||align=center| [[Kenya]] ||align=center| 1978–2002 || President of Kenya. Changed constitution to establish a ''de jure'' one-party state; resorted to repressive rule, including torture and imprisonment without trial.
|-
|align=center|[[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] ||align=center| [[Equatorial Guinea]] ||align=center| '''1979–present''' || Chairman of the Supreme Military Council 1979-1982; President of Equatorial Guinea 1982–present. Deposed his uncle in a violent coup; opposition is banned in all but name.
|-
|align=center|[[José Eduardo dos Santos]] ||align=center| [[Angola]] ||align=center| '''1979–present''' || President of Angola. One-party state; did not stand for election until 1992 (see [http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2000/Angola_Marques_00/Angola_Marques_00.html]).
|-
|align=center|[[João Bernardo Vieira]] ||align=center| [[Guinea-Bissau]] ||align=center| 1980-1984 (dictator) 2005-2009 (democratically elected) || become president by a coup. killing and exiled opposition. faoumes for the [[Guinea-Bissau Civil War]].
|-
|align=center|[[Samuel K. Doe]] ||align=center| [[Liberia]] ||align=center| 1980–1990 || Chairman of the People's Redemption Council 1980-1984; President of Liberia 1984-1990. Gained power in a military coup that killed President [[William R. Tolbert, Jr.]], a [[Reform movement|reformer]]. Promoted [[Krahn]] chauvinism and "died a multi-millionaire and proud owner of mansions and estates" (see [http://www.theperspective.org/2004/oct/bookpeople.html]).
|-
|align=center|[[Robert Mugabe]] ||align=center| [[Zimbabwe]] ||align=center| '''1980–present''' ||
Gained power through election, and repeatedly re-elected, but criticized for steps used to maintain power. From 1999 on, used police and militant groups like the War Veterans Association and [[Border Gezi Youth]] to enforce [[ZANU-PF]] policies and to prevent opponents from voting; called "king" by his aides.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1709488.stm] Arrested and tortured opponents and human rights activists; gave amnesty to murderers of his political opponents in 2000; ignores court rulings.[http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,410850,00.html]
|-
|align=center|[[Jerry Rawlings]] ||align=center| [[Ghana]] ||align=center| 1981-1992 || Gained power in a military coup during 1979 but handed it over. Re-took power in another coup of 1981. Elected President in 1992 and again in 1996 before standing aside as per the constitution.
|-
|align=center|[[André Kolingba]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 1981–1993 || Chairman of the Military Committee of National Recovery 1981-1985; President of the Central African Republic 1985-1993. Gained power in a coup; persecuted opposition; allowed (and lost) free elections in 1993. Attempted second coup in 2001.
|-
|align=center|[[Paul Biya]] ||align=center| [[Cameroon]] ||align=center| '''1982–present''' || He served under President Ahmadou Ahidjo and became Prime Minister in 1975. Ahidjo resigned on November 6, 1982 and Biya became president. After years of totalitarian rule, he allowed the creation of opposition parties in 1990 but his re-elections have been marked by widespread fraud and intimidation.
|-
|align=center|[[Hissène Habré]] ||align=center| [[Chad]] ||align=center| 1982–1990 || Chairman of the Council of State 1982; President of Chad 1982-1990. Gained power in a coup; abolished post of Prime Minister; executed opposition leaders.
|-
|align=center|[[Thomas Sankara]] ||align=center| [[Burkina Faso]] ||align=center| 1983-1987 || President of Upper Volta 1983-1984; President of Burkina Faso 1984-1987. Gained power in coup. Lead military regime. Overthrown and killed in coup.
|-
|align=center|[[Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya]] ||align=center| [[Mauritania]] ||align=center| 1984–2005 || Deposed the military head of state, [[Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla]], on December 1984 and declared himself Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation. Deposed by [[Ely Ould Mohamed Vall]] in a bloodless coup d'état. 
|-
|align=center|[[Ibrahim Babangida]] ||align=center| [[Nigeria]] ||align=center| 1985-1993 || Annulled the most free and fair presidential election in the history of Nigeria, leading to the death of the presidenstial candidate [[Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola]].
|-
|align=center|[[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]] ||align=center| [[Tunisia]] ||align=center| 1987–2011 || President of Tunisia. Although he announced [[Pluralism#Plualism in politics|political pluralism]] in 1992, his Democratic Constitutional Rally (formerly Neo-Destour party) continues to dominate the national politics and there is no genuine open political debate. In 1999, although two unknown alternative candidates were permitted for the first time to stand in the presidential elections, Ben Ali was re-elected with 99.66% of the vote. A controversial constitutional referendum in 2002 allowed him to seek re-election and contemplate the possibility of remaining in office until 2014. On October 24, 2004, he was again re-elected, officially taking 94.48% of the vote. Certain books, periodicals and internet sites are banned or blocked. The [http://www.tunisiatv.com National Television] frequently show his actions during a week, but often the President only appears in passing on television. In 2011 he was forced from power after mass protests.
|-
|align=center|[[Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir]] ||align=center| [[Sudan]] ||align=center| '''1989–present''' || President of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation 1989-1993; President of Sudan 1993–present. Took power in a military coup and increasingly centralized power into himself. Widely believed to be implicated in the [[Darfur]] [[Janjaweed]] [[pogrom]]s.
|-
|align=center|[[Idriss Déby]] ||align=center| [[Chad]] ||align=center| '''1990–present''' || Head of State 1990-1991; President of Chad 1991 to date. Gained power in a coup; continues to suppress opposition and press (see [http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/tcd-summary-eng]).
|-
|align=center|[[Sani Abacha]] ||align=center| [[Nigeria]] ||align=center| 1993–1998 || Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council 1993-1998. Seized power in a coup; persecuted opposition; never stood for election. Jailed Chief [[Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola]], the presumed winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election; presided over execution of activist [[Ken Saro-Wiwa]].
|-
|align=center|[[Paul Kagame]] || align=center|[[Rwanda]] || align=center|'''1994–present''' || Vice-President of Rwanda 1994-2000; President 2000-Present. Brouhgt to power by a guerilla movement which plunged the country into bloodshed and led to the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Responsible of the killings of innocent civilians, women and children in Kibeho refugee camp. Responsible of the killings of 4 millions congolese. Responsible of the killings of Priests and Archbishops in Kabgayi.
|-
|align=center|[[Yahya Jammeh]] ||align=center| [[The Gambia]] ||align=center| '''1994–Present''' || President of The Gambia. Gained power in coup d'état. Right to the press and free speech suppressed. Stood for three elections (1996, 2001, and 2006); last election deemed unfair by opposition.
|-
|align=center|[[Laurent-Désiré Kabila]] ||align=center| [[Congo-Kinshasa]] ||align=center| 1997–2001 || President of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Overthrew [[Mobutu Sese Seko]] in coup. No elections held during ongoing, interstate [[First Congo War|First]] and [[Second Congo War]]s.
|-
|align=center|[[Charles G. Taylor]] ||align=center| [[Liberia]] ||align=center| 1997–2003 || President of Liberia 1997-2003. Elected, but widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.guardian.co.uk/sierra/article/0,2763,221878,00.html], [http://www.cij.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewNews&newsID=9], [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/127/48.0.html]). Linked to "[[blood diamonds]]" and illegal arms trading. Believed to have interfered frequently in the internal affairs of neighboring states while a [[warlord]], before his election to the presidency.
|-
|align=center|[[François Bozizé]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 2003–2013 || President of the Central African Republic 2003 to date. Gained power in a coup and suspended the constitution, though he has restored some democracy (see [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/28/1456242]).
|-
|align=center|[[Ely Ould Mohamed Vall]] ||align=center| [[Mauritania]] ||align=center| 2005-2007 || Chairman of the Military Council for Justice and Democracy. Gained power via a military coup. Though he has said to relinquish power to an elected government in 2007.
|-
|align=center|[[Michael Sata]] ||align=center| [[Zambia]] ||align=center| 2011–2014 || Elected President of Zambia. Sata shut down the opposition and maintains relationships with [[Robert Mugabe]].
|-
|align=center|[[Mohamed Morsi]] ||align=center| [[Egypt]] ||align=center| 2012–2013 || Supported by the Muslim Brotherhood. Described Jews as "apes and pigs". Massively expanded his presidential authority upon being elected, giving himself unlimited powers.
|}

==The Americas==
===North America===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Agustín de Iturbide]] || align=center|[[Mexico]] || align=center|1822 - 1823 || Shortly after the Mexican War of Independence, he was declared Emperor of Mexico in 1822. Repressive, cracked down on free speech and any opposition. Desposed when popular opposition forced him to abdicate.
|-
| align=center|[[Antonio López de Santa Anna]] || align=center|[[Mexico]] || align=center|1833 - 1855 (intermittent) || President or Provisional President of Mexico 1833-1837, then 1841 to February 1844, June to December 1844, March to September 1847 and finally 1853-1855. When [[Anastasio Bustamante]] led a coup overthrowing and killing President [[Vicente Guerrero]], Santa Anna seized power and then was elected President in 1833. At first he gave a free hand to his vice-president [[Valentín Gómez Farías]], a liberal reformer. Later he dismissed Gómez Farías, declared the Constitution suspended, disbanded the Congress and worked to concentrate power in the central government. He was overthrown and restored to power several times before his final overthrow in 1855.
|-
| align=center|[[Porfirio Díaz]] || align=center|[[Mexico]] || align=center|1879 - 1910 || Interim president 1876-1877; President of Mexico 1877-1880, 1884-1911. ''De facto'' ruler 1880-1884. Gained power in a coup, after his Revolution of Tuxtepac overthrew his predecessor, Lerdo. He did not run for reelection after his first term in order to keep his one-term promises that he made during his revolution. However, he retook the presidency a few years later and did not leave from power until the [[Mexican Revolution|Revolution of 1910]] kicked him from the Presidency. His rule saw the rapid modernization of Mexico, progress mainly caused by Diaz's encouragement of foreign investment in the country's infrastructure. However, the poor became quite miserable during this time. Political opposition was squelched and rebellions were put down by the ''rurals'', Diaz's personal guard. He was eventually overthrown by the [[Mexican Revolution|Revolution]] which lasted 10 years.
|-
| align=center|[[Victoriano Huerta]] || align=center|Mexico || align=center|1913 - 1914 || Appointed president, established a military dictatorship for about a year, and then was forced to resign.
|}

===Central America===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Rafael Carrera]] || align=center|[[Guatemala]] || align=center|1844–1848 1851–1865 || President of Guatemala. Gained power in a coup; styled himself [[President for Life]].
|-
|align=center|[[William Walker]] ||align=center| [[Nicaragua]] ||align=center| 1856-1857 || An American fillibuster takes over and proclaims himself President of Nicaragua. Tried to conquer several Central American countries. Eventually executed.
|-
| align=center|[[Justo Rufino Barrios]] || align=center|[[Guatemala]] || align=center|1873–1885 || President of Guatemala. Gained power in a bloody coup, but introduced reforms.
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Estrada Cabrera]] || align=center|[[Guatemala]] || align=center|1898–1920 || President of Guatemala. Never elected; subverted constitution; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9033093], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761558775/Estrada_Cabrera_Manuel.html]). Constructed numerous large [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]]-style temples as monuments to his rule.
|-
| align=center|[[Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]] || align=center|[[El Salvador]] || align=center|1931–1934 1935–1944 || Acting President 1931-1934; President of El Salvador 1935-1944. Gained power in a coup; suppressed opposition; oversaw massacre of between ten and forty thousand suspected opponents. Presided over ''[[1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising|La Matanza]]'' in 1932, a massacre (genocide) of communists, suspected communists, [[campesinos]] and [[Pipil]] Indians (see [http://countrystudies.us/el-salvador/7.htm]).
|-
| align=center|[[Jorge Ubico]] || align=center|Guatemala || align=center|1931–1944 || President of Guatemala. Elected, but suppressed opposition and "assumed dictatorial powers".
|-
| align=center|[[Tiburcio Carías Andino]] || align=center|[[Honduras]] || align=center|1933–1949 || President of Honduras. Banned opposition and set up a [[Rubberstamp (politics)|rubber-stamp]] congress; suppressed unions (see [http://countrystudies.us/honduras/19.htm]).
|-
| align=center|[[Carlos Castillo Armas]] || align=center|Guatemala || align=center|1954–1957 || Junta Chairman, 1954; President of Guatemala 1954-1957. Gained power in a coup; banned the popular [[Guatemalan Party of Labour|Communist party]]; purged trade unions of leftist influence; declared himself president in 1956. Assassinated.
|-
| align=center|[[Oswaldo López Arellano]] || align=center|[[Honduras]] || align=center|1963–1971 1972–1975 || Head of Military Government 1963-1965; President of Honduras 1965-1971; Head of State 1972-1975. Military officer who allowed elections in 1971 before re-seizing power the next year. According to Clara Nieto in ''Masters of War: Latin America and United States Aggression from the Cuban Revolution through the Clinton years'', p. 114 (ISBN 1-58322-545-5): "During this second term (1972-1975) López governed without a congress and by decree."
|-
| align=center|[[Omar Torrijos]] || align=center|[[Panama]] || align=center|1968–1981 || Commander of the National Guard. Gained power in a coup; banned opposition, unions and free press.
|-
| align=center|[[Daniel Ortega]] || align=center|[[Nicaragua]] || align=center|1979-1990 '''2006–present''' || Came in power by a coup, with his Leftist [[Sandinista]]s. Hold false elections.
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Noriega]] || align=center|[[Panama]]|| align=center|1983–1989 || Commander of the National Guard and ''de facto'' military leader, widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9056130], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761561240/Noriega_Moreno_Manuel_Antonio.html], [http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/8155061.htm]).
|}

===South America===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia]] || align=center|[[Paraguay]] || align=center|1813-1814 and 1814-1840 ||gained power in election. Outlawed all opposition. Installed a police state. Cult of personality; citizens forced to raise their hats or a brim when he passed by; styled himself with the position name "El Supremo". 
|-
| align=center| [[Simón Bolívar]] || align=center| [[Gran Columbia]] || align=center| 1821-1830 || Though an admirer of classical liberal democracy, the founder and president of Gran Colombia proclaimed himself dictator in 1828 after an unsuccessful constitutional convention. Resigned eighteen months later.
|-
| align=center|[[Juan Manuel de Rosas]] || align=center|[[Argentina]] || align=center|1835–1852 || Governor of Buenos Aires 1829-1832, 1835-1852; Supreme Chief of the Argentine Confederation 1851-1852. Assumed dictatorial powers; exiled opponents.
|-
| align=center|[[Carlos Antonio López]] || align=center|[[Paraguay]] || align=center|1841–1862 || First Consul 1841-1844; President of Paraguay 1844-1862. 
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Belzu]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1848–1855 || Provisional President of Bolivia 1848-1850; President of Bolivia 1850-1855. Unelected military ruler; ''[[caudillo]]''. A populist and nationalist who voluntarily relinquished power after 1855 elections, described in (ISBN 0-13-524356-4), p. 131, as the "cleanest ever held" in (early) Bolivian history.
|-
| align=center|[[Francisco Solano López]] || align=center|Paraguay || align=center|1862–1869 || President of Paraguay. Inherited power from his father; had himself awarded immense powers by a congress he had packed with supporters. Killed in the [[War of the Triple Alliance]] (which Lopez had caused by invading Brazil), along with 90 per cent of the Paraguayan adult (age 14+) male population.
|-
| align=center|[[Mariano Melgarejo]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1864–1871 || Provisional President 1864-1870; President of Bolivia 1870-1871. Gained power in a coup and ruthlessly suppressed opposition. In 1869 he sent the army to suppress an uprising by [[Huaichu]] Indians attempting to regain land privileges they enjoyed under President Belzu (see ISBN 1-55753-324-5).
|-
| align=center|[[Antonio Guzmán Blanco]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1870–1888 || Acting President of Venezuela 1863, 1865; General-in-chief April–July 1870; Provisional President of Venezuela 1870-1873; President of Venezuela 1873 - 1877; Supreme Director 1879; Provisional President of Venezuela 1879 - 1880; President of Venezuela 1880 -1884, 1886 -1888. Described, perhaps inaccurately, as a "benevolent despot"; other sources mention his "long dictatorship" (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:ghIhQZ7WhgUJ:www.normangall.com/artigos/Church_Militant.pdf+Antonio+Guzm%C3%A1n+Blanco+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Cipriano Castro]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1899–1909 || Supreme Chief 1899-1901; Provisional President 1901 - 1902, 1904 - 1905; President of Venezuela 1902 - 1904, 1905 - 1909. Took over in a military coup (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:kdvql1ZK2-4J:www.sg.inter.edu/revista-ciscla/volume29/singh.pdf+Antonio+Guzm%C3%A1n+Blanco+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Rafael Reyes]] || align=center|[[Colombia]] || align=center|1904–1909 || President 1904 - 1909, as a military ruler representing the Conservatives. "In the course of his regime, Reyes improved the country’s finances, expanded roads and railroads, and encouraged increased coffee production. Large U.S. investments and purchases of coffee and minerals contributed to Colombia’s economic growth. However, Reyes ruled as a dictator. He dissolved the congress and replaced it with a handpicked legislature, jailed and exiled political opponents, and declared martial law." (''Colombia'', [[Encarta|Microsoft Encarta]] 2003)
|-
| align=center|[[Juan Vicente Gómez]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1909–1914 1922–1929 1931–1935 || Provisional President 1909-1910; President of Venezuela 1910-1914, 1922-1929, 1931-1935. Gained power in a coup; never elected; kleptocrat; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037322], [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=156078], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563557/Juan_Vicente_Gomez.html]).
|-
| align=center|[[Óscar Benavides]] || align=center|[[Peru]] || align=center|1914–1915 1933–1939 || Junta Chairman 1914; President of Peru 1914-1915, 1933-1939. Twice gained power by coup.
|-
| align=center|[[Augusto B. Leguía y Salcedo|Augusto Leguía]] || align=center|[[Peru]] || 1919–1930 || President of Peru. Gained power in a coup; ignored constitution; suppressed and exiled opposition.
|-
| align=center|[[Carlos Ibáñez del Campo]] || align=center|[[Chile]] || align=center|1927–1931 || Acting President 1927, President 1927 - 1931. Democratically elected to a six-year term in 1952.
|-
| align=center|[[Getúlio Vargas]] || align=center|[[Brazil]] || align=center|1930–1934 1937–1945 || Head of provisional government 1930-1934 after revolution; indirectly elected as Constitutional President 1934-1937; launched a coup in 1937 and became dictator 1937-1945; democratically-elected President of Brazil 1950-1954.
|-
| align=center|[[Gabriel Terra]] || align=center|[[Uruguay]] || align=center|1931–1938 || President of Uruguay. Suspended congress and dissolved constitution in 1933. 
|-
| align=center|[[Higinio Morínigo]] || align=center|Paraguay || align=center|1940–1948 || Provisional president 1940-1943; President of Paraguay 1943-1948. Seized absolute power; ruled by [[diktat]] until 1946.
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Odría]] || align=center|[[Peru]] || align=center|1948–1956 || Chairman of military junta 1948 - 1950; President of Peru 1950 - 1956. Gained power in a coup; restricted civil rights; allowed election in 1956.
|-
| align=center|[[Marcos Pérez Jiménez]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1948–1958 || Member of military junta 1948 - 1952; Provisional president 1952 -1953; President of Venezuela 1953 - 1958. Never elected; pursued opposition violently; credited with improvements to the country's infrastructure.
|-
| align=center|[[Gustavo Rojas Pinilla]] || align=center|[[Colombia]] || align=center|1953–1957 || President of Colombia. Gained power in a coup.
|-
| align=center|[[Alfredo Stroessner]] || align=center|[[Paraguay]] || align=center|1954–1989 || President of Paraguay. He took over in a military coup (see [http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19890301faessay5951/riordan-roett/paraguay-after-stroessner.html], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:vqkaVDmcvaIJ:www.columbia.edu/cu/polisci/pdf-files/apsa_krutz.pdf+Stroessner+dictator],[http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:qfMgvA6bakgJ:users.ox.ac.uk/~newc1465/Proudman%2520-%2520SoftPowerMeetsHard.pdf+Stroessner+dictator]). 
|-
| align=center|[[Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco|Humberto Castelo Branco]] || align=center|[[Brazil]] || align=center|1964–1967 || President of Brazil. Gained power in a coup; abolished most opposition; subsequently appointed by congress.
|-
| align=center|[[René Barrientos]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1964–1969 || Chairman of the military junta, 1964-January 1966 (jointly with [[Alfredo Ovando]] 1965-1966); President of Bolivia, August 1966 - 1969. Gained power in military coup; kleptocrat; responsible for [[Catavi massacre]] and execution of [[Che Guevara]] (ISBN 0-85345-991-6), p. 136.
|-
| align=center|[[Forbes Burnham]] || align=center|[[Guyana]] || align=center|1966–1985 || Prime Minister 1966 - 1980; President 1980 - 1985. Elected, but became increasingly dictatorial; held dubious elections and encouraged leftist religious cults (such as the [[Peoples Temple]]) to settle in the Guyanese interior (see [http://www.jagan.org/janet_jagan29.htm], [http://www.hardbeatnews.com/editor/RTE/my_documents/my_files/details.asp?newsid=4498&title=Politics]).
|-
| align=center|[[Artur da Costa e Silva]] || align=center|[[Brazil]] || align=center|1967–1969 || President of Brazil 1967-1969. Elected in 1966, but centralised power; closed the Congress; banned opposition; suspended free press. Decreed [[Institutional Act No. 5]], described as "the most unconstitutional, anti-democratic, arbitrary, and repressive decree in Brazil's history." (ISBN 1-58322-545-5), p. 167.
|-
| align=center|[[Emílio Garrastazu Médici]] || align=center|Brazil || align=center|1969–1974 || President of Brazil. Appointed by congress, but instituted a military government; suppressed press and opposition (see [http://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin/62/index.rtf]).
|-
| align=center|[[Juan María Bordaberry]] || align=center|[[Uruguay]] || align=center|1972–1976 || President of Uruguay 1972 - 1976. Elected, but installed a military government, dissolved Congress, suspended civil liberties and banned unions.
|-
| align=center|[[Augusto Pinochet]] || align=center|[[Chile]] || align=center|1973–1990 || Chairman of military junta 1973-1974; Supreme Head of the Nation 1974; President of Chile 1974-1990. Gained power in a coup; suppressed and exiled opposition; over 3000 "[[Forced disappearance|disappearances]]" and 28,000 tortured.
|-
| align=center|[[Ernesto Geisel]] || align=center|Brazil || align=center|1974-1979 || Congress-appointed President of Brazil. The fourth of the military dictators; party and union freedom were still inexistent during his term; had oppositionists like journalist [[Wladimir Herzog]] and factory worker [[Manoel Fiel Filho]] tortured and murdered.
|-
| align=center|[[Jorge Rafael Videla]] || align=center|[[Argentina]] || align=center|1976–1981 || President of Argentina. Gained power in a coup; never elected; between ten and thirty thousand opponents killed.
|-
| align=center|[[João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo]] || align=center|Brazil || align=center|1979-1985 || Congress-appointed President of Brazil. Society won some democratic measures these years, but there was still a major fraud during 1982 State government elections. His government was responsible for the 1983 bomb in the Riocentro.
|-
| align=center|[[Dési Bouterse]] || align=center|[[Suriname]] || align=center|1980–1988 || Chairman of the National Military Council 1980-1988. Gained power in a coup; never elected; widespread misrule. Most infamous atrocity is the ''[[Decembermoorden]]''.
|-
| align=center|[[Luis García Meza Tejada]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1980–1981 || President of Bolivia. Gained power in the "Cocaine Coup" aided by [[Klaus Barbie]]; highly repressive; over 1,000 killed.
|-
| align=center|[[Gregorio Conrado Álvarez]] || align=center|[[Uruguay]] || align=center|1981–1985 || President of Uruguay. Ignored constitution; extensive human rights abuses (see [http://www.rulers.org/indexa2.html]).
|-
| align=center|[[Leopoldo Galtieri]] || align=center|[[Argentina]] || align=center|1981–1982 || President of Argentina 1981-1982. Gained power in a coup (see [http://www.guardian.co.uk/argentina/story/0,,873601,00.html], [http://english.pravda.ru/world/2003/01/14/41968.html]). Deposed after failed [[Falklands War|invasion of the Falkland Islands]] in 1982.
|-
|align=center| [[Alberto Fujimori]] || align=center|Peru || align=center|1992-1993 || President of Peru 1990-2000, widely critizised for his political authoritarism. [http://www.fpif.org/briefs/vol5/v5n34peru_body.html][http://www.aprodeh.org.pe/fujimori/delitos-eng.htm] [http://www.cverdad.org.pe/ingles/pagina01.php]. After enjoying a certain degree of popular support, Fujimori was forced from office following controversial third term re-election [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/americas/05/29/peru.elections.04/]. In 2000 political opponent Mario Vargas Llosa called Fujimori a "dictator" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/741841.stm]. His government was also marked by the influence of the director of the SIN, [[Vladimiro Montesinos]] [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1477-7053.2005.00165.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=goop][http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB37/]. Currently in Peru, Fujimori is in trial for presumed charges ranging from corruption to participation in crimes against humanity. [http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/americas/peru-qna-1030.htm].
|-
|align=center|[[Hugo Chávez]] ||align=center| [[Venezuela]] ||align=center|1999-2013 || Appointed special powers, nationalized the media and oil companies,Shut down opposition media and banned "The Simpsons."
|-

|align=center|[[Nicolás Maduro]] ||align=center| [[Venezuela]] ||align=center|'''2013–present''' || Continues the corrupt ideology of Hugo Chávez, which destroys the economy of Venezuela.
|-
|}

===Caribbean===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Jean-Jacques Dessalines]] || align=center|[[Haiti]] || align=center|1804-1806 || Governor-General of Haiti 1804; Emperor of Haiti (as Jacques I) 1804 - 1806. Ruled autocratically.
|-
| align=center|[[Henry Christophe]] || align=center|[[Haiti]] (northern)|| align=center|1806-1820 || Provisional Chief of the Haitian Government 1806-1807; President of Haiti 1807-1811; King of Haiti (as Henry I) 1811-1820. Ruled autocratically.
|-
| align=center|[[Pedro Santana]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1844-1848, 1853-1856, 1858-1861 || Never elected; suppressed opposition; widely considered a dictator.
|-
| align=center|[[Buenaventura Báez]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1849-1878 (intermittent) || President of the Dominican Republic five times. Gained power following coups; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Ulises Heureaux]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1882-1899 (intermittent) || President of the Dominican Republic three times. Never elected; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.marcusgarvey.com/wmview.php?ArtID=507], [http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/8.htm], [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-7709.2004.00452.x]).
|-
| align=center|[[Gerardo Machado]] || align=center|[[Cuba]] || align=center|1925-1933 || President of Cuba. A follower of [[Benito Mussolini]], he is widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=672], [http://www.highbeam.com/ref/doc0.asp?docid=1E1:MachadoG]).
|-
| align=center|[[Rafael Trujillo]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1930-1961 || President of the Dominican Republic 1930 - 1938, 1942 - 1952; ''de facto'' ruler 1930-1961. Gained power in a coup; cult of personality (renamed the capital [[Ciudad Trujillo]]); promoted racism against Haitians and ordered the massacre of 20,000 blacks.
|-
| align=center|[[Paul Magloire]] || align=center|[[Haiti]] || align=center|1950-1956 || President of Haiti. Gained power in a coup; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[François Duvalier]] || align=center|Haiti || align=center|1957-1971 || President of Haiti. Elected in 1957, but banned opposition; declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1964; highly repressive.
|-
| align=center|[[Fidel Castro]] || align=center|[[Cuba]] || align=center|1959-2006 || Prime Minister of Cuba 1959-1976; President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers from 1976. Gained power after [[Cuban Revolution|revolution]]. Castro was elected President [[Elections in Cuba|after 1976]], but within a one-party [[Communist state]]. Retired due to his poor health.
|-
| align=center|[[Jean-Claude Duvalier]] || align=center|Haiti || align=center|1971-1986 || President of Haiti. Inherited presidency aged 19 from his father; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Eric Gairy]] || align=center|[[Grenada]] || align=center|1974-1979 || Prime Minister of Grenada 1967-1979. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.factbites.com/topics/Eric-Gairy], [http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com/grenada_revolution.php], [http://counterpunch.org/gibson06052004.html]). 
|-
| align=center|[[Raoul Cédras]] || align=center|Haiti || align=center|1991-1994 || ''De facto'' ruler for a relatively short period of time. Gained power in a coup (see [http://www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org/infamous.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[Raul Castro]] ||align=center| [[Cuba]] ||align=center|'''2006–present''' || Appointed successor by his brother of the Communist Party of Cuba.
|-
|}

==Asia==

===Western Asia ("Middle East")===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|
|-
| align=center|[[Abdul Karim Qassem]] || align=center|[[Iraq]] || align=center|1958–1963 || Gained power by coup; viewed by some as benevolent (see [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/18/wisad18.xml]).
|-
| align=center|[[Abdul Salam Arif]] || align=center|[[Iraq]] || align=center|1963–1966 || Gained power in a coup; military ruler.
|-
| align=center|[[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]] || align=center|[[Iraq]] || align=center|1968–1979 || Gained power in a coup; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Hafez al-Assad]] || align=center|[[Syria]] || align=center|1970–2000 ||Gained power in a coup; totalitarian;{{fact}} cult of personality; oversaw [[Hama massacre]] yielding twenty to forty thousand dead (see [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012197]).
|-
| align=center|[[Ruhollah Khomeini]] || align=center|[[Iran]] || align=center|1979–1989 || As [[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leader]], held ultimate and uncontested authority over all government matters under the principle of [[Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists|Guardianship]]. Created the extra-constitutional [[Special Clerical Court]] system in 1987, accountable only to the Supreme Leader and used principally for suppression of political dissent. Instituted routine torture, beheadings for children.
|-
| align=center|[[Saddam Hussein]] || align=center|Iraq || align=center|1979–2003 || Pressured Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr to resign in 1979 and formally became president. Repressive; developed extensive personality cult; deposed by [[United States]] and coalition forces in an invasion.
|-
| align=center|[[Ali Khamenei|Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]]||align=center| [[Iran]] ||align=center|'''1989–present''' || Continues Khomeini's [[Islamist]] path & uses religion as a tool, cracks down on all authentic dissent, tortures, and has given orders that permit killings like that of [[Akbar Mohammadi]] and [[Zahra Kazemi]]. Only permitts [[government-organized demonstrations]]. Allows a multi-party government but disallows the candidacy of true moderates.[http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=9940][http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1527919/][http://www.nationalreview.com/ledeen/ledeen200505310823.asp][http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1154652871.shtml][http://isd.georgetown.edu/demo_0102.pdf][http://www.boycottliberalism.com/liberalcelebrity.htm]ISBN 0-16-074590-X
|-
| align=center|[[Bashar al-Assad]] || align=center|[[Syria]] || align=center|'''2000–present''' || No opposition permitted in election following death of his father; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110007449], [http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP92405], [http://www.freeman.org/m_online/feb04/pasko.htm]).
|}

===Central Asia===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Askar Akayev]] || align=center|[[Kyrgyzstan]] || align=center|1990–2005 || Appointed but became increasingly authoritarian; widely described as a dictator (see [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4542783.stm], [http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/000935.php], [http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/kazakhstan/hypermail/200507/0023.shtml]).
|-
| align=center|[[Islam Karimov]] || align=center|[[Uzbekistan]] || align=center|'''1991–present''' || Described as authoritarian who is increasingly centralizing power (see [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/search/expand?pub=infobike://bell/soviet/2003/00000019/00000004/art00002&unc=], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:uuOVzdj_xBoJ:www1.dogus.edu.tr/dogustru/journal/sayi_6/M00073.PDF+%22Islam+Karimov%22+%22dictator%22]). Elections essentially uncontested and unmonitored. Opposition repressed. 
|-
| align=center|[[Saparmurat Niyazov]] || align=center|[[Turkmenistan]] || align=center|1991–2006 || Declared [[President for Life]] in 1999; [[cult of personality]]; his book ''[[Ruhnama]]'' is to be treated with reverence (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:blnbM3mP0eAJ:www.eurasianet.org/turkmenistan.project/files2/050603Turkmenreport.pdf+%22Niyazov%22+%22dictatorship%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:Ie2QfLuR_ysJ:www.ndu.edu/ctnsp/tamerlane/Tamerlane-Chapter2.pdf+%22Niyazov%22+%22dictatorship%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Muhammed Omar]] || align=center|[[Afghanistan]] || align=center|1996–2001 || Considered a Theocratic Dictator who excercized strict sharia laws; allowed the persecution of Hazaras; gave Al Qaeda refuge in Afghanistan. (see [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0881088.html][http://www.afghan-web.com/bios/today/momar.html]).
|-
| align=center|[[Ilham Aliyev]] || align=center|[[Azerbaijan]] || align=center|'''2003–present''' || Dubious election; opposition suppressed (see [http://www.underreported.com/print.php?sid=1241]).
|-
| align=center| [[Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow]] || align=center|[[Turkmenistan]] || align=center|'''2006–present''' ||Unelected, appointed as successor upon Niyazov's death. Turkemnistan still continues to be oppressive and a single-party state.
|}

===South Asia===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
|align=center|[[Indira Gandhi]] || align=center|[[India]] || align=center|1975–1977 ||State of emergency, rule by decree.
|-
| align=center|[[Ayub Khan]] || align=center|[[Pakistan]] || align=center|1958–1969 || Gained power in a coup. Subsequent elections considered dubious (see [http://www.storyofpakistan.com/articletext.asp?artid=A069], [http://www.indianexpress.com/messages.php?content_id=71414]).
|-
| align=center|[[Yahya Khan]] || align=center|[[Pakistan]] || align=center|1969–1971 || Military ruler, gaining power from coup (see [http://presidentyahya.com],[http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/pakistantimeline.html], [http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/kpsgill/terrorism/04Jan10Pio.htm]).
|-
| align=center|[[Maumoon Abdul Gayoom]] || align=center|[[Maldives]] || align=center|1978–2008 || [[Autocracy|Autocrat]]; widely considered to be a dictator; no opposition or free press allowed.
|-
| align=center|[[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] || align=center|[[Pakistan]] || align=center|1978–1988 || Took over following coup. Claimed government to be legitimate because it was Islamic (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:dcmhb0vRS4wJ:smartech.gatech.edu:8282/dspace/bitstream/1853/6901/1/kulkarni_nikhil_v_200505_ms.pdf+%22Muhammad+Zia%22+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Rahimuddin Khan]] || align=center|[[Balochistan (Pakistan)]] || align=center|1978–1984 || Appointed supreme Martial Law Governor of Balochistan by central Pakistani military government following coup. (see [http://www.answers.com/rahimuddin%20khan]).
|-
|align=center|[[Hossain Mohammad Ershad]] || align=center|[[Bangladesh]] || align=center|1982–1990 ||Gained power in a coup; declared martial law; never elected.
|}

===Eastern Asia ("Far East")===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in   power !! Notes
|-
|align=center|[[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] || align=center|[[Japan]] || align=center|1600-1616 || Shogun of [[Japan]] and founder of the long reigning [[Tokugawa shogunate]]. Gained power by unifying the warring clans during [[Japan]]'s long period of civil unrest. He also created an "alternate attendance" system to pacify the [[daimyo]] warlords, as well as closing and isolating trade and the economy, in order to retain his power. His rule was also marked by persecution of European missionaries and Japanese Christians. 
|-
|align=center|[[Yuan Shikai]] || align=center|[[Republic of China]] || align=center|1912–1916 || [[President of the Republic of China]], self-proclaimed [[Emperor of China]], 1916. Ignored legislative consent as defined by the [[Constitution of the Republic of China|Constitution]]; dissolved the [[National Assembly of the Republic of China|National Assembly]]; assassinated [[Song Jiaoren]]; disbanded the [[Kuomintang]].
|-
| align=center|[[Horloogiyn Choybalsan]] || align=center|[[Mongolia]] || align=center|1936–1952 || Unelected; opponents purged; cult of personality.
|-
| align=center|[[Kim Il-sung]] || align=center|[[North Korea]] || align=center|1948–1994 || Appointed prime minister in 1948; purged rivals in the [[Workers' Party of Korea]] to consolidate power in 1956 (see [http://muse.jhu.edu/cgi-bin/access.cgi?uri=/journals/korean_studies/v026/26.1lankov.pdf]); introduced "[[Juche]]" ideology demanding absolute loyalty to him and the party; created most pervavise cult of personality in recent history. Declared "Eternal President" on his death.
|-
|align=center|[[Ho Chi Minh]] ||align=center| [[North Vietnam]] ||align=center|1945-1969 || Unelected; killed thousands of political rivals in the 1940s; killed tens of thousands more during the land reforms of the 1950s; presided over a one-party state.
|-
|align=center| [[Sukarno]] || align=center|[[Indonesia]] || align=center|1949-1966 ||First President of Indonesia. Consolidated his powers, and got proclaimed President for LIfe. Was overthrown by the then Dictator of Indonesia, Suharto.
|-
|align=center|[[Mao Zedong]] || align=center|[[People's Republic of China]] || align=center|1949–1976 || Chairman of the PRC (1949–1959), Chairman of the [[Communist Party of China]] (1945–1976), Chairman of the [[Central Military Commission]] (1936–1976). Immense cult of personality; purged members of government; silenced opposition. Circumvented Communist Party hierarchy after the 1966 [[Cultural Revolution]]; imprisoned head of state [[Liu Shaoqi]]. Millions of Chinese citizens killed or murdered as a result of his policies and repression. Militant atheist.
|-
| align=center|[[Ngo Dinh Diem|Ngô Ðình Diệm]] || align=center|[[South Vietnam]] || align=center|1955–1963 || Unelected; autocratic; oppressed Buddhists (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9055646?tocId=9055646&ref=news0905arc]).
|-
| align=center|[[Park Chung Hee]] || align=center|[[South Korea]] || align=center|1961–1979 || Took power in 1961 coup. Although initially welcomed by much of the population, he suspended the constitution in 1971 and introduced a new constitution that greatly increased his power.
|-
| align=center|[[Ne Win]] || align=center|[[Burma]] || align=center|1962–1988 || Seized power in a coup; instituted extreme repression (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:rSAOt9c_lU0J:www.iseas.edu.sg/62003.pdf+%22Ne+Win%22+%22dictator%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:yqkmuBoqlnYJ:www.asiapacificms.com/papers/pdf/burma_india_china.pdf+%22Ne+Win%22+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Thanom Kittikachorn]] || align=center|[[Thailand]] || align=center|1963–1973 || Military dictator, known as one of Thailand's so-called "Three Tyrants". Oppressed student-led uprisings in October 1973 and 1976.
|-
| align=center|[[Suharto]] || align=center|[[Indonesia]] || align=center|1966–1998 || His ''[[New Order (Indonesia)|New Order]]'' imprisoned Communists and alleged Communists; repressed Chinese inhabitants; made existing parties subordinate. Also a cleptocrat (with personal and family's assets at least worth US$15 billion, based on [[Time]] Magazine investigation in 1998). Described as a dictator in many sources (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:Bbh_caM50o4J:www.aut.ac.nz/depts/commstud/journ/docs/reviewscronau.pdf+%22Suharto+dictatorship%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:128rEIvvRD4J:www.civiced.org/research/pdfs/RisingTide.pdf+%22Suharto+dictatorship%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:_233mw5azNkJ:cmbc.ucsd.edu/content/1/docs/laurance2004.pdf+%22Suharto+dictatorship%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Lon Nol]] || align=center|[[Cambodia]] || align=center|1972–1975 || Gained power by coup; not elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Pol Pot]] || align=center|[[Democratic Kampuchea]] || align=center|1975–1979 || Unelected; led a [[Khmer Rouge]] dictatorship; responsible for deaths of at least 1 million Cambodian citizens during his rule. [[Atheism|Atheist]].
|-
| align=center|[[Chun Doo Hwan]] || align=center|[[South Korea]] || align=center|1980–1988 || Gained power in a coup; declared martial law; oversaw [[Gwangju Massacre]].
|-
|align=center|[[Mahathir bin Mohamad]] ||align=center| [[Malaysia]] ||align=center|1981-2003 || Authoritarian; suppressed opposition, media.
|-
| align=center|[[Khamtai Siphandon]] || align=center|[[Laos]] || align=center|1992–2006 || Unelected; one-party state (see [http://www.arthuredelstein.org/worlddictators]).
|-
| align=center|[[Than Shwe]] || align=center|[[Myanmar]] || align=center|1992–2011 || Unelected; persecution of minorities (especially [[Karenni]] and [[Rohingya]] groups [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51506.htm]) leading 250,000 to flee, either becoming [[IDP]]s or moving across the border to Thailand; consolidated power into himself from the [[SPDC]] - he moved to a new capital in Kyat Pyay in 2006, &renamed it as Nay Pyi Daw, i.e. the Royal Palace City"; gained power via a military [[coup]] and announced that he would not hand over the power to [[Aung San Suu Kyi]]'s Elected Party (the [[NLD]]); no free press (see [http://www.bbc.co.uk/burmese/forum/story/2004/10/041020_khin_nyunt_ousted.shtml]). Released Aung San Suu Kyi in 2010.
|-
| align=center|[[Kim Jong-il]] || align=center|[[North Korea]] || align=center|1994–2011 || Became General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the National Defense Commission (the highest state offices) on his father's death. Continues his father's "[[Juche]]" ideology.
|-
| align=center|[[Sonthi Boonyaratglin]] || align=center|[[Thailand]] || align=center|2006–2008 || Army chief seized power while Prime Minister [[Thaksin Shinawatra]] was out of the country. A state of martial law was declared, parliament was dissolved and the constitution abrogated. Instituted press censorship and restrictions on protests. The first Muslim in charge of the mostly Buddhist army.
|-
| align=center|[[Kim Jong-un]] || align=center|[[North Korea]] || align=center|'''2011–present''' || Became General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the National Defense Commission (the highest state offices) on his father's death. Continues his grandpa's "[[Juche]]" ideology.
|-
|}

==Europe==

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center| [[Oliver Cromwell]] || align=center| [[Commonwealth of England]] || align=center|1649-1658 || A [[Puritan]] general in the [[English Civil War]] who quickly rose through the ranks to become ''de facto'' head of the Parliamentary forces. After the Royalist defeat and the execution of [[Charles I]] the newly constituted [[Rump Parliament]] was overthrown by Cromwell who refused the Crown, choosing instead the title of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. After his death the monarchy was reinstated. [http://www.olivercromwell.org/].
|-
| align=center| [[Maximilien Robespierre]] || align=center| [[France]] || align=center|1793–1794 || Head of the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution. To purge French society of "Counter Revolutionaries", he instituted the heavily repressive Reign of Terror, a period which killed thousands of French citizens, many of those killed were simply killed under mere suspicion, with little or no proof. Desposed when the National Convention declared him an outlaw.
|-
| align=center| [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] || align=center| [[France]]|| align=center|1799–1804, then became Emperor || First Consul, 1799-1804. Emperor of the French 1804-1814 and once again from 1814-1815. Declared himself "First Consul for Life" in 1802 and then Emperor in 1804.
|-
| align=center| [[Józef Chłopicki|Józef Grzegorz Chłopicki]] || align=center| [[Poland]] || align=center|1830–1831 || Held official title of dictator for one year only.
|-
| align=center| [[Napoleon III of France|Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte]] || align=center| [[France]] || align=center| 1848–1852, then became Emperor || Grandson of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]. President of France from 1848 to 1852. In 1851 he launched a coup against the legislature, making himself absolute ruler. From 1852 to 1870 he styled himself Emperor of the French under the name Napoléon III from 1852 to 1870. Later during his reign constitutional liberties were gradually restored. In 1870 he was captured during the abortive [[Franco-Prussian War]] and deposed in his absence by the [[Third Republic]] of France.
|-
| align=center| [[Romuald Traugutt]] || align=center| [[Poland]] || align=center|1863–1864 || Held official title of dictator for one year. Succeeded [[Marian Langiewicz]] who had declared himself dictator previously, but only lasted less than a year in 1863. 
|-
| align=center| [[Abdul Hamid II]] || align=center| [[Ottoman Empire]] || align=center|1876-1909 || 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who exert effective despotic control over the fracturing state. He was abolished the constitutional regime in 1878, and established an oppressive regime. The dissidents were imprisoned or exiled through agents. Newspapers, magazines and books were censored.
|-
| align=center| "[[Three Pashas]]" || align=center| [[Ottoman Empire]] || align=center|1913-1918 || [[Enver Pasha]] (Enver Paşa), [[Talaat Pasha]] (Talat Paşa), and [[Djemal Pasha]] (Cemal Paşa). They made a coup on the worsening of the First Balkan War and took over the administration.

|-
| align=center| [[Vladimir Lenin]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1917-1924 || Head of Bolshevik Revolution took power in 1917. Secured victory in the Russian civil war. Headed effort to transform the Russian economy to a socialist model.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/lenin_vladimir.shtml] 
|-
| align=center| [[Benito Mussolini]] || align=center| [[Italy]] || align=center|1922–1943, and in part of the country 1943-1945 || Prime Minister of Italy 1922-1943; head of the so-called [[Italian Social Republic]] until 1945. "He introduced strict censorship and altered the methods of election so that in 1925–1926 he was able to assume dictatorial powers and dissolve all other political parties" (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:0PFM13qC39YJ:www.ablongman.com/history_rh_bridge/assets/0321025865_ch15.pdf+%22Italian+dictator+Benito+Mussolini%22],[http://doi.contentdirections.com/mr/greenwood.jsp?doi=10.1336/0275979377]).
|-
| align=center|[[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] || align=center| [[Turkey]] || align=center|1923-1938 || Marshal and first President of Turkey. Led the Turkish national movement. Transformed Turkey into a secular republic through broad authoritarian reforms.
|-
| align=center| [[Miguel Primo de Rivera]] || align=center| [[Spain]] || align=center|1923–1930 || Prime Minister of Spain. Gained power in a coup; suspended the constitution; established martial law; imposed strict censorship; banned all political parties. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9061388], [http://www.bartleby.com/65/pr/PrimRivM.html], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565186/Miguel_Primo_de_Rivera.html]). 
|-
| align=center| [[Aleksandar Tsankov]] || align=center| [[Bulgaria]] || align=center|1923-1926 || Established Right wing nationalist, anti communist coup against [[Stamboliyski]]’s democratic elected [[Agrarians]]. Forced out of power by Tsar [[Boris III]]. [http://www.bartleby.com/65/ts/TsankovA.html]. 
|-
| align=center| [[Joseph Stalin]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1924–1953 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1922-1953; Premier of the Soviet Union 1941-1953. Never elected; cult of personality; [[militant atheism|militant atheist]], heavily repressive; responsible for deaths of millions of Soviet citizens (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9108469], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761559200/Stalin_Joseph.html],[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/prof_josephstalin.html]).
|-
| align=center| [[Ahmet Bej Zogu]] || align=center| [[Albania]] || align=center|1925–1939 || Originally elected Prime Minister of Albania 1922-1924 and 1925; President of Albania 1925-1928; crowned himself King of the Albanians (as Zog I) 1928-1939. Described as a dictator (see [http://www.albanian.com/information/history/independ.html], [http://www.diplom.org/manus/talossa/?lingo=&page=Statute&act=25RZ13], [http://www.electionworld.org/history/albania.htm]). Forced to flee with his wife, Queen Geraldine, the imminent takeover of the country by Italy under [[Benito Mussolini]].
|-
| align=center| [[José Mendes Cabeçadas]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1926 || Leader of [[Ditadura Nacional]] during the first part of June immediately after the [[28th May 1926 coup d'état]]
|-
| align=center| [[Gomes da Costa]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1926 || Succeeded Cabeçadas as head of the [[Ditadura Nacional]] for less than a month
|-
| align=center| [[António Óscar Carmona]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1926-1928 || Head of [[Ditadura Nacional]]
|-
| align=center| [[Józef Piłsudski]]|| align=center| [[Poland]] || align=center|1926–1935 || Polish Head of State 1918-1922, but regained power in 1926 via coup. Prime Minister of Poland 1926-1928 and 1930; Commander in Chief of the Army 1926-1935. Initiated authoritarian [[Sanacja]] government; often described as a "benevolent dictator".
|-
| align=center| [[Antanas Smetona]] || align=center| [[Lithuania]] || align=center|1926–1940 || President of Lithuania. Seized power in a 1925 military coup (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:wEZn53dBGtoJ:www.gla.ac.uk/departments/dcees/Duvold.pdf+Antanas+Smetona+%22dictatorship%22]); authoritarian rule. His description as a dictator is common (see [http://www.encyclopedia.com/searchpool.asp?target=@DOCKEYWORDS%20balthistbio&unkey=balthistbio&clientIp=216%2E63%2E197%2E211&userAgent=Mozilla%2F4%2E0+%28compatible%3B+MSIE+6%2E0%3B+Windows+NT+5%2E1%3B+SV1%3B+%2ENET+CLR+1%2E1%2E4322%29]), but not universal.
|-
| align=center| [[António de Oliveira Salazar]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1928–1968 || Prime Minister of Portugal. Established an anti-democratic, anti-parliamentarian, ultra-[[Clericalism|clericalist]], [[Corporativism|corporativist]], extremely conservative, repressive and authoritarian dictatorship, connoted with the Italian fascism, highly supported by the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Longest right-wing dictatorship ever (four complete decades).
|-
| align=center| [[Alexander I of Yugoslavia|Alexander I]] || align=center| [[Yugoslavia]] || align=center|1929-1934 || King of Yugoslavia from 1921. On January 6, 1929 he abolished the constitution, prorogued parliament and established the so-called "January 6 Dictatorship." A new constitution in 1931 left all significant political power in the hands of the King.
|-
| align=center| [[Engelbert Dollfuss]] || align=center| [[Austria]] || align=center|1933–1934 || Chancellor of Austria 1932-1934. Suspended parliament indefinitely in March 1933, governing thereafter by decree. Rule sometimes compared to Mussolini or Franco (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:PUVNNLui6y4J:www3.la.psu.edu/hrsweb/majmin/Theses/Houlihan/Thesis.pdf+%22dictator%22+%22Dollfuss%22]).
|-
| align=center| [[Konstantin Päts]] || align=center| [[Estonia]] || align=center|1933–1940 || State Elder 1933 - 1937; State Protector 1937 - 1938; President of Estonia 1938-1940. Established authoritarian rule following a coup. Allowed (and won) election in 1938.
|-
| align=center| [[Adolf Hitler]] || align=center| [[Nazi Germany]] || align=center|1933–1945 || Chancellor of Germany 1933-1945; ''Führer'' (Leader) 1934-1945. The 1933 [[Enabling Act]] suspended most of the constitution and allowed Hitler to [[rule by decree]]. Heavily repressive; ordered imprisonment of millions of political opponents and members of ethnic minorities in concentration camps, where they were abused and killed.
|-
| align=center| [[Kimon Georgiev]] || align=center| [[Bulgaria]] || align=center|1934 || Took power in coup. Overthrown by Tsar Boris III. 
|-
| align=center| Tsar [[Boris III]] || align=center| [[Bulgaria]] || align=center|1934-1943 || Overthrew Kimon Geogiev. Took power him self ruled through puppet Prime Ministers Georgi Kyoseivanov. His Regime banned all opposition parties. Took Bulgaria into alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. 
|-
| align=center| [[Kurt Schuschnigg]] || align=center| [[Austria]] || align=center|1934–1938 || Chancellor of Austria. Maintained his predecessor Dollfuss' oppressive rule.
|-
| align=center| [[Karlis Ulmanis|Kārlis Ulmanis]] || align=center| [[Latvia]] || align=center|1934–1940 || Prime Minister of Latvia 1934-1940; President of Latvia 1936 - 1940. Gained power in a coup and dissolved parliament; generally viewed as a "benevolent dictator" (see [http://www.ltn.lv/~krz/latvia/lat_history.html], [http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/karlis_ulmanis], [http://www.bartleby.com/65/la/Latvia.html]).
|-
| align=center| [[Ioannis Metaxas]] || align=center| [[Greece]] || align=center|1936–1941 || Prime Minister of Greece. Never elected; banned political parties; arrested opponents; criminalized unions; censored media. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.bartleby.com/65/pa/PapandrG.html], [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9052304], [http://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/biography/metaxas.htm]). 
|-
| align=center| [[Francisco Franco]] || align=center| [[Spain]] || align=center|1936–1975 || Prime Minister of Spain 1938-1975 and Head of State 1939 - 1975 (in the Nationalist Zone, both only to 1939). Purged opposition; often referred to as a dictator or ''caudillo'' (see [http://www.policyreview.org/jun03/diamond.html], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:B1Mmefo38twJ:www.personal.psu.edu/mlb300/spainsocprob.pdf+%22dictator+Francisco+Franco%22],[http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:NsfbKjiVUowJ:www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/POSC/faculty/montero/Spain%2520Paper%25201.pdf+%22dictator+Francisco+Franco%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:9ZzXaMENcm8J:www.artcult.org/cst/spain_prepack_participants.pdf+%22Francisco+Franco%22+%22dictatorship%22]). Strongly supported by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] worldwide.

|-
| align=center| [[Jozef Tiso]] || align=center| [[Slovakia]] || align=center|1939–1945 || President of [[Slovak Republic (1939-1945)|WWII Slovak Republic]]. Led a partly Roman Catholic clerical, partly pro-Nazi, one-party state. Described by some as a dictator (see [http://www.adl.org/PresRele/HolNa_52/3578_52.asp], [http://dominican-republic.asinah.net/en/wikipedia/j/jo/jozef_tiso.html], [http://www.ce-review.org/00/19/vaknin19.html]).
|-
| align=center| [[Ion Antonescu]] || align=center| [[Romania]] || align=center|1940–1944 || Prime Minister of Romania. Two days after his appointment, forced King Carol II (see above) to abdicate in favor of his son, Mihai. Named himself ''Conducător'' (Leader), assumed dictatorial powers and relegated monarchy to decorative role.
|-
| align=center| [[Philippe Pétain]] || align=center| [[Vichy France]] || align=center|1940–1944 || Prime Minister of France 1940 - 1942; Head of State 1940 - 1944. The ''Assemblée Nationale'' of Vichy France suspended the [[Third Republic]] and granted Pétain dictatorial power, although ultimately he was answerable to the German Nazi hierarchy.
|-
| align=center| [[Ante Pavelic|Ante Pavelić]] || align=center| [[Croatia]] || align=center|1941–1945 ||''Poglavnik'' ("Leader") of Croatia. Not elected; ordered massacres of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and dissidents; hundreds of thousands slaughtered; led the genocial, devoutly Roman Catholic Ustase (see [http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/tyrants.htm], [http://www.cuttingedge.org/articles/RC130.html], [http://emperors-clothes.com/vatican/cpix.htm]). Supported by most, if not all, of the Roman Catholic church in Croatia.
|-
| align=center| [[Vidkun Quisling]] || align=center| [[Norway]]|| align=center|1942–1945 || Minister President of Norway between 1942-1945, and founder of the fascist "National Unity" party . Traitor to his country. Executed by firing squad. Described as being the Hitler of Norway.
|-
| align=center| [[Ferenc Szálasi]] (Szálasi Ferenc) || align=center| [[Hungary]] || align=center|1944–1945 || Leader of the [[fascist]] [[Arrow Cross]] party, Szálasi was installed as a fascist ruler by the [[Nazis]] following their overthrow of [[regent]] [[Miklós Horthy]].
|-
| align=center| [[Josip Broz Tito]] || align=center| [[Yugoslavia]] || align=center|1944–1980 || Secretary-General of the Yugoslav Communist Party 1937 - 1963; Prime Minister of Yugoslavia 1945–1953; Premier of Yugoslavia 1953 - 1963; President of Yugoslavia 1953 - 1980; President of the ''Presidium of the League of Communists'' from 1963 until 1980. Declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1963. Viewed favorably in Yugoslavia despite authoritarian rule.
|-
| align=center| [[Enver Hoxha]] || align=center| [[Albania]] || align=center|1944-1985 || General Secretary of the Albanian Party of Labour. Leader of single-party Communist state; extensive personality cult; Declared his nation to be the world's only officially atheist state and banned all practice of religion in 1967.
|-
| align=center| [[Mátyás Rákosi]] || align=center| [[Hungary]] || align=center|1949-1953 || General Secretary of the [[Hungarian Workers Party]] and Prime Minister of the [[Hungarian People's Republic]]. Leader of single-party Communist state; nicknamed "Stalin's best Hungarian disciple"; Invented the phrase "[[salami tactics]]" to describe piecemeal assumption of power.
|-
| align=center| [[Nikita Khrushchev]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1953-1964 || First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1953-1964. Allowed limited liberalisation in the arts and media later on. 
|-
| align=center| [[Todor Zhivkov]] || align=center| Bulgaria || align=center|1956-1989 || Head of pro soviet communist regimen in Bulgaria. Became party secretary in 1956 and prime minister in 1962. Forced out of power in 1989 by communist party to comply with demands of protesters.
|-
| align=center| [[Antonín Novotný]] || align=center| [[Czechoslovakia]] || align=center|1957-1968 || Antonín Novotný, the First Secretary of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, was leader of Czechoslovakia during the Stalinisation of the country, resulting in the replacement of the Czechoslovakian democracy by a one-party communist state. His dictatorship centralized power and used force to protect his regime which lasted fifteen years.
|-
| align=center| [[Walter Ulbricht]] || align=center| [[German Democratic Republic]] || align=center|1950/1960-1971 || General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany 1950-1971 and Head of State 1960-1973.
|-
| align=center| [[Leonid Brezhnev]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1964–1982 || First/General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964-1982. Formed a [[cult of Personality]] later on.
|-
| align=center| [[Nicolae Ceauşescu]] || align=center| [[Romania]] || align=center|1965–1989 || General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party, 1965-1989; President of Romania, 1974-1989. Leader of single-party Communist state; extensive personality cult developed during the 1970s. Lived lavish lifestyle while country was still using donkey carts.
|-
| align=center| [[George Papadopoulos]] || align=center| [[Greece]] || align=center|1967–1973 || Prime Minister of Greece 1967 - 1973; Regent 1972 - 1973; President of Greece 1973. Gained power in a coup; lead military regime. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0778782.html], [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/379334.stm], [http://www.hellas.net]).
|-
| align=center| [[Marcelo Caetano]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1968–1974 || Prime Minister of Portugal 1968 - 1974; Upon the death of [[António de Oliveira Salazar]] he continued the dictatorial regime. Some liberties were improved but the situation of the country and the [[Portuguese Colonial War|colonial wars]] lead to the [[Carnation Revolution]].
|-
| align=center| [[Gustáv Husák]] || align=center| [[Czechoslovakia]] || align=center|1969-1987 || Came into power through soviets, Crushed the Prague spring. Headed brutal secret police stepped down from power in 1987 two years before communism fell. 
|-
| align=center| [[Erich Honecker]] || align=center| [[German Democratic Republic]] || align=center|1971-1989 || General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany 1971-1989 and Head of State 1976-1989.
|-
| align=center| [[Phaedon Gizikis]] || align=center| [[Greece]] || align=center|1973-1974 || President of Greece 1973-1974. Gained power in coup. Lead military regime installed by previous head of state.
|-
| align=center| [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] || align=center|Poland || align=center|1981-1990 || Imposed martial law in Poland in 1981 in response to Solidarity party led strikes. Made himself head of the "Commission for National Salvation." Stated his actions were taken in order to prevent a Soviet invasion of Poland. Was President of Poland until his resignation in 1990. 
|-
| align=center| [[Yuri Andropov]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1982-1984 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1982-1984. Early signs of [[Perestroika]] and [[Glasnost]].
|-
| align=center| [[Konstantin Chernenko]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1984-1985 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1984-1985. Ailing stop-gap leader. 
|-
| align=center| [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1985-1991 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed and the CPSU was banned. Oversaw democratisation in the Soviet Union, but was never directly elected as leader.
|-
| align=center| [[Slobodan Milošević]] || align=center| [[Serbia]], [[Yugoslavia]] || align=center|1989-2000 || In 1984 he became the head of the local Communist party in Belgrade and adopted a populist style, the party's leader. He successfully took over as head of the Serbian Communist party in 1987. He challenged the federal government, championed Serbian control of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina, and advocated stridently socialist economic policy. By 1988, he had replaced party leaders in Kosovo and Vojvodina, and in 1989 he became president of Serbia. However, in September 1990, a new democratic constitution was passed allowing direct, multi-party presidential and parliamentary elections. Milosevic was elected president of Serbia for the first time in December 1990, although allegations persist of electoral fraud during the Milosevic years.
|-
| align=center| [[Alexander Lukashenko]] || align=center| [[Belarus]] || align=center| '''1994–present''' || President of Belarus. Said to have an "authoritarian ruling style". Lack of democratic standards. Human rights violations. Referred to as "Europe's last dictatorship."
|-
| align=center| [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] || align=center| [[Turkey]] || align=center| '''2014–present''' || Prime Minister of Turkey 2003-2014; President of Turkey since 2014. His crackdowns on protests, restrictions on the media, banning of public websites, purging of prosecutors looking to investigate him, and general curbing of civil liberties follow the path of a typical autocrat. He changed the constitution to enhance his autocratic powers and enshrine authoritarianism into law.
|}

==Oceania==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center| [[Sitiveni Rabuka]] || align=center|[[Fiji]] || align=center|1987–1992 || Twice gained power through coup, allowed elections in 1992, which he won.
|-
| align=center| [[Frank Bainimarama]] || align=center|[[Fiji]] || align=center|'''2006–present''' ||Launched a coup d'état in December 2006 after weeks of threats against the elected government.
|}

==Quotes from Stalin==

The '''Darwin-Stalin connection''' describes the brutal [[Soviet]] dictator [[Josef Stalin]] who [[mass murderer|murdered millions]] of people, giving credit to [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]]'s book for his outlook in life:

* "The death of one man is a tragedy, the [[mass murderer|death of millions]] is a statistic." ~ to [[Churchill]], 1945.

* "Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem"

* "Ideas are more powerful than [[guns]]. We would [[gun control|not let our enemies have guns]], why should we let them have ideas?"

* "It is enough that the people know there was an [[election]]. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."

* "The only real power comes out of a long [[rifle]]."

* "When we hang the [[capitalist]]s they will sell us the rope we use."

=== Quotes from Lenin ===
*"The best revolutionary is a youth devoid of morals."

* "A lie told often enough becomes the truth."

* "The goal of [[socialism]] is [[communism]]."

* "There are no morals in [[politics]] there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel."

* "Give us the child for 8 years and it will be a [[Bolshevik]] forever." (see [[Public school values]] and [[Professor values]])

==See also==
* [[Dictatorship]]
** [[Dictator]]
** [[Friendly dictator]]
** [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Joseph Stalin]], [[Chairman Mao]], [[Kim Jong-Il]], [[Pol Pot]]
** [[Dictatorship of the proletariat]]
** [[List of Communist States]]
** [[List of Socialist States]]
** [[Death toll of communism]]
** [[Coup d'état]]
* [[Cult of personality]]
* [[Single-party state]]
* [[Mobocracy]], [[Social Effects of the Theory of Evolution]], [[Anti-Semitism]], [[Communist Racism]], [[Genocide]], [[Holocaust]]
* [[National Socialist German Workers Party]] ([[Nazi]])
* [[National Socialism]] - the Nazis were elitist [[Police state]] [[liberals]] not [[conservative]]s
* [[Big government]] [[Welfare state]] leads to [[Nanny state]], leads to [[Police state]]: [[Globalist]]-[[Statist]]-[[Socialist]]-[[Communist]]
* [[Liberal totalitarianism]]

* [[Constitutional crisis]]
* [[List of political leaders who held active military ranks in office]]
* [[List of political leaders who suspended the constitution]]
* [[List of successful coups d'état]]
* [[Single-party state]]

==External links==
*[http://www.planetrulers.com/current-dictators/ Current Dictators of the World]
*[http://www.thedictatorship.com The Dictatorship]
*[http://www.lkwdpl.org/schools/horacemann/dictators/ Modern dictators and Human Rights Violations]

[[Category:Lists|Dictators]]
[[Category:Totalitarianism]]

List of dictators

2017-05-09T11:57:10Z

SteveVi: /* Europe */ Current status

The following is a list of national leaders ([[Head of state|heads of state]] and/or [[Head of government|heads of government]]) commonly regarded as modern [[dictator]]s. This usage usually carries a pejorative sense and refers to a ruler who:

* Rules by decree, via an Enabling Act or similar laws passed by a legislature allowing him to do so;
* is an absolute ruler of a [[state|sovereign state]], usually appointed, but without hereditary ascension;
* governs outside the otherwise accepted [[rule of law]];
* commonly (but not necessarily) gaining power through [[fraud]], a coup d'état, resorting to either again to continue in power;
* may develop a [[cult of personality]];
* may be autocratic, oppressive, despotic or tyrannical.

Some so-called "benevolent dictators" may be viewed as beneficial and their leadership seen as a "necessary evil".
The modern usage of the term 'dictator' developed largely in response to instances of autocratic rule in [[republic]]s, so traditional [[monarch]]s are not usually described as dictators in historical commentary. Also excluded from this list are those who held absolute power during national emergencies, but restored the rule of law soon thereafter. Otherwise those included have been widely cited by historians or described by the [[Mass media|media]] as dictators. Any controversy surrounding such characterisation is mentioned in the notes.

The list is sorted according to when each dictator began their years in power. This refers to any years in office as a head of state, government or the like before their dictatorship was established. Any years of elected and judicial rule may be indicated parenthetically.

==Africa==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
|align=center|[[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] ||align=center| [[Egypt]] ||align=center| 1954–1970 || Prime Minister of Egypt 1954-1962; President of Egypt 1956-1970. Part of a group of officers in control of Egypt after the coup against British supported [[Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk]] in 1952; In February 1954, Nasser forced {{fact}} President [[Muhammad Naguib]] to appoint him prime minister and give up most practical power to him; later in that year Naguib resigned and Nasser became president by self-appointment; elected by popular vote (as only candidate) in 1956, and subsequently. Many personalistic elements to Nasser's rule, but nominal parliamentary system under Nasser's 1956-1970 presidency {{fact}}, until his death in 1970.
|-
|align=center|[[Ahmed Sékou Touré]] ||align=center| [[Guinea]] ||align=center| 1958–1984 || President of Guinea. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/DIAINS.html], [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2003/profile_jazz.shtml]) with estimates of up to 50,000 extrajudicial killings during his rule (see [http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat6.htm]) and 250,000 Guineans fleeing his rule ([http://www.africanet.com/africanet/country/guinea/history.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[David Dacko]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 1960–1966 1979–1981 || President of the Central African Republic. Banned opposition (see [http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad36]); Gained power by coup in 1979, though subsequently stood for election (see [http://www.african-geopolitics.org/show.aspx?ArticleId=3638]).
|-
|align=center|[[Kwame Nkrumah]] ||align=center| [[Ghana]] ||align=center| 1960–1966 || Created an single-party-system. Described himself as "African [[Lenin]]".
|-
|align=center|[[Modibo Keita]] ||align=center| [[Mali]] ||align=center| 1960–1968 || Schoolteacher and first president of Mali. Forced socialization and extensive protectionism severely harmed the economy and continued the country's dependence on aid donors. Discontent with these policies led Keita to implement his own "Cultural Revolution" and establish a network of people's militias to inform on and punish dissent. In the last few years of his presidency, full powers were vested in an extralegal "National Committee for Defense of the Revolution". He was deposed in a military coup.
|-
|align=center|[[François (Ngarta) Tombalbaye|François Tombalbaye]] ||align=center| [[Chad]] ||align=center| 1960–1975 || Head of State 1960-1962; President of Chad 1962-1975. Never fought a contested election; imprisoned opposition leaders. Launched a "Cultural Revolution" in the early 1970s encouraging ''[[authenticité]]''.
|-
|align=center|[[Félix Houphouët-Boigny]] ||align=center| [[Côte d'Ivoire]] ||align=center| 1960–1993 || President of Côte d'Ivoire. Ruled until 1990 with all opposition banned, but not considered particularly repressive. Relocated the official capital to his home village of [[Yamoussoukro]] and constructed the [[Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro]], the largest religious structure in Africa.
|-
|align=center|[[Milton Obote]] ||align=center| [[Uganda]] ||align=center| 1962–1972 1980–1985 || Prime Minister of Uganda 1962-1966; President of Uganda 1966-1971 and 1980-1985. Suspended the constitution and declared himself President and Prime Minister in 1966.
|-
|align=center|[[Hastings Kamuzu Banda]] ||align=center| [[Malawi]] ||align=center| 1963–1994 || Prime Minister of Malawi 1963-1966; President of Malawi 1966-1994. Banned all opposition in 1966; declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1971; exiled and killed opposition leaders. Ordered that a letter bomb be sent to exiled opposition leader [[Attati Mpakati]]; suspected of being involved in the car crash deaths of senior Congress Party leaders; violently crushed an attempted rebellion. Aged 98, he allowed and lost a free election in 1994.
|-
|align=center|[[Kenneth Kaunda]] ||align=center| [[Zambia]] ||align=center| 1964–1991 || President of the Republic of Zambia 1964-1991.Elected 1964, banned all political parties in Zambia, viewed himself as "WAMUYAYA" (eternal President).Accused of torturing political opponents.Defeated by Frederick Chiluba in 1991.
|-
|align=center|[[Houari Boumediene]] ||align=center| [[Algeria]] ||align=center| 1965–1978 || 
President of Algeria from June 19, 1965 to his death, (December 27, 1978; Chairman of the Revolutionary Council until December 12, 1976). In June 1965, Boumédienne seized power in a bloodless coup. Initially lacking a personal power base, he was seen as a weak ruler. But after a botched coup attempt against him by military officers in 1967 he tightened his rule, and then remained Algeria's undisputed ruler until his death in 1978.
|-
|align=center|[[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 1966–1979 || President of the Central African Republic 1966-1976; Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire 1976-1979. Bokassa overthrew the autocratic Dacko in a swift coup d'état and assumed power as president of the Republic and head of the sole political party, the Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique Noire (MESAN). Bokassa abolished the constitution of 1959 on January 4 and began to rule by decree. He proclaimed himself emperor in 1976 (see [http://www.african-geopolitics.org/show.aspx?ArticleId=3638]).
|-
|align=center|[[Gnassingbé Eyadéma]] ||align=center| [[Togo]] ||align=center| 1967–2005 || President of Togo. Gained power in a coup; never fought a contested election until 1998; banned, tortured and killed opposition. Fostered a cult of personality that was reinforced after he was the sole survivor of an airplane crash in 1974. In late 1991, troops loyal to Eyadéma closed a constitutional conference that had shifted most executive power to a new transitional government and banned Eyadéma's RPT party. January 1993 saw a mass exodus of residents to neighboring states after security forces fired on pro-democracy demonstrators. Further repression followed a purported 1994 coup attempt (see [http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/mar/data/togoewechro.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[Omar Bongo]] ||align=center| [[Gabon]] ||align=center| 1967–2009 || As vice president, he acceded to the presidency following the death of President [[Léon M'ba]]. In 1968, Bongo decreed a one-party state under his [[Gabonese Democratic Party]] and was thrice elected unopposed in the 1970s and 1980s. He became very wealthy during the country's oil boom. Open elections were held in 1990 and Bongo was re-elected in 1993, 1998 and 2005. Observers have criticized the elections as unfair and corruption watchdogs have accused the president of [[nepotism]]. Riots resulting from the mysterious death in 1990 of prominent dissident [[Joseph Rendjambe]] in a government hotel room were put down by French troops.
|-
|align=center|[[Moussa Traoré]] ||align=center| [[Mali]] ||align=center| 1968–1991 || Chairman of the Military National Liberation Committee 1968-1969; Head of State 1969-1979; President of Mali 1979-1991. Seized power in a coup; banned all opposition; installed a police state; established one-party state in 1979.
|-
|align=center|[[Francisco Macías Nguema]] ||align=center| [[Equatorial Guinea]] ||align=center| 1968–1979 || President of Equatorial Guinea 1968-1979. Elected in 1968 but declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1972; "extreme personality cult"; over a third of population fled his regime. Banned fishing and sanctioned the deaths of most of his pre-independence political rivals, including ex-prime minister [[Bonifacio Ondó Edu]] and foreign minister [[Atanasio Ndongo Miyone]]. Declared an [[Atheism|atheist]] state by Spanish dictator [[Francisco Franco]]. As many as 50,000 civilians were killed, in particular those of the [[Bubi]] ethnic [[minority]] on [[Bioko]] associated with relative wealth and [[intellectual]]ism.
|-
|align=center|[[Gaafar Nimeiry]] ||align=center| [[Sudan]] ||align=center| 1969–1985 || Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council 1969-1971; President of Sudan 1971-1985. Gained power in a military coup, banned opposition, dissolved southern Sudanese government, imposed sharia law. Executed several leading communists (the most prominent being [[Abdel Khaliq Mahjub]] and [[Joseph Garang]]) after a botched 1971 coup attempt.
|-
|align=center|[[Mohamed Siad Barre]] ||align=center| [[Somalia]] ||align=center| 1969–1991 || Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council 1969-1976; President of Somalia 1976-1991. In 1969, during the power vacuum following the assassination of President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, the military staged a coup and took over. Barre was to rule for the next twenty-two years. He attempted to develop a personality cult; large posters of him were common in the capital Mogadishu during his reign, many of which can still be seen today. He dreamed of a "[[Greater Somalia]]" and tried unsuccessfully to annex the [[Ogaden]]—legally Ethiopian territory—in 1977 to realize this end (see [[Ogaden War]]).
|-
|align=center|[[Idi Amin]] ||align=center| [[Uganda]] ||align=center| 1971–1979 || [[President of Uganda]], later (1976) declared as [[President for Life|for Life]]. Deposed in 1979 after declaring war on [[Tanzania]].
|-
|align=center|[[Mengistu Haile Mariam]] ||align=center| [[Ethiopia]] ||align=center| 1974–1991 || Chairman of the Provisional Military Administrative Council ([[Derg]]) in 1974 and 1977-1987; President of Ethiopia 1987-1991. One-party state; repression of opposition; tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings.
|-
|align=center|[[Olusegun Obasanjo]] ||align=center| [[Nigeria]] ||align=center| 1976-1979 || Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria between 1976 and 1979. Elected President of Nigeria in 1999. Chairman of the [[African Union]] 2004-2006.
|-
|align=center|[[Jean-Baptiste Bagaza]] ||align=center| [[Burundi]] ||align=center| 1976–1987 || President of Burundi. Widely described as a military dictator (see [http://www.africanews.com/article265.html], [http://www.electionworld.org/history/burundi.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[Albert René]] ||align=center| [[Seychelles]] ||align=center| 1977–2004 || President of Seychelles. Deposed the elected president Sir [[James Mancham]] and promulgated a one-party constitution after a period of rule by decree. Created the [[National Youth Service]] (NYS), a compulsory educational institution that included traditional curricula interlaced with political indoctrination and paramilitary training.
|-
|align=center|[[Daniel arap Moi]] ||align=center| [[Kenya]] ||align=center| 1978–2002 || President of Kenya. Changed constitution to establish a ''de jure'' one-party state; resorted to repressive rule, including torture and imprisonment without trial.
|-
|align=center|[[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] ||align=center| [[Equatorial Guinea]] ||align=center| '''1979–present''' || Chairman of the Supreme Military Council 1979-1982; President of Equatorial Guinea 1982–present. Deposed his uncle in a violent coup; opposition is banned in all but name.
|-
|align=center|[[José Eduardo dos Santos]] ||align=center| [[Angola]] ||align=center| '''1979–present''' || President of Angola. One-party state; did not stand for election until 1992 (see [http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2000/Angola_Marques_00/Angola_Marques_00.html]).
|-
|align=center|[[João Bernardo Vieira]] ||align=center| [[Guinea-Bissau]] ||align=center| 1980-1984 (dictator) 2005-2009 (democratically elected) || become president by a coup. killing and exiled opposition. faoumes for the [[Guinea-Bissau Civil War]].
|-
|align=center|[[Samuel K. Doe]] ||align=center| [[Liberia]] ||align=center| 1980–1990 || Chairman of the People's Redemption Council 1980-1984; President of Liberia 1984-1990. Gained power in a military coup that killed President [[William R. Tolbert, Jr.]], a [[Reform movement|reformer]]. Promoted [[Krahn]] chauvinism and "died a multi-millionaire and proud owner of mansions and estates" (see [http://www.theperspective.org/2004/oct/bookpeople.html]).
|-
|align=center|[[Robert Mugabe]] ||align=center| [[Zimbabwe]] ||align=center| '''1980–present''' ||
Gained power through election, and repeatedly re-elected, but criticized for steps used to maintain power. From 1999 on, used police and militant groups like the War Veterans Association and [[Border Gezi Youth]] to enforce [[ZANU-PF]] policies and to prevent opponents from voting; called "king" by his aides.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1709488.stm] Arrested and tortured opponents and human rights activists; gave amnesty to murderers of his political opponents in 2000; ignores court rulings.[http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,410850,00.html]
|-
|align=center|[[Jerry Rawlings]] ||align=center| [[Ghana]] ||align=center| 1981-1992 || Gained power in a military coup during 1979 but handed it over. Re-took power in another coup of 1981. Elected President in 1992 and again in 1996 before standing aside as per the constitution.
|-
|align=center|[[André Kolingba]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 1981–1993 || Chairman of the Military Committee of National Recovery 1981-1985; President of the Central African Republic 1985-1993. Gained power in a coup; persecuted opposition; allowed (and lost) free elections in 1993. Attempted second coup in 2001.
|-
|align=center|[[Paul Biya]] ||align=center| [[Cameroon]] ||align=center| '''1982–present''' || He served under President Ahmadou Ahidjo and became Prime Minister in 1975. Ahidjo resigned on November 6, 1982 and Biya became president. After years of totalitarian rule, he allowed the creation of opposition parties in 1990 but his re-elections have been marked by widespread fraud and intimidation.
|-
|align=center|[[Hissène Habré]] ||align=center| [[Chad]] ||align=center| 1982–1990 || Chairman of the Council of State 1982; President of Chad 1982-1990. Gained power in a coup; abolished post of Prime Minister; executed opposition leaders.
|-
|align=center|[[Thomas Sankara]] ||align=center| [[Burkina Faso]] ||align=center| 1983-1987 || President of Upper Volta 1983-1984; President of Burkina Faso 1984-1987. Gained power in coup. Lead military regime. Overthrown and killed in coup.
|-
|align=center|[[Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya]] ||align=center| [[Mauritania]] ||align=center| 1984–2005 || Deposed the military head of state, [[Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla]], on December 1984 and declared himself Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation. Deposed by [[Ely Ould Mohamed Vall]] in a bloodless coup d'état. 
|-
|align=center|[[Ibrahim Babangida]] ||align=center| [[Nigeria]] ||align=center| 1985-1993 || Annulled the most free and fair presidential election in the history of Nigeria, leading to the death of the presidenstial candidate [[Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola]].
|-
|align=center|[[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]] ||align=center| [[Tunisia]] ||align=center| 1987–2011 || President of Tunisia. Although he announced [[Pluralism#Plualism in politics|political pluralism]] in 1992, his Democratic Constitutional Rally (formerly Neo-Destour party) continues to dominate the national politics and there is no genuine open political debate. In 1999, although two unknown alternative candidates were permitted for the first time to stand in the presidential elections, Ben Ali was re-elected with 99.66% of the vote. A controversial constitutional referendum in 2002 allowed him to seek re-election and contemplate the possibility of remaining in office until 2014. On October 24, 2004, he was again re-elected, officially taking 94.48% of the vote. Certain books, periodicals and internet sites are banned or blocked. The [http://www.tunisiatv.com National Television] frequently show his actions during a week, but often the President only appears in passing on television. In 2011 he was forced from power after mass protests.
|-
|align=center|[[Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir]] ||align=center| [[Sudan]] ||align=center| '''1989–present''' || President of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation 1989-1993; President of Sudan 1993–present. Took power in a military coup and increasingly centralized power into himself. Widely believed to be implicated in the [[Darfur]] [[Janjaweed]] [[pogrom]]s.
|-
|align=center|[[Idriss Déby]] ||align=center| [[Chad]] ||align=center| '''1990–present''' || Head of State 1990-1991; President of Chad 1991 to date. Gained power in a coup; continues to suppress opposition and press (see [http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/tcd-summary-eng]).
|-
|align=center|[[Sani Abacha]] ||align=center| [[Nigeria]] ||align=center| 1993–1998 || Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council 1993-1998. Seized power in a coup; persecuted opposition; never stood for election. Jailed Chief [[Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola]], the presumed winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election; presided over execution of activist [[Ken Saro-Wiwa]].
|-
|align=center|[[Paul Kagame]] || align=center|[[Rwanda]] || align=center|'''1994–present''' || Vice-President of Rwanda 1994-2000; President 2000-Present. Brouhgt to power by a guerilla movement which plunged the country into bloodshed and led to the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Responsible of the killings of innocent civilians, women and children in Kibeho refugee camp. Responsible of the killings of 4 millions congolese. Responsible of the killings of Priests and Archbishops in Kabgayi.
|-
|align=center|[[Yahya Jammeh]] ||align=center| [[The Gambia]] ||align=center| '''1994–Present''' || President of The Gambia. Gained power in coup d'état. Right to the press and free speech suppressed. Stood for three elections (1996, 2001, and 2006); last election deemed unfair by opposition.
|-
|align=center|[[Laurent-Désiré Kabila]] ||align=center| [[Congo-Kinshasa]] ||align=center| 1997–2001 || President of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Overthrew [[Mobutu Sese Seko]] in coup. No elections held during ongoing, interstate [[First Congo War|First]] and [[Second Congo War]]s.
|-
|align=center|[[Charles G. Taylor]] ||align=center| [[Liberia]] ||align=center| 1997–2003 || President of Liberia 1997-2003. Elected, but widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.guardian.co.uk/sierra/article/0,2763,221878,00.html], [http://www.cij.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewNews&newsID=9], [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/127/48.0.html]). Linked to "[[blood diamonds]]" and illegal arms trading. Believed to have interfered frequently in the internal affairs of neighboring states while a [[warlord]], before his election to the presidency.
|-
|align=center|[[François Bozizé]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 2003–2013 || President of the Central African Republic 2003 to date. Gained power in a coup and suspended the constitution, though he has restored some democracy (see [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/28/1456242]).
|-
|align=center|[[Ely Ould Mohamed Vall]] ||align=center| [[Mauritania]] ||align=center| 2005-2007 || Chairman of the Military Council for Justice and Democracy. Gained power via a military coup. Though he has said to relinquish power to an elected government in 2007.
|-
|align=center|[[Michael Sata]] ||align=center| [[Zambia]] ||align=center| 2011–2014 || Elected President of Zambia. Sata shut down the opposition and maintains relationships with [[Robert Mugabe]].
|-
|align=center|[[Mohamed Morsi]] ||align=center| [[Egypt]] ||align=center| 2012–2013 || Supported by the Muslim Brotherhood. Described Jews as "apes and pigs". Massively expanded his presidential authority upon being elected, giving himself unlimited powers.
|}

==The Americas==
===North America===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Agustín de Iturbide]] || align=center|[[Mexico]] || align=center|1822 - 1823 || Shortly after the Mexican War of Independence, he was declared Emperor of Mexico in 1822. Repressive, cracked down on free speech and any opposition. Desposed when popular opposition forced him to abdicate.
|-
| align=center|[[Antonio López de Santa Anna]] || align=center|[[Mexico]] || align=center|1833 - 1855 (intermittent) || President or Provisional President of Mexico 1833-1837, then 1841 to February 1844, June to December 1844, March to September 1847 and finally 1853-1855. When [[Anastasio Bustamante]] led a coup overthrowing and killing President [[Vicente Guerrero]], Santa Anna seized power and then was elected President in 1833. At first he gave a free hand to his vice-president [[Valentín Gómez Farías]], a liberal reformer. Later he dismissed Gómez Farías, declared the Constitution suspended, disbanded the Congress and worked to concentrate power in the central government. He was overthrown and restored to power several times before his final overthrow in 1855.
|-
| align=center|[[Porfirio Díaz]] || align=center|[[Mexico]] || align=center|1879 - 1910 || Interim president 1876-1877; President of Mexico 1877-1880, 1884-1911. ''De facto'' ruler 1880-1884. Gained power in a coup, after his Revolution of Tuxtepac overthrew his predecessor, Lerdo. He did not run for reelection after his first term in order to keep his one-term promises that he made during his revolution. However, he retook the presidency a few years later and did not leave from power until the [[Mexican Revolution|Revolution of 1910]] kicked him from the Presidency. His rule saw the rapid modernization of Mexico, progress mainly caused by Diaz's encouragement of foreign investment in the country's infrastructure. However, the poor became quite miserable during this time. Political opposition was squelched and rebellions were put down by the ''rurals'', Diaz's personal guard. He was eventually overthrown by the [[Mexican Revolution|Revolution]] which lasted 10 years.
|-
| align=center|[[Victoriano Huerta]] || align=center|Mexico || align=center|1913 - 1914 || Appointed president, established a military dictatorship for about a year, and then was forced to resign.
|}

===Central America===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Rafael Carrera]] || align=center|[[Guatemala]] || align=center|1844–1848 1851–1865 || President of Guatemala. Gained power in a coup; styled himself [[President for Life]].
|-
|align=center|[[William Walker]] ||align=center| [[Nicaragua]] ||align=center| 1856-1857 || An American fillibuster takes over and proclaims himself President of Nicaragua. Tried to conquer several Central American countries. Eventually executed.
|-
| align=center|[[Justo Rufino Barrios]] || align=center|[[Guatemala]] || align=center|1873–1885 || President of Guatemala. Gained power in a bloody coup, but introduced reforms.
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Estrada Cabrera]] || align=center|[[Guatemala]] || align=center|1898–1920 || President of Guatemala. Never elected; subverted constitution; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9033093], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761558775/Estrada_Cabrera_Manuel.html]). Constructed numerous large [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]]-style temples as monuments to his rule.
|-
| align=center|[[Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]] || align=center|[[El Salvador]] || align=center|1931–1934 1935–1944 || Acting President 1931-1934; President of El Salvador 1935-1944. Gained power in a coup; suppressed opposition; oversaw massacre of between ten and forty thousand suspected opponents. Presided over ''[[1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising|La Matanza]]'' in 1932, a massacre (genocide) of communists, suspected communists, [[campesinos]] and [[Pipil]] Indians (see [http://countrystudies.us/el-salvador/7.htm]).
|-
| align=center|[[Jorge Ubico]] || align=center|Guatemala || align=center|1931–1944 || President of Guatemala. Elected, but suppressed opposition and "assumed dictatorial powers".
|-
| align=center|[[Tiburcio Carías Andino]] || align=center|[[Honduras]] || align=center|1933–1949 || President of Honduras. Banned opposition and set up a [[Rubberstamp (politics)|rubber-stamp]] congress; suppressed unions (see [http://countrystudies.us/honduras/19.htm]).
|-
| align=center|[[Carlos Castillo Armas]] || align=center|Guatemala || align=center|1954–1957 || Junta Chairman, 1954; President of Guatemala 1954-1957. Gained power in a coup; banned the popular [[Guatemalan Party of Labour|Communist party]]; purged trade unions of leftist influence; declared himself president in 1956. Assassinated.
|-
| align=center|[[Oswaldo López Arellano]] || align=center|[[Honduras]] || align=center|1963–1971 1972–1975 || Head of Military Government 1963-1965; President of Honduras 1965-1971; Head of State 1972-1975. Military officer who allowed elections in 1971 before re-seizing power the next year. According to Clara Nieto in ''Masters of War: Latin America and United States Aggression from the Cuban Revolution through the Clinton years'', p. 114 (ISBN 1-58322-545-5): "During this second term (1972-1975) López governed without a congress and by decree."
|-
| align=center|[[Omar Torrijos]] || align=center|[[Panama]] || align=center|1968–1981 || Commander of the National Guard. Gained power in a coup; banned opposition, unions and free press.
|-
| align=center|[[Daniel Ortega]] || align=center|[[Nicaragua]] || align=center|1979-1990 '''2006–present''' || Came in power by a coup, with his Leftist [[Sandinista]]s. Hold false elections.
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Noriega]] || align=center|[[Panama]]|| align=center|1983–1989 || Commander of the National Guard and ''de facto'' military leader, widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9056130], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761561240/Noriega_Moreno_Manuel_Antonio.html], [http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/8155061.htm]).
|}

===South America===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia]] || align=center|[[Paraguay]] || align=center|1813-1814 and 1814-1840 ||gained power in election. Outlawed all opposition. Installed a police state. Cult of personality; citizens forced to raise their hats or a brim when he passed by; styled himself with the position name "El Supremo". 
|-
| align=center| [[Simón Bolívar]] || align=center| [[Gran Columbia]] || align=center| 1821-1830 || Though an admirer of classical liberal democracy, the founder and president of Gran Colombia proclaimed himself dictator in 1828 after an unsuccessful constitutional convention. Resigned eighteen months later.
|-
| align=center|[[Juan Manuel de Rosas]] || align=center|[[Argentina]] || align=center|1835–1852 || Governor of Buenos Aires 1829-1832, 1835-1852; Supreme Chief of the Argentine Confederation 1851-1852. Assumed dictatorial powers; exiled opponents.
|-
| align=center|[[Carlos Antonio López]] || align=center|[[Paraguay]] || align=center|1841–1862 || First Consul 1841-1844; President of Paraguay 1844-1862. 
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Belzu]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1848–1855 || Provisional President of Bolivia 1848-1850; President of Bolivia 1850-1855. Unelected military ruler; ''[[caudillo]]''. A populist and nationalist who voluntarily relinquished power after 1855 elections, described in (ISBN 0-13-524356-4), p. 131, as the "cleanest ever held" in (early) Bolivian history.
|-
| align=center|[[Francisco Solano López]] || align=center|Paraguay || align=center|1862–1869 || President of Paraguay. Inherited power from his father; had himself awarded immense powers by a congress he had packed with supporters. Killed in the [[War of the Triple Alliance]] (which Lopez had caused by invading Brazil), along with 90 per cent of the Paraguayan adult (age 14+) male population.
|-
| align=center|[[Mariano Melgarejo]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1864–1871 || Provisional President 1864-1870; President of Bolivia 1870-1871. Gained power in a coup and ruthlessly suppressed opposition. In 1869 he sent the army to suppress an uprising by [[Huaichu]] Indians attempting to regain land privileges they enjoyed under President Belzu (see ISBN 1-55753-324-5).
|-
| align=center|[[Antonio Guzmán Blanco]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1870–1888 || Acting President of Venezuela 1863, 1865; General-in-chief April–July 1870; Provisional President of Venezuela 1870-1873; President of Venezuela 1873 - 1877; Supreme Director 1879; Provisional President of Venezuela 1879 - 1880; President of Venezuela 1880 -1884, 1886 -1888. Described, perhaps inaccurately, as a "benevolent despot"; other sources mention his "long dictatorship" (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:ghIhQZ7WhgUJ:www.normangall.com/artigos/Church_Militant.pdf+Antonio+Guzm%C3%A1n+Blanco+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Cipriano Castro]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1899–1909 || Supreme Chief 1899-1901; Provisional President 1901 - 1902, 1904 - 1905; President of Venezuela 1902 - 1904, 1905 - 1909. Took over in a military coup (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:kdvql1ZK2-4J:www.sg.inter.edu/revista-ciscla/volume29/singh.pdf+Antonio+Guzm%C3%A1n+Blanco+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Rafael Reyes]] || align=center|[[Colombia]] || align=center|1904–1909 || President 1904 - 1909, as a military ruler representing the Conservatives. "In the course of his regime, Reyes improved the country’s finances, expanded roads and railroads, and encouraged increased coffee production. Large U.S. investments and purchases of coffee and minerals contributed to Colombia’s economic growth. However, Reyes ruled as a dictator. He dissolved the congress and replaced it with a handpicked legislature, jailed and exiled political opponents, and declared martial law." (''Colombia'', [[Encarta|Microsoft Encarta]] 2003)
|-
| align=center|[[Juan Vicente Gómez]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1909–1914 1922–1929 1931–1935 || Provisional President 1909-1910; President of Venezuela 1910-1914, 1922-1929, 1931-1935. Gained power in a coup; never elected; kleptocrat; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037322], [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=156078], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563557/Juan_Vicente_Gomez.html]).
|-
| align=center|[[Óscar Benavides]] || align=center|[[Peru]] || align=center|1914–1915 1933–1939 || Junta Chairman 1914; President of Peru 1914-1915, 1933-1939. Twice gained power by coup.
|-
| align=center|[[Augusto B. Leguía y Salcedo|Augusto Leguía]] || align=center|[[Peru]] || 1919–1930 || President of Peru. Gained power in a coup; ignored constitution; suppressed and exiled opposition.
|-
| align=center|[[Carlos Ibáñez del Campo]] || align=center|[[Chile]] || align=center|1927–1931 || Acting President 1927, President 1927 - 1931. Democratically elected to a six-year term in 1952.
|-
| align=center|[[Getúlio Vargas]] || align=center|[[Brazil]] || align=center|1930–1934 1937–1945 || Head of provisional government 1930-1934 after revolution; indirectly elected as Constitutional President 1934-1937; launched a coup in 1937 and became dictator 1937-1945; democratically-elected President of Brazil 1950-1954.
|-
| align=center|[[Gabriel Terra]] || align=center|[[Uruguay]] || align=center|1931–1938 || President of Uruguay. Suspended congress and dissolved constitution in 1933. 
|-
| align=center|[[Higinio Morínigo]] || align=center|Paraguay || align=center|1940–1948 || Provisional president 1940-1943; President of Paraguay 1943-1948. Seized absolute power; ruled by [[diktat]] until 1946.
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Odría]] || align=center|[[Peru]] || align=center|1948–1956 || Chairman of military junta 1948 - 1950; President of Peru 1950 - 1956. Gained power in a coup; restricted civil rights; allowed election in 1956.
|-
| align=center|[[Marcos Pérez Jiménez]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1948–1958 || Member of military junta 1948 - 1952; Provisional president 1952 -1953; President of Venezuela 1953 - 1958. Never elected; pursued opposition violently; credited with improvements to the country's infrastructure.
|-
| align=center|[[Gustavo Rojas Pinilla]] || align=center|[[Colombia]] || align=center|1953–1957 || President of Colombia. Gained power in a coup.
|-
| align=center|[[Alfredo Stroessner]] || align=center|[[Paraguay]] || align=center|1954–1989 || President of Paraguay. He took over in a military coup (see [http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19890301faessay5951/riordan-roett/paraguay-after-stroessner.html], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:vqkaVDmcvaIJ:www.columbia.edu/cu/polisci/pdf-files/apsa_krutz.pdf+Stroessner+dictator],[http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:qfMgvA6bakgJ:users.ox.ac.uk/~newc1465/Proudman%2520-%2520SoftPowerMeetsHard.pdf+Stroessner+dictator]). 
|-
| align=center|[[Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco|Humberto Castelo Branco]] || align=center|[[Brazil]] || align=center|1964–1967 || President of Brazil. Gained power in a coup; abolished most opposition; subsequently appointed by congress.
|-
| align=center|[[René Barrientos]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1964–1969 || Chairman of the military junta, 1964-January 1966 (jointly with [[Alfredo Ovando]] 1965-1966); President of Bolivia, August 1966 - 1969. Gained power in military coup; kleptocrat; responsible for [[Catavi massacre]] and execution of [[Che Guevara]] (ISBN 0-85345-991-6), p. 136.
|-
| align=center|[[Forbes Burnham]] || align=center|[[Guyana]] || align=center|1966–1985 || Prime Minister 1966 - 1980; President 1980 - 1985. Elected, but became increasingly dictatorial; held dubious elections and encouraged leftist religious cults (such as the [[Peoples Temple]]) to settle in the Guyanese interior (see [http://www.jagan.org/janet_jagan29.htm], [http://www.hardbeatnews.com/editor/RTE/my_documents/my_files/details.asp?newsid=4498&title=Politics]).
|-
| align=center|[[Artur da Costa e Silva]] || align=center|[[Brazil]] || align=center|1967–1969 || President of Brazil 1967-1969. Elected in 1966, but centralised power; closed the Congress; banned opposition; suspended free press. Decreed [[Institutional Act No. 5]], described as "the most unconstitutional, anti-democratic, arbitrary, and repressive decree in Brazil's history." (ISBN 1-58322-545-5), p. 167.
|-
| align=center|[[Emílio Garrastazu Médici]] || align=center|Brazil || align=center|1969–1974 || President of Brazil. Appointed by congress, but instituted a military government; suppressed press and opposition (see [http://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin/62/index.rtf]).
|-
| align=center|[[Juan María Bordaberry]] || align=center|[[Uruguay]] || align=center|1972–1976 || President of Uruguay 1972 - 1976. Elected, but installed a military government, dissolved Congress, suspended civil liberties and banned unions.
|-
| align=center|[[Augusto Pinochet]] || align=center|[[Chile]] || align=center|1973–1990 || Chairman of military junta 1973-1974; Supreme Head of the Nation 1974; President of Chile 1974-1990. Gained power in a coup; suppressed and exiled opposition; over 3000 "[[Forced disappearance|disappearances]]" and 28,000 tortured.
|-
| align=center|[[Ernesto Geisel]] || align=center|Brazil || align=center|1974-1979 || Congress-appointed President of Brazil. The fourth of the military dictators; party and union freedom were still inexistent during his term; had oppositionists like journalist [[Wladimir Herzog]] and factory worker [[Manoel Fiel Filho]] tortured and murdered.
|-
| align=center|[[Jorge Rafael Videla]] || align=center|[[Argentina]] || align=center|1976–1981 || President of Argentina. Gained power in a coup; never elected; between ten and thirty thousand opponents killed.
|-
| align=center|[[João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo]] || align=center|Brazil || align=center|1979-1985 || Congress-appointed President of Brazil. Society won some democratic measures these years, but there was still a major fraud during 1982 State government elections. His government was responsible for the 1983 bomb in the Riocentro.
|-
| align=center|[[Dési Bouterse]] || align=center|[[Suriname]] || align=center|1980–1988 || Chairman of the National Military Council 1980-1988. Gained power in a coup; never elected; widespread misrule. Most infamous atrocity is the ''[[Decembermoorden]]''.
|-
| align=center|[[Luis García Meza Tejada]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1980–1981 || President of Bolivia. Gained power in the "Cocaine Coup" aided by [[Klaus Barbie]]; highly repressive; over 1,000 killed.
|-
| align=center|[[Gregorio Conrado Álvarez]] || align=center|[[Uruguay]] || align=center|1981–1985 || President of Uruguay. Ignored constitution; extensive human rights abuses (see [http://www.rulers.org/indexa2.html]).
|-
| align=center|[[Leopoldo Galtieri]] || align=center|[[Argentina]] || align=center|1981–1982 || President of Argentina 1981-1982. Gained power in a coup (see [http://www.guardian.co.uk/argentina/story/0,,873601,00.html], [http://english.pravda.ru/world/2003/01/14/41968.html]). Deposed after failed [[Falklands War|invasion of the Falkland Islands]] in 1982.
|-
|align=center| [[Alberto Fujimori]] || align=center|Peru || align=center|1992-1993 || President of Peru 1990-2000, widely critizised for his political authoritarism. [http://www.fpif.org/briefs/vol5/v5n34peru_body.html][http://www.aprodeh.org.pe/fujimori/delitos-eng.htm] [http://www.cverdad.org.pe/ingles/pagina01.php]. After enjoying a certain degree of popular support, Fujimori was forced from office following controversial third term re-election [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/americas/05/29/peru.elections.04/]. In 2000 political opponent Mario Vargas Llosa called Fujimori a "dictator" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/741841.stm]. His government was also marked by the influence of the director of the SIN, [[Vladimiro Montesinos]] [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1477-7053.2005.00165.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=goop][http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB37/]. Currently in Peru, Fujimori is in trial for presumed charges ranging from corruption to participation in crimes against humanity. [http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/americas/peru-qna-1030.htm].
|-
|align=center|[[Hugo Chávez]] ||align=center| [[Venezuela]] ||align=center|1999-2013 || Appointed special powers, nationalized the media and oil companies,Shut down opposition media and banned "The Simpsons."
|-

|align=center|[[Nicolás Maduro]] ||align=center| [[Venezuela]] ||align=center|'''2013–present''' || Continues the corrupt ideology of Hugo Chávez, which destroys the economy of Venezuela.
|-
|}

===Caribbean===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Jean-Jacques Dessalines]] || align=center|[[Haiti]] || align=center|1804-1806 || Governor-General of Haiti 1804; Emperor of Haiti (as Jacques I) 1804 - 1806. Ruled autocratically.
|-
| align=center|[[Henry Christophe]] || align=center|[[Haiti]] (northern)|| align=center|1806-1820 || Provisional Chief of the Haitian Government 1806-1807; President of Haiti 1807-1811; King of Haiti (as Henry I) 1811-1820. Ruled autocratically.
|-
| align=center|[[Pedro Santana]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1844-1848, 1853-1856, 1858-1861 || Never elected; suppressed opposition; widely considered a dictator.
|-
| align=center|[[Buenaventura Báez]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1849-1878 (intermittent) || President of the Dominican Republic five times. Gained power following coups; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Ulises Heureaux]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1882-1899 (intermittent) || President of the Dominican Republic three times. Never elected; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.marcusgarvey.com/wmview.php?ArtID=507], [http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/8.htm], [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-7709.2004.00452.x]).
|-
| align=center|[[Gerardo Machado]] || align=center|[[Cuba]] || align=center|1925-1933 || President of Cuba. A follower of [[Benito Mussolini]], he is widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=672], [http://www.highbeam.com/ref/doc0.asp?docid=1E1:MachadoG]).
|-
| align=center|[[Rafael Trujillo]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1930-1961 || President of the Dominican Republic 1930 - 1938, 1942 - 1952; ''de facto'' ruler 1930-1961. Gained power in a coup; cult of personality (renamed the capital [[Ciudad Trujillo]]); promoted racism against Haitians and ordered the massacre of 20,000 blacks.
|-
| align=center|[[Paul Magloire]] || align=center|[[Haiti]] || align=center|1950-1956 || President of Haiti. Gained power in a coup; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[François Duvalier]] || align=center|Haiti || align=center|1957-1971 || President of Haiti. Elected in 1957, but banned opposition; declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1964; highly repressive.
|-
| align=center|[[Fidel Castro]] || align=center|[[Cuba]] || align=center|1959-2006 || Prime Minister of Cuba 1959-1976; President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers from 1976. Gained power after [[Cuban Revolution|revolution]]. Castro was elected President [[Elections in Cuba|after 1976]], but within a one-party [[Communist state]]. Retired due to his poor health.
|-
| align=center|[[Jean-Claude Duvalier]] || align=center|Haiti || align=center|1971-1986 || President of Haiti. Inherited presidency aged 19 from his father; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Eric Gairy]] || align=center|[[Grenada]] || align=center|1974-1979 || Prime Minister of Grenada 1967-1979. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.factbites.com/topics/Eric-Gairy], [http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com/grenada_revolution.php], [http://counterpunch.org/gibson06052004.html]). 
|-
| align=center|[[Raoul Cédras]] || align=center|Haiti || align=center|1991-1994 || ''De facto'' ruler for a relatively short period of time. Gained power in a coup (see [http://www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org/infamous.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[Raul Castro]] ||align=center| [[Cuba]] ||align=center|'''2006–present''' || Appointed successor by his brother of the Communist Party of Cuba.
|-
|}

==Asia==

===Western Asia ("Middle East")===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|
|-
| align=center|[[Abdul Karim Qassem]] || align=center|[[Iraq]] || align=center|1958–1963 || Gained power by coup; viewed by some as benevolent (see [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/18/wisad18.xml]).
|-
| align=center|[[Abdul Salam Arif]] || align=center|[[Iraq]] || align=center|1963–1966 || Gained power in a coup; military ruler.
|-
| align=center|[[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]] || align=center|[[Iraq]] || align=center|1968–1979 || Gained power in a coup; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Hafez al-Assad]] || align=center|[[Syria]] || align=center|1970–2000 ||Gained power in a coup; totalitarian;{{fact}} cult of personality; oversaw [[Hama massacre]] yielding twenty to forty thousand dead (see [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012197]).
|-
| align=center|[[Ruhollah Khomeini]] || align=center|[[Iran]] || align=center|1979–1989 || As [[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leader]], held ultimate and uncontested authority over all government matters under the principle of [[Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists|Guardianship]]. Created the extra-constitutional [[Special Clerical Court]] system in 1987, accountable only to the Supreme Leader and used principally for suppression of political dissent. Instituted routine torture, beheadings for children.
|-
| align=center|[[Saddam Hussein]] || align=center|Iraq || align=center|1979–2003 || Pressured Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr to resign in 1979 and formally became president. Repressive; developed extensive personality cult; deposed by [[United States]] and coalition forces in an invasion.
|-
| align=center|[[Ali Khamenei|Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]]||align=center| [[Iran]] ||align=center|'''1989–present''' || Continues Khomeini's [[Islamist]] path & uses religion as a tool, cracks down on all authentic dissent, tortures, and has given orders that permit killings like that of [[Akbar Mohammadi]] and [[Zahra Kazemi]]. Only permitts [[government-organized demonstrations]]. Allows a multi-party government but disallows the candidacy of true moderates.[http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=9940][http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1527919/][http://www.nationalreview.com/ledeen/ledeen200505310823.asp][http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1154652871.shtml][http://isd.georgetown.edu/demo_0102.pdf][http://www.boycottliberalism.com/liberalcelebrity.htm]ISBN 0-16-074590-X
|-
| align=center|[[Bashar al-Assad]] || align=center|[[Syria]] || align=center|'''2000–present''' || No opposition permitted in election following death of his father; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110007449], [http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP92405], [http://www.freeman.org/m_online/feb04/pasko.htm]).
|}

===Central Asia===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Askar Akayev]] || align=center|[[Kyrgyzstan]] || align=center|1990–2005 || Appointed but became increasingly authoritarian; widely described as a dictator (see [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4542783.stm], [http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/000935.php], [http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/kazakhstan/hypermail/200507/0023.shtml]).
|-
| align=center|[[Islam Karimov]] || align=center|[[Uzbekistan]] || align=center|'''1991–present''' || Described as authoritarian who is increasingly centralizing power (see [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/search/expand?pub=infobike://bell/soviet/2003/00000019/00000004/art00002&unc=], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:uuOVzdj_xBoJ:www1.dogus.edu.tr/dogustru/journal/sayi_6/M00073.PDF+%22Islam+Karimov%22+%22dictator%22]). Elections essentially uncontested and unmonitored. Opposition repressed. 
|-
| align=center|[[Saparmurat Niyazov]] || align=center|[[Turkmenistan]] || align=center|1991–2006 || Declared [[President for Life]] in 1999; [[cult of personality]]; his book ''[[Ruhnama]]'' is to be treated with reverence (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:blnbM3mP0eAJ:www.eurasianet.org/turkmenistan.project/files2/050603Turkmenreport.pdf+%22Niyazov%22+%22dictatorship%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:Ie2QfLuR_ysJ:www.ndu.edu/ctnsp/tamerlane/Tamerlane-Chapter2.pdf+%22Niyazov%22+%22dictatorship%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Muhammed Omar]] || align=center|[[Afghanistan]] || align=center|1996–2001 || Considered a Theocratic Dictator who excercized strict sharia laws; allowed the persecution of Hazaras; gave Al Qaeda refuge in Afghanistan. (see [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0881088.html][http://www.afghan-web.com/bios/today/momar.html]).
|-
| align=center|[[Ilham Aliyev]] || align=center|[[Azerbaijan]] || align=center|'''2003–present''' || Dubious election; opposition suppressed (see [http://www.underreported.com/print.php?sid=1241]).
|-
| align=center| [[Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow]] || align=center|[[Turkmenistan]] || align=center|'''2006–present''' ||Unelected, appointed as successor upon Niyazov's death. Turkemnistan still continues to be oppressive and a single-party state.
|}

===South Asia===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
|align=center|[[Indira Gandhi]] || align=center|[[India]] || align=center|1975–1977 ||State of emergency, rule by decree.
|-
| align=center|[[Ayub Khan]] || align=center|[[Pakistan]] || align=center|1958–1969 || Gained power in a coup. Subsequent elections considered dubious (see [http://www.storyofpakistan.com/articletext.asp?artid=A069], [http://www.indianexpress.com/messages.php?content_id=71414]).
|-
| align=center|[[Yahya Khan]] || align=center|[[Pakistan]] || align=center|1969–1971 || Military ruler, gaining power from coup (see [http://presidentyahya.com],[http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/pakistantimeline.html], [http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/kpsgill/terrorism/04Jan10Pio.htm]).
|-
| align=center|[[Maumoon Abdul Gayoom]] || align=center|[[Maldives]] || align=center|1978–2008 || [[Autocracy|Autocrat]]; widely considered to be a dictator; no opposition or free press allowed.
|-
| align=center|[[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] || align=center|[[Pakistan]] || align=center|1978–1988 || Took over following coup. Claimed government to be legitimate because it was Islamic (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:dcmhb0vRS4wJ:smartech.gatech.edu:8282/dspace/bitstream/1853/6901/1/kulkarni_nikhil_v_200505_ms.pdf+%22Muhammad+Zia%22+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Rahimuddin Khan]] || align=center|[[Balochistan (Pakistan)]] || align=center|1978–1984 || Appointed supreme Martial Law Governor of Balochistan by central Pakistani military government following coup. (see [http://www.answers.com/rahimuddin%20khan]).
|-
|align=center|[[Hossain Mohammad Ershad]] || align=center|[[Bangladesh]] || align=center|1982–1990 ||Gained power in a coup; declared martial law; never elected.
|}

===Eastern Asia ("Far East")===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in   power !! Notes
|-
|align=center|[[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] || align=center|[[Japan]] || align=center|1600-1616 || Shogun of [[Japan]] and founder of the long reigning [[Tokugawa shogunate]]. Gained power by unifying the warring clans during [[Japan]]'s long period of civil unrest. He also created an "alternate attendance" system to pacify the [[daimyo]] warlords, as well as closing and isolating trade and the economy, in order to retain his power. His rule was also marked by persecution of European missionaries and Japanese Christians. 
|-
|align=center|[[Yuan Shikai]] || align=center|[[Republic of China]] || align=center|1912–1916 || [[President of the Republic of China]], self-proclaimed [[Emperor of China]], 1916. Ignored legislative consent as defined by the [[Constitution of the Republic of China|Constitution]]; dissolved the [[National Assembly of the Republic of China|National Assembly]]; assassinated [[Song Jiaoren]]; disbanded the [[Kuomintang]].
|-
| align=center|[[Horloogiyn Choybalsan]] || align=center|[[Mongolia]] || align=center|1936–1952 || Unelected; opponents purged; cult of personality.
|-
| align=center|[[Kim Il-sung]] || align=center|[[North Korea]] || align=center|1948–1994 || Appointed prime minister in 1948; purged rivals in the [[Workers' Party of Korea]] to consolidate power in 1956 (see [http://muse.jhu.edu/cgi-bin/access.cgi?uri=/journals/korean_studies/v026/26.1lankov.pdf]); introduced "[[Juche]]" ideology demanding absolute loyalty to him and the party; created most pervavise cult of personality in recent history. Declared "Eternal President" on his death.
|-
|align=center|[[Ho Chi Minh]] ||align=center| [[North Vietnam]] ||align=center|1945-1969 || Unelected; killed thousands of political rivals in the 1940s; killed tens of thousands more during the land reforms of the 1950s; presided over a one-party state.
|-
|align=center| [[Sukarno]] || align=center|[[Indonesia]] || align=center|1949-1966 ||First President of Indonesia. Consolidated his powers, and got proclaimed President for LIfe. Was overthrown by the then Dictator of Indonesia, Suharto.
|-
|align=center|[[Mao Zedong]] || align=center|[[People's Republic of China]] || align=center|1949–1976 || Chairman of the PRC (1949–1959), Chairman of the [[Communist Party of China]] (1945–1976), Chairman of the [[Central Military Commission]] (1936–1976). Immense cult of personality; purged members of government; silenced opposition. Circumvented Communist Party hierarchy after the 1966 [[Cultural Revolution]]; imprisoned head of state [[Liu Shaoqi]]. Millions of Chinese citizens killed or murdered as a result of his policies and repression. Militant atheist.
|-
| align=center|[[Ngo Dinh Diem|Ngô Ðình Diệm]] || align=center|[[South Vietnam]] || align=center|1955–1963 || Unelected; autocratic; oppressed Buddhists (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9055646?tocId=9055646&ref=news0905arc]).
|-
| align=center|[[Park Chung Hee]] || align=center|[[South Korea]] || align=center|1961–1979 || Took power in 1961 coup. Although initially welcomed by much of the population, he suspended the constitution in 1971 and introduced a new constitution that greatly increased his power.
|-
| align=center|[[Ne Win]] || align=center|[[Burma]] || align=center|1962–1988 || Seized power in a coup; instituted extreme repression (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:rSAOt9c_lU0J:www.iseas.edu.sg/62003.pdf+%22Ne+Win%22+%22dictator%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:yqkmuBoqlnYJ:www.asiapacificms.com/papers/pdf/burma_india_china.pdf+%22Ne+Win%22+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Thanom Kittikachorn]] || align=center|[[Thailand]] || align=center|1963–1973 || Military dictator, known as one of Thailand's so-called "Three Tyrants". Oppressed student-led uprisings in October 1973 and 1976.
|-
| align=center|[[Suharto]] || align=center|[[Indonesia]] || align=center|1966–1998 || His ''[[New Order (Indonesia)|New Order]]'' imprisoned Communists and alleged Communists; repressed Chinese inhabitants; made existing parties subordinate. Also a cleptocrat (with personal and family's assets at least worth US$15 billion, based on [[Time]] Magazine investigation in 1998). Described as a dictator in many sources (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:Bbh_caM50o4J:www.aut.ac.nz/depts/commstud/journ/docs/reviewscronau.pdf+%22Suharto+dictatorship%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:128rEIvvRD4J:www.civiced.org/research/pdfs/RisingTide.pdf+%22Suharto+dictatorship%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:_233mw5azNkJ:cmbc.ucsd.edu/content/1/docs/laurance2004.pdf+%22Suharto+dictatorship%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Lon Nol]] || align=center|[[Cambodia]] || align=center|1972–1975 || Gained power by coup; not elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Pol Pot]] || align=center|[[Democratic Kampuchea]] || align=center|1975–1979 || Unelected; led a [[Khmer Rouge]] dictatorship; responsible for deaths of at least 1 million Cambodian citizens during his rule. [[Atheism|Atheist]].
|-
| align=center|[[Chun Doo Hwan]] || align=center|[[South Korea]] || align=center|1980–1988 || Gained power in a coup; declared martial law; oversaw [[Gwangju Massacre]].
|-
|align=center|[[Mahathir bin Mohamad]] ||align=center| [[Malaysia]] ||align=center|1981-2003 || Authoritarian; suppressed opposition, media.
|-
| align=center|[[Khamtai Siphandon]] || align=center|[[Laos]] || align=center|1992–2006 || Unelected; one-party state (see [http://www.arthuredelstein.org/worlddictators]).
|-
| align=center|[[Than Shwe]] || align=center|[[Myanmar]] || align=center|1992–2011 || Unelected; persecution of minorities (especially [[Karenni]] and [[Rohingya]] groups [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51506.htm]) leading 250,000 to flee, either becoming [[IDP]]s or moving across the border to Thailand; consolidated power into himself from the [[SPDC]] - he moved to a new capital in Kyat Pyay in 2006, &renamed it as Nay Pyi Daw, i.e. the Royal Palace City"; gained power via a military [[coup]] and announced that he would not hand over the power to [[Aung San Suu Kyi]]'s Elected Party (the [[NLD]]); no free press (see [http://www.bbc.co.uk/burmese/forum/story/2004/10/041020_khin_nyunt_ousted.shtml]). Released Aung San Suu Kyi in 2010.
|-
| align=center|[[Kim Jong-il]] || align=center|[[North Korea]] || align=center|1994–2011 || Became General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the National Defense Commission (the highest state offices) on his father's death. Continues his father's "[[Juche]]" ideology.
|-
| align=center|[[Sonthi Boonyaratglin]] || align=center|[[Thailand]] || align=center|2006–2008 || Army chief seized power while Prime Minister [[Thaksin Shinawatra]] was out of the country. A state of martial law was declared, parliament was dissolved and the constitution abrogated. Instituted press censorship and restrictions on protests. The first Muslim in charge of the mostly Buddhist army.
|-
| align=center|[[Kim Jong-un]] || align=center|[[North Korea]] || align=center|'''2011–present''' || Became General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the National Defense Commission (the highest state offices) on his father's death. Continues his grandpa's "[[Juche]]" ideology.
|-
|}

==Europe==

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center| [[Oliver Cromwell]] || align=center| [[Commonwealth of England]] || align=center|1649-1658 || A [[Puritan]] general in the [[English Civil War]] who quickly rose through the ranks to become ''de facto'' head of the Parliamentary forces. After the Royalist defeat and the execution of [[Charles I]] the newly constituted [[Rump Parliament]] was overthrown by Cromwell who refused the Crown, choosing instead the title of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. After his death the monarchy was reinstated. [http://www.olivercromwell.org/].
|-
| align=center| [[Maximilien Robespierre]] || align=center| [[France]] || align=center|1793–1794 || Head of the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution. To purge French society of "Counter Revolutionaries", he instituted the heavily repressive Reign of Terror, a period which killed thousands of French citizens, many of those killed were simply killed under mere suspicion, with little or no proof. Desposed when the National Convention declared him an outlaw.
|-
| align=center| [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] || align=center| [[France]]|| align=center|1799–1804, then became Emperor || First Consul, 1799-1804. Emperor of the French 1804-1814 and once again from 1814-1815. Declared himself "First Consul for Life" in 1802 and then Emperor in 1804.
|-
| align=center| [[Józef Chłopicki|Józef Grzegorz Chłopicki]] || align=center| [[Poland]] || align=center|1830–1831 || Held official title of dictator for one year only.
|-
| align=center| [[Napoleon III of France|Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte]] || align=center| [[France]] || align=center| 1848–1852, then became Emperor || Grandson of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]. President of France from 1848 to 1852. In 1851 he launched a coup against the legislature, making himself absolute ruler. From 1852 to 1870 he styled himself Emperor of the French under the name Napoléon III from 1852 to 1870. Later during his reign constitutional liberties were gradually restored. In 1870 he was captured during the abortive [[Franco-Prussian War]] and deposed in his absence by the [[Third Republic]] of France.
|-
| align=center| [[Romuald Traugutt]] || align=center| [[Poland]] || align=center|1863–1864 || Held official title of dictator for one year. Succeeded [[Marian Langiewicz]] who had declared himself dictator previously, but only lasted less than a year in 1863. 
|-
| align=center| [[Abdul Hamid II]] || align=center| [[Ottoman Empire]] || align=center|1876-1909 || 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who exert effective despotic control over the fracturing state. He was abolished the constitutional regime in 1878, and established an oppressive regime. The dissidents were imprisoned or exiled through agents. Newspapers, magazines and books were censored.
|-
| align=center| "[[Three Pashas]]" || align=center| [[Ottoman Empire]] || align=center|1913-1918 || [[Enver Pasha]] (Enver Paşa), [[Talaat Pasha]] (Talat Paşa), and [[Djemal Pasha]] (Cemal Paşa). They made a coup on the worsening of the First Balkan War and took over the administration.

|-
| align=center| [[Vladimir Lenin]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1917-1924 || Head of Bolshevik Revolution took power in 1917. Secured victory in the Russian civil war. Headed effort to transform the Russian economy to a socialist model.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/lenin_vladimir.shtml] 
|-
| align=center| [[Benito Mussolini]] || align=center| [[Italy]] || align=center|1922–1943, and in part of the country 1943-1945 || Prime Minister of Italy 1922-1943; head of the so-called [[Italian Social Republic]] until 1945. "He introduced strict censorship and altered the methods of election so that in 1925–1926 he was able to assume dictatorial powers and dissolve all other political parties" (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:0PFM13qC39YJ:www.ablongman.com/history_rh_bridge/assets/0321025865_ch15.pdf+%22Italian+dictator+Benito+Mussolini%22],[http://doi.contentdirections.com/mr/greenwood.jsp?doi=10.1336/0275979377]).
|-
| align=center|[[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] || align=center| [[Turkey]] || align=center|1923-1938 || President of Turkey 1923-1938. Led the Turkish national movement. Transformed Turkey into a secular republic through broad authoritarian reforms.
|-
| align=center| [[Miguel Primo de Rivera]] || align=center| [[Spain]] || align=center|1923–1930 || Prime Minister of Spain. Gained power in a coup; suspended the constitution; established martial law; imposed strict censorship; banned all political parties. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9061388], [http://www.bartleby.com/65/pr/PrimRivM.html], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565186/Miguel_Primo_de_Rivera.html]). 
|-
| align=center| [[Aleksandar Tsankov]] || align=center| [[Bulgaria]] || align=center|1923-1926 || Established Right wing nationalist, anti communist coup against [[Stamboliyski]]’s democratic elected [[Agrarians]]. Forced out of power by Tsar [[Boris III]]. [http://www.bartleby.com/65/ts/TsankovA.html]. 
|-
| align=center| [[Joseph Stalin]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1924–1953 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1922-1953; Premier of the Soviet Union 1941-1953. Never elected; cult of personality; [[militant atheism|militant atheist]], heavily repressive; responsible for deaths of millions of Soviet citizens (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9108469], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761559200/Stalin_Joseph.html],[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/prof_josephstalin.html]).
|-
| align=center| [[Ahmet Bej Zogu]] || align=center| [[Albania]] || align=center|1925–1939 || Originally elected Prime Minister of Albania 1922-1924 and 1925; President of Albania 1925-1928; crowned himself King of the Albanians (as Zog I) 1928-1939. Described as a dictator (see [http://www.albanian.com/information/history/independ.html], [http://www.diplom.org/manus/talossa/?lingo=&page=Statute&act=25RZ13], [http://www.electionworld.org/history/albania.htm]). Forced to flee with his wife, Queen Geraldine, the imminent takeover of the country by Italy under [[Benito Mussolini]].
|-
| align=center| [[José Mendes Cabeçadas]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1926 || Leader of [[Ditadura Nacional]] during the first part of June immediately after the [[28th May 1926 coup d'état]]
|-
| align=center| [[Gomes da Costa]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1926 || Succeeded Cabeçadas as head of the [[Ditadura Nacional]] for less than a month
|-
| align=center| [[António Óscar Carmona]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1926-1928 || Head of [[Ditadura Nacional]]
|-
| align=center| [[Józef Piłsudski]]|| align=center| [[Poland]] || align=center|1926–1935 || Polish Head of State 1918-1922, but regained power in 1926 via coup. Prime Minister of Poland 1926-1928 and 1930; Commander in Chief of the Army 1926-1935. Initiated authoritarian [[Sanacja]] government; often described as a "benevolent dictator".
|-
| align=center| [[Antanas Smetona]] || align=center| [[Lithuania]] || align=center|1926–1940 || President of Lithuania. Seized power in a 1925 military coup (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:wEZn53dBGtoJ:www.gla.ac.uk/departments/dcees/Duvold.pdf+Antanas+Smetona+%22dictatorship%22]); authoritarian rule. His description as a dictator is common (see [http://www.encyclopedia.com/searchpool.asp?target=@DOCKEYWORDS%20balthistbio&unkey=balthistbio&clientIp=216%2E63%2E197%2E211&userAgent=Mozilla%2F4%2E0+%28compatible%3B+MSIE+6%2E0%3B+Windows+NT+5%2E1%3B+SV1%3B+%2ENET+CLR+1%2E1%2E4322%29]), but not universal.
|-
| align=center| [[António de Oliveira Salazar]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1928–1968 || Prime Minister of Portugal. Established an anti-democratic, anti-parliamentarian, ultra-[[Clericalism|clericalist]], [[Corporativism|corporativist]], extremely conservative, repressive and authoritarian dictatorship, connoted with the Italian fascism, highly supported by the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Longest right-wing dictatorship ever (four complete decades).
|-
| align=center| [[Alexander I of Yugoslavia|Alexander I]] || align=center| [[Yugoslavia]] || align=center|1929-1934 || King of Yugoslavia from 1921. On January 6, 1929 he abolished the constitution, prorogued parliament and established the so-called "January 6 Dictatorship." A new constitution in 1931 left all significant political power in the hands of the King.
|-
| align=center| [[Engelbert Dollfuss]] || align=center| [[Austria]] || align=center|1933–1934 || Chancellor of Austria 1932-1934. Suspended parliament indefinitely in March 1933, governing thereafter by decree. Rule sometimes compared to Mussolini or Franco (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:PUVNNLui6y4J:www3.la.psu.edu/hrsweb/majmin/Theses/Houlihan/Thesis.pdf+%22dictator%22+%22Dollfuss%22]).
|-
| align=center| [[Konstantin Päts]] || align=center| [[Estonia]] || align=center|1933–1940 || State Elder 1933 - 1937; State Protector 1937 - 1938; President of Estonia 1938-1940. Established authoritarian rule following a coup. Allowed (and won) election in 1938.
|-
| align=center| [[Adolf Hitler]] || align=center| [[Nazi Germany]] || align=center|1933–1945 || Chancellor of Germany 1933-1945; ''Führer'' (Leader) 1934-1945. The 1933 [[Enabling Act]] suspended most of the constitution and allowed Hitler to [[rule by decree]]. Heavily repressive; ordered imprisonment of millions of political opponents and members of ethnic minorities in concentration camps, where they were abused and killed.
|-
| align=center| [[Kimon Georgiev]] || align=center| [[Bulgaria]] || align=center|1934 || Took power in coup. Overthrown by Tsar Boris III. 
|-
| align=center| Tsar [[Boris III]] || align=center| [[Bulgaria]] || align=center|1934-1943 || Overthrew Kimon Geogiev. Took power him self ruled through puppet Prime Ministers Georgi Kyoseivanov. His Regime banned all opposition parties. Took Bulgaria into alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. 
|-
| align=center| [[Kurt Schuschnigg]] || align=center| [[Austria]] || align=center|1934–1938 || Chancellor of Austria. Maintained his predecessor Dollfuss' oppressive rule.
|-
| align=center| [[Karlis Ulmanis|Kārlis Ulmanis]] || align=center| [[Latvia]] || align=center|1934–1940 || Prime Minister of Latvia 1934-1940; President of Latvia 1936 - 1940. Gained power in a coup and dissolved parliament; generally viewed as a "benevolent dictator" (see [http://www.ltn.lv/~krz/latvia/lat_history.html], [http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/karlis_ulmanis], [http://www.bartleby.com/65/la/Latvia.html]).
|-
| align=center| [[Ioannis Metaxas]] || align=center| [[Greece]] || align=center|1936–1941 || Prime Minister of Greece. Never elected; banned political parties; arrested opponents; criminalized unions; censored media. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.bartleby.com/65/pa/PapandrG.html], [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9052304], [http://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/biography/metaxas.htm]). 
|-
| align=center| [[Francisco Franco]] || align=center| [[Spain]] || align=center|1936–1975 || Prime Minister of Spain 1938-1975 and Head of State 1939 - 1975 (in the Nationalist Zone, both only to 1939). Purged opposition; often referred to as a dictator or ''caudillo'' (see [http://www.policyreview.org/jun03/diamond.html], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:B1Mmefo38twJ:www.personal.psu.edu/mlb300/spainsocprob.pdf+%22dictator+Francisco+Franco%22],[http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:NsfbKjiVUowJ:www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/POSC/faculty/montero/Spain%2520Paper%25201.pdf+%22dictator+Francisco+Franco%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:9ZzXaMENcm8J:www.artcult.org/cst/spain_prepack_participants.pdf+%22Francisco+Franco%22+%22dictatorship%22]). Strongly supported by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] worldwide.

|-
| align=center| [[Jozef Tiso]] || align=center| [[Slovakia]] || align=center|1939–1945 || President of [[Slovak Republic (1939-1945)|WWII Slovak Republic]]. Led a partly Roman Catholic clerical, partly pro-Nazi, one-party state. Described by some as a dictator (see [http://www.adl.org/PresRele/HolNa_52/3578_52.asp], [http://dominican-republic.asinah.net/en/wikipedia/j/jo/jozef_tiso.html], [http://www.ce-review.org/00/19/vaknin19.html]).
|-
| align=center| [[Ion Antonescu]] || align=center| [[Romania]] || align=center|1940–1944 || Prime Minister of Romania. Two days after his appointment, forced King Carol II (see above) to abdicate in favor of his son, Mihai. Named himself ''Conducător'' (Leader), assumed dictatorial powers and relegated monarchy to decorative role.
|-
| align=center| [[Philippe Pétain]] || align=center| [[Vichy France]] || align=center|1940–1944 || Prime Minister of France 1940 - 1942; Head of State 1940 - 1944. The ''Assemblée Nationale'' of Vichy France suspended the [[Third Republic]] and granted Pétain dictatorial power, although ultimately he was answerable to the German Nazi hierarchy.
|-
| align=center| [[Ante Pavelic|Ante Pavelić]] || align=center| [[Croatia]] || align=center|1941–1945 ||''Poglavnik'' ("Leader") of Croatia. Not elected; ordered massacres of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and dissidents; hundreds of thousands slaughtered; led the genocial, devoutly Roman Catholic Ustase (see [http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/tyrants.htm], [http://www.cuttingedge.org/articles/RC130.html], [http://emperors-clothes.com/vatican/cpix.htm]). Supported by most, if not all, of the Roman Catholic church in Croatia.
|-
| align=center| [[Vidkun Quisling]] || align=center| [[Norway]]|| align=center|1942–1945 || Minister President of Norway between 1942-1945, and founder of the fascist "National Unity" party . Traitor to his country. Executed by firing squad. Described as being the Hitler of Norway.
|-
| align=center| [[Ferenc Szálasi]] (Szálasi Ferenc) || align=center| [[Hungary]] || align=center|1944–1945 || Leader of the [[fascist]] [[Arrow Cross]] party, Szálasi was installed as a fascist ruler by the [[Nazis]] following their overthrow of [[regent]] [[Miklós Horthy]].
|-
| align=center| [[Josip Broz Tito]] || align=center| [[Yugoslavia]] || align=center|1944–1980 || Secretary-General of the Yugoslav Communist Party 1937 - 1963; Prime Minister of Yugoslavia 1945–1953; Premier of Yugoslavia 1953 - 1963; President of Yugoslavia 1953 - 1980; President of the ''Presidium of the League of Communists'' from 1963 until 1980. Declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1963. Viewed favorably in Yugoslavia despite authoritarian rule.
|-
| align=center| [[Enver Hoxha]] || align=center| [[Albania]] || align=center|1944-1985 || General Secretary of the Albanian Party of Labour. Leader of single-party Communist state; extensive personality cult; Declared his nation to be the world's only officially atheist state and banned all practice of religion in 1967.
|-
| align=center| [[Mátyás Rákosi]] || align=center| [[Hungary]] || align=center|1949-1953 || General Secretary of the [[Hungarian Workers Party]] and Prime Minister of the [[Hungarian People's Republic]]. Leader of single-party Communist state; nicknamed "Stalin's best Hungarian disciple"; Invented the phrase "[[salami tactics]]" to describe piecemeal assumption of power.
|-
| align=center| [[Nikita Khrushchev]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1953-1964 || First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1953-1964. Allowed limited liberalisation in the arts and media later on. 
|-
| align=center| [[Todor Zhivkov]] || align=center| Bulgaria || align=center|1956-1989 || Head of pro soviet communist regimen in Bulgaria. Became party secretary in 1956 and prime minister in 1962. Forced out of power in 1989 by communist party to comply with demands of protesters.
|-
| align=center| [[Antonín Novotný]] || align=center| [[Czechoslovakia]] || align=center|1957-1968 || Antonín Novotný, the First Secretary of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, was leader of Czechoslovakia during the Stalinisation of the country, resulting in the replacement of the Czechoslovakian democracy by a one-party communist state. His dictatorship centralized power and used force to protect his regime which lasted fifteen years.
|-
| align=center| [[Walter Ulbricht]] || align=center| [[German Democratic Republic]] || align=center|1950/1960-1971 || General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany 1950-1971 and Head of State 1960-1973.
|-
| align=center| [[Leonid Brezhnev]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1964–1982 || First/General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964-1982. Formed a [[cult of Personality]] later on.
|-
| align=center| [[Nicolae Ceauşescu]] || align=center| [[Romania]] || align=center|1965–1989 || General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party, 1965-1989; President of Romania, 1974-1989. Leader of single-party Communist state; extensive personality cult developed during the 1970s. Lived lavish lifestyle while country was still using donkey carts.
|-
| align=center| [[George Papadopoulos]] || align=center| [[Greece]] || align=center|1967–1973 || Prime Minister of Greece 1967 - 1973; Regent 1972 - 1973; President of Greece 1973. Gained power in a coup; lead military regime. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0778782.html], [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/379334.stm], [http://www.hellas.net]).
|-
| align=center| [[Marcelo Caetano]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1968–1974 || Prime Minister of Portugal 1968 - 1974; Upon the death of [[António de Oliveira Salazar]] he continued the dictatorial regime. Some liberties were improved but the situation of the country and the [[Portuguese Colonial War|colonial wars]] lead to the [[Carnation Revolution]].
|-
| align=center| [[Gustáv Husák]] || align=center| [[Czechoslovakia]] || align=center|1969-1987 || Came into power through soviets, Crushed the Prague spring. Headed brutal secret police stepped down from power in 1987 two years before communism fell. 
|-
| align=center| [[Erich Honecker]] || align=center| [[German Democratic Republic]] || align=center|1971-1989 || General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany 1971-1989 and Head of State 1976-1989.
|-
| align=center| [[Phaedon Gizikis]] || align=center| [[Greece]] || align=center|1973-1974 || President of Greece 1973-1974. Gained power in coup. Lead military regime installed by previous head of state.
|-
| align=center| [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] || align=center|Poland || align=center|1981-1990 || Imposed martial law in Poland in 1981 in response to Solidarity party led strikes. Made himself head of the "Commission for National Salvation." Stated his actions were taken in order to prevent a Soviet invasion of Poland. Was President of Poland until his resignation in 1990. 
|-
| align=center| [[Yuri Andropov]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1982-1984 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1982-1984. Early signs of [[Perestroika]] and [[Glasnost]].
|-
| align=center| [[Konstantin Chernenko]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1984-1985 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1984-1985. Ailing stop-gap leader. 
|-
| align=center| [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1985-1991 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed and the CPSU was banned. Oversaw democratisation in the Soviet Union, but was never directly elected as leader.
|-
| align=center| [[Slobodan Milošević]] || align=center| [[Serbia]], [[Yugoslavia]] || align=center|1989-2000 || In 1984 he became the head of the local Communist party in Belgrade and adopted a populist style, the party's leader. He successfully took over as head of the Serbian Communist party in 1987. He challenged the federal government, championed Serbian control of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina, and advocated stridently socialist economic policy. By 1988, he had replaced party leaders in Kosovo and Vojvodina, and in 1989 he became president of Serbia. However, in September 1990, a new democratic constitution was passed allowing direct, multi-party presidential and parliamentary elections. Milosevic was elected president of Serbia for the first time in December 1990, although allegations persist of electoral fraud during the Milosevic years.
|-
| align=center| [[Alexander Lukashenko]] || align=center| [[Belarus]] || align=center| '''1994–present''' || President of Belarus. Said to have an "authoritarian ruling style". Lack of democratic standards. Human rights violations. Referred to as "Europe's last dictatorship."
|-
| align=center| [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] || align=center| [[Turkey]] || align=center| '''2003–present''' || President of Turkey. His crackdowns on protests, restrictions on the media, banning of public websites, purging of prosecutors looking to investigate him, and general curbing of civil liberties follow the path of a typical autocrat. He changed the constitution to enhance his autocratic powers and enshrine authoritarianism into law.
|}

==Oceania==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center| [[Sitiveni Rabuka]] || align=center|[[Fiji]] || align=center|1987–1992 || Twice gained power through coup, allowed elections in 1992, which he won.
|-
| align=center| [[Frank Bainimarama]] || align=center|[[Fiji]] || align=center|'''2006–present''' ||Launched a coup d'état in December 2006 after weeks of threats against the elected government.
|}

==Quotes from Stalin==

The '''Darwin-Stalin connection''' describes the brutal [[Soviet]] dictator [[Josef Stalin]] who [[mass murderer|murdered millions]] of people, giving credit to [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]]'s book for his outlook in life:

* "The death of one man is a tragedy, the [[mass murderer|death of millions]] is a statistic." ~ to [[Churchill]], 1945.

* "Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem"

* "Ideas are more powerful than [[guns]]. We would [[gun control|not let our enemies have guns]], why should we let them have ideas?"

* "It is enough that the people know there was an [[election]]. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."

* "The only real power comes out of a long [[rifle]]."

* "When we hang the [[capitalist]]s they will sell us the rope we use."

=== Quotes from Lenin ===
*"The best revolutionary is a youth devoid of morals."

* "A lie told often enough becomes the truth."

* "The goal of [[socialism]] is [[communism]]."

* "There are no morals in [[politics]] there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel."

* "Give us the child for 8 years and it will be a [[Bolshevik]] forever." (see [[Public school values]] and [[Professor values]])

==See also==
* [[Dictatorship]]
** [[Dictator]]
** [[Friendly dictator]]
** [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Joseph Stalin]], [[Chairman Mao]], [[Kim Jong-Il]], [[Pol Pot]]
** [[Dictatorship of the proletariat]]
** [[List of Communist States]]
** [[List of Socialist States]]
** [[Death toll of communism]]
** [[Coup d'état]]
* [[Cult of personality]]
* [[Single-party state]]
* [[Mobocracy]], [[Social Effects of the Theory of Evolution]], [[Anti-Semitism]], [[Communist Racism]], [[Genocide]], [[Holocaust]]
* [[National Socialist German Workers Party]] ([[Nazi]])
* [[National Socialism]] - the Nazis were elitist [[Police state]] [[liberals]] not [[conservative]]s
* [[Big government]] [[Welfare state]] leads to [[Nanny state]], leads to [[Police state]]: [[Globalist]]-[[Statist]]-[[Socialist]]-[[Communist]]
* [[Liberal totalitarianism]]

* [[Constitutional crisis]]
* [[List of political leaders who held active military ranks in office]]
* [[List of political leaders who suspended the constitution]]
* [[List of successful coups d'état]]
* [[Single-party state]]

==External links==
*[http://www.planetrulers.com/current-dictators/ Current Dictators of the World]
*[http://www.thedictatorship.com The Dictatorship]
*[http://www.lkwdpl.org/schools/horacemann/dictators/ Modern dictators and Human Rights Violations]

[[Category:Lists|Dictators]]
[[Category:Totalitarianism]]

List of dictators

2017-05-08T16:13:14Z

SteveVi: /* Europe */

The following is a list of national leaders ([[Head of state|heads of state]] and/or [[Head of government|heads of government]]) commonly regarded as modern [[dictator]]s. This usage usually carries a pejorative sense and refers to a ruler who:

* Rules by decree, via an Enabling Act or similar laws passed by a legislature allowing him to do so;
* is an absolute ruler of a [[state|sovereign state]], usually appointed, but without hereditary ascension;
* governs outside the otherwise accepted [[rule of law]];
* commonly (but not necessarily) gaining power through [[fraud]], a coup d'état, resorting to either again to continue in power;
* may develop a [[cult of personality]];
* may be autocratic, oppressive, despotic or tyrannical.

Some so-called "benevolent dictators" may be viewed as beneficial and their leadership seen as a "necessary evil".
The modern usage of the term 'dictator' developed largely in response to instances of autocratic rule in [[republic]]s, so traditional [[monarch]]s are not usually described as dictators in historical commentary. Also excluded from this list are those who held absolute power during national emergencies, but restored the rule of law soon thereafter. Otherwise those included have been widely cited by historians or described by the [[Mass media|media]] as dictators. Any controversy surrounding such characterisation is mentioned in the notes.

The list is sorted according to when each dictator began their years in power. This refers to any years in office as a head of state, government or the like before their dictatorship was established. Any years of elected and judicial rule may be indicated parenthetically.

==Africa==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
|align=center|[[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] ||align=center| [[Egypt]] ||align=center| 1954–1970 || Prime Minister of Egypt 1954-1962; President of Egypt 1956-1970. Part of a group of officers in control of Egypt after the coup against British supported [[Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk]] in 1952; In February 1954, Nasser forced {{fact}} President [[Muhammad Naguib]] to appoint him prime minister and give up most practical power to him; later in that year Naguib resigned and Nasser became president by self-appointment; elected by popular vote (as only candidate) in 1956, and subsequently. Many personalistic elements to Nasser's rule, but nominal parliamentary system under Nasser's 1956-1970 presidency {{fact}}, until his death in 1970.
|-
|align=center|[[Ahmed Sékou Touré]] ||align=center| [[Guinea]] ||align=center| 1958–1984 || President of Guinea. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/DIAINS.html], [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2003/profile_jazz.shtml]) with estimates of up to 50,000 extrajudicial killings during his rule (see [http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat6.htm]) and 250,000 Guineans fleeing his rule ([http://www.africanet.com/africanet/country/guinea/history.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[David Dacko]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 1960–1966 1979–1981 || President of the Central African Republic. Banned opposition (see [http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad36]); Gained power by coup in 1979, though subsequently stood for election (see [http://www.african-geopolitics.org/show.aspx?ArticleId=3638]).
|-
|align=center|[[Kwame Nkrumah]] ||align=center| [[Ghana]] ||align=center| 1960–1966 || Created an single-party-system. Described himself as "African [[Lenin]]".
|-
|align=center|[[Modibo Keita]] ||align=center| [[Mali]] ||align=center| 1960–1968 || Schoolteacher and first president of Mali. Forced socialization and extensive protectionism severely harmed the economy and continued the country's dependence on aid donors. Discontent with these policies led Keita to implement his own "Cultural Revolution" and establish a network of people's militias to inform on and punish dissent. In the last few years of his presidency, full powers were vested in an extralegal "National Committee for Defense of the Revolution". He was deposed in a military coup.
|-
|align=center|[[François (Ngarta) Tombalbaye|François Tombalbaye]] ||align=center| [[Chad]] ||align=center| 1960–1975 || Head of State 1960-1962; President of Chad 1962-1975. Never fought a contested election; imprisoned opposition leaders. Launched a "Cultural Revolution" in the early 1970s encouraging ''[[authenticité]]''.
|-
|align=center|[[Félix Houphouët-Boigny]] ||align=center| [[Côte d'Ivoire]] ||align=center| 1960–1993 || President of Côte d'Ivoire. Ruled until 1990 with all opposition banned, but not considered particularly repressive. Relocated the official capital to his home village of [[Yamoussoukro]] and constructed the [[Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro]], the largest religious structure in Africa.
|-
|align=center|[[Milton Obote]] ||align=center| [[Uganda]] ||align=center| 1962–1972 1980–1985 || Prime Minister of Uganda 1962-1966; President of Uganda 1966-1971 and 1980-1985. Suspended the constitution and declared himself President and Prime Minister in 1966.
|-
|align=center|[[Hastings Kamuzu Banda]] ||align=center| [[Malawi]] ||align=center| 1963–1994 || Prime Minister of Malawi 1963-1966; President of Malawi 1966-1994. Banned all opposition in 1966; declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1971; exiled and killed opposition leaders. Ordered that a letter bomb be sent to exiled opposition leader [[Attati Mpakati]]; suspected of being involved in the car crash deaths of senior Congress Party leaders; violently crushed an attempted rebellion. Aged 98, he allowed and lost a free election in 1994.
|-
|align=center|[[Kenneth Kaunda]] ||align=center| [[Zambia]] ||align=center| 1964–1991 || President of the Republic of Zambia 1964-1991.Elected 1964, banned all political parties in Zambia, viewed himself as "WAMUYAYA" (eternal President).Accused of torturing political opponents.Defeated by Frederick Chiluba in 1991.
|-
|align=center|[[Houari Boumediene]] ||align=center| [[Algeria]] ||align=center| 1965–1978 || 
President of Algeria from June 19, 1965 to his death, (December 27, 1978; Chairman of the Revolutionary Council until December 12, 1976). In June 1965, Boumédienne seized power in a bloodless coup. Initially lacking a personal power base, he was seen as a weak ruler. But after a botched coup attempt against him by military officers in 1967 he tightened his rule, and then remained Algeria's undisputed ruler until his death in 1978.
|-
|align=center|[[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 1966–1979 || President of the Central African Republic 1966-1976; Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire 1976-1979. Bokassa overthrew the autocratic Dacko in a swift coup d'état and assumed power as president of the Republic and head of the sole political party, the Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique Noire (MESAN). Bokassa abolished the constitution of 1959 on January 4 and began to rule by decree. He proclaimed himself emperor in 1976 (see [http://www.african-geopolitics.org/show.aspx?ArticleId=3638]).
|-
|align=center|[[Gnassingbé Eyadéma]] ||align=center| [[Togo]] ||align=center| 1967–2005 || President of Togo. Gained power in a coup; never fought a contested election until 1998; banned, tortured and killed opposition. Fostered a cult of personality that was reinforced after he was the sole survivor of an airplane crash in 1974. In late 1991, troops loyal to Eyadéma closed a constitutional conference that had shifted most executive power to a new transitional government and banned Eyadéma's RPT party. January 1993 saw a mass exodus of residents to neighboring states after security forces fired on pro-democracy demonstrators. Further repression followed a purported 1994 coup attempt (see [http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/mar/data/togoewechro.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[Omar Bongo]] ||align=center| [[Gabon]] ||align=center| 1967–2009 || As vice president, he acceded to the presidency following the death of President [[Léon M'ba]]. In 1968, Bongo decreed a one-party state under his [[Gabonese Democratic Party]] and was thrice elected unopposed in the 1970s and 1980s. He became very wealthy during the country's oil boom. Open elections were held in 1990 and Bongo was re-elected in 1993, 1998 and 2005. Observers have criticized the elections as unfair and corruption watchdogs have accused the president of [[nepotism]]. Riots resulting from the mysterious death in 1990 of prominent dissident [[Joseph Rendjambe]] in a government hotel room were put down by French troops.
|-
|align=center|[[Moussa Traoré]] ||align=center| [[Mali]] ||align=center| 1968–1991 || Chairman of the Military National Liberation Committee 1968-1969; Head of State 1969-1979; President of Mali 1979-1991. Seized power in a coup; banned all opposition; installed a police state; established one-party state in 1979.
|-
|align=center|[[Francisco Macías Nguema]] ||align=center| [[Equatorial Guinea]] ||align=center| 1968–1979 || President of Equatorial Guinea 1968-1979. Elected in 1968 but declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1972; "extreme personality cult"; over a third of population fled his regime. Banned fishing and sanctioned the deaths of most of his pre-independence political rivals, including ex-prime minister [[Bonifacio Ondó Edu]] and foreign minister [[Atanasio Ndongo Miyone]]. Declared an [[Atheism|atheist]] state by Spanish dictator [[Francisco Franco]]. As many as 50,000 civilians were killed, in particular those of the [[Bubi]] ethnic [[minority]] on [[Bioko]] associated with relative wealth and [[intellectual]]ism.
|-
|align=center|[[Gaafar Nimeiry]] ||align=center| [[Sudan]] ||align=center| 1969–1985 || Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council 1969-1971; President of Sudan 1971-1985. Gained power in a military coup, banned opposition, dissolved southern Sudanese government, imposed sharia law. Executed several leading communists (the most prominent being [[Abdel Khaliq Mahjub]] and [[Joseph Garang]]) after a botched 1971 coup attempt.
|-
|align=center|[[Mohamed Siad Barre]] ||align=center| [[Somalia]] ||align=center| 1969–1991 || Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council 1969-1976; President of Somalia 1976-1991. In 1969, during the power vacuum following the assassination of President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, the military staged a coup and took over. Barre was to rule for the next twenty-two years. He attempted to develop a personality cult; large posters of him were common in the capital Mogadishu during his reign, many of which can still be seen today. He dreamed of a "[[Greater Somalia]]" and tried unsuccessfully to annex the [[Ogaden]]—legally Ethiopian territory—in 1977 to realize this end (see [[Ogaden War]]).
|-
|align=center|[[Idi Amin]] ||align=center| [[Uganda]] ||align=center| 1971–1979 || [[President of Uganda]], later (1976) declared as [[President for Life|for Life]]. Deposed in 1979 after declaring war on [[Tanzania]].
|-
|align=center|[[Mengistu Haile Mariam]] ||align=center| [[Ethiopia]] ||align=center| 1974–1991 || Chairman of the Provisional Military Administrative Council ([[Derg]]) in 1974 and 1977-1987; President of Ethiopia 1987-1991. One-party state; repression of opposition; tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings.
|-
|align=center|[[Olusegun Obasanjo]] ||align=center| [[Nigeria]] ||align=center| 1976-1979 || Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria between 1976 and 1979. Elected President of Nigeria in 1999. Chairman of the [[African Union]] 2004-2006.
|-
|align=center|[[Jean-Baptiste Bagaza]] ||align=center| [[Burundi]] ||align=center| 1976–1987 || President of Burundi. Widely described as a military dictator (see [http://www.africanews.com/article265.html], [http://www.electionworld.org/history/burundi.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[Albert René]] ||align=center| [[Seychelles]] ||align=center| 1977–2004 || President of Seychelles. Deposed the elected president Sir [[James Mancham]] and promulgated a one-party constitution after a period of rule by decree. Created the [[National Youth Service]] (NYS), a compulsory educational institution that included traditional curricula interlaced with political indoctrination and paramilitary training.
|-
|align=center|[[Daniel arap Moi]] ||align=center| [[Kenya]] ||align=center| 1978–2002 || President of Kenya. Changed constitution to establish a ''de jure'' one-party state; resorted to repressive rule, including torture and imprisonment without trial.
|-
|align=center|[[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] ||align=center| [[Equatorial Guinea]] ||align=center| '''1979–present''' || Chairman of the Supreme Military Council 1979-1982; President of Equatorial Guinea 1982–present. Deposed his uncle in a violent coup; opposition is banned in all but name.
|-
|align=center|[[José Eduardo dos Santos]] ||align=center| [[Angola]] ||align=center| '''1979–present''' || President of Angola. One-party state; did not stand for election until 1992 (see [http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2000/Angola_Marques_00/Angola_Marques_00.html]).
|-
|align=center|[[João Bernardo Vieira]] ||align=center| [[Guinea-Bissau]] ||align=center| 1980-1984 (dictator) 2005-2009 (democratically elected) || become president by a coup. killing and exiled opposition. faoumes for the [[Guinea-Bissau Civil War]].
|-
|align=center|[[Samuel K. Doe]] ||align=center| [[Liberia]] ||align=center| 1980–1990 || Chairman of the People's Redemption Council 1980-1984; President of Liberia 1984-1990. Gained power in a military coup that killed President [[William R. Tolbert, Jr.]], a [[Reform movement|reformer]]. Promoted [[Krahn]] chauvinism and "died a multi-millionaire and proud owner of mansions and estates" (see [http://www.theperspective.org/2004/oct/bookpeople.html]).
|-
|align=center|[[Robert Mugabe]] ||align=center| [[Zimbabwe]] ||align=center| '''1980–present''' ||
Gained power through election, and repeatedly re-elected, but criticized for steps used to maintain power. From 1999 on, used police and militant groups like the War Veterans Association and [[Border Gezi Youth]] to enforce [[ZANU-PF]] policies and to prevent opponents from voting; called "king" by his aides.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1709488.stm] Arrested and tortured opponents and human rights activists; gave amnesty to murderers of his political opponents in 2000; ignores court rulings.[http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,410850,00.html]
|-
|align=center|[[Jerry Rawlings]] ||align=center| [[Ghana]] ||align=center| 1981-1992 || Gained power in a military coup during 1979 but handed it over. Re-took power in another coup of 1981. Elected President in 1992 and again in 1996 before standing aside as per the constitution.
|-
|align=center|[[André Kolingba]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 1981–1993 || Chairman of the Military Committee of National Recovery 1981-1985; President of the Central African Republic 1985-1993. Gained power in a coup; persecuted opposition; allowed (and lost) free elections in 1993. Attempted second coup in 2001.
|-
|align=center|[[Paul Biya]] ||align=center| [[Cameroon]] ||align=center| '''1982–present''' || He served under President Ahmadou Ahidjo and became Prime Minister in 1975. Ahidjo resigned on November 6, 1982 and Biya became president. After years of totalitarian rule, he allowed the creation of opposition parties in 1990 but his re-elections have been marked by widespread fraud and intimidation.
|-
|align=center|[[Hissène Habré]] ||align=center| [[Chad]] ||align=center| 1982–1990 || Chairman of the Council of State 1982; President of Chad 1982-1990. Gained power in a coup; abolished post of Prime Minister; executed opposition leaders.
|-
|align=center|[[Thomas Sankara]] ||align=center| [[Burkina Faso]] ||align=center| 1983-1987 || President of Upper Volta 1983-1984; President of Burkina Faso 1984-1987. Gained power in coup. Lead military regime. Overthrown and killed in coup.
|-
|align=center|[[Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya]] ||align=center| [[Mauritania]] ||align=center| 1984–2005 || Deposed the military head of state, [[Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla]], on December 1984 and declared himself Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation. Deposed by [[Ely Ould Mohamed Vall]] in a bloodless coup d'état. 
|-
|align=center|[[Ibrahim Babangida]] ||align=center| [[Nigeria]] ||align=center| 1985-1993 || Annulled the most free and fair presidential election in the history of Nigeria, leading to the death of the presidenstial candidate [[Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola]].
|-
|align=center|[[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]] ||align=center| [[Tunisia]] ||align=center| 1987–2011 || President of Tunisia. Although he announced [[Pluralism#Plualism in politics|political pluralism]] in 1992, his Democratic Constitutional Rally (formerly Neo-Destour party) continues to dominate the national politics and there is no genuine open political debate. In 1999, although two unknown alternative candidates were permitted for the first time to stand in the presidential elections, Ben Ali was re-elected with 99.66% of the vote. A controversial constitutional referendum in 2002 allowed him to seek re-election and contemplate the possibility of remaining in office until 2014. On October 24, 2004, he was again re-elected, officially taking 94.48% of the vote. Certain books, periodicals and internet sites are banned or blocked. The [http://www.tunisiatv.com National Television] frequently show his actions during a week, but often the President only appears in passing on television. In 2011 he was forced from power after mass protests.
|-
|align=center|[[Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir]] ||align=center| [[Sudan]] ||align=center| '''1989–present''' || President of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation 1989-1993; President of Sudan 1993–present. Took power in a military coup and increasingly centralized power into himself. Widely believed to be implicated in the [[Darfur]] [[Janjaweed]] [[pogrom]]s.
|-
|align=center|[[Idriss Déby]] ||align=center| [[Chad]] ||align=center| '''1990–present''' || Head of State 1990-1991; President of Chad 1991 to date. Gained power in a coup; continues to suppress opposition and press (see [http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/tcd-summary-eng]).
|-
|align=center|[[Sani Abacha]] ||align=center| [[Nigeria]] ||align=center| 1993–1998 || Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council 1993-1998. Seized power in a coup; persecuted opposition; never stood for election. Jailed Chief [[Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola]], the presumed winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election; presided over execution of activist [[Ken Saro-Wiwa]].
|-
|align=center|[[Paul Kagame]] || align=center|[[Rwanda]] || align=center|'''1994–present''' || Vice-President of Rwanda 1994-2000; President 2000-Present. Brouhgt to power by a guerilla movement which plunged the country into bloodshed and led to the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Responsible of the killings of innocent civilians, women and children in Kibeho refugee camp. Responsible of the killings of 4 millions congolese. Responsible of the killings of Priests and Archbishops in Kabgayi.
|-
|align=center|[[Yahya Jammeh]] ||align=center| [[The Gambia]] ||align=center| '''1994–Present''' || President of The Gambia. Gained power in coup d'état. Right to the press and free speech suppressed. Stood for three elections (1996, 2001, and 2006); last election deemed unfair by opposition.
|-
|align=center|[[Laurent-Désiré Kabila]] ||align=center| [[Congo-Kinshasa]] ||align=center| 1997–2001 || President of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Overthrew [[Mobutu Sese Seko]] in coup. No elections held during ongoing, interstate [[First Congo War|First]] and [[Second Congo War]]s.
|-
|align=center|[[Charles G. Taylor]] ||align=center| [[Liberia]] ||align=center| 1997–2003 || President of Liberia 1997-2003. Elected, but widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.guardian.co.uk/sierra/article/0,2763,221878,00.html], [http://www.cij.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewNews&newsID=9], [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/127/48.0.html]). Linked to "[[blood diamonds]]" and illegal arms trading. Believed to have interfered frequently in the internal affairs of neighboring states while a [[warlord]], before his election to the presidency.
|-
|align=center|[[François Bozizé]] ||align=center| [[Central African Republic]] ||align=center| 2003–2013 || President of the Central African Republic 2003 to date. Gained power in a coup and suspended the constitution, though he has restored some democracy (see [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/28/1456242]).
|-
|align=center|[[Ely Ould Mohamed Vall]] ||align=center| [[Mauritania]] ||align=center| 2005-2007 || Chairman of the Military Council for Justice and Democracy. Gained power via a military coup. Though he has said to relinquish power to an elected government in 2007.
|-
|align=center|[[Michael Sata]] ||align=center| [[Zambia]] ||align=center| 2011–2014 || Elected President of Zambia. Sata shut down the opposition and maintains relationships with [[Robert Mugabe]].
|-
|align=center|[[Mohamed Morsi]] ||align=center| [[Egypt]] ||align=center| 2012–2013 || Supported by the Muslim Brotherhood. Described Jews as "apes and pigs". Massively expanded his presidential authority upon being elected, giving himself unlimited powers.
|}

==The Americas==
===North America===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Agustín de Iturbide]] || align=center|[[Mexico]] || align=center|1822 - 1823 || Shortly after the Mexican War of Independence, he was declared Emperor of Mexico in 1822. Repressive, cracked down on free speech and any opposition. Desposed when popular opposition forced him to abdicate.
|-
| align=center|[[Antonio López de Santa Anna]] || align=center|[[Mexico]] || align=center|1833 - 1855 (intermittent) || President or Provisional President of Mexico 1833-1837, then 1841 to February 1844, June to December 1844, March to September 1847 and finally 1853-1855. When [[Anastasio Bustamante]] led a coup overthrowing and killing President [[Vicente Guerrero]], Santa Anna seized power and then was elected President in 1833. At first he gave a free hand to his vice-president [[Valentín Gómez Farías]], a liberal reformer. Later he dismissed Gómez Farías, declared the Constitution suspended, disbanded the Congress and worked to concentrate power in the central government. He was overthrown and restored to power several times before his final overthrow in 1855.
|-
| align=center|[[Porfirio Díaz]] || align=center|[[Mexico]] || align=center|1879 - 1910 || Interim president 1876-1877; President of Mexico 1877-1880, 1884-1911. ''De facto'' ruler 1880-1884. Gained power in a coup, after his Revolution of Tuxtepac overthrew his predecessor, Lerdo. He did not run for reelection after his first term in order to keep his one-term promises that he made during his revolution. However, he retook the presidency a few years later and did not leave from power until the [[Mexican Revolution|Revolution of 1910]] kicked him from the Presidency. His rule saw the rapid modernization of Mexico, progress mainly caused by Diaz's encouragement of foreign investment in the country's infrastructure. However, the poor became quite miserable during this time. Political opposition was squelched and rebellions were put down by the ''rurals'', Diaz's personal guard. He was eventually overthrown by the [[Mexican Revolution|Revolution]] which lasted 10 years.
|-
| align=center|[[Victoriano Huerta]] || align=center|Mexico || align=center|1913 - 1914 || Appointed president, established a military dictatorship for about a year, and then was forced to resign.
|}

===Central America===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Rafael Carrera]] || align=center|[[Guatemala]] || align=center|1844–1848 1851–1865 || President of Guatemala. Gained power in a coup; styled himself [[President for Life]].
|-
|align=center|[[William Walker]] ||align=center| [[Nicaragua]] ||align=center| 1856-1857 || An American fillibuster takes over and proclaims himself President of Nicaragua. Tried to conquer several Central American countries. Eventually executed.
|-
| align=center|[[Justo Rufino Barrios]] || align=center|[[Guatemala]] || align=center|1873–1885 || President of Guatemala. Gained power in a bloody coup, but introduced reforms.
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Estrada Cabrera]] || align=center|[[Guatemala]] || align=center|1898–1920 || President of Guatemala. Never elected; subverted constitution; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9033093], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761558775/Estrada_Cabrera_Manuel.html]). Constructed numerous large [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]]-style temples as monuments to his rule.
|-
| align=center|[[Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]] || align=center|[[El Salvador]] || align=center|1931–1934 1935–1944 || Acting President 1931-1934; President of El Salvador 1935-1944. Gained power in a coup; suppressed opposition; oversaw massacre of between ten and forty thousand suspected opponents. Presided over ''[[1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising|La Matanza]]'' in 1932, a massacre (genocide) of communists, suspected communists, [[campesinos]] and [[Pipil]] Indians (see [http://countrystudies.us/el-salvador/7.htm]).
|-
| align=center|[[Jorge Ubico]] || align=center|Guatemala || align=center|1931–1944 || President of Guatemala. Elected, but suppressed opposition and "assumed dictatorial powers".
|-
| align=center|[[Tiburcio Carías Andino]] || align=center|[[Honduras]] || align=center|1933–1949 || President of Honduras. Banned opposition and set up a [[Rubberstamp (politics)|rubber-stamp]] congress; suppressed unions (see [http://countrystudies.us/honduras/19.htm]).
|-
| align=center|[[Carlos Castillo Armas]] || align=center|Guatemala || align=center|1954–1957 || Junta Chairman, 1954; President of Guatemala 1954-1957. Gained power in a coup; banned the popular [[Guatemalan Party of Labour|Communist party]]; purged trade unions of leftist influence; declared himself president in 1956. Assassinated.
|-
| align=center|[[Oswaldo López Arellano]] || align=center|[[Honduras]] || align=center|1963–1971 1972–1975 || Head of Military Government 1963-1965; President of Honduras 1965-1971; Head of State 1972-1975. Military officer who allowed elections in 1971 before re-seizing power the next year. According to Clara Nieto in ''Masters of War: Latin America and United States Aggression from the Cuban Revolution through the Clinton years'', p. 114 (ISBN 1-58322-545-5): "During this second term (1972-1975) López governed without a congress and by decree."
|-
| align=center|[[Omar Torrijos]] || align=center|[[Panama]] || align=center|1968–1981 || Commander of the National Guard. Gained power in a coup; banned opposition, unions and free press.
|-
| align=center|[[Daniel Ortega]] || align=center|[[Nicaragua]] || align=center|1979-1990 '''2006–present''' || Came in power by a coup, with his Leftist [[Sandinista]]s. Hold false elections.
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Noriega]] || align=center|[[Panama]]|| align=center|1983–1989 || Commander of the National Guard and ''de facto'' military leader, widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9056130], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761561240/Noriega_Moreno_Manuel_Antonio.html], [http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/8155061.htm]).
|}

===South America===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia]] || align=center|[[Paraguay]] || align=center|1813-1814 and 1814-1840 ||gained power in election. Outlawed all opposition. Installed a police state. Cult of personality; citizens forced to raise their hats or a brim when he passed by; styled himself with the position name "El Supremo". 
|-
| align=center| [[Simón Bolívar]] || align=center| [[Gran Columbia]] || align=center| 1821-1830 || Though an admirer of classical liberal democracy, the founder and president of Gran Colombia proclaimed himself dictator in 1828 after an unsuccessful constitutional convention. Resigned eighteen months later.
|-
| align=center|[[Juan Manuel de Rosas]] || align=center|[[Argentina]] || align=center|1835–1852 || Governor of Buenos Aires 1829-1832, 1835-1852; Supreme Chief of the Argentine Confederation 1851-1852. Assumed dictatorial powers; exiled opponents.
|-
| align=center|[[Carlos Antonio López]] || align=center|[[Paraguay]] || align=center|1841–1862 || First Consul 1841-1844; President of Paraguay 1844-1862. 
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Belzu]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1848–1855 || Provisional President of Bolivia 1848-1850; President of Bolivia 1850-1855. Unelected military ruler; ''[[caudillo]]''. A populist and nationalist who voluntarily relinquished power after 1855 elections, described in (ISBN 0-13-524356-4), p. 131, as the "cleanest ever held" in (early) Bolivian history.
|-
| align=center|[[Francisco Solano López]] || align=center|Paraguay || align=center|1862–1869 || President of Paraguay. Inherited power from his father; had himself awarded immense powers by a congress he had packed with supporters. Killed in the [[War of the Triple Alliance]] (which Lopez had caused by invading Brazil), along with 90 per cent of the Paraguayan adult (age 14+) male population.
|-
| align=center|[[Mariano Melgarejo]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1864–1871 || Provisional President 1864-1870; President of Bolivia 1870-1871. Gained power in a coup and ruthlessly suppressed opposition. In 1869 he sent the army to suppress an uprising by [[Huaichu]] Indians attempting to regain land privileges they enjoyed under President Belzu (see ISBN 1-55753-324-5).
|-
| align=center|[[Antonio Guzmán Blanco]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1870–1888 || Acting President of Venezuela 1863, 1865; General-in-chief April–July 1870; Provisional President of Venezuela 1870-1873; President of Venezuela 1873 - 1877; Supreme Director 1879; Provisional President of Venezuela 1879 - 1880; President of Venezuela 1880 -1884, 1886 -1888. Described, perhaps inaccurately, as a "benevolent despot"; other sources mention his "long dictatorship" (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:ghIhQZ7WhgUJ:www.normangall.com/artigos/Church_Militant.pdf+Antonio+Guzm%C3%A1n+Blanco+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Cipriano Castro]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1899–1909 || Supreme Chief 1899-1901; Provisional President 1901 - 1902, 1904 - 1905; President of Venezuela 1902 - 1904, 1905 - 1909. Took over in a military coup (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:kdvql1ZK2-4J:www.sg.inter.edu/revista-ciscla/volume29/singh.pdf+Antonio+Guzm%C3%A1n+Blanco+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Rafael Reyes]] || align=center|[[Colombia]] || align=center|1904–1909 || President 1904 - 1909, as a military ruler representing the Conservatives. "In the course of his regime, Reyes improved the country’s finances, expanded roads and railroads, and encouraged increased coffee production. Large U.S. investments and purchases of coffee and minerals contributed to Colombia’s economic growth. However, Reyes ruled as a dictator. He dissolved the congress and replaced it with a handpicked legislature, jailed and exiled political opponents, and declared martial law." (''Colombia'', [[Encarta|Microsoft Encarta]] 2003)
|-
| align=center|[[Juan Vicente Gómez]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1909–1914 1922–1929 1931–1935 || Provisional President 1909-1910; President of Venezuela 1910-1914, 1922-1929, 1931-1935. Gained power in a coup; never elected; kleptocrat; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037322], [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=156078], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563557/Juan_Vicente_Gomez.html]).
|-
| align=center|[[Óscar Benavides]] || align=center|[[Peru]] || align=center|1914–1915 1933–1939 || Junta Chairman 1914; President of Peru 1914-1915, 1933-1939. Twice gained power by coup.
|-
| align=center|[[Augusto B. Leguía y Salcedo|Augusto Leguía]] || align=center|[[Peru]] || 1919–1930 || President of Peru. Gained power in a coup; ignored constitution; suppressed and exiled opposition.
|-
| align=center|[[Carlos Ibáñez del Campo]] || align=center|[[Chile]] || align=center|1927–1931 || Acting President 1927, President 1927 - 1931. Democratically elected to a six-year term in 1952.
|-
| align=center|[[Getúlio Vargas]] || align=center|[[Brazil]] || align=center|1930–1934 1937–1945 || Head of provisional government 1930-1934 after revolution; indirectly elected as Constitutional President 1934-1937; launched a coup in 1937 and became dictator 1937-1945; democratically-elected President of Brazil 1950-1954.
|-
| align=center|[[Gabriel Terra]] || align=center|[[Uruguay]] || align=center|1931–1938 || President of Uruguay. Suspended congress and dissolved constitution in 1933. 
|-
| align=center|[[Higinio Morínigo]] || align=center|Paraguay || align=center|1940–1948 || Provisional president 1940-1943; President of Paraguay 1943-1948. Seized absolute power; ruled by [[diktat]] until 1946.
|-
| align=center|[[Manuel Odría]] || align=center|[[Peru]] || align=center|1948–1956 || Chairman of military junta 1948 - 1950; President of Peru 1950 - 1956. Gained power in a coup; restricted civil rights; allowed election in 1956.
|-
| align=center|[[Marcos Pérez Jiménez]] || align=center|[[Venezuela]] || align=center|1948–1958 || Member of military junta 1948 - 1952; Provisional president 1952 -1953; President of Venezuela 1953 - 1958. Never elected; pursued opposition violently; credited with improvements to the country's infrastructure.
|-
| align=center|[[Gustavo Rojas Pinilla]] || align=center|[[Colombia]] || align=center|1953–1957 || President of Colombia. Gained power in a coup.
|-
| align=center|[[Alfredo Stroessner]] || align=center|[[Paraguay]] || align=center|1954–1989 || President of Paraguay. He took over in a military coup (see [http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19890301faessay5951/riordan-roett/paraguay-after-stroessner.html], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:vqkaVDmcvaIJ:www.columbia.edu/cu/polisci/pdf-files/apsa_krutz.pdf+Stroessner+dictator],[http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:qfMgvA6bakgJ:users.ox.ac.uk/~newc1465/Proudman%2520-%2520SoftPowerMeetsHard.pdf+Stroessner+dictator]). 
|-
| align=center|[[Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco|Humberto Castelo Branco]] || align=center|[[Brazil]] || align=center|1964–1967 || President of Brazil. Gained power in a coup; abolished most opposition; subsequently appointed by congress.
|-
| align=center|[[René Barrientos]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1964–1969 || Chairman of the military junta, 1964-January 1966 (jointly with [[Alfredo Ovando]] 1965-1966); President of Bolivia, August 1966 - 1969. Gained power in military coup; kleptocrat; responsible for [[Catavi massacre]] and execution of [[Che Guevara]] (ISBN 0-85345-991-6), p. 136.
|-
| align=center|[[Forbes Burnham]] || align=center|[[Guyana]] || align=center|1966–1985 || Prime Minister 1966 - 1980; President 1980 - 1985. Elected, but became increasingly dictatorial; held dubious elections and encouraged leftist religious cults (such as the [[Peoples Temple]]) to settle in the Guyanese interior (see [http://www.jagan.org/janet_jagan29.htm], [http://www.hardbeatnews.com/editor/RTE/my_documents/my_files/details.asp?newsid=4498&title=Politics]).
|-
| align=center|[[Artur da Costa e Silva]] || align=center|[[Brazil]] || align=center|1967–1969 || President of Brazil 1967-1969. Elected in 1966, but centralised power; closed the Congress; banned opposition; suspended free press. Decreed [[Institutional Act No. 5]], described as "the most unconstitutional, anti-democratic, arbitrary, and repressive decree in Brazil's history." (ISBN 1-58322-545-5), p. 167.
|-
| align=center|[[Emílio Garrastazu Médici]] || align=center|Brazil || align=center|1969–1974 || President of Brazil. Appointed by congress, but instituted a military government; suppressed press and opposition (see [http://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin/62/index.rtf]).
|-
| align=center|[[Juan María Bordaberry]] || align=center|[[Uruguay]] || align=center|1972–1976 || President of Uruguay 1972 - 1976. Elected, but installed a military government, dissolved Congress, suspended civil liberties and banned unions.
|-
| align=center|[[Augusto Pinochet]] || align=center|[[Chile]] || align=center|1973–1990 || Chairman of military junta 1973-1974; Supreme Head of the Nation 1974; President of Chile 1974-1990. Gained power in a coup; suppressed and exiled opposition; over 3000 "[[Forced disappearance|disappearances]]" and 28,000 tortured.
|-
| align=center|[[Ernesto Geisel]] || align=center|Brazil || align=center|1974-1979 || Congress-appointed President of Brazil. The fourth of the military dictators; party and union freedom were still inexistent during his term; had oppositionists like journalist [[Wladimir Herzog]] and factory worker [[Manoel Fiel Filho]] tortured and murdered.
|-
| align=center|[[Jorge Rafael Videla]] || align=center|[[Argentina]] || align=center|1976–1981 || President of Argentina. Gained power in a coup; never elected; between ten and thirty thousand opponents killed.
|-
| align=center|[[João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo]] || align=center|Brazil || align=center|1979-1985 || Congress-appointed President of Brazil. Society won some democratic measures these years, but there was still a major fraud during 1982 State government elections. His government was responsible for the 1983 bomb in the Riocentro.
|-
| align=center|[[Dési Bouterse]] || align=center|[[Suriname]] || align=center|1980–1988 || Chairman of the National Military Council 1980-1988. Gained power in a coup; never elected; widespread misrule. Most infamous atrocity is the ''[[Decembermoorden]]''.
|-
| align=center|[[Luis García Meza Tejada]] || align=center|[[Bolivia]] || align=center|1980–1981 || President of Bolivia. Gained power in the "Cocaine Coup" aided by [[Klaus Barbie]]; highly repressive; over 1,000 killed.
|-
| align=center|[[Gregorio Conrado Álvarez]] || align=center|[[Uruguay]] || align=center|1981–1985 || President of Uruguay. Ignored constitution; extensive human rights abuses (see [http://www.rulers.org/indexa2.html]).
|-
| align=center|[[Leopoldo Galtieri]] || align=center|[[Argentina]] || align=center|1981–1982 || President of Argentina 1981-1982. Gained power in a coup (see [http://www.guardian.co.uk/argentina/story/0,,873601,00.html], [http://english.pravda.ru/world/2003/01/14/41968.html]). Deposed after failed [[Falklands War|invasion of the Falkland Islands]] in 1982.
|-
|align=center| [[Alberto Fujimori]] || align=center|Peru || align=center|1992-1993 || President of Peru 1990-2000, widely critizised for his political authoritarism. [http://www.fpif.org/briefs/vol5/v5n34peru_body.html][http://www.aprodeh.org.pe/fujimori/delitos-eng.htm] [http://www.cverdad.org.pe/ingles/pagina01.php]. After enjoying a certain degree of popular support, Fujimori was forced from office following controversial third term re-election [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/americas/05/29/peru.elections.04/]. In 2000 political opponent Mario Vargas Llosa called Fujimori a "dictator" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/741841.stm]. His government was also marked by the influence of the director of the SIN, [[Vladimiro Montesinos]] [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1477-7053.2005.00165.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=goop][http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB37/]. Currently in Peru, Fujimori is in trial for presumed charges ranging from corruption to participation in crimes against humanity. [http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/americas/peru-qna-1030.htm].
|-
|align=center|[[Hugo Chávez]] ||align=center| [[Venezuela]] ||align=center|1999-2013 || Appointed special powers, nationalized the media and oil companies,Shut down opposition media and banned "The Simpsons."
|-

|align=center|[[Nicolás Maduro]] ||align=center| [[Venezuela]] ||align=center|'''2013–present''' || Continues the corrupt ideology of Hugo Chávez, which destroys the economy of Venezuela.
|-
|}

===Caribbean===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Jean-Jacques Dessalines]] || align=center|[[Haiti]] || align=center|1804-1806 || Governor-General of Haiti 1804; Emperor of Haiti (as Jacques I) 1804 - 1806. Ruled autocratically.
|-
| align=center|[[Henry Christophe]] || align=center|[[Haiti]] (northern)|| align=center|1806-1820 || Provisional Chief of the Haitian Government 1806-1807; President of Haiti 1807-1811; King of Haiti (as Henry I) 1811-1820. Ruled autocratically.
|-
| align=center|[[Pedro Santana]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1844-1848, 1853-1856, 1858-1861 || Never elected; suppressed opposition; widely considered a dictator.
|-
| align=center|[[Buenaventura Báez]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1849-1878 (intermittent) || President of the Dominican Republic five times. Gained power following coups; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Ulises Heureaux]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1882-1899 (intermittent) || President of the Dominican Republic three times. Never elected; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.marcusgarvey.com/wmview.php?ArtID=507], [http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/8.htm], [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-7709.2004.00452.x]).
|-
| align=center|[[Gerardo Machado]] || align=center|[[Cuba]] || align=center|1925-1933 || President of Cuba. A follower of [[Benito Mussolini]], he is widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=672], [http://www.highbeam.com/ref/doc0.asp?docid=1E1:MachadoG]).
|-
| align=center|[[Rafael Trujillo]] || align=center|[[Dominican Republic]] || align=center|1930-1961 || President of the Dominican Republic 1930 - 1938, 1942 - 1952; ''de facto'' ruler 1930-1961. Gained power in a coup; cult of personality (renamed the capital [[Ciudad Trujillo]]); promoted racism against Haitians and ordered the massacre of 20,000 blacks.
|-
| align=center|[[Paul Magloire]] || align=center|[[Haiti]] || align=center|1950-1956 || President of Haiti. Gained power in a coup; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[François Duvalier]] || align=center|Haiti || align=center|1957-1971 || President of Haiti. Elected in 1957, but banned opposition; declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1964; highly repressive.
|-
| align=center|[[Fidel Castro]] || align=center|[[Cuba]] || align=center|1959-2006 || Prime Minister of Cuba 1959-1976; President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers from 1976. Gained power after [[Cuban Revolution|revolution]]. Castro was elected President [[Elections in Cuba|after 1976]], but within a one-party [[Communist state]]. Retired due to his poor health.
|-
| align=center|[[Jean-Claude Duvalier]] || align=center|Haiti || align=center|1971-1986 || President of Haiti. Inherited presidency aged 19 from his father; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Eric Gairy]] || align=center|[[Grenada]] || align=center|1974-1979 || Prime Minister of Grenada 1967-1979. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.factbites.com/topics/Eric-Gairy], [http://www.paradise-inn-carriacou.com/grenada_revolution.php], [http://counterpunch.org/gibson06052004.html]). 
|-
| align=center|[[Raoul Cédras]] || align=center|Haiti || align=center|1991-1994 || ''De facto'' ruler for a relatively short period of time. Gained power in a coup (see [http://www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org/infamous.htm]).
|-
|align=center|[[Raul Castro]] ||align=center| [[Cuba]] ||align=center|'''2006–present''' || Appointed successor by his brother of the Communist Party of Cuba.
|-
|}

==Asia==

===Western Asia ("Middle East")===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|
|-
| align=center|[[Abdul Karim Qassem]] || align=center|[[Iraq]] || align=center|1958–1963 || Gained power by coup; viewed by some as benevolent (see [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/18/wisad18.xml]).
|-
| align=center|[[Abdul Salam Arif]] || align=center|[[Iraq]] || align=center|1963–1966 || Gained power in a coup; military ruler.
|-
| align=center|[[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]] || align=center|[[Iraq]] || align=center|1968–1979 || Gained power in a coup; never elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Hafez al-Assad]] || align=center|[[Syria]] || align=center|1970–2000 ||Gained power in a coup; totalitarian;{{fact}} cult of personality; oversaw [[Hama massacre]] yielding twenty to forty thousand dead (see [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012197]).
|-
| align=center|[[Ruhollah Khomeini]] || align=center|[[Iran]] || align=center|1979–1989 || As [[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leader]], held ultimate and uncontested authority over all government matters under the principle of [[Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists|Guardianship]]. Created the extra-constitutional [[Special Clerical Court]] system in 1987, accountable only to the Supreme Leader and used principally for suppression of political dissent. Instituted routine torture, beheadings for children.
|-
| align=center|[[Saddam Hussein]] || align=center|Iraq || align=center|1979–2003 || Pressured Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr to resign in 1979 and formally became president. Repressive; developed extensive personality cult; deposed by [[United States]] and coalition forces in an invasion.
|-
| align=center|[[Ali Khamenei|Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]]||align=center| [[Iran]] ||align=center|'''1989–present''' || Continues Khomeini's [[Islamist]] path & uses religion as a tool, cracks down on all authentic dissent, tortures, and has given orders that permit killings like that of [[Akbar Mohammadi]] and [[Zahra Kazemi]]. Only permitts [[government-organized demonstrations]]. Allows a multi-party government but disallows the candidacy of true moderates.[http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=9940][http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1527919/][http://www.nationalreview.com/ledeen/ledeen200505310823.asp][http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1154652871.shtml][http://isd.georgetown.edu/demo_0102.pdf][http://www.boycottliberalism.com/liberalcelebrity.htm]ISBN 0-16-074590-X
|-
| align=center|[[Bashar al-Assad]] || align=center|[[Syria]] || align=center|'''2000–present''' || No opposition permitted in election following death of his father; widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110007449], [http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP92405], [http://www.freeman.org/m_online/feb04/pasko.htm]).
|}

===Central Asia===

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center|[[Askar Akayev]] || align=center|[[Kyrgyzstan]] || align=center|1990–2005 || Appointed but became increasingly authoritarian; widely described as a dictator (see [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4542783.stm], [http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/000935.php], [http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/kazakhstan/hypermail/200507/0023.shtml]).
|-
| align=center|[[Islam Karimov]] || align=center|[[Uzbekistan]] || align=center|'''1991–present''' || Described as authoritarian who is increasingly centralizing power (see [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/search/expand?pub=infobike://bell/soviet/2003/00000019/00000004/art00002&unc=], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:uuOVzdj_xBoJ:www1.dogus.edu.tr/dogustru/journal/sayi_6/M00073.PDF+%22Islam+Karimov%22+%22dictator%22]). Elections essentially uncontested and unmonitored. Opposition repressed. 
|-
| align=center|[[Saparmurat Niyazov]] || align=center|[[Turkmenistan]] || align=center|1991–2006 || Declared [[President for Life]] in 1999; [[cult of personality]]; his book ''[[Ruhnama]]'' is to be treated with reverence (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:blnbM3mP0eAJ:www.eurasianet.org/turkmenistan.project/files2/050603Turkmenreport.pdf+%22Niyazov%22+%22dictatorship%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:Ie2QfLuR_ysJ:www.ndu.edu/ctnsp/tamerlane/Tamerlane-Chapter2.pdf+%22Niyazov%22+%22dictatorship%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Muhammed Omar]] || align=center|[[Afghanistan]] || align=center|1996–2001 || Considered a Theocratic Dictator who excercized strict sharia laws; allowed the persecution of Hazaras; gave Al Qaeda refuge in Afghanistan. (see [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0881088.html][http://www.afghan-web.com/bios/today/momar.html]).
|-
| align=center|[[Ilham Aliyev]] || align=center|[[Azerbaijan]] || align=center|'''2003–present''' || Dubious election; opposition suppressed (see [http://www.underreported.com/print.php?sid=1241]).
|-
| align=center| [[Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow]] || align=center|[[Turkmenistan]] || align=center|'''2006–present''' ||Unelected, appointed as successor upon Niyazov's death. Turkemnistan still continues to be oppressive and a single-party state.
|}

===South Asia===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
|align=center|[[Indira Gandhi]] || align=center|[[India]] || align=center|1975–1977 ||State of emergency, rule by decree.
|-
| align=center|[[Ayub Khan]] || align=center|[[Pakistan]] || align=center|1958–1969 || Gained power in a coup. Subsequent elections considered dubious (see [http://www.storyofpakistan.com/articletext.asp?artid=A069], [http://www.indianexpress.com/messages.php?content_id=71414]).
|-
| align=center|[[Yahya Khan]] || align=center|[[Pakistan]] || align=center|1969–1971 || Military ruler, gaining power from coup (see [http://presidentyahya.com],[http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/pakistantimeline.html], [http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/kpsgill/terrorism/04Jan10Pio.htm]).
|-
| align=center|[[Maumoon Abdul Gayoom]] || align=center|[[Maldives]] || align=center|1978–2008 || [[Autocracy|Autocrat]]; widely considered to be a dictator; no opposition or free press allowed.
|-
| align=center|[[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] || align=center|[[Pakistan]] || align=center|1978–1988 || Took over following coup. Claimed government to be legitimate because it was Islamic (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:dcmhb0vRS4wJ:smartech.gatech.edu:8282/dspace/bitstream/1853/6901/1/kulkarni_nikhil_v_200505_ms.pdf+%22Muhammad+Zia%22+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Rahimuddin Khan]] || align=center|[[Balochistan (Pakistan)]] || align=center|1978–1984 || Appointed supreme Martial Law Governor of Balochistan by central Pakistani military government following coup. (see [http://www.answers.com/rahimuddin%20khan]).
|-
|align=center|[[Hossain Mohammad Ershad]] || align=center|[[Bangladesh]] || align=center|1982–1990 ||Gained power in a coup; declared martial law; never elected.
|}

===Eastern Asia ("Far East")===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in   power !! Notes
|-
|align=center|[[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] || align=center|[[Japan]] || align=center|1600-1616 || Shogun of [[Japan]] and founder of the long reigning [[Tokugawa shogunate]]. Gained power by unifying the warring clans during [[Japan]]'s long period of civil unrest. He also created an "alternate attendance" system to pacify the [[daimyo]] warlords, as well as closing and isolating trade and the economy, in order to retain his power. His rule was also marked by persecution of European missionaries and Japanese Christians. 
|-
|align=center|[[Yuan Shikai]] || align=center|[[Republic of China]] || align=center|1912–1916 || [[President of the Republic of China]], self-proclaimed [[Emperor of China]], 1916. Ignored legislative consent as defined by the [[Constitution of the Republic of China|Constitution]]; dissolved the [[National Assembly of the Republic of China|National Assembly]]; assassinated [[Song Jiaoren]]; disbanded the [[Kuomintang]].
|-
| align=center|[[Horloogiyn Choybalsan]] || align=center|[[Mongolia]] || align=center|1936–1952 || Unelected; opponents purged; cult of personality.
|-
| align=center|[[Kim Il-sung]] || align=center|[[North Korea]] || align=center|1948–1994 || Appointed prime minister in 1948; purged rivals in the [[Workers' Party of Korea]] to consolidate power in 1956 (see [http://muse.jhu.edu/cgi-bin/access.cgi?uri=/journals/korean_studies/v026/26.1lankov.pdf]); introduced "[[Juche]]" ideology demanding absolute loyalty to him and the party; created most pervavise cult of personality in recent history. Declared "Eternal President" on his death.
|-
|align=center|[[Ho Chi Minh]] ||align=center| [[North Vietnam]] ||align=center|1945-1969 || Unelected; killed thousands of political rivals in the 1940s; killed tens of thousands more during the land reforms of the 1950s; presided over a one-party state.
|-
|align=center| [[Sukarno]] || align=center|[[Indonesia]] || align=center|1949-1966 ||First President of Indonesia. Consolidated his powers, and got proclaimed President for LIfe. Was overthrown by the then Dictator of Indonesia, Suharto.
|-
|align=center|[[Mao Zedong]] || align=center|[[People's Republic of China]] || align=center|1949–1976 || Chairman of the PRC (1949–1959), Chairman of the [[Communist Party of China]] (1945–1976), Chairman of the [[Central Military Commission]] (1936–1976). Immense cult of personality; purged members of government; silenced opposition. Circumvented Communist Party hierarchy after the 1966 [[Cultural Revolution]]; imprisoned head of state [[Liu Shaoqi]]. Millions of Chinese citizens killed or murdered as a result of his policies and repression. Militant atheist.
|-
| align=center|[[Ngo Dinh Diem|Ngô Ðình Diệm]] || align=center|[[South Vietnam]] || align=center|1955–1963 || Unelected; autocratic; oppressed Buddhists (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9055646?tocId=9055646&ref=news0905arc]).
|-
| align=center|[[Park Chung Hee]] || align=center|[[South Korea]] || align=center|1961–1979 || Took power in 1961 coup. Although initially welcomed by much of the population, he suspended the constitution in 1971 and introduced a new constitution that greatly increased his power.
|-
| align=center|[[Ne Win]] || align=center|[[Burma]] || align=center|1962–1988 || Seized power in a coup; instituted extreme repression (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:rSAOt9c_lU0J:www.iseas.edu.sg/62003.pdf+%22Ne+Win%22+%22dictator%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:yqkmuBoqlnYJ:www.asiapacificms.com/papers/pdf/burma_india_china.pdf+%22Ne+Win%22+%22dictator%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Thanom Kittikachorn]] || align=center|[[Thailand]] || align=center|1963–1973 || Military dictator, known as one of Thailand's so-called "Three Tyrants". Oppressed student-led uprisings in October 1973 and 1976.
|-
| align=center|[[Suharto]] || align=center|[[Indonesia]] || align=center|1966–1998 || His ''[[New Order (Indonesia)|New Order]]'' imprisoned Communists and alleged Communists; repressed Chinese inhabitants; made existing parties subordinate. Also a cleptocrat (with personal and family's assets at least worth US$15 billion, based on [[Time]] Magazine investigation in 1998). Described as a dictator in many sources (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:Bbh_caM50o4J:www.aut.ac.nz/depts/commstud/journ/docs/reviewscronau.pdf+%22Suharto+dictatorship%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:128rEIvvRD4J:www.civiced.org/research/pdfs/RisingTide.pdf+%22Suharto+dictatorship%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:_233mw5azNkJ:cmbc.ucsd.edu/content/1/docs/laurance2004.pdf+%22Suharto+dictatorship%22]).
|-
| align=center|[[Lon Nol]] || align=center|[[Cambodia]] || align=center|1972–1975 || Gained power by coup; not elected.
|-
| align=center|[[Pol Pot]] || align=center|[[Democratic Kampuchea]] || align=center|1975–1979 || Unelected; led a [[Khmer Rouge]] dictatorship; responsible for deaths of at least 1 million Cambodian citizens during his rule. [[Atheism|Atheist]].
|-
| align=center|[[Chun Doo Hwan]] || align=center|[[South Korea]] || align=center|1980–1988 || Gained power in a coup; declared martial law; oversaw [[Gwangju Massacre]].
|-
|align=center|[[Mahathir bin Mohamad]] ||align=center| [[Malaysia]] ||align=center|1981-2003 || Authoritarian; suppressed opposition, media.
|-
| align=center|[[Khamtai Siphandon]] || align=center|[[Laos]] || align=center|1992–2006 || Unelected; one-party state (see [http://www.arthuredelstein.org/worlddictators]).
|-
| align=center|[[Than Shwe]] || align=center|[[Myanmar]] || align=center|1992–2011 || Unelected; persecution of minorities (especially [[Karenni]] and [[Rohingya]] groups [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51506.htm]) leading 250,000 to flee, either becoming [[IDP]]s or moving across the border to Thailand; consolidated power into himself from the [[SPDC]] - he moved to a new capital in Kyat Pyay in 2006, &renamed it as Nay Pyi Daw, i.e. the Royal Palace City"; gained power via a military [[coup]] and announced that he would not hand over the power to [[Aung San Suu Kyi]]'s Elected Party (the [[NLD]]); no free press (see [http://www.bbc.co.uk/burmese/forum/story/2004/10/041020_khin_nyunt_ousted.shtml]). Released Aung San Suu Kyi in 2010.
|-
| align=center|[[Kim Jong-il]] || align=center|[[North Korea]] || align=center|1994–2011 || Became General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the National Defense Commission (the highest state offices) on his father's death. Continues his father's "[[Juche]]" ideology.
|-
| align=center|[[Sonthi Boonyaratglin]] || align=center|[[Thailand]] || align=center|2006–2008 || Army chief seized power while Prime Minister [[Thaksin Shinawatra]] was out of the country. A state of martial law was declared, parliament was dissolved and the constitution abrogated. Instituted press censorship and restrictions on protests. The first Muslim in charge of the mostly Buddhist army.
|-
| align=center|[[Kim Jong-un]] || align=center|[[North Korea]] || align=center|'''2011–present''' || Became General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the National Defense Commission (the highest state offices) on his father's death. Continues his grandpa's "[[Juche]]" ideology.
|-
|}

==Europe==

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center| [[Oliver Cromwell]] || align=center| [[Commonwealth of England]] || align=center|1649-1658 || A [[Puritan]] general in the [[English Civil War]] who quickly rose through the ranks to become ''de facto'' head of the Parliamentary forces. After the Royalist defeat and the execution of [[Charles I]] the newly constituted [[Rump Parliament]] was overthrown by Cromwell who refused the Crown, choosing instead the title of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. After his death the monarchy was reinstated. [http://www.olivercromwell.org/].
|-
| align=center| [[Maximilien Robespierre]] || align=center| [[France]] || align=center|1793–1794 || Head of the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution. To purge French society of "Counter Revolutionaries", he instituted the heavily repressive Reign of Terror, a period which killed thousands of French citizens, many of those killed were simply killed under mere suspicion, with little or no proof. Desposed when the National Convention declared him an outlaw.
|-
| align=center| [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] || align=center| [[France]]|| align=center|1799–1804, then became Emperor || First Consul, 1799-1804. Emperor of the French 1804-1814 and once again from 1814-1815. Declared himself "First Consul for Life" in 1802 and then Emperor in 1804.
|-
| align=center| [[Józef Chłopicki|Józef Grzegorz Chłopicki]] || align=center| [[Poland]] || align=center|1830–1831 || Held official title of dictator for one year only.
|-
| align=center| [[Napoleon III of France|Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte]] || align=center| [[France]] || align=center| 1848–1852, then became Emperor || Grandson of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]. President of France from 1848 to 1852. In 1851 he launched a coup against the legislature, making himself absolute ruler. From 1852 to 1870 he styled himself Emperor of the French under the name Napoléon III from 1852 to 1870. Later during his reign constitutional liberties were gradually restored. In 1870 he was captured during the abortive [[Franco-Prussian War]] and deposed in his absence by the [[Third Republic]] of France.
|-
| align=center| [[Romuald Traugutt]] || align=center| [[Poland]] || align=center|1863–1864 || Held official title of dictator for one year. Succeeded [[Marian Langiewicz]] who had declared himself dictator previously, but only lasted less than a year in 1863. 
|-
| align=center| [[Abdul Hamid II]] || align=center| [[Ottoman Empire]] || align=center|1876-1909 || 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who exert effective despotic control over the fracturing state. He was abolished the constitutional regime in 1878, and established an oppressive regime. The dissidents were imprisoned or exiled through agents. Newspapers, magazines and books were censored.
|-
| align=center| "[[Three Pashas]]" || align=center| [[Ottoman Empire]] || align=center|1913-1918 || [[Enver Pasha]] (Enver Paşa), [[Talaat Pasha]] (Talat Paşa), and [[Djemal Pasha]] (Cemal Paşa). They made a coup on the worsening of the First Balkan War and took over the administration.

|-
| align=center| [[Vladimir Lenin]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1917-1924 || Head of Bolshevik Revolution took power in 1917. Secured victory in the Russian civil war. Headed effort to transform the Russian economy to a socialist model.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/lenin_vladimir.shtml] 
|-
| align=center| [[Benito Mussolini]] || align=center| [[Italy]] || align=center|1922–1943, and in part of the country 1943-1945 || Prime Minister of Italy 1922-1943; head of the so-called [[Italian Social Republic]] until 1945. "He introduced strict censorship and altered the methods of election so that in 1925–1926 he was able to assume dictatorial powers and dissolve all other political parties" (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:0PFM13qC39YJ:www.ablongman.com/history_rh_bridge/assets/0321025865_ch15.pdf+%22Italian+dictator+Benito+Mussolini%22],[http://doi.contentdirections.com/mr/greenwood.jsp?doi=10.1336/0275979377]).
|-
| align=center|[[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] || align=center| [[Turkey]] || align=center|1923-1938 || President of Turkey 1923-1938. Led the Turkish national movement. Transformed Turkey into a secular republic through broad authoritarian reforms.
|-
| align=center| [[Miguel Primo de Rivera]] || align=center| [[Spain]] || align=center|1923–1930 || Prime Minister of Spain. Gained power in a coup; suspended the constitution; established martial law; imposed strict censorship; banned all political parties. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9061388], [http://www.bartleby.com/65/pr/PrimRivM.html], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565186/Miguel_Primo_de_Rivera.html]). 
|-
| align=center| [[Aleksandar Tsankov]] || align=center| [[Bulgaria]] || align=center|1923-1926 || Established Right wing nationalist, anti communist coup against [[Stamboliyski]]’s democratic elected [[Agrarians]]. Forced out of power by Tsar [[Boris III]]. [http://www.bartleby.com/65/ts/TsankovA.html]. 
|-
| align=center| [[Joseph Stalin]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1924–1953 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1922-1953; Premier of the Soviet Union 1941-1953. Never elected; cult of personality; [[militant atheism|militant atheist]], heavily repressive; responsible for deaths of millions of Soviet citizens (see [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9108469], [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761559200/Stalin_Joseph.html],[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/prof_josephstalin.html]).
|-
| align=center| [[Ahmet Bej Zogu]] || align=center| [[Albania]] || align=center|1925–1939 || Originally elected Prime Minister of Albania 1922-1924 and 1925; President of Albania 1925-1928; crowned himself King of the Albanians (as Zog I) 1928-1939. Described as a dictator (see [http://www.albanian.com/information/history/independ.html], [http://www.diplom.org/manus/talossa/?lingo=&page=Statute&act=25RZ13], [http://www.electionworld.org/history/albania.htm]). Forced to flee with his wife, Queen Geraldine, the imminent takeover of the country by Italy under [[Benito Mussolini]].
|-
| align=center| [[José Mendes Cabeçadas]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1926 || Leader of [[Ditadura Nacional]] during the first part of June immediately after the [[28th May 1926 coup d'état]]
|-
| align=center| [[Gomes da Costa]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1926 || Succeeded Cabeçadas as head of the [[Ditadura Nacional]] for less than a month
|-
| align=center| [[António Óscar Carmona]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1926-1928 || Head of [[Ditadura Nacional]]
|-
| align=center| [[Józef Piłsudski]]|| align=center| [[Poland]] || align=center|1926–1935 || Polish Head of State 1918-1922, but regained power in 1926 via coup. Prime Minister of Poland 1926-1928 and 1930; Commander in Chief of the Army 1926-1935. Initiated authoritarian [[Sanacja]] government; often described as a "benevolent dictator".
|-
| align=center| [[Antanas Smetona]] || align=center| [[Lithuania]] || align=center|1926–1940 || President of Lithuania. Seized power in a 1925 military coup (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:wEZn53dBGtoJ:www.gla.ac.uk/departments/dcees/Duvold.pdf+Antanas+Smetona+%22dictatorship%22]); authoritarian rule. His description as a dictator is common (see [http://www.encyclopedia.com/searchpool.asp?target=@DOCKEYWORDS%20balthistbio&unkey=balthistbio&clientIp=216%2E63%2E197%2E211&userAgent=Mozilla%2F4%2E0+%28compatible%3B+MSIE+6%2E0%3B+Windows+NT+5%2E1%3B+SV1%3B+%2ENET+CLR+1%2E1%2E4322%29]), but not universal.
|-
| align=center| [[António de Oliveira Salazar]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1928–1968 || Prime Minister of Portugal. Established an anti-democratic, anti-parliamentarian, ultra-[[Clericalism|clericalist]], [[Corporativism|corporativist]], extremely conservative, repressive and authoritarian dictatorship, connoted with the Italian fascism, highly supported by the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Longest right-wing dictatorship ever (four complete decades).
|-
| align=center| [[Alexander I of Yugoslavia|Alexander I]] || align=center| [[Yugoslavia]] || align=center|1929-1934 || King of Yugoslavia from 1921. On January 6, 1929 he abolished the constitution, prorogued parliament and established the so-called "January 6 Dictatorship." A new constitution in 1931 left all significant political power in the hands of the King.
|-
| align=center| [[Engelbert Dollfuss]] || align=center| [[Austria]] || align=center|1933–1934 || Chancellor of Austria 1932-1934. Suspended parliament indefinitely in March 1933, governing thereafter by decree. Rule sometimes compared to Mussolini or Franco (see [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:PUVNNLui6y4J:www3.la.psu.edu/hrsweb/majmin/Theses/Houlihan/Thesis.pdf+%22dictator%22+%22Dollfuss%22]).
|-
| align=center| [[Konstantin Päts]] || align=center| [[Estonia]] || align=center|1933–1940 || State Elder 1933 - 1937; State Protector 1937 - 1938; President of Estonia 1938-1940. Established authoritarian rule following a coup. Allowed (and won) election in 1938.
|-
| align=center| [[Adolf Hitler]] || align=center| [[Nazi Germany]] || align=center|1933–1945 || Chancellor of Germany 1933-1945; ''Führer'' (Leader) 1934-1945. The 1933 [[Enabling Act]] suspended most of the constitution and allowed Hitler to [[rule by decree]]. Heavily repressive; ordered imprisonment of millions of political opponents and members of ethnic minorities in concentration camps, where they were abused and killed.
|-
| align=center| [[Kimon Georgiev]] || align=center| [[Bulgaria]] || align=center|1934 || Took power in coup. Overthrown by Tsar Boris III. 
|-
| align=center| Tsar [[Boris III]] || align=center| [[Bulgaria]] || align=center|1934-1943 || Overthrew Kimon Geogiev. Took power him self ruled through puppet Prime Ministers Georgi Kyoseivanov. His Regime banned all opposition parties. Took Bulgaria into alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. 
|-
| align=center| [[Kurt Schuschnigg]] || align=center| [[Austria]] || align=center|1934–1938 || Chancellor of Austria. Maintained his predecessor Dollfuss' oppressive rule.
|-
| align=center| [[Karlis Ulmanis|Kārlis Ulmanis]] || align=center| [[Latvia]] || align=center|1934–1940 || Prime Minister of Latvia 1934-1940; President of Latvia 1936 - 1940. Gained power in a coup and dissolved parliament; generally viewed as a "benevolent dictator" (see [http://www.ltn.lv/~krz/latvia/lat_history.html], [http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/karlis_ulmanis], [http://www.bartleby.com/65/la/Latvia.html]).
|-
| align=center| [[Ioannis Metaxas]] || align=center| [[Greece]] || align=center|1936–1941 || Prime Minister of Greece. Never elected; banned political parties; arrested opponents; criminalized unions; censored media. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.bartleby.com/65/pa/PapandrG.html], [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9052304], [http://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/biography/metaxas.htm]). 
|-
| align=center| [[Francisco Franco]] || align=center| [[Spain]] || align=center|1936–1975 || Prime Minister of Spain 1938-1975 and Head of State 1939 - 1975 (in the Nationalist Zone, both only to 1939). Purged opposition; often referred to as a dictator or ''caudillo'' (see [http://www.policyreview.org/jun03/diamond.html], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:B1Mmefo38twJ:www.personal.psu.edu/mlb300/spainsocprob.pdf+%22dictator+Francisco+Franco%22],[http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:NsfbKjiVUowJ:www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/POSC/faculty/montero/Spain%2520Paper%25201.pdf+%22dictator+Francisco+Franco%22], [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:9ZzXaMENcm8J:www.artcult.org/cst/spain_prepack_participants.pdf+%22Francisco+Franco%22+%22dictatorship%22]). Strongly supported by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] worldwide.

|-
| align=center| [[Jozef Tiso]] || align=center| [[Slovakia]] || align=center|1939–1945 || President of [[Slovak Republic (1939-1945)|WWII Slovak Republic]]. Led a partly Roman Catholic clerical, partly pro-Nazi, one-party state. Described by some as a dictator (see [http://www.adl.org/PresRele/HolNa_52/3578_52.asp], [http://dominican-republic.asinah.net/en/wikipedia/j/jo/jozef_tiso.html], [http://www.ce-review.org/00/19/vaknin19.html]).
|-
| align=center| [[Ion Antonescu]] || align=center| [[Romania]] || align=center|1940–1944 || Prime Minister of Romania. Two days after his appointment, forced King Carol II (see above) to abdicate in favor of his son, Mihai. Named himself ''Conducător'' (Leader), assumed dictatorial powers and relegated monarchy to decorative role.
|-
| align=center| [[Philippe Pétain]] || align=center| [[Vichy France]] || align=center|1940–1944 || Prime Minister of France 1940 - 1942; Head of State 1940 - 1944. The ''Assemblée Nationale'' of Vichy France suspended the [[Third Republic]] and granted Pétain dictatorial power, although ultimately he was answerable to the German Nazi hierarchy.
|-
| align=center| [[Ante Pavelic|Ante Pavelić]] || align=center| [[Croatia]] || align=center|1941–1945 ||''Poglavnik'' ("Leader") of Croatia. Not elected; ordered massacres of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and dissidents; hundreds of thousands slaughtered; led the genocial, devoutly Roman Catholic Ustase (see [http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/tyrants.htm], [http://www.cuttingedge.org/articles/RC130.html], [http://emperors-clothes.com/vatican/cpix.htm]). Supported by most, if not all, of the Roman Catholic church in Croatia.
|-
| align=center| [[Vidkun Quisling]] || align=center| [[Norway]]|| align=center|1942–1945 || Minister President of Norway between 1942-1945, and founder of the fascist "National Unity" party . Traitor to his country. Executed by firing squad. Described as being the Hitler of Norway.
|-
| align=center| [[Ferenc Szálasi]] (Szálasi Ferenc) || align=center| [[Hungary]] || align=center|1944–1945 || Leader of the [[fascist]] [[Arrow Cross]] party, Szálasi was installed as a fascist ruler by the [[Nazis]] following their overthrow of [[regent]] [[Miklós Horthy]].
|-
| align=center| [[Josip Broz Tito]] || align=center| [[Yugoslavia]] || align=center|1944–1980 || Secretary-General of the Yugoslav Communist Party 1937 - 1963; Prime Minister of Yugoslavia 1945–1953; Premier of Yugoslavia 1953 - 1963; President of Yugoslavia 1953 - 1980; President of the ''Presidium of the League of Communists'' from 1963 until 1980. Declared himself [[President for Life]] in 1963. Viewed favorably in Yugoslavia despite authoritarian rule.
|-
| align=center| [[Enver Hoxha]] || align=center| [[Albania]] || align=center|1944-1985 || General Secretary of the Albanian Party of Labour. Leader of single-party Communist state; extensive personality cult; Declared his nation to be the world's only officially atheist state and banned all practice of religion in 1967.
|-
| align=center| [[Mátyás Rákosi]] || align=center| [[Hungary]] || align=center|1949-1953 || General Secretary of the [[Hungarian Workers Party]] and Prime Minister of the [[Hungarian People's Republic]]. Leader of single-party Communist state; nicknamed "Stalin's best Hungarian disciple"; Invented the phrase "[[salami tactics]]" to describe piecemeal assumption of power.
|-
| align=center| [[Nikita Khrushchev]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1953-1964 || First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1953-1964. Allowed limited liberalisation in the arts and media later on. 
|-
| align=center| [[Todor Zhivkov]] || align=center| Bulgaria || align=center|1956-1989 || Head of pro soviet communist regimen in Bulgaria. Became party secretary in 1956 and prime minister in 1962. Forced out of power in 1989 by communist party to comply with demands of protesters.
|-
| align=center| [[Antonín Novotný]] || align=center| [[Czechoslovakia]] || align=center|1957-1968 || Antonín Novotný, the First Secretary of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, was leader of Czechoslovakia during the Stalinisation of the country, resulting in the replacement of the Czechoslovakian democracy by a one-party communist state. His dictatorship centralized power and used force to protect his regime which lasted fifteen years.
|-
| align=center| [[Walter Ulbricht]] || align=center| [[German Democratic Republic]] || align=center|1950/1960-1971 || General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany 1950-1971 and Head of State 1960-1973.
|-
| align=center| [[Leonid Brezhnev]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1964–1982 || First/General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964-1982. Formed a [[cult of Personality]] later on.
|-
| align=center| [[Nicolae Ceauşescu]] || align=center| [[Romania]] || align=center|1965–1989 || General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party, 1965-1989; President of Romania, 1974-1989. Leader of single-party Communist state; extensive personality cult developed during the 1970s. Lived lavish lifestyle while country was still using donkey carts.
|-
| align=center| [[George Papadopoulos]] || align=center| [[Greece]] || align=center|1967–1973 || Prime Minister of Greece 1967 - 1973; Regent 1972 - 1973; President of Greece 1973. Gained power in a coup; lead military regime. Widely described as a dictator (see [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0778782.html], [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/379334.stm], [http://www.hellas.net]).
|-
| align=center| [[Marcelo Caetano]] || align=center| [[Portugal]] || align=center|1968–1974 || Prime Minister of Portugal 1968 - 1974; Upon the death of [[António de Oliveira Salazar]] he continued the dictatorial regime. Some liberties were improved but the situation of the country and the [[Portuguese Colonial War|colonial wars]] lead to the [[Carnation Revolution]].
|-
| align=center| [[Gustáv Husák]] || align=center| [[Czechoslovakia]] || align=center|1969-1987 || Came into power through soviets, Crushed the Prague spring. Headed brutal secret police stepped down from power in 1987 two years before communism fell. 
|-
| align=center| [[Erich Honecker]] || align=center| [[German Democratic Republic]] || align=center|1971-1989 || General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany 1971-1989 and Head of State 1976-1989.
|-
| align=center| [[Phaedon Gizikis]] || align=center| [[Greece]] || align=center|1973-1974 || President of Greece 1973-1974. Gained power in coup. Lead military regime installed by previous head of state.
|-
| align=center| [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] || align=center|Poland || align=center|1981-1990 || Imposed martial law in Poland in 1981 in response to Solidarity party led strikes. Made himself head of the "Commission for National Salvation." Stated his actions were taken in order to prevent a Soviet invasion of Poland. Was President of Poland until his resignation in 1990. 
|-
| align=center| [[Yuri Andropov]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1982-1984 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1982-1984. Early signs of [[Perestroika]] and [[Glasnost]].
|-
| align=center| [[Konstantin Chernenko]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1984-1985 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1984-1985. Ailing stop-gap leader. 
|-
| align=center| [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] || align=center| [[Soviet Union]] || align=center|1985-1991 || General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed and the CPSU was banned. Oversaw democratisation in the Soviet Union, but was never directly elected as leader.
|-
| align=center| [[Slobodan Milošević]] || align=center| [[Serbia]], [[Yugoslavia]] || align=center|1989-2000 || In 1984 he became the head of the local Communist party in Belgrade and adopted a populist style, the party's leader. He successfully took over as head of the Serbian Communist party in 1987. He challenged the federal government, championed Serbian control of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina, and advocated stridently socialist economic policy. By 1988, he had replaced party leaders in Kosovo and Vojvodina, and in 1989 he became president of Serbia. However, in September 1990, a new democratic constitution was passed allowing direct, multi-party presidential and parliamentary elections. Milosevic was elected president of Serbia for the first time in December 1990, although allegations persist of electoral fraud during the Milosevic years.
|-
| align=center| [[Alexander Lukashenko]] || align=center| [[Belarus]] || align=center| '''1994–present''' || President of Belarus. Said to have an "authoritarian ruling style". Lack of democratic standards. Human rights violations. Referred to as "Europe's last dictatorship."
|-
| align=center| [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] || align=center| [[Turkey]] || align=center| '''2003–present''' || President of Turkey. His crackdowns on protests, restrictions on the media, banning of public websites, purging of prosecutors looking to investigate him, and general curbing of civil liberties follow the path of a typical autocrat, but he still has to run for election and he has dozens of sections in government that oppose him and has amassed hatred from more than half of his own people.
|}

==Oceania==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Country !! Years in power !! Notes
|-
| align=center| [[Sitiveni Rabuka]] || align=center|[[Fiji]] || align=center|1987–1992 || Twice gained power through coup, allowed elections in 1992, which he won.
|-
| align=center| [[Frank Bainimarama]] || align=center|[[Fiji]] || align=center|'''2006–present''' ||Launched a coup d'état in December 2006 after weeks of threats against the elected government.
|}

==Quotes from Stalin==

The '''Darwin-Stalin connection''' describes the brutal [[Soviet]] dictator [[Josef Stalin]] who [[mass murderer|murdered millions]] of people, giving credit to [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]]'s book for his outlook in life:

* "The death of one man is a tragedy, the [[mass murderer|death of millions]] is a statistic." ~ to [[Churchill]], 1945.

* "Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem"

* "Ideas are more powerful than [[guns]]. We would [[gun control|not let our enemies have guns]], why should we let them have ideas?"

* "It is enough that the people know there was an [[election]]. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."

* "The only real power comes out of a long [[rifle]]."

* "When we hang the [[capitalist]]s they will sell us the rope we use."

=== Quotes from Lenin ===
*"The best revolutionary is a youth devoid of morals."

* "A lie told often enough becomes the truth."

* "The goal of [[socialism]] is [[communism]]."

* "There are no morals in [[politics]] there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel."

* "Give us the child for 8 years and it will be a [[Bolshevik]] forever." (see [[Public school values]] and [[Professor values]])

==See also==
* [[Dictatorship]]
** [[Dictator]]
** [[Friendly dictator]]
** [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Joseph Stalin]], [[Chairman Mao]], [[Kim Jong-Il]], [[Pol Pot]]
** [[Dictatorship of the proletariat]]
** [[List of Communist States]]
** [[List of Socialist States]]
** [[Death toll of communism]]
** [[Coup d'état]]
* [[Cult of personality]]
* [[Single-party state]]
* [[Mobocracy]], [[Social Effects of the Theory of Evolution]], [[Anti-Semitism]], [[Communist Racism]], [[Genocide]], [[Holocaust]]
* [[National Socialist German Workers Party]] ([[Nazi]])
* [[National Socialism]] - the Nazis were elitist [[Police state]] [[liberals]] not [[conservative]]s
* [[Big government]] [[Welfare state]] leads to [[Nanny state]], leads to [[Police state]]: [[Globalist]]-[[Statist]]-[[Socialist]]-[[Communist]]
* [[Liberal totalitarianism]]

* [[Constitutional crisis]]
* [[List of political leaders who held active military ranks in office]]
* [[List of political leaders who suspended the constitution]]
* [[List of successful coups d'état]]
* [[Single-party state]]

==External links==
*[http://www.planetrulers.com/current-dictators/ Current Dictators of the World]
*[http://www.thedictatorship.com The Dictatorship]
*[http://www.lkwdpl.org/schools/horacemann/dictators/ Modern dictators and Human Rights Violations]

[[Category:Lists|Dictators]]
[[Category:Totalitarianism]]

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

2017-03-13T05:29:10Z

SteveVi:

[[Image:Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 1919 Sivas Congress (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Atatürk]]
'''Mustafa Kemal Atatürk''' (also known as '''Mustafa Kemal Pasha''' or '''Kamâl Atatürk'''; 1881 – November 10, 1938) was a Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, the founder of the Republic of [[Turkey]] and its first President. He was a successful division commander in the [[Battle of Gallipoli]]. When the [[Allies]] defeated the [[Ottoman Empire]] and arranged for its partition, he led a rebellion in the [[Turkish War of Independence]]. From Sep 9, 1923 to Nov 10, 1938, he was also leader of the Republican People's Party.

Atatürk deposed the last sultan of the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1922 and became president of Turkey in 1923. It is estimated that over 99% of Turks are [[Muslim]] [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tu.html#People], but Atatürk established a [[secular state|secular rule]] based on a strong military. He abolished Islamic courts and gave women the right to vote and hold government positions. As a result of his efforts, Turkey is the only Muslim country to independently hold democratic elections.

[[Samuel Huntington]] defines "Kemalism" as a response to attempts at "reconciliation of Islam and modernity', or to modernise Islam without [[Westernization]].

<blockquote>
''The National Assembly which first convened on 23 April 1920 in Ankara was the first clue to the Turkish Republic. The successful management of the War of Independence by this assembly accelerated the founding of the new Turkish State. On 1 November 1922, the offices of the Sultan and caliph were severed from one other and the former was abolished. There was no longer any administrative ties with the Ottoman Empire. On 29 October 1923, Turkish Republic was formally proclaimed and Atatürk was unanimously elected as its first President. On 30 October 1923, the first government of the Republic was formed by İsmet İnönü. Turkish Republic started to grow on the foundations of the twin principles "Sovereignty, unconditionally belongs to the nation" and "peace at home, peace in the world,"'' [http://www.ataturk.com/content/view/24/43/ Biography of Atatürk]
</blockquote>

== See also ==
*[[Pervez Musharraf]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-4KKL7AYYA Ataturk - Republic of Turkiye]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjySoi2PR0w The Incredible Turk (1958)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RfCGap0Pic President Kennedy - Speech on Ataturk]

==Bibliography==
* Balfour, Patrick. ''Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation'' (1964).
* Çandar, Cengiz, and David Pryce-Jones. "Atatürk's Ambiguous Legacy." ''Wilson Quarterly'' 2000 24(4): 88-96. Issn: 0363-3276 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]
* Eissenstat, Howard. "History and Historiography: Politics and Memory in the Turkish Republic." ''Contemporary European History'' 2003 12(1): 93-105. Issn: 0960-7773 Fulltext: in Cambridge journals.
* Karpat, Kemal H. "The Personality of Ataturk," ''The American Historical Review'', Vol. 90, No. 4 (Oct., 1985), pp. 893–899 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-8762(198510)90%3A4%3C893%3ATPOA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q in JSTOR]
* Kazancigil, Ali and Özbudun, Ergun, eds. ''Atatürk: Founder of a Modern State.'' Archon, 1982. 243 pp.
* Kedourie, Sylvia, ed. ''Seventy-Five Years of the Turkish Republic.'' (1999). 237 pp.
* Kedourie, Sylvia. ''Turkey Before and After Ataturk: Internal and External Affairs'' (1989) 282pp; [http://books.google.com/books?id=OXRnTgmrmC0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:ataturk&num=30&as_brr=0&sig=dFTndXR43BukG1RtrNY4GvrcTeo excerpts and text search]
* Kinross, Patrick. ''Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation'' (1965) 615pp
* Macfie, A.L. ''Ataturk'' (1995) 275pp [http://www.amazon.com/Ataturk-Profiles-Power-L-Macfie/dp/0582078636/ref=cm_lmf_img_3 excerpt and text search]
* Mango, Andrew. ''Ataturk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Ataturk-Biography-founder-Modern-Turkey/dp/158567334X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196105830&sr=8-1rpt and text search]
* Tachau, Frank. ''Kemal Ataturk'' (1987)
* Trask, Roger R. "The United States and Turkish Nationalism: Investments and Technical Aid during the Ataturk Era," ''Business History Review,'' Vol. 38, No. 1, International Government-Business Issue (Spring, 1964), pp. 58–77 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0007-6805(196421)38%3A1%3C58%3ATUSATN%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D in JSTOR]
* Volkan, Vamik D., and Norman Itzko. ''The Immortal Ataturk--A Psychobiography'' (1984)
* Weiker, Walter F. ''The Modernization of Turkey: From Ataturk to the Present Day'' (1981) [http://www.questia.com/read/43183327 online edition]



{{DEFAULTSORT:Atatürk, Mustafa Kemal}}
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Heads of State]]
[[Category:Military Commanders]]

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

2016-10-14T12:07:33Z

SteveVi:

[[Image:Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 1919 Sivas Congress (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Atatürk]]
'''Mustafa Kemal Atatürk''' (also known as '''Kemal Pasha''' or '''Kamâl Atatürk'''; May 19, 1881 – November 10, 1938) was a Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, the founder of the Republic of [[Turkey]] and its first president. He was a successful division commander in the [[Battle of Gallipoli]]. When the [[Allies]] defeated the [[Ottoman Empire]] and arranged for its partition, he led a rebellion in the [[Turkish War of Independence]]. From Sep 9, 1923 to Nov 10, 1938, he was also leader of the Republican People's Party.

Atatürk deposed the last sultan of the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1922 and became president of Turkey in 1923. It is estimated that over 99% of Turks are [[Muslim]] [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tu.html#People], but Atatürk established a [[secular state|secular rule]] based on a strong military. He abolished Islamic courts and gave women the right to vote and hold government positions. As a result of his efforts, Turkey is the only Muslim country to independently hold democratic elections.

[[Samuel Huntington]] defines "Kemalism" as a response to attempts at "reconciliation of Islam and modernity', or to modernise Islam without [[Westernization]].

<blockquote>
''The National Assembly which first convened on 23 April 1920 in Ankara was the first clue to the Turkish Republic. The successful management of the War of Independence by this assembly accelerated the founding of the new Turkish State. On 1 November 1922, the offices of the Sultan and caliph were severed from one other and the former was abolished. There was no longer any administrative ties with the Ottoman Empire. On 29 October 1923, Turkish Republic was formally proclaimed and Atatürk was unanimously elected as its first President. On 30 October 1923, the first government of the Republic was formed by İsmet İnönü. Turkish Republic started to grow on the foundations of the twin principles "Sovereignty, unconditionally belongs to the nation" and "peace at home, peace in the world,"'' [http://www.ataturk.com/content/view/24/43/ Biography of Atatürk]
</blockquote>

== See also ==
*[[Pervez Musharraf]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-4KKL7AYYA Ataturk - Republic of Turkiye]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjySoi2PR0w The Incredible Turk (1958)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RfCGap0Pic President Kennedy - Speech on Ataturk]

==Bibliography==
* Balfour, Patrick. ''Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation'' (1964).
* Çandar, Cengiz, and David Pryce-Jones. "Atatürk's Ambiguous Legacy." ''Wilson Quarterly'' 2000 24(4): 88-96. Issn: 0363-3276 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]
* Eissenstat, Howard. "History and Historiography: Politics and Memory in the Turkish Republic." ''Contemporary European History'' 2003 12(1): 93-105. Issn: 0960-7773 Fulltext: in Cambridge journals.
* Karpat, Kemal H. "The Personality of Ataturk," ''The American Historical Review'', Vol. 90, No. 4 (Oct., 1985), pp. 893–899 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-8762(198510)90%3A4%3C893%3ATPOA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q in JSTOR]
* Kazancigil, Ali and Özbudun, Ergun, eds. ''Atatürk: Founder of a Modern State.'' Archon, 1982. 243 pp.
* Kedourie, Sylvia, ed. ''Seventy-Five Years of the Turkish Republic.'' (1999). 237 pp.
* Kedourie, Sylvia. ''Turkey Before and After Ataturk: Internal and External Affairs'' (1989) 282pp; [http://books.google.com/books?id=OXRnTgmrmC0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:ataturk&num=30&as_brr=0&sig=dFTndXR43BukG1RtrNY4GvrcTeo excerpts and text search]
* Kinross, Patrick. ''Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation'' (1965) 615pp
* Macfie, A.L. ''Ataturk'' (1995) 275pp [http://www.amazon.com/Ataturk-Profiles-Power-L-Macfie/dp/0582078636/ref=cm_lmf_img_3 excerpt and text search]
* Mango, Andrew. ''Ataturk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Ataturk-Biography-founder-Modern-Turkey/dp/158567334X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196105830&sr=8-1rpt and text search]
* Tachau, Frank. ''Kemal Ataturk'' (1987)
* Trask, Roger R. "The United States and Turkish Nationalism: Investments and Technical Aid during the Ataturk Era," ''Business History Review,'' Vol. 38, No. 1, International Government-Business Issue (Spring, 1964), pp. 58–77 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0007-6805(196421)38%3A1%3C58%3ATUSATN%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D in JSTOR]
* Volkan, Vamik D., and Norman Itzko. ''The Immortal Ataturk--A Psychobiography'' (1984)
* Weiker, Walter F. ''The Modernization of Turkey: From Ataturk to the Present Day'' (1981) [http://www.questia.com/read/43183327 online edition]



{{DEFAULTSORT:Atatürk, Mustafa Kemal}}
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Heads of State]]
[[Category:Military Commanders]]

User talk:DavidB4

2016-10-12T05:29:13Z

SteveVi: /* Portrait */

'''Feel free to post any questions or comments here. If you don't hear back from me, try e-mailing me instead.''' 
Archive(s): [[User talk:DavidB4/Archive 1|1]]

== Thanks ==

Thanks for creating the [[Ubuntu Christian Edition]] article. I believe I am going to install that on a computer. I also think I am going to install [[Xiphos]] on a computer.

In addition, I may try out [[CometBird]]. A quick suggestion: When you create articles like this, I would put in the software's greatest strengths and weaknesses. It seems to me the greatest strength of CometBird is its greater speed than Firefox. Here is a cool browser you may like by the way: [https://www.comodo.com/home/browsers-toolbars/icedragon-browser.php Comodo IceDragon]. I rarely use Firefox now. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 08:52, 26 February 2016 (EST)

:You're welcome, and thanks for letting me know! I'm glad those pages were a little helpful! You're right--having the Pros and Cons is a good idea. Honestly, I don't know enough about some software to do that, but I'll see what I can do. The main problem I foresee in trying to list Pros and Cons is that those are somewhat subjective, and can vary. For example, [[Opera]] had what I thought was a great browser for a while (since then, they switched to the Chromium engine) but some thought it was terrible. What works well for one person, doesn't always work the same way for another. None the less, I'll see what I can do. Perhaps looking up a number of other reviews for the software would be advantageous. Anyway, I'm rambling a bit. I'll see if I can start adding those sections to at least some of the pages. Thanks for the suggestion!
: I think I might have heard of Comodo IceDragon before, but I'm not sure. I'll definitely add it to my list and see what I can do. Thanks for that suggestion as well! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) XX:xx, 26 February 2016 (EST)

::I've made a very simple page for [[Comodo IceDragon]]. I don't know much about it, but I'll try it a bit more in depth if I can and try to expand the page somewhat. As always, feel free to add/edit/remove if you want.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) XX:xx, 26 February 2016 (EST)

== Vandal ==

A vandal on the loose. [http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Contributions/Benkumar]
::He, Rahulbrown, and Josephkocher might also be one and the same person. [[User:U.U|U.U]] ([[User talk:U.U|talk]]) XX:xx, 27 February 2016 (EST)

:::Thanks for the info--I guess I'm too late though. I'll try to keep an eye on Rahulbrown, but he/she doesn't seem to have done anything yet, so I can't just ban 'em I don't think. Thanks for the info! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 17:02, 27 February 2016 (EST)
::::Rahulbrown has been blocked now, but the user I just told you of seems to have vanished instead of being blocked. I wonder why.[[User:U.U|U.U]] ([[User talk:U.U|talk]]) 19:46, 29 February 2016 (EST)
It could be that he gave up, but I'd sooner suspect that he had multiple accounts. Another one was banned, and with it his IP address. Now he can't log in to any other accounts, so he's gone even though the others are still open. It's just speculation, of course, but that's what I suspect.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 20:53, 29 February 2016 (EST)

==Archive==
Just F.Y.I., I've created an "archive" to hopefully fix or at least move the problem of signatures not being placed, and section edits not working properly. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 17:02, 27 February 2016 (EST)
==Banks thanks==
Thank you for your edits. One editor seems to have left a trail of red links and I appreciate you pipe-ing them to their correct target. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 10:38, 2 March 2016 (EST)

:You're welcome! Yes, some people do that a lot. I can understand when a wiki first starts out, that this can be a good idea. By now, however, that really should be avoided--especially when the page desired already exists under another name. 

:You seem to be doing a great job of both writing and editing--thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:29, 2 March 2016 (EST)

::I must admit, though, that I still sometimes do this when there is a page I ''really'' think should be made. If no one else does it, though, I usually plan to go back and make these myself. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:40, 2 March 2016 (EST)
==Photo Upload Request==
Could you please upload https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brady#/media/File:James_Brady_1986.jpg it is public domain, and I want to add it to the James Brady article? Many thanks for your assistance. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 07:47, 3 March 2016 (EST)
Could you please upload https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neil_Cavuto.jpg
It is CC SA and must be attributed to freddthompson https://www.flickr.com/people/9313013@N04 on the upload page. Yes, [[Fred Thompson]]! Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:35, 3 March 2016 (EST)

:No problem--I've uploaded both: [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:James_Brady_1986.jpg James Brady] and [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Neil_Cavuto.jpg Neil Cavuto]. I certainly don't mind personal requests, but just in case you don't know, Conservapedia does have an image upload request page [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia:Image_upload_requests here]. However, I certainly don't mind being asked directly. Have a great day! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 09:12, 3 March 2016 (EST)

Please upload https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrite#/media/File:Neuron_Hand-tuned.svg It is CC SA and must be attributed to Quasar Jarosz. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 14:31, 23 March 2016 (EDT)

:Uploaded! It is named "Neuron Hand-tuned.svg.png" and located here: [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Neuron_Hand-tuned.svg.png] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 15:28, 23 March 2016 (EDT)

== re: abortion and evolution article ==

Please feel free to completely revise or partially revise the [[Abortion and evolution]] article. I restored the article so now it's up to you to make it a encyclopedic article. I didn't have a chance to review the article and I am leaving that up to you along with any changes to the article.
==Photo upload request==
We have added a bio for [[Merrick Garland]]. Could you please upload the official photo, which is not copyrighted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrick_Garland#/media/File:Merrick_Garland.jpg Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 16:55, 20 March 2016 (EDT)
:Nice work! I've uploaded it under the name "Merrick Garland.jpg". [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Merrick_Garland.jpg] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 23:58, 20 March 2016 (EDT)
::Thank you. How about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataract#/media/File:Cataract_in_human_eye.png [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:23, 21 March 2016 (EDT)
:::You're welcome! I've uploaded the second one named as "Cataract in human eye.png" [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Cataract_in_human_eye.png]
:::Thanks for all your continuing work! I've been busy lately, so I haven't been able to do much, but I'll try to keep checking at least once a day in case you have other upload requests. Have a great day!--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:11, 21 March 2016 (EDT)
::::Thank you for all your help. It is great working with you. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:40, 23 March 2016 (EDT)
:::::You're welcome--let me know when there's anything else I can do!--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:55, 23 March 2016 (EDT)
:::::::https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yunnan_in_China_(%2Ball_claims_hatched).svg Please. You can shorten the name of the uploaded file :-) [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:45, 24 March 2016 (EDT)
Uploaded under the name "Yunnan in China.png" and located here: [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Yunnan_in_China.png] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 11:17, 24 March 2016 (EDT)
::::::::Thanks. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 22:22, 24 March 2016 (EDT)
:Any time! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:38, 24 March 2016 (EDT)
::How about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Yee#/media/File:Leland_Yee.jpg [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 15:39, 31 March 2016 (EDT)
:::Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Leland_Yee.jpg]
::::Next up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Weiner#/media/File:Anthony_Weiner,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress.jpg Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 10:42, 1 April 2016 (EDT)
:::::Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Anthony_Weiner,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress.jpg]
:::::::Next up: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gitmo_Aerial.jpg which was taken by the Federal Government and is not copyrighted. Thanks.
Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Gitmo_Aerial.jpg] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 13:40, 2 April 2016 (EDT)
::Animated GIF, requires attribution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Animated_gun_turret_with_labels.gif [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:34, 4 April 2016 (EDT)
:::Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Animated_gun_turret_with_labels.gif] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 08:45, 4 April 2016 (EDT)
::::I installed it in [[Naval guns]] but we lost the animation. Could you please try again in a way that keeps the animation? [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 15:26, 4 April 2016 (EDT)
:::::I see what you mean. On the image page it says "Note: Due to technical limitations, thumbnails of high resolution GIF images such as this one will not be animated." I don't quite understand why, but it seems CP is set up that way. If you set it to 700px or more, it does show the animation. However, that is huge for something like this. I'll do a little mor experimentation, but it doesn't look too hopeful. I suppose we could ask an admin... --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 19:17, 4 April 2016 (EDT)
::::::https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitch_Kapor_(Pic_1).jpg requires attribution. Thank you. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 12:47, 5 April 2016 (EDT)
Uploaded--You're Welcome! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Mitch_Kapor.jpg] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 13:14, 5 April 2016 (EDT)
:How about File:Electromagneticwave3Dfromside.gif requires attribution. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:10, 7 April 2016 (EDT)
::Uploaded! [File:Electromagneticwave3Dfromside.gif] It looks like this one can be a "thumbnail" and still have the animation work, since it is smaller. If it does work for you, though, let me know and I'll see what I can do. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 08:43, 7 April 2016 (EDT)
Thank you. I have two more: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hammer_mill_open_front_full.jpg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goliath_Poldermolen.jpg [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 18:20, 9 April 2016 (EDT)
:There is also https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Countries_implicated_in_the_Panama_Papers.svg which should be attributed to "JCRules". [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 19:04, 9 April 2016 (EDT)
I hope I am not imposing by making these three requests. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 09:17, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
:Not at all--I'm happy to help! Just let me know if/when you want any more! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 09:19, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
::I did not see them, where are they? [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 09:37, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
:::Ahh... whoops! Sorry about that! I didn't even see you most recent request, just the comment. (This section is getting a little messy..maybe that's why?) I've uploaded it [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Countries implicated in the Panama Papers.png|here].
Many thanks, but the other two - windmills and grinding mill? [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 10:05, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
:Opps again! I need to do more reading and less skimming/skipping! Here are those two: [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Goliath_Poldermolen.jpg] [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Hammer_mill_open_front_full.jpg]

How about this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Flute.jpg For the [[Silver]] article. It has a picture of a raw crystalline blob; I want to show silver in a more refined state. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 12:01, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

:I'd be happy to upload that, SamHB, but I see we already have [http://www.conservapedia.com/Flute.jpg a flute]. Is that one suitable, or would you like the one you linked to? --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:30, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
::That will do just fine. Even if the lip plate is made from another element 32 slots higher in the periodic table. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 13:15, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

:::Alright, well you do have a point (and I'd be happy to upload the other). It's up to you.

::::I was joking. Many substances go into musical instruments. That picture is fine. Thanks. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 14:53, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

:::::Alright, I couldn't tell for sure but that's true, they are in no way made of a single material. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 17:26, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

==Categories==
Thank you for your work on category clean up. If you put an article in a subcategory, it should not also go in the category. So, articles in [[:Category:United States Law]] should not be placed into [[:Category:Law]] or [[:Category:Laws]]. A user who did not understand the tree-structure of categories added a lot of category tags in 2014-2015 that messed everything up. A category should not be a subcategory of itself. Also, if categories A B and C are subcategories of category X. Then do not create a circle by placing X as a subcategory of A B and C. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 13:50, 31 March 2016 (EDT)
:I'm glad to do what I can, though perhaps I'm getting lazy...categories are easier than writing.
:I thought I'd read this somewhere, but I wasn't absolutely sure, so it's good to know. I've been doing a sort of mass-audit of categories, so it's a little hard for me to check where every category is in the tree, but I'll try to keep an eye out for this kind of issue. Thanks for the info! I have been finding some oddities, like Amazon.com being a subcategory of commerce, but commerce also being a subcategory of Amazon.com. On the one hand, I think "Why did people miss this?!?" but on the other hand, a wiki a a big place, and we don't have as many active editors as WP. I can't fix it all, but if I can straighten out some of it, maybe that will help. In the mean time, sorry to everyone who watched the [[Special:RecentChanges|recent changes page]] for the edit flood! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:17, 31 March 2016 (EDT)
::As I recall, either you or JDano created a little page of guidelines for categories. As a subpage of your user page or talk page. I can't find it now, perhaps because of all the changes you made, that cluttered up RC, for which you apologized above. I forgive you of course, but can you tell me where it is? I have some comments I'd like to add. I want to create a link to it on my own page. I think that page can become a generally useful tool. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 13:42, 2 April 2016 (EDT)
:::JDano Made that, and it's located here: [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. We're glad to have you back! :) --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 13:54, 2 April 2016 (EDT)
::::Thanks. This is of vastly more general importance then just TAR. It looks like useful editing guidelines in general. I'm going to see what I can do about moving it (or its non-TAR-specific content) to a more general place.
::::I actually have a specific issue with the "only in the lowest-level category" rule. I came a cross an exception a while back. I'll bring it up as soon as I catch my breath. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 14:04, 2 April 2016 (EDT)
:::::Good idea--I agree, TAR is one contributor, but not the only. General cleanup is a good idea along the same lines throughout CP.
:::::By the way, I'm probably going to be fairly busy for the rest of this weekend, so I may not be responding promptly from not on. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:52, 2 April 2016 (EDT)

==TAR clean up==
Glad you are pitching in. Please consider [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 22:47, 1 April 2016 (EDT)

:Thank you, as well! I haven't much time now, but I skimmed over your list, and it looks pretty good. Thanks! ([[User:DavidB4|DavidB4]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) xx:xx, 1 April 2016 (EDT))

::I just left a note on JDano's talk page, which please see. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 16:07, 4 April 2016 (EDT)

Dear DavidB4, while I appreciate the time you took in writing [[Gun nut]], it completely duplicates the existing [[Gun enthusiast]] page. Could we possibly merge the two and then have a redirect from Gun nut to Gun enthusiast? Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 16:07, 6 April 2016 (EDT)
:Yes indeed we could. I should have done more looking before I wrote. I'll see what I can do, but if you get there first, feel free to merge them your self. Thanks for pointing this out! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 17:55, 6 April 2016 (EDT)

== For God's sake! What was the matter with this person? ==

So I was doing a routine look at RC, and I came across your change to [[Battery (electrical)]]. You're right; it needs more work. But I noticed that you de-wikilinked the various sizes: "AAA", "C", "D", etc. I immediately thought "This looks like the work of TAR." Sure enough, it was. He was planning to have a page titled "C", about the uses of size C batteries? What was it going to say? Something like "C is a size of batteries that you will use when you cash in your 401K to buy a lifetime supply of batteries, along with guns and bullets, so you can spend the rest of your life holed up in Idaho waiting for the <s>zombie apocalypse</s> gun-grabbers"? Did he not bother to look and see that there is already a "C" page, about the programming language? Similarly for "D". He apparently didn't bother to look—or did he?—and see that there was a page about the one-letter abbreviation for the Democratic party.

But "AAA" was most telling. (Plain "AA" was just a redlink.) His "AAA" link was to a page about, among other things, the American Automobile Association. And who wrote that page? TAR did. He linked to that '''knowing full well that the page was about other things!!'''

I'm going to create the "Conservapedia:How to create and maintain high-quality articles" page. And it will have a few things to say about wikilinks. The things I cited above are not the only instances of this kind of stuff that I have seen.

[[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 00:56, 9 April 2016 (EDT)
::TAR is a very sticky substance. Not easily completely removed.[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 01:01, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:::On my first edit of that page, I missed the problem entirely. I didn't even check, thinking "They wouldn't possibly link to just the text shown—they must be piped." Haha! Funny joke! The moral of this story: never over-estimate the planning behind some pages and their content. Thanks for going ahead with making that guide. It could be a helpful checklist to reference and point to for sure.
:::Cons, I have to agree. TAR has its uses, and in some cases is difficult to replace. In other ways, it can really make a mess. Not to be too hard on him, though, I'm sure he's not the only one to make mistakes like this. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 01:12, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

::::SamHB, see: [[User talk:User: SamHB/How to create and maintain high-quality articles]]. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 01:22, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:::::I see a few things I'd like to tweak on that list, but which one is currently in use? [[User:JDano/TARlist]], [[User talk:User: SamHB/How to create and maintain high-quality articles]] (which has a space in the link it should not), or [[Essay:How to create and maintain high-quality articles]] which does not seem to exist? --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 11:40, 9 April 2016 (EDT)
I moved SamHB's version to the bottom of [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. And then I deleted the version that I created along with its talk page. You two can work the rest out. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 12:02, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

OK, I've overwritten my current version ''in situ'' (love them Latin expressions) in the usual place, [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. We can work on it there. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 12:11, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:Alright, thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:20, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

As you may have seen, there was a delightful dialog between me and Cons late last night, as he repeatedly moved pages around and otherwise created edit conflicts for me. I asked him to pause and give me a 15 minute window in which I could tell him what I was doing (and in fact completely agreeing with his objections), but he just moved things around some more and created more edit conflicts. He seemed to be acting as though he hadn't seen my request for a pause, even though he was making edits to the very same pages. He wouldn't acknowledge me. He just moved the discussion to yet another page. I posted a request on that page with subject line "PLEASE STOP AND ACKNOWLEDGE" in all caps. He still didn't acknowledge my request that he stop moving pages and creating edit conflicts with me. So I gave up for the night, as I had said I would do if he didn't acknowledge.

He did actually stop messing with this, and go on one of his charming all-night editing sprees. 163 edits, by my rough count. So I suppose that's all the "acknowledgement" we can expect from this person. Though, as soon as you posted your "which one is which?" message this morning, he came back. And moved stuff around some more. You see, he saved my text in a page that he created, titled "User:User: SamHB/How to create and maintain high-quality articles" and "User talk:User: SamHB/How to create and maintain high-quality articles". I attempted to edit that, and the software said (not surprisingly) "User account "User: SamHB" is not registered. Please check if you want to create/edit this page." This guy doesn't even know how user page titles work.

So I was planning to put a delete notice on those pages, hoping that some poor soul would come along and delete those. If necessary, I was going to fill it with very unseemly material as an incentive to delete it. It wasn't necessary; Cons deleted the pages a short time ago, moving my draft back to the "TARlist page. I wrote my draft over that, without getting an edit conflict.

So maybe things have settled down a bit. I just checked RC in another window, and things seem to have settled down. We should work on the page there—I see that you are already doing that. I may make another attempt to move the page into the Conservapedia main space between 12 midnight tonight and 00:05 in the morning. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 12:43, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:Sounds like fun! Well, as long as we are all editing the correct page, and not conflicting with each other, I guess It's "all good." As far as moving this to a "Conservapedia:" title, I think Cons asked that we tell him when it is ready, and he will decide if it's ready or not. I'd be inclined to do that, rather than just trying again...we don't want to antagonize (or at least I don't), after all. Up to you, though. Anyway, I still see a lot of TAR specific stuff in it, so we have some work to do. I'm keeping pretty busy elsewhere today, so I may not be around to help much, but I'll do what I can.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:39, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

::I think the thing to do is, first, make the article an unequivocally high-quality thing. (It pretty nearly already is.) Then we can probably move it, or get it moved, in a way that doesn't cause Cons to be destructive. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 18:58, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
::::May I ask, when David B looks at each page, does he see a "move" tab at the top? If so, he has the power to move (i.e., rename) pages, while preserving the page history. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 21:42, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
SamHB, you're probably right, that might work. Like you said, we just need to make it good first (which it is well on its way to being) 
JDano, I do not have Move permissions. I believe that is a right restricted to full Admins only. We can either ask Cons to do it, or just use Copy+Paste. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:37, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

Welcome to TARist Russia, I mean the Pacific Northwest, I mean [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. I appreciate all that you do. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 17:49, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:Errm....thanks! I'll try to improve it if I think of something, assuming you don't mind. If you disagree with any of my edits though, feel free to change or undo them.

==Picture Upload Requests==
Could you please https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skyline_of_Plano_Texas.jpg with attribution to Danny20111993 and
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Austin_From_Congress_Street_Bridge.jpg with attribution to Daveydickler. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:39, 15 April 2016 (EDT)
:Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Skyline_of_Plano_Texas.jpg] and [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:View_of_Austin_From_Congress_Street_Bridge.jpg] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 09:07, 15 April 2016 (EDT)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abilene_from_the_Enterprise_Building.jpg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amarillo_Texas_Downtown.jpg Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 22:51, 15 April 2016 (EDT)
:Uploaded: [[:File:Abilene_from_the_Enterprise_Building.jpg]] and [[:File:Amarillo_Texas_Downtown.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:46, 16 April 2016 (EDT)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FireExtinguisherABC.jpg Photo by Dante Alighieri and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dana_White_headshot.jpg Photo by Justin Moore [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 20:30, 16 April 2016 (EDT)
:Uploaded: [[:File:FireExtinguisherABC.jpg]] and [[:File:Dana White headshot.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 21:03, 16 April 2016 (EDT)
Thanks. How about: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boise,_idaho.jpg attributed to Lordchadwick79 [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 21:46, 16 April 2016 (EDT)
:You're welcome. Here's this next one: [[:File:Boise, idaho autumn.jpg]]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MREsingleveggie.gif attribute to Bahamut0013 and https://www.flickr.com/photos/vaduva/18674659564/in/photolist-usdvF3-usdQa7-usonjH-8fRdg3-8fMXRe-8LiSgr-8fMXzn-4WChsi-8fMXrR-8fMXMP-57SxmD-4WCiwv-8fMXLF-8LiMTt-8LmSK7-4WCpHv-8LiTkz-8fRcXw-4WCaPc-8fMXGP-6AMzek-4WFXGL-4WCfvg-8qxVDK-4WGBjw-4WCkwg-4WGsif-8LmSi9-4WCcBV-8fMXKg-4WFYN7-8fMXDe-9mW1B1-57QVNT-4WFV6u-4WCotX-8fRdo3-8fRcWU-9mPDAq-8fRd65-4WGCgW-8fMXwB-8fMXBT-4WGzmb-4WGx2o-8LiVzv-4WCc9r-8fRdxN-4WCiUM-4WGJqj attributed to Virgil Vaduva CC-BY 2.0. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 13:58, 17 April 2016 (EDT) 

Uploaded: [[:File:MREsingleveggie.gif]] and [[:File:Porcfest 2015.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:14, 18 April 2016 (EDT)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polemount-singlephase-closeup.jpg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transformer3d_col3.svg please. 22:55, 20 April 2016 (EDT)
Please don't forget the diagram too. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 00:31, 21 April 2016 (EDT)

You're right on top of this, so I guess I don't really need to post the links. Anyway, here they are: [[:File:Transformer-polemount-singlephase-closeup.jpg]] and [[:File:Transformer3d_col3_XML_stripped.jpeg]]. The latter had some file problems, so I needed to adapt is somewhat. It might have lost some quality, and also (by design) SVG data, but I think it should work. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:42, 21 April 2016 (EDT)

Please upload: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bug_de_l'an_2000.jpg attribute to Bug de l'an 2000 [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:04, 22 April 2016 (EDT)

:Done! [[:File:Bug de l'an 2000.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 08:51, 22 April 2016 (EDT)
Please https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CarlMenger.png public domain due to age of photo. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 17:39, 28 April 2016 (EDT)
Also: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20111102_Incendie_Charlie_Hebdo_Paris_XXe_07.jpg attribute to Pierre-Yves Beaudouin [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 17:43, 28 April 2016 (EDT)

:Uploaded! [[:File:CarlMenger.png]] and [[:File:Incendie Charlie Hebdo Paris XXe 07.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 18:41, 28 April 2016 (EDT)
Please https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bisphenol-A-Skeletal.svg [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 09:40, 29 April 2016 (EDT)

:Uploaded after conversion [[:File:Bisphenol-A-Skeletal.png]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 10:50, 29 April 2016 (EDT)
Please: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:C60-rods.png ==[[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 21:50, 29 April 2016 (EDT)

:Uploaded: [[:File:C60-rods.png]]. Sorry for the delay--I will be more busy that usual for the next week or two, so I may take longer to respond. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:45, 30 April 2016 (EDT)

Please: File:Guy Kawasaki at Wikimania 2015 - 2.jpg [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 02:15, 4 May 2016 (EDT)
:Uploaded: [[:File:Guy Kawasaki at Wikimania 2015 - 2.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 13:52, 4 May 2016 (EDT)

Could you upload https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Einstein_Rings_(Cropped).jpg#mw-jump-to-license I think it's ok in terms of copyright, thanks [[User:Richardm|Richardm]] ([[User talk:Richardm|talk]]) 15:39, 21 September 2016 (EDT)

:It's in [[Public Domain]], so that's fine. Creative Commons licensed images are also acceptable. I've uploaded it here: [[:File:Einstein Rings (Cropped).jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:09, 21 September 2016 (EDT)

== The page has been moved. ==

The page formerly known as the "TARlist" has been moved to its new home [[Conservapedia:How to create and maintain high-quality articles]], thinks to administrative intervention by JPatt. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 00:38, 18 April 2016 (EDT)
:Nice! Alright, thanks for the update! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:37, 18 April 2016 (EDT)
== Conservapedia's web traffic is up ==

Conservapedia is one of the top 100,000 websites in the world as far as web traffic according to the web traffic tracking company [[Alexa]],[http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/conservapedia.com]

Thank you for all your contributions.

Conservapedia continues to receive millions of page views per month.[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 18:01, 19 April 2016 (EDT)

:Nice! When you make so many enemies (both vandals and not) we must be doing something right! I hope most of those are not DDoS hits.... ;)
Thank you as well for your continuing work! Did you by any change get my question on your [[User:Conservative/mail|messages page]]?--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 18:54, 19 April 2016 (EDT)
::I just saw it and replied. Second, I don't think I will be checking that mailbox again for an extended period. My apologies for any potential inconveniences.[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 23:31, 19 April 2016 (EDT)

Okay, thanks for the response, and that's fine if you will not be--I know that you have other things going on. The number of active admins I know of seems to be dropping, but I'm sure Jpatt can help, and probably Aschlafly as well. No worries! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 23:41, 19 April 2016 (EDT)

== response to recent message you sent me ==

Hi, I have a question. I know CP allows users to import articles which they alone have created on other wikis. Do I assume correctly that CP also has no problem with the author exporting his/her article to another wiki, as long as that other wiki does not mind? I have no immediate plans to do so... I have yet to contribute on any wiki other than CP.--I'm just wondering. 
Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:27, 19 April 2016 (EDT)
Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:27, 19 April 2016 (EDT)
::Please see: [[Conservapedia:Copyright]]. If you have any further questions, please contact [[User: Aschlafly]]. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 23:31, 19 April 2016 (EDT)

:::Thanks, I'd looked at that but still wasn't quite sure. I could try asking Mr. Schlafly--I don't know if he'll respond. Again, thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 23:38, 19 April 2016 (EDT)
::::I think you can do it. You can ask Mr. Schlafly if you want further reassurance. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]])
:::::Alright, thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:06, 20 April 2016 (EDT)
Nice job on Fluoride [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 09:15, 29 April 2016 (EDT)

:Thanks, and you as well--you're right, a claim shouldn't be stated as fact when it is not certain.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 09:21, 29 April 2016 (EDT)

==Photos==
The replacement of the owl pic had to do with maintaining a difference between us and Wikipedia. As much as possible, try to go to sites like Flickr, and look for those photos on any given subject that have been released to Creative Commons for free use. The idea here is if Wikipedia has it on their page, look for something different. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] ([[User talk:Karajou|talk]]) 09:52, 2 June 2016 (EDT)
:Okay, that makes sense--thanks for the explanation. I actually didn't realize WP has used that photo, I just picked it from the list on WikiMedia, but I should have checked. Still, though, it's from the WP giant, so that's not the best in any case. I sometimes try to get images from archives.gov or loc.gov, but they have a limited selection. My problem with using Flickr has been finding license info, but I recently found [https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons] which should help. I'll see if I can find more diverse images in the future using that. Also, thanks for adding a sizable body section to that page--again, I'm not a bird person so I didn't dare, but it needed to be done. There seem to be a number of bird pages like that, with only the side template. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 10:32, 2 June 2016 (EDT)
== re: User:JayHarper ==

re: [http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Contributions/JayHarper User:JayHarper]

He was a parodist. I deleted a few of his articles. If you have time, please go through some of his past edits. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 20:12, 9 June 2016 (EDT)
:Okay, will do. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 21:45, 9 June 2016 (EDT)

::I am having a little difficulty telling if what he says is true. I don't know a lot about foreign politics, so things like [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Classical_Liberal&diff=1177245&oldid=1169145 this] and [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Classical_Liberal&diff=1177245&oldid=1169145 this] may or may not be correct. However, I'll keep looking through. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:43, 9 June 2016 (EDT)
::Update--Much of what I'm seeing are beneficial changes, so I'm not reverting most of it. In some cases (like on [[Homosexual rights advocacy]]) this user delete a paragraph which should have but did not have a reference. I'm not sure that's what I would have done, but should this be reverted? There really should be a source on that. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 10:04, 10 June 2016 (EDT)

==Troll/Vandal==

David,

You might, when you get the chance, want to check out the new user WillardMR. He's made three edits, all of which appear to be vandalism.--[[User:Whizkid|Whizkid]] ([[User talk:Whizkid|talk]]) 22:02, 9 June 2016 (EDT)

:Thanks for pointing this out--I've banned him. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:32, 9 June 2016 (EDT)

== re: Much improved the article the atheist troll added ==

I much improved the article that the atheist troll added. Now it is a more humorous and coherent essay. Thanks for adding the delete tag. It forced me to read the article more closely and add additional content. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 23:06, 9 June 2016 (EDT)

:Err, you're welcome! Thanks for the improvements. Somehow atheism resulting in bland food improved only by hot sauce and horse meat did'nt make any sense, but I'm glad you could make something of it. I assume this page was a jab at you and your work on "atheism and ____" pages. He/she even used a similar style to your writing, I noticed, although it in their case, it didn't make any sense to me.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]])

== scripts/bots ==

Ed Poor has put in an appearance, though it's essentially just to tell us that the guard dog did not survive a wiki update. See [[User_talk:Ed_Poor]]. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 21:34, 19 June 2016 (EDT)

:Thanks for the notification! I responded, and will see where it leads. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:17, 20 June 2016 (EDT)

== Account promoted ==

Account promoted to include "move" and "protect" rights. Congratulations!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] ([[User talk:Aschlafly|talk]]) 01:13, 20 June 2016 (EDT)
:Oh--Thank you very much! I'll do my best to put them to good use! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 01:26, 20 June 2016 (EDT)

Bot account promoted to "bot" and "SkipCaptcha".--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] ([[User talk:Aschlafly|talk]]) 18:55, 22 June 2016 (EDT)
:Thank you! I will give it a try. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 19:00, 22 June 2016 (EDT)
::Update: The bot seems to be working, but has a fairly serious bug I need to work out. I'll try another run after I get that fixed, if it is possible. I think I have all I need account-wise, for now. Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 20:25, 22 June 2016 (EDT)
:::Thanks for your update and for your efforts.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] ([[User talk:Aschlafly|talk]]) 22:39, 22 June 2016 (EDT)
Congratulations. A well-deserved promotion. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 21:14, 28 June 2016 (EDT)
:Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:32, 28 June 2016 (EDT)

==Message from Pious==
Thanks for your constructive criticism. I agree wholly with your first two points. As for the last two, keep in mind that Rastas believed Haile Selassie was literally Jesus- one speech by him can shock them out of racism. As far as I can tell, their purpose now is believing they're currently living in the Book of Revelations, since they also believe Christ has returned. -Pious

:You're welcome, I'm glad to help! I know very little about the group, but your explanation makes sense. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to briefly mention those points, in case someone as clueless on the topic as myself comes through.
:Also, I moved your message down to the bottom since this is where new post are usually placed. Of course you wouldn't have known that, so it's fine. Also, when you leave a message, it's a good idea to place <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki> at the end of your post. This is replaced by your "signature" and a time stamp. To make this a little easier, there is a button on the top bar of the edit box, just to the right of B and I buttons (for bold and italics) which looks something like a writing pencil. Clicking this places your signature where your cursor is currently placed. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:27, 17 July 2016 (EDT)

::Done. Your guidance has been very valuable to me. Thank you and God bless you. -Pious
:::I've noticed your to-do list update in the Recent changes section of this site, and I further thank you for taking a personal interest in guiding me. --Pious (talk) 23:43, 19 July 2016 (CDT)

::::Any time! I'm a bit too tired to look it over right now, but I'll try to take a closer look in the morning. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:20, 19 July 2016 (EDT)
::::Also, Thanks for your continuing contributions! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:34, 19 July 2016 (EDT)

Nice job purging that vandal! I don't get why trolls (liberal and otherwise) think they can vandalize this site with any efficacy when all they have to do is look at the recent changes section to show it ain't going to work. I will say this about PayPal though: they're a liberal organization that can literally take away all your money in their system for no reason under their Terms of Use. That's why I direct-deposit anything I earn on eBay immediately. --Pious (talk) 23:39, 21 July 2016 (CDT)

::Whoa!!!! Are you saying that, under the terms of use that we all click through, Paypal can steal your money? That goes far beyond whether its CEO is liberal (which I consider irrelevant) or whether he is gay (even more irrelevant; sorry PeteyT). I'm not disagreeing with your assertion; I know nothing about this. Can you do some digging and write up an article on the subject? [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 00:56, 22 July 2016 (EDT)

::All you have to do really is Google "paypal stealing" and the search results will blow up with examples of this and similar things happening. I'm heading to bed for work tomorrow but making and citing a page on this should be pretty easy. --Pious (talk) 00:19, 22 July 2016 (CDT)

:::Thanks--SamHB certainly helped by pointing it out, too! I don't think they care that vandalism isn't effective. They just keep going and going at it. I have no problem banning them and cleaning up, but I think the idea it to wear us down. That's why I really want to get a watchdog bot running, which takes care of most vandalism automatically. With no human element involved in vandalism prevention, there really will be little point in their continuing.
:::I do agree about PayPal--they really are not a friendly company. A reason I was aware of to dislike them is that they to not allow the purchase or sale of firearms through them. I did not know the ToS allowed for fund confiscation! That just goes to show, you really do need to read the fine print! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:09, 22 July 2016 (EDT)

The (non-existent) page on sodomy has me confused. It's on the most wanted list (which I want to contribute to because I'd like to win the contest for most new pages created), yet also something the admins seem to seek preventing from existing. I found this out after I went to edit it due to having legal knowledge on the matter, specifically Lawrence v. Texas since the latter is where I live. I can't. Why is this? --Pious (talk) 01:37, 2 August 2016 (CDT)

:Sorry for the delay in response. I've been working more than usual, so I haven't been able to get on for a few days.
:I see what you mean, that page title is protected. This is probably the case because vandals like to make explicitly and grotesquely descriptive stub articles on topic such as this. Conservapedia was started as a family-friendly wiki especially for homeschoolers. It was probably considered inappropriate to have an article on such a topic. However, a certain editor has been doing a far amount of writing on sexual sins, so this decision may have been reversed. You could try asking [[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]], since he is really in charge of such decisions. However, I noticed that there is a page on [[Lawrence v. Texas]]. Perhaps you could at least look that over and see if there are improvements which could be made. Unfortionately, someone would already need to know about the case to search for it, so I'd think it would be better to make [[Sodomy]] to some kind of link bank, which does not explicitly describe it, but does link to relevant articles. I hope this helps! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:47, 7 August 2016 (EDT)

::I added a section to this page below on An Article About Sodomy, not wishing to put something new into an old section. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 11:40, 24 August 2016 (EDT))

I'm not entirely sure why, but I've noticed that I tend to be locked out to six edits per day- this is likely the last of them. It might be because Andy apparently thinks a single reversion of an edit of mine by Conservative in good faith four years ago is enough to red-flag me. I know Andy has the final say in everything here, but could you bring it up to him? Preferably a week from now because I know he's mourning the loss of his mother right now. --[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 03:06, 6 September 2016 (EDT)
:I miscounted- this is six. Please visit the Sociopath page and consider my suggestion. --[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 03:14, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

:That sounds odd! I could be poorly informed, but I'm not aware of any such mechanism in place to limit the number of edits by a user. What specifically happens if you try to make more that six edits each day? Do you by any chance get a message telling you about a loss of session data?
:Also, I replied to your question on [[Sociopath]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:55, 6 September 2016 (EDT)
::The tab on the top changes from "Read | Edit | Add topic | View history" to only the former and latter after six edits. Also, your source is wrong- I can tell you that my own psychopathy in my past manifested itself from my upbringing, and there were zero genetic links to it. The term for anti-social personality disorder spans chronologically from sociopath, to psychopath, to anti-social depending on which version of the DSM you're reading. --[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 03:24, 7 September 2016 (EDT)

::I'll look into the issue you're having as best I can, though I really don't know a lot about the finer parts of CP's administration. As for the psychological disorders, I really know nothing more than can be found by [https://duckduckgo.com/?q=sociopath+vs+psychopath&t=h_&ia=web a web search], so I'm probably not the best person to ask. I assume you are correct, but I can't really offer any agreement, because everything I see says that they are different. You can either ask someone else, or since you are confident that this is true, you could just go ahead and rewrite and cite along the lines of what you are saying. It seems that while you have a good understanding of how the human brain works (or doesn't), I have a better understanding of how a computer's "mind" works. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:52, 7 September 2016 (EDT)
:::I know how to query Google pretty well, so I can probably find a source or two showing the history and etymology of psychopathy, then rewrite it. As for my limitations on edits, [http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9c51/bk7jcbcmfvzeoiezg.jpg this] is a screenshot I took yesterday in the early morning. The absence of the edit option is rather outstanding, and this reply is the first edit I've been able to make since. As for our different skill-sets, computer "mind" stuff is all perfectly logical- computers literally do what you program to do, and errors can be narrowed down to bad programming or fried hardware. Human mind stuff generally takes experiencing, recovering from, and then helping people who manifest mental problems, a lot of which is irrational. Treatment of others requires understanding their thinking, making what they can't explain rational, then offering solutions. I confess that I was a Liberal before I reached the age of reason because of my parents, and I have plenty of experience with other psychological deviances because I lived through a lot of them. That all changed when I saw the Light of God, from going through the motions of pretending to be a Christian to actually being a true believer. I rejected most of my past, and found Christian answers for the few bits that lingered on (such as hedonism and sadism). Most people don't have to go off the deep end like I did- I consider myself analogous to the experience that changed Saul into St. Paul- but studying it all and reaching the (obvious) logically correct viewpoint of a Christian Conservative should get you there.

Edit: I noticed you went to another admin to sort this out for me. Thank you. --[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 01:03, 8 September 2016 (EDT)

::::We all have God to thank for things--bless Him for his grace!
::::Since I don't have access to most administrator controls, I don't know exactly what options exist, so I thought I'd ask an admin. Of course, you can ask him too, or join in the conversation. He's sometimes a bit busy, but I'm sure he'll get a chance to respond eventually.
::::Since I know a few things about computers, I suggest that in the mean time, you try using CP with a different browser, which does not have any kind of ad block, cookie deletion, or any other privacy addon. I've never had a problem with CP like this, even though I use an ad blocker, but it's probably worth a try. They can sometimes interfere with websites. Also, I usually tend to respond to posts on my talk page sooner, but if you are having a hard time posting, feel free to contact me by E-mail, as well. My address is posted on my user page. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:59, 8 September 2016 (EDT)

Perhaps you've seen, but Jpatt suggests you try creating a new account to see if you have the same problem with that one. Please do also try a different browser, if you haven't already. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 11:00, 8 September 2016 (EDT)

==Spam==
There are very many mediawiki websites. Many are neglected over time and become targets for spammers. They are trying to build up their google search rankings rather than getting customers from the reader base of the target website. So, they create articles with long improbable titles and hope that they stay up long enough to be discovered by the search engines. Both Wikipedia and Conservapedia use "no follow" tags, but I am not clear that the search engine spiders ignore the links completely. That is, a spider might not visit the linked website, but might still add to its count for links it found to that domain name. In last night's case, the lonked domain name was youtube.com, so it really does not matter. The point is that once people discover that a wiki is "open" and unmonitored, they start swarming in, including using bots.

I recommend that you delete the entire spam page contents and replace it with {{tl|spam}}. If an admin disagrees, they can revert your edit. I think that most spam is self-evident. (The exception was TAR, who spammed shamelessly, but was genial in his interactions with some admins.) However, if a page is sufficiently bad to warrant a speedy tag, it can also warrant a spam tag and deletion of the contents. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 12:34, 21 July 2016 (EDT)

:Yes, I know that is their intent, though in this case as you said, it indexing wasn't the goal, but rather clicking. I probably should have blanked the page, as I think I have done in the past, but I left it so Cons (who usually deletes on request) or whoever else could see that it really was spam. I believe someone complained previously when I blanked one, as well, so I didn't want to offend. I assumed that it would be deleted in a few hours anyway, long before a spider was likely to find it.
:nofollow does ask search engine spiders not to follow and index the links on the page. Usually, they honor this request since if you don't want it indexed, they probably do not either. However, it does not literately prevent them from doing so. They can explore and index all they want, even with the tag in place. In my opinion, <nowiki><meta name="robots" content="noindex"></nowiki> should also be temporally applied to new pages, so that if a search engine does crawl CP immediately after spam is posted, it will not even be listed as a page on CP. Perhaps this concept could even be customized more, so that users with a certain privilege level (perhaps "edit") do not have this applied to their new pages. Of course, this would not protect from spam inserted into existing pages, but it seems to me that this would be better than nothing.
:Anyway, back to your point, I probably should have blanked them, and will do so in the future unless I receive complaints. Thanks for the suggestion! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 13:31, 21 July 2016 (EDT)

== PeteyT ==

12 minutes total lifespan, and just 3 minutes from my notice to the final disposition. Not bad!! [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 00:13, 22 July 2016 (EDT)
:Not bad at all! I was only keeping half an eye on R.C., so I'm not sure if I would have checked those pages unless you had flagged them. Now we just need an admin to delete those pages. Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 00:21, 22 July 2016 (EDT)

== re: a bug/glitch in your robot ==

I discovered that your cleanup robot sometimes messes up articles such as [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Growth_of_global_desecularization&oldid=1263523 THIS INSTANCE]. It did this for the [[Growth of global desecularization]] article.

And if I am not mistaken, it sometimes removes one of the characters to form a bracket around pictures (namely this character ] ) so the pictures do not show up. I think it did this for the [[atheism]] article and other articles (I recall fixing some of my other atheism articles after your bot ran).

At the same time, it does seem to be cleaning up a lot of things too. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 11:51, 9 August 2016 (EDT)

:Wow! Thanks for letting me know, I'll try to find that bug right away, and keep a better eye on it from now on. The style and cleanup rules are less developed than some other things such as typo checking, so I guess I need to do some work in that area, or stop using it for that purpose.
:If you notice it acting improperly, please do feel free to temporally ban that account. Just please be careful not to also ban the associated IPs, since I sometimes use the same connection. That should work to immediately prevent more damage, and I can sort out the problem before it wrecks everything! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 12:12, 9 August 2016 (EDT)
::Sorry about not telling you about this matter sooner. I know you are making efforts to improve things and I didn't want to be a complainer/whiner/discourager.

::I should have told you about this sooner as I strongly suspected that you have a good attitude and would welcome feedback to improve your efforts. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 12:27, 9 August 2016 (EDT)

:::No apology necessary--I do just want to help. I'm just glad you checked on the edits it made and noticed! With it making so many edits, I can't check the bot's watchlist for post-edit changes, with how ever many many thousand pages listed there. I could slow it down, but hadn't since I saw no problems. Anyway, any further feedback/constructive criticism is welcome. It seems that so many short-term editors on CP have caused an unintentional lack of uniformity. That's the main reason I've been running stylistic fixes with the bot. Unfortunately, brackets still confuse it. Templates and forms wreak havoc on it, but even links and images do this. It doesn't understand image links, so what it sees is a wikilink within another wikilink. This is all together a bad idea, but it keeps deciding the first part must be an external link. Then.... things happen, as you know. I don't want to remove bracket detection, since there are a lot of stray, unclosed or unopened brackets and parentheses. However, I'll see if I can fix it up and narrow down the detection a bit. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 13:57, 9 August 2016 (EDT)

== Why that person was blocked after editing internet atheism ==

David,

Why that person was blocked after editing internet atheism

See: http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Internet_atheism&diff=1271913&oldid=1271890

"Basement dwelling" was an intentionally idiotic category tag. Hence, the person was blocked.

In addition, television show and movie related entries are often parodist editor targets and the ex-editor generally focused on those articles. It wouldn't surprise me if there were parodist related edits to those articles. If you want to check his other edits that would be great. I generally don't watch television. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 21:56, 22 August 2016 (EDT)

:I certainly wouldn't have chosen that tag, but I see plenty of things here that fall into the category of "I wouldn't and I'm not convinced, but I'll let it go and stay focused." My assumption was that it was a good faith edit, just one I would not have done. I have heard that term before, in reference to the stereotype of a (usually teenage or Y.A.) person who lives in their (or their parents') basement and plays video games, "trolls," and does a variety of other undesirable things, while secluding themselves from reality. Though I wasn't sure if this quite fit, it may for some involved in the movement.
:Anyway, I didn't think it an offense warranting a 5-year ban, so I thought I'd point it out, in case you missed it (which apparently you didn't). Had I been the one banning, I would have probably done it for months or even weeks, not years. However, perhaps I don't have the full picture. You have plenty of experience at this, so I expect you're right.

:As for the TV, I really don't watch much either. Most of my free time I spend on here, instead. I'll probably take another look, but a cursory check revealed nothing suspicious to me. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:39, 22 August 2016 (EDT)
::If he got a job working for Encyclopedia Britannica putting category tags on their articles, do you think he would put "basement dwelling" on their "Internet atheism" article. I don't think he would. I have no regrets about my ban. I don't think Admins should be babysitters. Maybe in 5 years he will be more mature. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 02:21, 23 August 2016 (EDT)

==Account promotion request==
David, could I please be promoted to ''Account promoted to skip the Captcha requirement'' ? Thanks a lot. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 19:32, 23 August 2016 (EDT))

:I cannot promote you, but I'll pass on your request. The human verification is a pain. Perhaps I'm poorly educated, but it frequently seemed to me that there were several possible answers, and I just needed to try each one until it worked. The person in charge of this is [[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]]. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:30, 23 August 2016 (EDT)

::As requested, he has removed the requirement. Congratulations! Keep up the good work! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:48, 23 August 2016 (EDT)

:::Thank you so very much. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 11:03, 24 August 2016 (EDT))

== Article on Sodomy ==

I was contemplating starting an article with the title of Sodomy, when I came across a little discussion of it here by accident, someone saying he wanted to do an article by that name as he has legal knowledge of the subject. Then I saw the objection that Conservapedia was started for homeschoolers (who should not be exposed to such topics). But today, I don't know how children could avoid exposure to many topics formerly thought to be taboo. When I was a young boy going to the YMCA it was YMCA custom for everyone to swim naked! Thus the YMCA could become an attraction for sodomists. I was nearly raped by a man who was watching naked boys there; I had no idea what he was up to. For I knew nothing about sodomy, as the topic was hush hush. My mother once in a while mentioned "queers," but never told me what she was talking about. Children really have to be told in clear, uncensored terms about what sodomists do, for their own protection. We should not have false modesty and be afraid of the plain truth.

IMHO, there needs to be a frank article on sodomy using plain ordinary anatomical terms just like you use in an anatomy class. Using the plain words for the parts of the body (not slang or "membrum virile," etc.) is needed to expose the abomination which sodomy is, when there is no confusions with "love," but a clear verbal picture. Right away an unperverted mind reacts, "abomination."

"Homosexual" is a confounding term, as it may include, for example, males who merely prefer the company of males, as boys may do before puberty, with no sexual connotation. Some might use such a term for the apostle Paul who travelled only with men on his missionary journeys (no evidence of Paul having any sexual interest in other men whatsoever). I wish to see an article that clearly describes what sodomy is, explains the related Biblical terms, gives exegesis of the passages, traces the history of the relevant laws in the world, and presents the medical ramifications with that research -- all using frank anatomical language. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 11:26, 24 August 2016 (EDT))

:I agree that such information should be made available to children, when the time is right. The problem is that we don't know when that time is. All we can do is post it, and hope they find it when it is needed, not before. I think that most children (homeschoolers in particular) should be instructed by their parents, not some stranger, or even CP. However, I understand that this site will be used by more than homeschoolers, so I am reluctant to oppose the provision of a very moderate amount of such information, in sometimes vague terms for such protective and preventive reasons. 
:This decision to some extent hinges on whether we are trying to exist solely for homeschoolers, or for use as an all-purpose conservative resource. Those who have "clout" here seem to support the creation of such an article, but I can't be sure of the stance taken by the ones who have not yet spoken on the topic. It's your choice, but I don't think you'd get thrown out for doing so. I trust you would anyway, but just be very careful in how you write it, if you do. To be safe, you might want to ask a full administrator, or even [[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] himself. 
:I hope this helps --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 12:02, 24 August 2016 (EDT)

::David, I told my son about what evil men would do to children when he was ~ 2 years old. IMHO: They really have to know about this. When I was about 14, a pervert at the YMCA could have raped me; I didn't know what they did. He wanted me to step into the back of his van with him! And a neighborhood boy wanted to "play with me" when I was a longer child. Children of very young age are vulnerable. And I never told my parents about any of this. If I should write it, I would like to be able to write forth-rightly; just tell it like it is. But if you think the leaders of Conservapedia might object to that, I of course would not attempt to defy them. I think that it is essential to the Sodomist Conspiracy to avoid talking about what they actually do, and that an essential part of combating this evil is to describe most clearly what they do; taking about sexual orientation, preference, and "love," obscures the issue. I home-schooled my children & neither in primary nor secondary grades did I sent them to a public school. But if you go to a church, they will learn things from other kids which I think is better they learn from their unashamed parents -- moreover, I think that reading it on Conservapedia would also be beneficial. And when they visit kids in church homes, they will get access to TV & internet -- perhaps access to internet via other children's cell phones where any & everything can be seen. BTW, I was going to discuss it with the "Pious" above, since he claimed legal expertise on the subject, but for some reason his posts on the subject look faded in his signature, & one cannot get to him by clicking on his name; so I suppose that he no longer is an editor here. -- At any rate, OK, I should clear it with the powers that be first. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 15:28, 24 August 2016 (EDT))

:::I believe it is possible to instruct young children on what to do and what not to (i.e., "Don't get in a stranger's vehicle," and "if he tries to force you, yell, kick, scream, and bite to get away and draw attention. Shout that this person is not your parent") without describing in explicit detail exactly why he might be doing it and what he want to do. Often times, "bad people wanting to hurt you" is enough to educate a toddler, for example. If questions arise, they should be answered honestly (some people are left completely embarrassed and speechless by a four-year-old; this doesn't help anyone) but carefully. Storks are not the answer to awkward questions, but the parent should be the one to carefully but properly explain. I dislike the idea of us just posting it for all to see, whether they are ready to know or not.
:::That said, [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] is in favor of such an article (and articles on just about any other sexual sin, it seems). He would probably say that I am just embarrassed and not willing to speak on delicate topics. My motives are somewhat different than this, but regardless, he would support such a page. If you want to make one, I think the administration here would not have a problem with it. Just be a little careful to stay on the educational side of the fine line, and not the in-your-face unneeded detail side. As I said, I trust you would handle this well, especially since you've had a kid.
:::Lastly, Pious is still an active editor. He's set his signature to not link to his user page, but [[User:Pious|here it is]]. Again, you can always get other opinions. We know what one administrator (Conservative) thinks on this topic, so you may need to look no farther.
:::I hope this helps! We may not agree, but at least I hope I've explained fairly well. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 20:01, 24 August 2016 (EDT)

Howdy. Discuss this topic with me all you like- I've become quite talented in the subject of psychology, and have had the unfortunate experience of counseling victims of both gay and straight men and women after their being raped (sometimes serially and/or from pre-pubescence) many times. Thunkful12, your experience of nearly being lured to forceful sodomy ain't unique- sadly, out of the many rape victims I've known, the oldest so far at the time of first rape has been thirteen. I've only refrained from making an article on Sodomy because I literally can't, but I'm here for you.--[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 00:17, 25 August 2016 (EDT)

==Recent troll's spamming==
Try not to be too concerned about this latest spam attempt. What is actually happening is just a sorry, hate-filled bigoted liberal who is proving us right every time about themselves...and he's too stupid to figure it out. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] ([[User talk:Karajou|talk]]) 14:16, 25 August 2016 (EDT)

:Yes, I'm not worried, but thanks. It's laughable that they don't realize how badly they are hurting themselves. Clearly you are keeping a close eye on him, but I just thought I'd help where possible. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 14:30, 25 August 2016 (EDT)
==Rule 40==
Thank you for all of your hard work. I addressed your licensing issue with a quote from the website inviting the reposting of the images. These images have also been uploaded to Instagram. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 13:55, 1 September 2016 (EDT)
: Please try again. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 15:06, 1 September 2016 (EDT)

:: Thanks for the additional info. I've uploaded it, as you have probably already noticed. There was something strange going on with the file, so I had to wait until I was able to convert it. Once again, JPEG saves the day. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 15:42, 1 September 2016 (EDT)

== User:Dimetrodont ==

This person was an obvious vandal, and was blocked 5 years ago, in 2008, so that block has expired. I recommend blocking him infinitely and deleting the page. But there are a few interesting points here:
*People cite Wikipedia all the time. They cite extremely offensive sites also. Sites that are vastly at odds with the views of the CP admins, far more so than Wikipedia is. The reason for the extreme disdain of WP seems to be that, unlike those other sites, WP is a wiki, so people can edit it, but when fundamentalists or creationists attempt to insert their views on WP, those edits are reverted. There is no corresponding way to attempt to insert material into HuffingtonPost, so there is no corresponding level of complaint. The editorial stance of WP is just seriously at odds with the stance of the CP admins on matters of evolution, religion, and sexuality. WP is actually a rather reliable source for almost everything. The problems and scandals at WP are not surprising, given the site's size.
*The cited Wikipedia article clearly states that mammals are '''not''' descended from dimetrodon. This person's crime was not in saying that they are, but in citing an article while making a claim about what the article says, when the article actually says the opposite. This practice is not that uncommon at Conservapedia. I've seen it a number of times. Usually it's just taking something out of context in a misleading way. But occasionally it's blatant falsehood such as this.
*You should try not to overuse phrases like "incorrect liberal info". I frequently see the term "liberal" applied to things that have nothing to do with liberalism or politics. Whether mammals are descended from dimetrodons (they aren't) is a matter of science, not politics. It happens that acceptance of evolution is probably higher among liberals than among conservatives, but that doesn't make evolution a "liberal theory" any more than relativity is.
*This person was blocked, back in 2008, by our friend the [[Conservapedia:Guard dog]]. It didn't look at the content, of course, but it noticed that he made 13 edits in 18 minutes.
[[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 10:52, 4 September 2016 (EDT)

:As always, thanks for the input! I'm sure sure if I have the authority to block him again, since I have not been a firsthand witness of his actions. Also, I hesitate to do indefinite IP blocks, since IPs get reassigned from time to time. Then someone who's done noting wrong may end up being blocked. However, at least a non-IP user block shouldn't do any harm. :Regarding your other points:
:*They do cite it all the time, yes, and as you said, many other offensive and incorrect sites. I've even cited HuffingtonPost on occasion as well, for topics which are not controversial, so I'm guilty of this as well. I will say that for your first two points, it is just generally bad practice to cite a wiki such as Wikipedia when writing like this. I would be as opposed to citing WP (for anything other than that about PC itself) on CP, and I would be to citing CP on WP (for anything other than the last exclusion). I think some the the resistance to linking to WP comes from this, not just a dislike for WP itself.
:*I agree on not overusing "liberal," but in this case, I don't believe I misused it. I mean no offense to you, but not only do those who are politically liberal promote evolution, but also I believe those who are spiritually liberal. It is my belief (and that of many others as well) that theistic evolution is just an attempt to fit fake science into Christian beliefs. Ultimately, you end up back at plain old evolution, with just the idea of God as "The Great Clock-Winder." No matter the basis behind it, evolution is a new, liberal idea as a whole. Therefore, his support and promotion of evolution seems inherently liberal. Before Darwin, Creation was the only widely-accepted plausible explanation for our existence. Macro-evolution is, therefore, a progressive or liberal concept, which is now being supported by the majority of the western world. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:16, 4 September 2016 (EDT)

== Thanks for the block ==

Some people..... Disgusting. [[User:JohnSelway|JohnSelway]] ([[User talk:JohnSelway|talk]]) 00:09, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

:Such people really need to find an actual hobby, like fishing, bicycling, or even video gaming. Anyway, thank you for requesting the block. I'm not always online, of course, but feel free to post on my talk page if you see someone needing a ban--that might catch my attention sooner. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 00:50, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

== Question ==

Would it be OK to upload [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francis_Schaeffer.jpg this image], or does the same situation apply with the other images? Thanks! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 22:27, 6 September 2016 (EDT)
:Also, would it be alright if you move the article [[Tim Lahaye]] to "Tim LaHaye" (the "H" should be capitalized)? Thanks! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 22:48, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

::I'm afraid the same thing does apply. Fair Use is very ambiguous, but it generally implies spontaneity, which can hardly be claimed for a wiki. WP gets away with much more liberal usage of copyrighted images than the law really seems to allow, so it could be argued that we can as well, but I don't think we should.
::In general, try to look for images in the Public Domain or under a Creative Commons license. Conservative has a [[User:Conservative/Free_pics|nice list of places to look]] for such images, in case that helps. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:51, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

:::Moved to [[Tim LaHaye]]. Thanks for pointing that out! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:53, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

::::Thanks for the tip and for moving the article! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 18:40, 7 September 2016 (EDT)

== Some help ==

Would you please upload [https://www.flickr.com/photos/98571579@N03/9236802591/in/photolist-f5e2B6-fjR4Je-FUftN5-gqgDeS-fjR1LZ-fk5X1A-fjQV6v-fjQWxv-2LK6ry-bK9DKg-doVDKK-dqgLna-dqghfu-8jHFCZ-4znbcK-fk5Yo5-6YrUT1-J1QSc3-897dan-aoaqi8-8NYhGD-58CBo7-o2f979-5vBG9a-7M2UQA-5pzSGQ-4GnUr7-Emouo-9BkkGw-rNJEg-9ioHFU-cYKhwb-6Yzsj5-GqRFWM-aQ2p2z-82UA9P-9Bhakv-5nwKqL-4G6yAG-4Gimoe-8TrHGM-ngKuNb-cyMeQN-gwidEb-7Ckzpb-5zPf9N-7GMYnt-7NatMu-7Ckzwy-9z4wzG this image]? Also, would you please create a redirect "Zwingli" for [[Ulrich Zwingli]], and a redirect "Knox, John" for [[John Knox]]? Thanks! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 21:43, 9 September 2016 (EDT)
:Also, would you please upload [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Calvin_by_Holbein.png this] image? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 21:47, 9 September 2016 (EDT)

I'll do the uploads A.S.A.P. I've created the redirects, but actually anyone can do that. Just create a page, and write <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT</nowiki></code> followed by a link to the desired page. In this case, for example, I just placed <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Ulrich Zwingli]]</nowiki></code> in the new page "Zwingli." Cheers! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:37, 9 September 2016 (EDT)
:OK, got it. Thanks! In the meantime, would you also upload [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Us_south_census.png this image] as well? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 23:25, 9 September 2016 (EDT)

:Sorry to make things more complicated, but not all images on Flickr are usable. To search for usable ones, you'll need to select a license type. Un the upper left, click on the frop-down which says "Any License" and select on of the other options. I think anything but "Any" and "Marketplace" will work, but I always used "All Creative Commons." This image you selected from Flickr was copyrighted. I'll upload a WP one, if you wish.
:The others are done:
:*[[:File:John Calvin by Holbein.png]]
:*[[:File:Us south census.png]]
:--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 00:56, 10 September 2016 (EDT)

:Thanks for the uploads! Hopefully [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Knoxbezaicones.jpg this image] will do. Also, would you please upload [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Confederate_Rebel_Flag.svg this]? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 13:41, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
::Sorry for piling more requests, but also these two, please. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Southern_state_legislatures_and_Governors_(2015).png][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Solid_South_1880_to_1912.jpg] --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 13:52, 10 September 2016 (EDT)

:::No problem, uploaded:
:::*[[:File:Map of Southern state legislatures and Governors (2015).png]]
:::*[[:File:Solid South 1880 to 1912.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:30, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
::::Would you also please upload this: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Confederate_Rebel_Flag.svg] ? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 17:30, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
:::::[[:File:Confederate Rebel Flag.svg.png]]
::::::Thanks for your help! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 17:43, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
:::::::One more thing: I'm thinking of requesting these two images ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mike_Pence_by_Gage_Skidmore_6.jpg][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_10.jpg]), but I know that there are discussions going on right now on Wikipedia to place these images at the top of their respective articles. It looks like that they will eventually be placed at the top (in 10 days or so). Do you think that uploading these images here will make us look like a copy of WP and thus should not be used (I will note, however, that the current Trump image here is also at the top of his WP article right now)? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 20:37, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
You're welcome--I'm glad to help! 
I don't think there's one right answer to your question, but in general you should pick whatever image is best. We probably shouldn't sacrifice quality just to be different, but if quality is not being lost, it probably would be better to pick something else. In this case, I'd say that if you can find something else just as good or better, use that. IF not, it's probably okay to use these. In my personal opinion, the Trump one you suggest is better than what we have. However, I think the Pence one we have now is good, and in fact, the lighting might be better than the WP one you mentioned.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 21:01, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
:The Pence image we have now is good except for the fact that it is old, by at least seven years. A newer image would be nice in my opinion, even though it doesn't have to be that specific one. There are some other good Trump photos that I am tempted to request instead.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_13.jpg][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_(29273256122)_-_Cropped.jpg] Is there any you prefer? Should I also ask a wider audience as well? Thanks! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 21:35, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
::Good point about the Pence one--an update wouldn't be a bad idea then. As for Trump, I think either of those you just linked to would work. Personally, I like the more "professional" look of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_13.jpg Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_13], but the "dramatic" look of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_(29273256122)_-_Cropped.jpg Donald_Trump_(29273256122)_-_Cropped] is okay too. Asking a bigger audience wouldn't hurt--you can certainly do that.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:49, 10 September 2016 (EDT)

== re: Sporadic Solvent ==

I thought Sporadic Solvent was a spammer who was pushing some solvent product. This was a bad assumption. I didn't know that he/she had made an edit.

I unblocked the person and restored the edit they made. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 02:31, 18 September 2016 (EDT)
:Okay, thanks! The name does sound suspicions, buterhaps it's worth waiting until they do something harmful...I don't know. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:37, 18 September 2016 (EDT)
::You are right. I was trigger happy in terms of my blocking in this case. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 17:10, 18 September 2016 (EDT)

:::Well, it is a strategy that's usually effective. Anyway, thanks for straightening that out! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 17:21, 18 September 2016 (EDT)

== Deleting junk ==

I've left notes on the [[Herbert London]] and [[Walker cell]] talk pages about this phenomenon. These were "Ed Poor stubs[TM]". Ed Poor used to gather quotes that he found interesting, from various places on the internet, and rather than write them on Post-it notes or stick them on his refrigerator, he would stuff them into Conservapedia articles, often with no text whatsoever. Nothing to explain what it relates to. Most of those articles have been deleted by now, but you still come across one occasionally. I recommend deletion.

These are different from the [[Phagocytic vacuole]] page. That was a well-intentioned attempt to help Conservapedia become what it never became.

Because I expect those pages to be deleted soon, I am making a copy for [[User talk:DavidB4|David B]]'s talk page.

[[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 13:23, 18 September 2016 (EDT)

:It does seem like there is little use for such pages. Perhaps he was in the mindset of everyone trying to manufacture as many pages as possible, as probably was attempted when CP was quit new. However, it seems that for CP's size, such pages are not really helpful. Rather than someone coming along later and adding to those pages, they've simply gotten "lost," without expansion. It might be a good strategy if people could cooperate on making such pages, but that's not happening. Deletion seems like the best option now. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:43, 18 September 2016 (EDT)

== Question ==

Are you able to change the visibility of these two edits? [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Counterexamples_to_Evolution&curid=52543&diff=1281014&oldid=1280681][http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Counterexamples_to_Evolution&curid=52543&diff=1281015&oldid=1281014] These are incredibly nasty comments. After having to deal with an earlier vandal today, I am almost tempted to ask for these rights myself. --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 20:24, 28 September 2016 (EDT)
:Never mind, Conservative just did it. --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 20:26, 28 September 2016 (EDT)

::Only full administrators/SysOps can hide edits. I'm an assistant SysOp, so I cannot, and of course, neither can you. You could try asking, but I doubt you would get anywhere. I'm not aware of any exceptions make allowing any non-admins to do it. Cons is usually good at hiding disgusting changes. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 20:45, 28 September 2016 (EDT)

Do you think [http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Contributions/Allstate this user] is a sock of the two accounts that we dealt with earlier today? The user created three decent articles, but also edited [[Bush (band)]] and created an AfD page for it. The overlap is suspicious. --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 23:18, 3 October 2016 (EDT)

:It is indeed suspicious, but I don't really know. Also, "Allstate" doesn't seem like a username someone would plan on using for a while. That particular account hasn't done anything overtly wrong, so I was leaving it alone, but it is pretty likely that it's a sock. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:45, 3 October 2016 (EDT)

::[[User:Karajou|Karajou]] already deleted the articles. Yes, it was hard to say for sure whether those articles were fake or not. --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 23:58, 3 October 2016 (EDT)

:::The ones on insurance companies didn't seem fake, but they might have been a distraction. Anyway, problem solved I guess. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 00:03, 4 October 2016 (EDT)

Another question: a new user created the article [[Raheem Kassam]] today, but in their edit summary stated that they copied the article from a Wikipedia article that was recently deleted. Do our copyright rules still apply for deleted articles? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 16:53, 6 October 2016 (EDT)

:I see no reason why they would not apply. Do we know if Mtj wrote that page, or has permission from those who did? Deleted or not, it's still plagiarism if the writer(s) didn't consent to it being posted here. Thanks for pointing this out! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:59, 6 October 2016 (EDT)

== Portrait ==

Hi. [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|This article]] needs a real photograph-portrait in my opinion. My advice: [http://ataturk.istanbul.gov.tr/GalleryLibrary/1-M.Kemal.Ataturk.jpg 1], [http://www.deyim.com.tr/img/product/5355e3121fb48.jpg 2], [http://www.kimdirnedirnelerdir.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mustafa-Kemal-Atat%C3%BCrk-Kimdir-Hayat%C4%B1-Nelerdir.jpg 3], [http://www.secilbayrak.com/images/urunler/e02f67e7257046ab7547ead58f24c801.jpg 4], [http://www.deyim.com.tr/img/product/5355e31957d52.jpg 5], [http://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/bf/66/04/bf6604aa55c803ec3b88a282d941aeaa.jpg 6], [http://www.harunyahya.com/image/ataturk_anlamak/ataturk_33.jpg 7], [http://www.arastiralim.net/ilk/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Mustafa-Kemal-Atat%C3%BCrk.jpg 8] or [http://www.notbak.com/dersnotlari/01/ataturk046.jpg 9]. I can't upload media files. - [[User:SteveVi|SteveVi]] ([[User talk:SteveVi|talk]]) 15:41, 9 October 2016 (EDT)

:Hello, I'd be happy to help, but the image uploaded must be in the Public Domain or licensed under Creative Commons. The images you linked to may qualify, but I can't read the text on the pages so I can't tell. Are there images anywhere which I can verify as usable? WikiMedia and Flickr and a couple of good sources. Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 18:38, 9 October 2016 (EDT)
:: Hmm, I think we use the [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mustafa_Kemal_Atat%C3%BCrk WikiMedia Commons]. - [[User:SteveVi|SteveVi]] ([[User talk:SteveVi|talk]]) 09:00, 10 October 2016 (EDT)

:::Okay, I don't know much about him. Is [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mustafa_Kemal_Ataturk_1919_Sivas_Congress_%28cropped%29.jpg this one] good? --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 11:44, 10 October 2016 (EDT)
:::: Yes, a good one. You can upload it. - [[User:SteveVi|SteveVi]] ([[User talk:SteveVi|talk]]) 01:28, 12 October 2016 (EDT)

User talk:DavidB4

2016-10-12T05:28:09Z

SteveVi: /* Portrait */

'''Feel free to post any questions or comments here. If you don't hear back from me, try e-mailing me instead.''' 
Archive(s): [[User talk:DavidB4/Archive 1|1]]

== Thanks ==

Thanks for creating the [[Ubuntu Christian Edition]] article. I believe I am going to install that on a computer. I also think I am going to install [[Xiphos]] on a computer.

In addition, I may try out [[CometBird]]. A quick suggestion: When you create articles like this, I would put in the software's greatest strengths and weaknesses. It seems to me the greatest strength of CometBird is its greater speed than Firefox. Here is a cool browser you may like by the way: [https://www.comodo.com/home/browsers-toolbars/icedragon-browser.php Comodo IceDragon]. I rarely use Firefox now. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 08:52, 26 February 2016 (EST)

:You're welcome, and thanks for letting me know! I'm glad those pages were a little helpful! You're right--having the Pros and Cons is a good idea. Honestly, I don't know enough about some software to do that, but I'll see what I can do. The main problem I foresee in trying to list Pros and Cons is that those are somewhat subjective, and can vary. For example, [[Opera]] had what I thought was a great browser for a while (since then, they switched to the Chromium engine) but some thought it was terrible. What works well for one person, doesn't always work the same way for another. None the less, I'll see what I can do. Perhaps looking up a number of other reviews for the software would be advantageous. Anyway, I'm rambling a bit. I'll see if I can start adding those sections to at least some of the pages. Thanks for the suggestion!
: I think I might have heard of Comodo IceDragon before, but I'm not sure. I'll definitely add it to my list and see what I can do. Thanks for that suggestion as well! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) XX:xx, 26 February 2016 (EST)

::I've made a very simple page for [[Comodo IceDragon]]. I don't know much about it, but I'll try it a bit more in depth if I can and try to expand the page somewhat. As always, feel free to add/edit/remove if you want.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) XX:xx, 26 February 2016 (EST)

== Vandal ==

A vandal on the loose. [http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Contributions/Benkumar]
::He, Rahulbrown, and Josephkocher might also be one and the same person. [[User:U.U|U.U]] ([[User talk:U.U|talk]]) XX:xx, 27 February 2016 (EST)

:::Thanks for the info--I guess I'm too late though. I'll try to keep an eye on Rahulbrown, but he/she doesn't seem to have done anything yet, so I can't just ban 'em I don't think. Thanks for the info! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 17:02, 27 February 2016 (EST)
::::Rahulbrown has been blocked now, but the user I just told you of seems to have vanished instead of being blocked. I wonder why.[[User:U.U|U.U]] ([[User talk:U.U|talk]]) 19:46, 29 February 2016 (EST)
It could be that he gave up, but I'd sooner suspect that he had multiple accounts. Another one was banned, and with it his IP address. Now he can't log in to any other accounts, so he's gone even though the others are still open. It's just speculation, of course, but that's what I suspect.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 20:53, 29 February 2016 (EST)

==Archive==
Just F.Y.I., I've created an "archive" to hopefully fix or at least move the problem of signatures not being placed, and section edits not working properly. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 17:02, 27 February 2016 (EST)
==Banks thanks==
Thank you for your edits. One editor seems to have left a trail of red links and I appreciate you pipe-ing them to their correct target. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 10:38, 2 March 2016 (EST)

:You're welcome! Yes, some people do that a lot. I can understand when a wiki first starts out, that this can be a good idea. By now, however, that really should be avoided--especially when the page desired already exists under another name. 

:You seem to be doing a great job of both writing and editing--thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:29, 2 March 2016 (EST)

::I must admit, though, that I still sometimes do this when there is a page I ''really'' think should be made. If no one else does it, though, I usually plan to go back and make these myself. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:40, 2 March 2016 (EST)
==Photo Upload Request==
Could you please upload https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brady#/media/File:James_Brady_1986.jpg it is public domain, and I want to add it to the James Brady article? Many thanks for your assistance. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 07:47, 3 March 2016 (EST)
Could you please upload https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neil_Cavuto.jpg
It is CC SA and must be attributed to freddthompson https://www.flickr.com/people/9313013@N04 on the upload page. Yes, [[Fred Thompson]]! Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:35, 3 March 2016 (EST)

:No problem--I've uploaded both: [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:James_Brady_1986.jpg James Brady] and [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Neil_Cavuto.jpg Neil Cavuto]. I certainly don't mind personal requests, but just in case you don't know, Conservapedia does have an image upload request page [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia:Image_upload_requests here]. However, I certainly don't mind being asked directly. Have a great day! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 09:12, 3 March 2016 (EST)

Please upload https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrite#/media/File:Neuron_Hand-tuned.svg It is CC SA and must be attributed to Quasar Jarosz. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 14:31, 23 March 2016 (EDT)

:Uploaded! It is named "Neuron Hand-tuned.svg.png" and located here: [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Neuron_Hand-tuned.svg.png] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 15:28, 23 March 2016 (EDT)

== re: abortion and evolution article ==

Please feel free to completely revise or partially revise the [[Abortion and evolution]] article. I restored the article so now it's up to you to make it a encyclopedic article. I didn't have a chance to review the article and I am leaving that up to you along with any changes to the article.
==Photo upload request==
We have added a bio for [[Merrick Garland]]. Could you please upload the official photo, which is not copyrighted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrick_Garland#/media/File:Merrick_Garland.jpg Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 16:55, 20 March 2016 (EDT)
:Nice work! I've uploaded it under the name "Merrick Garland.jpg". [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Merrick_Garland.jpg] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 23:58, 20 March 2016 (EDT)
::Thank you. How about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataract#/media/File:Cataract_in_human_eye.png [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:23, 21 March 2016 (EDT)
:::You're welcome! I've uploaded the second one named as "Cataract in human eye.png" [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Cataract_in_human_eye.png]
:::Thanks for all your continuing work! I've been busy lately, so I haven't been able to do much, but I'll try to keep checking at least once a day in case you have other upload requests. Have a great day!--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:11, 21 March 2016 (EDT)
::::Thank you for all your help. It is great working with you. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:40, 23 March 2016 (EDT)
:::::You're welcome--let me know when there's anything else I can do!--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:55, 23 March 2016 (EDT)
:::::::https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yunnan_in_China_(%2Ball_claims_hatched).svg Please. You can shorten the name of the uploaded file :-) [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:45, 24 March 2016 (EDT)
Uploaded under the name "Yunnan in China.png" and located here: [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Yunnan_in_China.png] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 11:17, 24 March 2016 (EDT)
::::::::Thanks. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 22:22, 24 March 2016 (EDT)
:Any time! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:38, 24 March 2016 (EDT)
::How about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Yee#/media/File:Leland_Yee.jpg [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 15:39, 31 March 2016 (EDT)
:::Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Leland_Yee.jpg]
::::Next up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Weiner#/media/File:Anthony_Weiner,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress.jpg Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 10:42, 1 April 2016 (EDT)
:::::Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Anthony_Weiner,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress.jpg]
:::::::Next up: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gitmo_Aerial.jpg which was taken by the Federal Government and is not copyrighted. Thanks.
Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Gitmo_Aerial.jpg] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 13:40, 2 April 2016 (EDT)
::Animated GIF, requires attribution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Animated_gun_turret_with_labels.gif [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:34, 4 April 2016 (EDT)
:::Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Animated_gun_turret_with_labels.gif] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 08:45, 4 April 2016 (EDT)
::::I installed it in [[Naval guns]] but we lost the animation. Could you please try again in a way that keeps the animation? [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 15:26, 4 April 2016 (EDT)
:::::I see what you mean. On the image page it says "Note: Due to technical limitations, thumbnails of high resolution GIF images such as this one will not be animated." I don't quite understand why, but it seems CP is set up that way. If you set it to 700px or more, it does show the animation. However, that is huge for something like this. I'll do a little mor experimentation, but it doesn't look too hopeful. I suppose we could ask an admin... --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 19:17, 4 April 2016 (EDT)
::::::https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitch_Kapor_(Pic_1).jpg requires attribution. Thank you. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 12:47, 5 April 2016 (EDT)
Uploaded--You're Welcome! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Mitch_Kapor.jpg] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 13:14, 5 April 2016 (EDT)
:How about File:Electromagneticwave3Dfromside.gif requires attribution. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:10, 7 April 2016 (EDT)
::Uploaded! [File:Electromagneticwave3Dfromside.gif] It looks like this one can be a "thumbnail" and still have the animation work, since it is smaller. If it does work for you, though, let me know and I'll see what I can do. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 08:43, 7 April 2016 (EDT)
Thank you. I have two more: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hammer_mill_open_front_full.jpg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goliath_Poldermolen.jpg [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 18:20, 9 April 2016 (EDT)
:There is also https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Countries_implicated_in_the_Panama_Papers.svg which should be attributed to "JCRules". [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 19:04, 9 April 2016 (EDT)
I hope I am not imposing by making these three requests. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 09:17, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
:Not at all--I'm happy to help! Just let me know if/when you want any more! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 09:19, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
::I did not see them, where are they? [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 09:37, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
:::Ahh... whoops! Sorry about that! I didn't even see you most recent request, just the comment. (This section is getting a little messy..maybe that's why?) I've uploaded it [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Countries implicated in the Panama Papers.png|here].
Many thanks, but the other two - windmills and grinding mill? [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 10:05, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
:Opps again! I need to do more reading and less skimming/skipping! Here are those two: [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Goliath_Poldermolen.jpg] [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Hammer_mill_open_front_full.jpg]

How about this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Flute.jpg For the [[Silver]] article. It has a picture of a raw crystalline blob; I want to show silver in a more refined state. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 12:01, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

:I'd be happy to upload that, SamHB, but I see we already have [http://www.conservapedia.com/Flute.jpg a flute]. Is that one suitable, or would you like the one you linked to? --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:30, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
::That will do just fine. Even if the lip plate is made from another element 32 slots higher in the periodic table. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 13:15, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

:::Alright, well you do have a point (and I'd be happy to upload the other). It's up to you.

::::I was joking. Many substances go into musical instruments. That picture is fine. Thanks. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 14:53, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

:::::Alright, I couldn't tell for sure but that's true, they are in no way made of a single material. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 17:26, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

==Categories==
Thank you for your work on category clean up. If you put an article in a subcategory, it should not also go in the category. So, articles in [[:Category:United States Law]] should not be placed into [[:Category:Law]] or [[:Category:Laws]]. A user who did not understand the tree-structure of categories added a lot of category tags in 2014-2015 that messed everything up. A category should not be a subcategory of itself. Also, if categories A B and C are subcategories of category X. Then do not create a circle by placing X as a subcategory of A B and C. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 13:50, 31 March 2016 (EDT)
:I'm glad to do what I can, though perhaps I'm getting lazy...categories are easier than writing.
:I thought I'd read this somewhere, but I wasn't absolutely sure, so it's good to know. I've been doing a sort of mass-audit of categories, so it's a little hard for me to check where every category is in the tree, but I'll try to keep an eye out for this kind of issue. Thanks for the info! I have been finding some oddities, like Amazon.com being a subcategory of commerce, but commerce also being a subcategory of Amazon.com. On the one hand, I think "Why did people miss this?!?" but on the other hand, a wiki a a big place, and we don't have as many active editors as WP. I can't fix it all, but if I can straighten out some of it, maybe that will help. In the mean time, sorry to everyone who watched the [[Special:RecentChanges|recent changes page]] for the edit flood! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:17, 31 March 2016 (EDT)
::As I recall, either you or JDano created a little page of guidelines for categories. As a subpage of your user page or talk page. I can't find it now, perhaps because of all the changes you made, that cluttered up RC, for which you apologized above. I forgive you of course, but can you tell me where it is? I have some comments I'd like to add. I want to create a link to it on my own page. I think that page can become a generally useful tool. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 13:42, 2 April 2016 (EDT)
:::JDano Made that, and it's located here: [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. We're glad to have you back! :) --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 13:54, 2 April 2016 (EDT)
::::Thanks. This is of vastly more general importance then just TAR. It looks like useful editing guidelines in general. I'm going to see what I can do about moving it (or its non-TAR-specific content) to a more general place.
::::I actually have a specific issue with the "only in the lowest-level category" rule. I came a cross an exception a while back. I'll bring it up as soon as I catch my breath. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 14:04, 2 April 2016 (EDT)
:::::Good idea--I agree, TAR is one contributor, but not the only. General cleanup is a good idea along the same lines throughout CP.
:::::By the way, I'm probably going to be fairly busy for the rest of this weekend, so I may not be responding promptly from not on. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:52, 2 April 2016 (EDT)

==TAR clean up==
Glad you are pitching in. Please consider [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 22:47, 1 April 2016 (EDT)

:Thank you, as well! I haven't much time now, but I skimmed over your list, and it looks pretty good. Thanks! ([[User:DavidB4|DavidB4]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) xx:xx, 1 April 2016 (EDT))

::I just left a note on JDano's talk page, which please see. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 16:07, 4 April 2016 (EDT)

Dear DavidB4, while I appreciate the time you took in writing [[Gun nut]], it completely duplicates the existing [[Gun enthusiast]] page. Could we possibly merge the two and then have a redirect from Gun nut to Gun enthusiast? Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 16:07, 6 April 2016 (EDT)
:Yes indeed we could. I should have done more looking before I wrote. I'll see what I can do, but if you get there first, feel free to merge them your self. Thanks for pointing this out! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 17:55, 6 April 2016 (EDT)

== For God's sake! What was the matter with this person? ==

So I was doing a routine look at RC, and I came across your change to [[Battery (electrical)]]. You're right; it needs more work. But I noticed that you de-wikilinked the various sizes: "AAA", "C", "D", etc. I immediately thought "This looks like the work of TAR." Sure enough, it was. He was planning to have a page titled "C", about the uses of size C batteries? What was it going to say? Something like "C is a size of batteries that you will use when you cash in your 401K to buy a lifetime supply of batteries, along with guns and bullets, so you can spend the rest of your life holed up in Idaho waiting for the <s>zombie apocalypse</s> gun-grabbers"? Did he not bother to look and see that there is already a "C" page, about the programming language? Similarly for "D". He apparently didn't bother to look—or did he?—and see that there was a page about the one-letter abbreviation for the Democratic party.

But "AAA" was most telling. (Plain "AA" was just a redlink.) His "AAA" link was to a page about, among other things, the American Automobile Association. And who wrote that page? TAR did. He linked to that '''knowing full well that the page was about other things!!'''

I'm going to create the "Conservapedia:How to create and maintain high-quality articles" page. And it will have a few things to say about wikilinks. The things I cited above are not the only instances of this kind of stuff that I have seen.

[[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 00:56, 9 April 2016 (EDT)
::TAR is a very sticky substance. Not easily completely removed.[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 01:01, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:::On my first edit of that page, I missed the problem entirely. I didn't even check, thinking "They wouldn't possibly link to just the text shown—they must be piped." Haha! Funny joke! The moral of this story: never over-estimate the planning behind some pages and their content. Thanks for going ahead with making that guide. It could be a helpful checklist to reference and point to for sure.
:::Cons, I have to agree. TAR has its uses, and in some cases is difficult to replace. In other ways, it can really make a mess. Not to be too hard on him, though, I'm sure he's not the only one to make mistakes like this. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 01:12, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

::::SamHB, see: [[User talk:User: SamHB/How to create and maintain high-quality articles]]. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 01:22, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:::::I see a few things I'd like to tweak on that list, but which one is currently in use? [[User:JDano/TARlist]], [[User talk:User: SamHB/How to create and maintain high-quality articles]] (which has a space in the link it should not), or [[Essay:How to create and maintain high-quality articles]] which does not seem to exist? --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 11:40, 9 April 2016 (EDT)
I moved SamHB's version to the bottom of [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. And then I deleted the version that I created along with its talk page. You two can work the rest out. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 12:02, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

OK, I've overwritten my current version ''in situ'' (love them Latin expressions) in the usual place, [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. We can work on it there. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 12:11, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:Alright, thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:20, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

As you may have seen, there was a delightful dialog between me and Cons late last night, as he repeatedly moved pages around and otherwise created edit conflicts for me. I asked him to pause and give me a 15 minute window in which I could tell him what I was doing (and in fact completely agreeing with his objections), but he just moved things around some more and created more edit conflicts. He seemed to be acting as though he hadn't seen my request for a pause, even though he was making edits to the very same pages. He wouldn't acknowledge me. He just moved the discussion to yet another page. I posted a request on that page with subject line "PLEASE STOP AND ACKNOWLEDGE" in all caps. He still didn't acknowledge my request that he stop moving pages and creating edit conflicts with me. So I gave up for the night, as I had said I would do if he didn't acknowledge.

He did actually stop messing with this, and go on one of his charming all-night editing sprees. 163 edits, by my rough count. So I suppose that's all the "acknowledgement" we can expect from this person. Though, as soon as you posted your "which one is which?" message this morning, he came back. And moved stuff around some more. You see, he saved my text in a page that he created, titled "User:User: SamHB/How to create and maintain high-quality articles" and "User talk:User: SamHB/How to create and maintain high-quality articles". I attempted to edit that, and the software said (not surprisingly) "User account "User: SamHB" is not registered. Please check if you want to create/edit this page." This guy doesn't even know how user page titles work.

So I was planning to put a delete notice on those pages, hoping that some poor soul would come along and delete those. If necessary, I was going to fill it with very unseemly material as an incentive to delete it. It wasn't necessary; Cons deleted the pages a short time ago, moving my draft back to the "TARlist page. I wrote my draft over that, without getting an edit conflict.

So maybe things have settled down a bit. I just checked RC in another window, and things seem to have settled down. We should work on the page there—I see that you are already doing that. I may make another attempt to move the page into the Conservapedia main space between 12 midnight tonight and 00:05 in the morning. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 12:43, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:Sounds like fun! Well, as long as we are all editing the correct page, and not conflicting with each other, I guess It's "all good." As far as moving this to a "Conservapedia:" title, I think Cons asked that we tell him when it is ready, and he will decide if it's ready or not. I'd be inclined to do that, rather than just trying again...we don't want to antagonize (or at least I don't), after all. Up to you, though. Anyway, I still see a lot of TAR specific stuff in it, so we have some work to do. I'm keeping pretty busy elsewhere today, so I may not be around to help much, but I'll do what I can.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:39, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

::I think the thing to do is, first, make the article an unequivocally high-quality thing. (It pretty nearly already is.) Then we can probably move it, or get it moved, in a way that doesn't cause Cons to be destructive. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 18:58, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
::::May I ask, when David B looks at each page, does he see a "move" tab at the top? If so, he has the power to move (i.e., rename) pages, while preserving the page history. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 21:42, 11 April 2016 (EDT)
SamHB, you're probably right, that might work. Like you said, we just need to make it good first (which it is well on its way to being) 
JDano, I do not have Move permissions. I believe that is a right restricted to full Admins only. We can either ask Cons to do it, or just use Copy+Paste. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:37, 11 April 2016 (EDT)

Welcome to TARist Russia, I mean the Pacific Northwest, I mean [[User:JDano/TARlist]]. I appreciate all that you do. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 17:49, 9 April 2016 (EDT)

:Errm....thanks! I'll try to improve it if I think of something, assuming you don't mind. If you disagree with any of my edits though, feel free to change or undo them.

==Picture Upload Requests==
Could you please https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skyline_of_Plano_Texas.jpg with attribution to Danny20111993 and
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Austin_From_Congress_Street_Bridge.jpg with attribution to Daveydickler. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:39, 15 April 2016 (EDT)
:Uploaded! [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Skyline_of_Plano_Texas.jpg] and [http://www.conservapedia.com/File:View_of_Austin_From_Congress_Street_Bridge.jpg] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 09:07, 15 April 2016 (EDT)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abilene_from_the_Enterprise_Building.jpg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amarillo_Texas_Downtown.jpg Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 22:51, 15 April 2016 (EDT)
:Uploaded: [[:File:Abilene_from_the_Enterprise_Building.jpg]] and [[:File:Amarillo_Texas_Downtown.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:46, 16 April 2016 (EDT)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FireExtinguisherABC.jpg Photo by Dante Alighieri and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dana_White_headshot.jpg Photo by Justin Moore [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 20:30, 16 April 2016 (EDT)
:Uploaded: [[:File:FireExtinguisherABC.jpg]] and [[:File:Dana White headshot.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 21:03, 16 April 2016 (EDT)
Thanks. How about: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boise,_idaho.jpg attributed to Lordchadwick79 [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 21:46, 16 April 2016 (EDT)
:You're welcome. Here's this next one: [[:File:Boise, idaho autumn.jpg]]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MREsingleveggie.gif attribute to Bahamut0013 and https://www.flickr.com/photos/vaduva/18674659564/in/photolist-usdvF3-usdQa7-usonjH-8fRdg3-8fMXRe-8LiSgr-8fMXzn-4WChsi-8fMXrR-8fMXMP-57SxmD-4WCiwv-8fMXLF-8LiMTt-8LmSK7-4WCpHv-8LiTkz-8fRcXw-4WCaPc-8fMXGP-6AMzek-4WFXGL-4WCfvg-8qxVDK-4WGBjw-4WCkwg-4WGsif-8LmSi9-4WCcBV-8fMXKg-4WFYN7-8fMXDe-9mW1B1-57QVNT-4WFV6u-4WCotX-8fRdo3-8fRcWU-9mPDAq-8fRd65-4WGCgW-8fMXwB-8fMXBT-4WGzmb-4WGx2o-8LiVzv-4WCc9r-8fRdxN-4WCiUM-4WGJqj attributed to Virgil Vaduva CC-BY 2.0. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 13:58, 17 April 2016 (EDT) 

Uploaded: [[:File:MREsingleveggie.gif]] and [[:File:Porcfest 2015.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:14, 18 April 2016 (EDT)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polemount-singlephase-closeup.jpg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transformer3d_col3.svg please. 22:55, 20 April 2016 (EDT)
Please don't forget the diagram too. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 00:31, 21 April 2016 (EDT)

You're right on top of this, so I guess I don't really need to post the links. Anyway, here they are: [[:File:Transformer-polemount-singlephase-closeup.jpg]] and [[:File:Transformer3d_col3_XML_stripped.jpeg]]. The latter had some file problems, so I needed to adapt is somewhat. It might have lost some quality, and also (by design) SVG data, but I think it should work. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:42, 21 April 2016 (EDT)

Please upload: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bug_de_l'an_2000.jpg attribute to Bug de l'an 2000 [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 08:04, 22 April 2016 (EDT)

:Done! [[:File:Bug de l'an 2000.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 08:51, 22 April 2016 (EDT)
Please https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CarlMenger.png public domain due to age of photo. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 17:39, 28 April 2016 (EDT)
Also: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20111102_Incendie_Charlie_Hebdo_Paris_XXe_07.jpg attribute to Pierre-Yves Beaudouin [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 17:43, 28 April 2016 (EDT)

:Uploaded! [[:File:CarlMenger.png]] and [[:File:Incendie Charlie Hebdo Paris XXe 07.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 18:41, 28 April 2016 (EDT)
Please https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bisphenol-A-Skeletal.svg [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 09:40, 29 April 2016 (EDT)

:Uploaded after conversion [[:File:Bisphenol-A-Skeletal.png]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 10:50, 29 April 2016 (EDT)
Please: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:C60-rods.png ==[[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 21:50, 29 April 2016 (EDT)

:Uploaded: [[:File:C60-rods.png]]. Sorry for the delay--I will be more busy that usual for the next week or two, so I may take longer to respond. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:45, 30 April 2016 (EDT)

Please: File:Guy Kawasaki at Wikimania 2015 - 2.jpg [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 02:15, 4 May 2016 (EDT)
:Uploaded: [[:File:Guy Kawasaki at Wikimania 2015 - 2.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 13:52, 4 May 2016 (EDT)

Could you upload https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Einstein_Rings_(Cropped).jpg#mw-jump-to-license I think it's ok in terms of copyright, thanks [[User:Richardm|Richardm]] ([[User talk:Richardm|talk]]) 15:39, 21 September 2016 (EDT)

:It's in [[Public Domain]], so that's fine. Creative Commons licensed images are also acceptable. I've uploaded it here: [[:File:Einstein Rings (Cropped).jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:09, 21 September 2016 (EDT)

== The page has been moved. ==

The page formerly known as the "TARlist" has been moved to its new home [[Conservapedia:How to create and maintain high-quality articles]], thinks to administrative intervention by JPatt. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 00:38, 18 April 2016 (EDT)
:Nice! Alright, thanks for the update! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:37, 18 April 2016 (EDT)
== Conservapedia's web traffic is up ==

Conservapedia is one of the top 100,000 websites in the world as far as web traffic according to the web traffic tracking company [[Alexa]],[http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/conservapedia.com]

Thank you for all your contributions.

Conservapedia continues to receive millions of page views per month.[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 18:01, 19 April 2016 (EDT)

:Nice! When you make so many enemies (both vandals and not) we must be doing something right! I hope most of those are not DDoS hits.... ;)
Thank you as well for your continuing work! Did you by any change get my question on your [[User:Conservative/mail|messages page]]?--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 18:54, 19 April 2016 (EDT)
::I just saw it and replied. Second, I don't think I will be checking that mailbox again for an extended period. My apologies for any potential inconveniences.[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 23:31, 19 April 2016 (EDT)

Okay, thanks for the response, and that's fine if you will not be--I know that you have other things going on. The number of active admins I know of seems to be dropping, but I'm sure Jpatt can help, and probably Aschlafly as well. No worries! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 23:41, 19 April 2016 (EDT)

== response to recent message you sent me ==

Hi, I have a question. I know CP allows users to import articles which they alone have created on other wikis. Do I assume correctly that CP also has no problem with the author exporting his/her article to another wiki, as long as that other wiki does not mind? I have no immediate plans to do so... I have yet to contribute on any wiki other than CP.--I'm just wondering. 
Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:27, 19 April 2016 (EDT)
Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:27, 19 April 2016 (EDT)
::Please see: [[Conservapedia:Copyright]]. If you have any further questions, please contact [[User: Aschlafly]]. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 23:31, 19 April 2016 (EDT)

:::Thanks, I'd looked at that but still wasn't quite sure. I could try asking Mr. Schlafly--I don't know if he'll respond. Again, thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 23:38, 19 April 2016 (EDT)
::::I think you can do it. You can ask Mr. Schlafly if you want further reassurance. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]])
:::::Alright, thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 12:06, 20 April 2016 (EDT)
Nice job on Fluoride [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 09:15, 29 April 2016 (EDT)

:Thanks, and you as well--you're right, a claim shouldn't be stated as fact when it is not certain.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 09:21, 29 April 2016 (EDT)

==Photos==
The replacement of the owl pic had to do with maintaining a difference between us and Wikipedia. As much as possible, try to go to sites like Flickr, and look for those photos on any given subject that have been released to Creative Commons for free use. The idea here is if Wikipedia has it on their page, look for something different. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] ([[User talk:Karajou|talk]]) 09:52, 2 June 2016 (EDT)
:Okay, that makes sense--thanks for the explanation. I actually didn't realize WP has used that photo, I just picked it from the list on WikiMedia, but I should have checked. Still, though, it's from the WP giant, so that's not the best in any case. I sometimes try to get images from archives.gov or loc.gov, but they have a limited selection. My problem with using Flickr has been finding license info, but I recently found [https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons] which should help. I'll see if I can find more diverse images in the future using that. Also, thanks for adding a sizable body section to that page--again, I'm not a bird person so I didn't dare, but it needed to be done. There seem to be a number of bird pages like that, with only the side template. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 10:32, 2 June 2016 (EDT)
== re: User:JayHarper ==

re: [http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Contributions/JayHarper User:JayHarper]

He was a parodist. I deleted a few of his articles. If you have time, please go through some of his past edits. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 20:12, 9 June 2016 (EDT)
:Okay, will do. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 21:45, 9 June 2016 (EDT)

::I am having a little difficulty telling if what he says is true. I don't know a lot about foreign politics, so things like [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Classical_Liberal&diff=1177245&oldid=1169145 this] and [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Classical_Liberal&diff=1177245&oldid=1169145 this] may or may not be correct. However, I'll keep looking through. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:43, 9 June 2016 (EDT)
::Update--Much of what I'm seeing are beneficial changes, so I'm not reverting most of it. In some cases (like on [[Homosexual rights advocacy]]) this user delete a paragraph which should have but did not have a reference. I'm not sure that's what I would have done, but should this be reverted? There really should be a source on that. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 10:04, 10 June 2016 (EDT)

==Troll/Vandal==

David,

You might, when you get the chance, want to check out the new user WillardMR. He's made three edits, all of which appear to be vandalism.--[[User:Whizkid|Whizkid]] ([[User talk:Whizkid|talk]]) 22:02, 9 June 2016 (EDT)

:Thanks for pointing this out--I've banned him. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 22:32, 9 June 2016 (EDT)

== re: Much improved the article the atheist troll added ==

I much improved the article that the atheist troll added. Now it is a more humorous and coherent essay. Thanks for adding the delete tag. It forced me to read the article more closely and add additional content. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 23:06, 9 June 2016 (EDT)

:Err, you're welcome! Thanks for the improvements. Somehow atheism resulting in bland food improved only by hot sauce and horse meat did'nt make any sense, but I'm glad you could make something of it. I assume this page was a jab at you and your work on "atheism and ____" pages. He/she even used a similar style to your writing, I noticed, although it in their case, it didn't make any sense to me.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]])

== scripts/bots ==

Ed Poor has put in an appearance, though it's essentially just to tell us that the guard dog did not survive a wiki update. See [[User_talk:Ed_Poor]]. [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 21:34, 19 June 2016 (EDT)

:Thanks for the notification! I responded, and will see where it leads. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 00:17, 20 June 2016 (EDT)

== Account promoted ==

Account promoted to include "move" and "protect" rights. Congratulations!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] ([[User talk:Aschlafly|talk]]) 01:13, 20 June 2016 (EDT)
:Oh--Thank you very much! I'll do my best to put them to good use! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 01:26, 20 June 2016 (EDT)

Bot account promoted to "bot" and "SkipCaptcha".--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] ([[User talk:Aschlafly|talk]]) 18:55, 22 June 2016 (EDT)
:Thank you! I will give it a try. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 19:00, 22 June 2016 (EDT)
::Update: The bot seems to be working, but has a fairly serious bug I need to work out. I'll try another run after I get that fixed, if it is possible. I think I have all I need account-wise, for now. Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 20:25, 22 June 2016 (EDT)
:::Thanks for your update and for your efforts.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] ([[User talk:Aschlafly|talk]]) 22:39, 22 June 2016 (EDT)
Congratulations. A well-deserved promotion. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 21:14, 28 June 2016 (EDT)
:Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:32, 28 June 2016 (EDT)

==Message from Pious==
Thanks for your constructive criticism. I agree wholly with your first two points. As for the last two, keep in mind that Rastas believed Haile Selassie was literally Jesus- one speech by him can shock them out of racism. As far as I can tell, their purpose now is believing they're currently living in the Book of Revelations, since they also believe Christ has returned. -Pious

:You're welcome, I'm glad to help! I know very little about the group, but your explanation makes sense. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to briefly mention those points, in case someone as clueless on the topic as myself comes through.
:Also, I moved your message down to the bottom since this is where new post are usually placed. Of course you wouldn't have known that, so it's fine. Also, when you leave a message, it's a good idea to place <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki> at the end of your post. This is replaced by your "signature" and a time stamp. To make this a little easier, there is a button on the top bar of the edit box, just to the right of B and I buttons (for bold and italics) which looks something like a writing pencil. Clicking this places your signature where your cursor is currently placed. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:27, 17 July 2016 (EDT)

::Done. Your guidance has been very valuable to me. Thank you and God bless you. -Pious
:::I've noticed your to-do list update in the Recent changes section of this site, and I further thank you for taking a personal interest in guiding me. --Pious (talk) 23:43, 19 July 2016 (CDT)

::::Any time! I'm a bit too tired to look it over right now, but I'll try to take a closer look in the morning. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:20, 19 July 2016 (EDT)
::::Also, Thanks for your continuing contributions! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:34, 19 July 2016 (EDT)

Nice job purging that vandal! I don't get why trolls (liberal and otherwise) think they can vandalize this site with any efficacy when all they have to do is look at the recent changes section to show it ain't going to work. I will say this about PayPal though: they're a liberal organization that can literally take away all your money in their system for no reason under their Terms of Use. That's why I direct-deposit anything I earn on eBay immediately. --Pious (talk) 23:39, 21 July 2016 (CDT)

::Whoa!!!! Are you saying that, under the terms of use that we all click through, Paypal can steal your money? That goes far beyond whether its CEO is liberal (which I consider irrelevant) or whether he is gay (even more irrelevant; sorry PeteyT). I'm not disagreeing with your assertion; I know nothing about this. Can you do some digging and write up an article on the subject? [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 00:56, 22 July 2016 (EDT)

::All you have to do really is Google "paypal stealing" and the search results will blow up with examples of this and similar things happening. I'm heading to bed for work tomorrow but making and citing a page on this should be pretty easy. --Pious (talk) 00:19, 22 July 2016 (CDT)

:::Thanks--SamHB certainly helped by pointing it out, too! I don't think they care that vandalism isn't effective. They just keep going and going at it. I have no problem banning them and cleaning up, but I think the idea it to wear us down. That's why I really want to get a watchdog bot running, which takes care of most vandalism automatically. With no human element involved in vandalism prevention, there really will be little point in their continuing.
:::I do agree about PayPal--they really are not a friendly company. A reason I was aware of to dislike them is that they to not allow the purchase or sale of firearms through them. I did not know the ToS allowed for fund confiscation! That just goes to show, you really do need to read the fine print! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:09, 22 July 2016 (EDT)

The (non-existent) page on sodomy has me confused. It's on the most wanted list (which I want to contribute to because I'd like to win the contest for most new pages created), yet also something the admins seem to seek preventing from existing. I found this out after I went to edit it due to having legal knowledge on the matter, specifically Lawrence v. Texas since the latter is where I live. I can't. Why is this? --Pious (talk) 01:37, 2 August 2016 (CDT)

:Sorry for the delay in response. I've been working more than usual, so I haven't been able to get on for a few days.
:I see what you mean, that page title is protected. This is probably the case because vandals like to make explicitly and grotesquely descriptive stub articles on topic such as this. Conservapedia was started as a family-friendly wiki especially for homeschoolers. It was probably considered inappropriate to have an article on such a topic. However, a certain editor has been doing a far amount of writing on sexual sins, so this decision may have been reversed. You could try asking [[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]], since he is really in charge of such decisions. However, I noticed that there is a page on [[Lawrence v. Texas]]. Perhaps you could at least look that over and see if there are improvements which could be made. Unfortionately, someone would already need to know about the case to search for it, so I'd think it would be better to make [[Sodomy]] to some kind of link bank, which does not explicitly describe it, but does link to relevant articles. I hope this helps! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:47, 7 August 2016 (EDT)

::I added a section to this page below on An Article About Sodomy, not wishing to put something new into an old section. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 11:40, 24 August 2016 (EDT))

I'm not entirely sure why, but I've noticed that I tend to be locked out to six edits per day- this is likely the last of them. It might be because Andy apparently thinks a single reversion of an edit of mine by Conservative in good faith four years ago is enough to red-flag me. I know Andy has the final say in everything here, but could you bring it up to him? Preferably a week from now because I know he's mourning the loss of his mother right now. --[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 03:06, 6 September 2016 (EDT)
:I miscounted- this is six. Please visit the Sociopath page and consider my suggestion. --[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 03:14, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

:That sounds odd! I could be poorly informed, but I'm not aware of any such mechanism in place to limit the number of edits by a user. What specifically happens if you try to make more that six edits each day? Do you by any chance get a message telling you about a loss of session data?
:Also, I replied to your question on [[Sociopath]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:55, 6 September 2016 (EDT)
::The tab on the top changes from "Read | Edit | Add topic | View history" to only the former and latter after six edits. Also, your source is wrong- I can tell you that my own psychopathy in my past manifested itself from my upbringing, and there were zero genetic links to it. The term for anti-social personality disorder spans chronologically from sociopath, to psychopath, to anti-social depending on which version of the DSM you're reading. --[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 03:24, 7 September 2016 (EDT)

::I'll look into the issue you're having as best I can, though I really don't know a lot about the finer parts of CP's administration. As for the psychological disorders, I really know nothing more than can be found by [https://duckduckgo.com/?q=sociopath+vs+psychopath&t=h_&ia=web a web search], so I'm probably not the best person to ask. I assume you are correct, but I can't really offer any agreement, because everything I see says that they are different. You can either ask someone else, or since you are confident that this is true, you could just go ahead and rewrite and cite along the lines of what you are saying. It seems that while you have a good understanding of how the human brain works (or doesn't), I have a better understanding of how a computer's "mind" works. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:52, 7 September 2016 (EDT)
:::I know how to query Google pretty well, so I can probably find a source or two showing the history and etymology of psychopathy, then rewrite it. As for my limitations on edits, [http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9c51/bk7jcbcmfvzeoiezg.jpg this] is a screenshot I took yesterday in the early morning. The absence of the edit option is rather outstanding, and this reply is the first edit I've been able to make since. As for our different skill-sets, computer "mind" stuff is all perfectly logical- computers literally do what you program to do, and errors can be narrowed down to bad programming or fried hardware. Human mind stuff generally takes experiencing, recovering from, and then helping people who manifest mental problems, a lot of which is irrational. Treatment of others requires understanding their thinking, making what they can't explain rational, then offering solutions. I confess that I was a Liberal before I reached the age of reason because of my parents, and I have plenty of experience with other psychological deviances because I lived through a lot of them. That all changed when I saw the Light of God, from going through the motions of pretending to be a Christian to actually being a true believer. I rejected most of my past, and found Christian answers for the few bits that lingered on (such as hedonism and sadism). Most people don't have to go off the deep end like I did- I consider myself analogous to the experience that changed Saul into St. Paul- but studying it all and reaching the (obvious) logically correct viewpoint of a Christian Conservative should get you there.

Edit: I noticed you went to another admin to sort this out for me. Thank you. --[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 01:03, 8 September 2016 (EDT)

::::We all have God to thank for things--bless Him for his grace!
::::Since I don't have access to most administrator controls, I don't know exactly what options exist, so I thought I'd ask an admin. Of course, you can ask him too, or join in the conversation. He's sometimes a bit busy, but I'm sure he'll get a chance to respond eventually.
::::Since I know a few things about computers, I suggest that in the mean time, you try using CP with a different browser, which does not have any kind of ad block, cookie deletion, or any other privacy addon. I've never had a problem with CP like this, even though I use an ad blocker, but it's probably worth a try. They can sometimes interfere with websites. Also, I usually tend to respond to posts on my talk page sooner, but if you are having a hard time posting, feel free to contact me by E-mail, as well. My address is posted on my user page. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 01:59, 8 September 2016 (EDT)

Perhaps you've seen, but Jpatt suggests you try creating a new account to see if you have the same problem with that one. Please do also try a different browser, if you haven't already. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 11:00, 8 September 2016 (EDT)

==Spam==
There are very many mediawiki websites. Many are neglected over time and become targets for spammers. They are trying to build up their google search rankings rather than getting customers from the reader base of the target website. So, they create articles with long improbable titles and hope that they stay up long enough to be discovered by the search engines. Both Wikipedia and Conservapedia use "no follow" tags, but I am not clear that the search engine spiders ignore the links completely. That is, a spider might not visit the linked website, but might still add to its count for links it found to that domain name. In last night's case, the lonked domain name was youtube.com, so it really does not matter. The point is that once people discover that a wiki is "open" and unmonitored, they start swarming in, including using bots.

I recommend that you delete the entire spam page contents and replace it with {{tl|spam}}. If an admin disagrees, they can revert your edit. I think that most spam is self-evident. (The exception was TAR, who spammed shamelessly, but was genial in his interactions with some admins.) However, if a page is sufficiently bad to warrant a speedy tag, it can also warrant a spam tag and deletion of the contents. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 12:34, 21 July 2016 (EDT)

:Yes, I know that is their intent, though in this case as you said, it indexing wasn't the goal, but rather clicking. I probably should have blanked the page, as I think I have done in the past, but I left it so Cons (who usually deletes on request) or whoever else could see that it really was spam. I believe someone complained previously when I blanked one, as well, so I didn't want to offend. I assumed that it would be deleted in a few hours anyway, long before a spider was likely to find it.
:nofollow does ask search engine spiders not to follow and index the links on the page. Usually, they honor this request since if you don't want it indexed, they probably do not either. However, it does not literately prevent them from doing so. They can explore and index all they want, even with the tag in place. In my opinion, <nowiki><meta name="robots" content="noindex"></nowiki> should also be temporally applied to new pages, so that if a search engine does crawl CP immediately after spam is posted, it will not even be listed as a page on CP. Perhaps this concept could even be customized more, so that users with a certain privilege level (perhaps "edit") do not have this applied to their new pages. Of course, this would not protect from spam inserted into existing pages, but it seems to me that this would be better than nothing.
:Anyway, back to your point, I probably should have blanked them, and will do so in the future unless I receive complaints. Thanks for the suggestion! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 13:31, 21 July 2016 (EDT)

== PeteyT ==

12 minutes total lifespan, and just 3 minutes from my notice to the final disposition. Not bad!! [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 00:13, 22 July 2016 (EDT)
:Not bad at all! I was only keeping half an eye on R.C., so I'm not sure if I would have checked those pages unless you had flagged them. Now we just need an admin to delete those pages. Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 00:21, 22 July 2016 (EDT)

== re: a bug/glitch in your robot ==

I discovered that your cleanup robot sometimes messes up articles such as [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Growth_of_global_desecularization&oldid=1263523 THIS INSTANCE]. It did this for the [[Growth of global desecularization]] article.

And if I am not mistaken, it sometimes removes one of the characters to form a bracket around pictures (namely this character ] ) so the pictures do not show up. I think it did this for the [[atheism]] article and other articles (I recall fixing some of my other atheism articles after your bot ran).

At the same time, it does seem to be cleaning up a lot of things too. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 11:51, 9 August 2016 (EDT)

:Wow! Thanks for letting me know, I'll try to find that bug right away, and keep a better eye on it from now on. The style and cleanup rules are less developed than some other things such as typo checking, so I guess I need to do some work in that area, or stop using it for that purpose.
:If you notice it acting improperly, please do feel free to temporally ban that account. Just please be careful not to also ban the associated IPs, since I sometimes use the same connection. That should work to immediately prevent more damage, and I can sort out the problem before it wrecks everything! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 12:12, 9 August 2016 (EDT)
::Sorry about not telling you about this matter sooner. I know you are making efforts to improve things and I didn't want to be a complainer/whiner/discourager.

::I should have told you about this sooner as I strongly suspected that you have a good attitude and would welcome feedback to improve your efforts. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 12:27, 9 August 2016 (EDT)

:::No apology necessary--I do just want to help. I'm just glad you checked on the edits it made and noticed! With it making so many edits, I can't check the bot's watchlist for post-edit changes, with how ever many many thousand pages listed there. I could slow it down, but hadn't since I saw no problems. Anyway, any further feedback/constructive criticism is welcome. It seems that so many short-term editors on CP have caused an unintentional lack of uniformity. That's the main reason I've been running stylistic fixes with the bot. Unfortunately, brackets still confuse it. Templates and forms wreak havoc on it, but even links and images do this. It doesn't understand image links, so what it sees is a wikilink within another wikilink. This is all together a bad idea, but it keeps deciding the first part must be an external link. Then.... things happen, as you know. I don't want to remove bracket detection, since there are a lot of stray, unclosed or unopened brackets and parentheses. However, I'll see if I can fix it up and narrow down the detection a bit. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 13:57, 9 August 2016 (EDT)

== Why that person was blocked after editing internet atheism ==

David,

Why that person was blocked after editing internet atheism

See: http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Internet_atheism&diff=1271913&oldid=1271890

"Basement dwelling" was an intentionally idiotic category tag. Hence, the person was blocked.

In addition, television show and movie related entries are often parodist editor targets and the ex-editor generally focused on those articles. It wouldn't surprise me if there were parodist related edits to those articles. If you want to check his other edits that would be great. I generally don't watch television. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 21:56, 22 August 2016 (EDT)

:I certainly wouldn't have chosen that tag, but I see plenty of things here that fall into the category of "I wouldn't and I'm not convinced, but I'll let it go and stay focused." My assumption was that it was a good faith edit, just one I would not have done. I have heard that term before, in reference to the stereotype of a (usually teenage or Y.A.) person who lives in their (or their parents') basement and plays video games, "trolls," and does a variety of other undesirable things, while secluding themselves from reality. Though I wasn't sure if this quite fit, it may for some involved in the movement.
:Anyway, I didn't think it an offense warranting a 5-year ban, so I thought I'd point it out, in case you missed it (which apparently you didn't). Had I been the one banning, I would have probably done it for months or even weeks, not years. However, perhaps I don't have the full picture. You have plenty of experience at this, so I expect you're right.

:As for the TV, I really don't watch much either. Most of my free time I spend on here, instead. I'll probably take another look, but a cursory check revealed nothing suspicious to me. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:39, 22 August 2016 (EDT)
::If he got a job working for Encyclopedia Britannica putting category tags on their articles, do you think he would put "basement dwelling" on their "Internet atheism" article. I don't think he would. I have no regrets about my ban. I don't think Admins should be babysitters. Maybe in 5 years he will be more mature. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 02:21, 23 August 2016 (EDT)

==Account promotion request==
David, could I please be promoted to ''Account promoted to skip the Captcha requirement'' ? Thanks a lot. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 19:32, 23 August 2016 (EDT))

:I cannot promote you, but I'll pass on your request. The human verification is a pain. Perhaps I'm poorly educated, but it frequently seemed to me that there were several possible answers, and I just needed to try each one until it worked. The person in charge of this is [[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]]. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:30, 23 August 2016 (EDT)

::As requested, he has removed the requirement. Congratulations! Keep up the good work! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:48, 23 August 2016 (EDT)

:::Thank you so very much. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 11:03, 24 August 2016 (EDT))

== Article on Sodomy ==

I was contemplating starting an article with the title of Sodomy, when I came across a little discussion of it here by accident, someone saying he wanted to do an article by that name as he has legal knowledge of the subject. Then I saw the objection that Conservapedia was started for homeschoolers (who should not be exposed to such topics). But today, I don't know how children could avoid exposure to many topics formerly thought to be taboo. When I was a young boy going to the YMCA it was YMCA custom for everyone to swim naked! Thus the YMCA could become an attraction for sodomists. I was nearly raped by a man who was watching naked boys there; I had no idea what he was up to. For I knew nothing about sodomy, as the topic was hush hush. My mother once in a while mentioned "queers," but never told me what she was talking about. Children really have to be told in clear, uncensored terms about what sodomists do, for their own protection. We should not have false modesty and be afraid of the plain truth.

IMHO, there needs to be a frank article on sodomy using plain ordinary anatomical terms just like you use in an anatomy class. Using the plain words for the parts of the body (not slang or "membrum virile," etc.) is needed to expose the abomination which sodomy is, when there is no confusions with "love," but a clear verbal picture. Right away an unperverted mind reacts, "abomination."

"Homosexual" is a confounding term, as it may include, for example, males who merely prefer the company of males, as boys may do before puberty, with no sexual connotation. Some might use such a term for the apostle Paul who travelled only with men on his missionary journeys (no evidence of Paul having any sexual interest in other men whatsoever). I wish to see an article that clearly describes what sodomy is, explains the related Biblical terms, gives exegesis of the passages, traces the history of the relevant laws in the world, and presents the medical ramifications with that research -- all using frank anatomical language. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 11:26, 24 August 2016 (EDT))

:I agree that such information should be made available to children, when the time is right. The problem is that we don't know when that time is. All we can do is post it, and hope they find it when it is needed, not before. I think that most children (homeschoolers in particular) should be instructed by their parents, not some stranger, or even CP. However, I understand that this site will be used by more than homeschoolers, so I am reluctant to oppose the provision of a very moderate amount of such information, in sometimes vague terms for such protective and preventive reasons. 
:This decision to some extent hinges on whether we are trying to exist solely for homeschoolers, or for use as an all-purpose conservative resource. Those who have "clout" here seem to support the creation of such an article, but I can't be sure of the stance taken by the ones who have not yet spoken on the topic. It's your choice, but I don't think you'd get thrown out for doing so. I trust you would anyway, but just be very careful in how you write it, if you do. To be safe, you might want to ask a full administrator, or even [[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] himself. 
:I hope this helps --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 12:02, 24 August 2016 (EDT)

::David, I told my son about what evil men would do to children when he was ~ 2 years old. IMHO: They really have to know about this. When I was about 14, a pervert at the YMCA could have raped me; I didn't know what they did. He wanted me to step into the back of his van with him! And a neighborhood boy wanted to "play with me" when I was a longer child. Children of very young age are vulnerable. And I never told my parents about any of this. If I should write it, I would like to be able to write forth-rightly; just tell it like it is. But if you think the leaders of Conservapedia might object to that, I of course would not attempt to defy them. I think that it is essential to the Sodomist Conspiracy to avoid talking about what they actually do, and that an essential part of combating this evil is to describe most clearly what they do; taking about sexual orientation, preference, and "love," obscures the issue. I home-schooled my children & neither in primary nor secondary grades did I sent them to a public school. But if you go to a church, they will learn things from other kids which I think is better they learn from their unashamed parents -- moreover, I think that reading it on Conservapedia would also be beneficial. And when they visit kids in church homes, they will get access to TV & internet -- perhaps access to internet via other children's cell phones where any & everything can be seen. BTW, I was going to discuss it with the "Pious" above, since he claimed legal expertise on the subject, but for some reason his posts on the subject look faded in his signature, & one cannot get to him by clicking on his name; so I suppose that he no longer is an editor here. -- At any rate, OK, I should clear it with the powers that be first. ([[User:Thunkful2|Thunkful2]] ([[User talk:Thunkful2|talk]]) 15:28, 24 August 2016 (EDT))

:::I believe it is possible to instruct young children on what to do and what not to (i.e., "Don't get in a stranger's vehicle," and "if he tries to force you, yell, kick, scream, and bite to get away and draw attention. Shout that this person is not your parent") without describing in explicit detail exactly why he might be doing it and what he want to do. Often times, "bad people wanting to hurt you" is enough to educate a toddler, for example. If questions arise, they should be answered honestly (some people are left completely embarrassed and speechless by a four-year-old; this doesn't help anyone) but carefully. Storks are not the answer to awkward questions, but the parent should be the one to carefully but properly explain. I dislike the idea of us just posting it for all to see, whether they are ready to know or not.
:::That said, [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] is in favor of such an article (and articles on just about any other sexual sin, it seems). He would probably say that I am just embarrassed and not willing to speak on delicate topics. My motives are somewhat different than this, but regardless, he would support such a page. If you want to make one, I think the administration here would not have a problem with it. Just be a little careful to stay on the educational side of the fine line, and not the in-your-face unneeded detail side. As I said, I trust you would handle this well, especially since you've had a kid.
:::Lastly, Pious is still an active editor. He's set his signature to not link to his user page, but [[User:Pious|here it is]]. Again, you can always get other opinions. We know what one administrator (Conservative) thinks on this topic, so you may need to look no farther.
:::I hope this helps! We may not agree, but at least I hope I've explained fairly well. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 20:01, 24 August 2016 (EDT)

Howdy. Discuss this topic with me all you like- I've become quite talented in the subject of psychology, and have had the unfortunate experience of counseling victims of both gay and straight men and women after their being raped (sometimes serially and/or from pre-pubescence) many times. Thunkful12, your experience of nearly being lured to forceful sodomy ain't unique- sadly, out of the many rape victims I've known, the oldest so far at the time of first rape has been thirteen. I've only refrained from making an article on Sodomy because I literally can't, but I'm here for you.--[[User:Pious|Pious]] ([[User talk:Pious|talk]]) 00:17, 25 August 2016 (EDT)

==Recent troll's spamming==
Try not to be too concerned about this latest spam attempt. What is actually happening is just a sorry, hate-filled bigoted liberal who is proving us right every time about themselves...and he's too stupid to figure it out. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] ([[User talk:Karajou|talk]]) 14:16, 25 August 2016 (EDT)

:Yes, I'm not worried, but thanks. It's laughable that they don't realize how badly they are hurting themselves. Clearly you are keeping a close eye on him, but I just thought I'd help where possible. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 14:30, 25 August 2016 (EDT)
==Rule 40==
Thank you for all of your hard work. I addressed your licensing issue with a quote from the website inviting the reposting of the images. These images have also been uploaded to Instagram. [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 13:55, 1 September 2016 (EDT)
: Please try again. Thanks, [[User:JDano|JDano]] ([[User talk:JDano|talk]]) 15:06, 1 September 2016 (EDT)

:: Thanks for the additional info. I've uploaded it, as you have probably already noticed. There was something strange going on with the file, so I had to wait until I was able to convert it. Once again, JPEG saves the day. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 15:42, 1 September 2016 (EDT)

== User:Dimetrodont ==

This person was an obvious vandal, and was blocked 5 years ago, in 2008, so that block has expired. I recommend blocking him infinitely and deleting the page. But there are a few interesting points here:
*People cite Wikipedia all the time. They cite extremely offensive sites also. Sites that are vastly at odds with the views of the CP admins, far more so than Wikipedia is. The reason for the extreme disdain of WP seems to be that, unlike those other sites, WP is a wiki, so people can edit it, but when fundamentalists or creationists attempt to insert their views on WP, those edits are reverted. There is no corresponding way to attempt to insert material into HuffingtonPost, so there is no corresponding level of complaint. The editorial stance of WP is just seriously at odds with the stance of the CP admins on matters of evolution, religion, and sexuality. WP is actually a rather reliable source for almost everything. The problems and scandals at WP are not surprising, given the site's size.
*The cited Wikipedia article clearly states that mammals are '''not''' descended from dimetrodon. This person's crime was not in saying that they are, but in citing an article while making a claim about what the article says, when the article actually says the opposite. This practice is not that uncommon at Conservapedia. I've seen it a number of times. Usually it's just taking something out of context in a misleading way. But occasionally it's blatant falsehood such as this.
*You should try not to overuse phrases like "incorrect liberal info". I frequently see the term "liberal" applied to things that have nothing to do with liberalism or politics. Whether mammals are descended from dimetrodons (they aren't) is a matter of science, not politics. It happens that acceptance of evolution is probably higher among liberals than among conservatives, but that doesn't make evolution a "liberal theory" any more than relativity is.
*This person was blocked, back in 2008, by our friend the [[Conservapedia:Guard dog]]. It didn't look at the content, of course, but it noticed that he made 13 edits in 18 minutes.
[[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 10:52, 4 September 2016 (EDT)

:As always, thanks for the input! I'm sure sure if I have the authority to block him again, since I have not been a firsthand witness of his actions. Also, I hesitate to do indefinite IP blocks, since IPs get reassigned from time to time. Then someone who's done noting wrong may end up being blocked. However, at least a non-IP user block shouldn't do any harm. :Regarding your other points:
:*They do cite it all the time, yes, and as you said, many other offensive and incorrect sites. I've even cited HuffingtonPost on occasion as well, for topics which are not controversial, so I'm guilty of this as well. I will say that for your first two points, it is just generally bad practice to cite a wiki such as Wikipedia when writing like this. I would be as opposed to citing WP (for anything other than that about PC itself) on CP, and I would be to citing CP on WP (for anything other than the last exclusion). I think some the the resistance to linking to WP comes from this, not just a dislike for WP itself.
:*I agree on not overusing "liberal," but in this case, I don't believe I misused it. I mean no offense to you, but not only do those who are politically liberal promote evolution, but also I believe those who are spiritually liberal. It is my belief (and that of many others as well) that theistic evolution is just an attempt to fit fake science into Christian beliefs. Ultimately, you end up back at plain old evolution, with just the idea of God as "The Great Clock-Winder." No matter the basis behind it, evolution is a new, liberal idea as a whole. Therefore, his support and promotion of evolution seems inherently liberal. Before Darwin, Creation was the only widely-accepted plausible explanation for our existence. Macro-evolution is, therefore, a progressive or liberal concept, which is now being supported by the majority of the western world. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:16, 4 September 2016 (EDT)

== Thanks for the block ==

Some people..... Disgusting. [[User:JohnSelway|JohnSelway]] ([[User talk:JohnSelway|talk]]) 00:09, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

:Such people really need to find an actual hobby, like fishing, bicycling, or even video gaming. Anyway, thank you for requesting the block. I'm not always online, of course, but feel free to post on my talk page if you see someone needing a ban--that might catch my attention sooner. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 00:50, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

== Question ==

Would it be OK to upload [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francis_Schaeffer.jpg this image], or does the same situation apply with the other images? Thanks! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 22:27, 6 September 2016 (EDT)
:Also, would it be alright if you move the article [[Tim Lahaye]] to "Tim LaHaye" (the "H" should be capitalized)? Thanks! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 22:48, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

::I'm afraid the same thing does apply. Fair Use is very ambiguous, but it generally implies spontaneity, which can hardly be claimed for a wiki. WP gets away with much more liberal usage of copyrighted images than the law really seems to allow, so it could be argued that we can as well, but I don't think we should.
::In general, try to look for images in the Public Domain or under a Creative Commons license. Conservative has a [[User:Conservative/Free_pics|nice list of places to look]] for such images, in case that helps. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:51, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

:::Moved to [[Tim LaHaye]]. Thanks for pointing that out! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:53, 6 September 2016 (EDT)

::::Thanks for the tip and for moving the article! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 18:40, 7 September 2016 (EDT)

== Some help ==

Would you please upload [https://www.flickr.com/photos/98571579@N03/9236802591/in/photolist-f5e2B6-fjR4Je-FUftN5-gqgDeS-fjR1LZ-fk5X1A-fjQV6v-fjQWxv-2LK6ry-bK9DKg-doVDKK-dqgLna-dqghfu-8jHFCZ-4znbcK-fk5Yo5-6YrUT1-J1QSc3-897dan-aoaqi8-8NYhGD-58CBo7-o2f979-5vBG9a-7M2UQA-5pzSGQ-4GnUr7-Emouo-9BkkGw-rNJEg-9ioHFU-cYKhwb-6Yzsj5-GqRFWM-aQ2p2z-82UA9P-9Bhakv-5nwKqL-4G6yAG-4Gimoe-8TrHGM-ngKuNb-cyMeQN-gwidEb-7Ckzpb-5zPf9N-7GMYnt-7NatMu-7Ckzwy-9z4wzG this image]? Also, would you please create a redirect "Zwingli" for [[Ulrich Zwingli]], and a redirect "Knox, John" for [[John Knox]]? Thanks! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 21:43, 9 September 2016 (EDT)
:Also, would you please upload [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Calvin_by_Holbein.png this] image? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 21:47, 9 September 2016 (EDT)

I'll do the uploads A.S.A.P. I've created the redirects, but actually anyone can do that. Just create a page, and write <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT</nowiki></code> followed by a link to the desired page. In this case, for example, I just placed <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Ulrich Zwingli]]</nowiki></code> in the new page "Zwingli." Cheers! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:37, 9 September 2016 (EDT)
:OK, got it. Thanks! In the meantime, would you also upload [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Us_south_census.png this image] as well? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 23:25, 9 September 2016 (EDT)

:Sorry to make things more complicated, but not all images on Flickr are usable. To search for usable ones, you'll need to select a license type. Un the upper left, click on the frop-down which says "Any License" and select on of the other options. I think anything but "Any" and "Marketplace" will work, but I always used "All Creative Commons." This image you selected from Flickr was copyrighted. I'll upload a WP one, if you wish.
:The others are done:
:*[[:File:John Calvin by Holbein.png]]
:*[[:File:Us south census.png]]
:--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 00:56, 10 September 2016 (EDT)

:Thanks for the uploads! Hopefully [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Knoxbezaicones.jpg this image] will do. Also, would you please upload [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Confederate_Rebel_Flag.svg this]? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 13:41, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
::Sorry for piling more requests, but also these two, please. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Southern_state_legislatures_and_Governors_(2015).png][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Solid_South_1880_to_1912.jpg] --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 13:52, 10 September 2016 (EDT)

:::No problem, uploaded:
:::*[[:File:Map of Southern state legislatures and Governors (2015).png]]
:::*[[:File:Solid South 1880 to 1912.jpg]] --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:30, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
::::Would you also please upload this: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Confederate_Rebel_Flag.svg] ? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 17:30, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
:::::[[:File:Confederate Rebel Flag.svg.png]]
::::::Thanks for your help! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 17:43, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
:::::::One more thing: I'm thinking of requesting these two images ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mike_Pence_by_Gage_Skidmore_6.jpg][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_10.jpg]), but I know that there are discussions going on right now on Wikipedia to place these images at the top of their respective articles. It looks like that they will eventually be placed at the top (in 10 days or so). Do you think that uploading these images here will make us look like a copy of WP and thus should not be used (I will note, however, that the current Trump image here is also at the top of his WP article right now)? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 20:37, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
You're welcome--I'm glad to help! 
I don't think there's one right answer to your question, but in general you should pick whatever image is best. We probably shouldn't sacrifice quality just to be different, but if quality is not being lost, it probably would be better to pick something else. In this case, I'd say that if you can find something else just as good or better, use that. IF not, it's probably okay to use these. In my personal opinion, the Trump one you suggest is better than what we have. However, I think the Pence one we have now is good, and in fact, the lighting might be better than the WP one you mentioned.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 21:01, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
:The Pence image we have now is good except for the fact that it is old, by at least seven years. A newer image would be nice in my opinion, even though it doesn't have to be that specific one. There are some other good Trump photos that I am tempted to request instead.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_13.jpg][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_(29273256122)_-_Cropped.jpg] Is there any you prefer? Should I also ask a wider audience as well? Thanks! --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 21:35, 10 September 2016 (EDT)
::Good point about the Pence one--an update wouldn't be a bad idea then. As for Trump, I think either of those you just linked to would work. Personally, I like the more "professional" look of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_13.jpg Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_13], but the "dramatic" look of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_(29273256122)_-_Cropped.jpg Donald_Trump_(29273256122)_-_Cropped] is okay too. Asking a bigger audience wouldn't hurt--you can certainly do that.--[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 22:49, 10 September 2016 (EDT)

== re: Sporadic Solvent ==

I thought Sporadic Solvent was a spammer who was pushing some solvent product. This was a bad assumption. I didn't know that he/she had made an edit.

I unblocked the person and restored the edit they made. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 02:31, 18 September 2016 (EDT)
:Okay, thanks! The name does sound suspicions, buterhaps it's worth waiting until they do something harmful...I don't know. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:37, 18 September 2016 (EDT)
::You are right. I was trigger happy in terms of my blocking in this case. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 17:10, 18 September 2016 (EDT)

:::Well, it is a strategy that's usually effective. Anyway, thanks for straightening that out! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 17:21, 18 September 2016 (EDT)

== Deleting junk ==

I've left notes on the [[Herbert London]] and [[Walker cell]] talk pages about this phenomenon. These were "Ed Poor stubs[TM]". Ed Poor used to gather quotes that he found interesting, from various places on the internet, and rather than write them on Post-it notes or stick them on his refrigerator, he would stuff them into Conservapedia articles, often with no text whatsoever. Nothing to explain what it relates to. Most of those articles have been deleted by now, but you still come across one occasionally. I recommend deletion.

These are different from the [[Phagocytic vacuole]] page. That was a well-intentioned attempt to help Conservapedia become what it never became.

Because I expect those pages to be deleted soon, I am making a copy for [[User talk:DavidB4|David B]]'s talk page.

[[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 13:23, 18 September 2016 (EDT)

:It does seem like there is little use for such pages. Perhaps he was in the mindset of everyone trying to manufacture as many pages as possible, as probably was attempted when CP was quit new. However, it seems that for CP's size, such pages are not really helpful. Rather than someone coming along later and adding to those pages, they've simply gotten "lost," without expansion. It might be a good strategy if people could cooperate on making such pages, but that's not happening. Deletion seems like the best option now. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:43, 18 September 2016 (EDT)

== Question ==

Are you able to change the visibility of these two edits? [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Counterexamples_to_Evolution&curid=52543&diff=1281014&oldid=1280681][http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Counterexamples_to_Evolution&curid=52543&diff=1281015&oldid=1281014] These are incredibly nasty comments. After having to deal with an earlier vandal today, I am almost tempted to ask for these rights myself. --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 20:24, 28 September 2016 (EDT)
:Never mind, Conservative just did it. --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 20:26, 28 September 2016 (EDT)

::Only full administrators/SysOps can hide edits. I'm an assistant SysOp, so I cannot, and of course, neither can you. You could try asking, but I doubt you would get anywhere. I'm not aware of any exceptions make allowing any non-admins to do it. Cons is usually good at hiding disgusting changes. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 20:45, 28 September 2016 (EDT)

Do you think [http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Contributions/Allstate this user] is a sock of the two accounts that we dealt with earlier today? The user created three decent articles, but also edited [[Bush (band)]] and created an AfD page for it. The overlap is suspicious. --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 23:18, 3 October 2016 (EDT)

:It is indeed suspicious, but I don't really know. Also, "Allstate" doesn't seem like a username someone would plan on using for a while. That particular account hasn't done anything overtly wrong, so I was leaving it alone, but it is pretty likely that it's a sock. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 23:45, 3 October 2016 (EDT)

::[[User:Karajou|Karajou]] already deleted the articles. Yes, it was hard to say for sure whether those articles were fake or not. --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 23:58, 3 October 2016 (EDT)

:::The ones on insurance companies didn't seem fake, but they might have been a distraction. Anyway, problem solved I guess. --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 00:03, 4 October 2016 (EDT)

Another question: a new user created the article [[Raheem Kassam]] today, but in their edit summary stated that they copied the article from a Wikipedia article that was recently deleted. Do our copyright rules still apply for deleted articles? --[[User:1990'sguy|1990'sguy]] ([[User talk:1990'sguy|talk]]) 16:53, 6 October 2016 (EDT)

:I see no reason why they would not apply. Do we know if Mtj wrote that page, or has permission from those who did? Deleted or not, it's still plagiarism if the writer(s) didn't consent to it being posted here. Thanks for pointing this out! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 16:59, 6 October 2016 (EDT)

== Portrait ==

Hi. [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|This article]] needs a real photograph-portrait in my opinion. My advice: [http://ataturk.istanbul.gov.tr/GalleryLibrary/1-M.Kemal.Ataturk.jpg 1], [http://www.deyim.com.tr/img/product/5355e3121fb48.jpg 2], [http://www.kimdirnedirnelerdir.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mustafa-Kemal-Atat%C3%BCrk-Kimdir-Hayat%C4%B1-Nelerdir.jpg 3], [http://www.secilbayrak.com/images/urunler/e02f67e7257046ab7547ead58f24c801.jpg 4], [http://www.deyim.com.tr/img/product/5355e31957d52.jpg 5], [http://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/bf/66/04/bf6604aa55c803ec3b88a282d941aeaa.jpg 6], [http://www.harunyahya.com/image/ataturk_anlamak/ataturk_33.jpg 7], [http://www.arastiralim.net/ilk/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Mustafa-Kemal-Atat%C3%BCrk.jpg 8] or [http://www.notbak.com/dersnotlari/01/ataturk046.jpg 9]. I can't upload media files. - [[User:SteveVi|SteveVi]] ([[User talk:SteveVi|talk]]) 15:41, 9 October 2016 (EDT)

:Hello, I'd be happy to help, but the image uploaded must be in the Public Domain or licensed under Creative Commons. The images you linked to may qualify, but I can't read the text on the pages so I can't tell. Are there images anywhere which I can verify as usable? WikiMedia and Flickr and a couple of good sources. Thanks! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 18:38, 9 October 2016 (EDT)
:: Hmm, I think we use the [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mustafa_Kemal_Atat%C3%BCrk WikiMedia Commons]. - [[User:SteveVi|SteveVi]] ([[User talk:SteveVi|talk]]) 09:00, 10 October 2016 (EDT)

:::Okay, I don't know much about him. Is [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mustafa_Kemal_Ataturk_1919_Sivas_Congress_%28cropped%29.jpg this one] good? --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 11:44, 10 October 2016 (EDT)
:::: Yes, a good öne. You can upload it. - [[User:SteveVi|SteveVi]] ([[User talk:SteveVi|talk]]) 01:28, 12 October 2016 (EDT)

User talk:DavidB4

2016-10-10T13:00:31Z

SteveVi: /* Portrait */

User talk:DavidB4

2016-10-09T19:41:23Z

SteveVi: /* Portrait */ new section

Kurdish Worker Party

2016-10-05T19:28:30Z

SteveVi:

[[Image:PKK-1.jpg‎ |thumbnail|right|200px|A Turkish Gendarmerie Commando Squad carrying out a counter-[[terrorism]] operation.]]
The '''Kurdish Worker Party''', also known as the '''PKK''', is considered a [[terrorist]] organization by the [[United States]] and [[Europe]]. This Kurdish group has been responsible for violent campaigns to push for an independent Kurdish state in [[Turkey]]. Since 1978, more than 37,000 people have been killed in the clash between the Kurdish rebels and the Turkish security forces, with both sides committing significant [[human rights]] abuses. Estimates for Turkish military deaths throughout the conflict reach nearly 7,000 soldiers with around 10,000 more suffering permanent injuries.

Fearing a split in their country the Turkish government placed significant restrictions on the rights of the Kurdish people,<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4690181.stm</ref> the PKK tries to use these restrictions to justify its rebellion against the government. In 1999, a unilateral truce was declared by the rebels and the Turkish government began to ease restrictions on the [[Kurds]], this truce did not last however, when in 2004 the terrorist group claimed that the Turkish government had not done enough to meet their demands.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4690181.stm</ref>

In 1999, the group’s leader, [[Abdullah Öcalan]], was captured and sentenced to death. Today, rather than seeking to create a separate Kurdish state, PKK leaders say that their goal now is to create a solution for the Kurdish identity within [[Turkey]], [[Iraq]], [[Iran]] and [[Syria]]. Estimates of terrorist guerrilla's in the PKK range from ten to fifteen thousand.<ref>World Politics in a New Era, Steven L. Spiegel, Fred L. Wehling, secound edition, pg. 471</ref>[[Syria]], [[Iran]] and [[Iraq]], have provided external aid to the separatist.<ref>World Politics in a New Era, Steven L. Spiegel, Fred L. Wehling, secound edition, pg. 471</ref>

==PKK Abuses==
The PKK has been known for its ruthless attacks against civilians, the [[United States Department of State]] said, “PKK terrorists murdered noncombatants, targeting village officials, teachers, and other perceived representatives of the State and committed random murders in their effort to intimidate the populace. The PKK brutally murdered seven primary school teachers in predominantly Kurdish areas and often targeted civilians in an effort to prevent them from collaborating with security forces or to coerce them into assisting the insurgents.”<ref>http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1996_hrp_report/turkey.html</ref> Most of the rebel attacks aim at creating panic inside the population and government. Turkish officials fear that if the PKK achieves its goals, a radical [[Islam]]ic government could come to power inside the country.<ref>http://www.armeniandiaspora.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-70547.html</ref>

==Government Abuses==
[[Image:Kurdish refugee camp.JPG‎|thumb|310px|A Kurdish refugee camp near the Iraqi border]]
Many of the PKK’s abuses against civilians have been overshadowed by abuses carried out by Turkish government forces. Because the conflict is similar to a civil war, many of the operations by Turkish security forces have been in heavily populated areas, this has led to significant amount of civilian casualties. Estimates of civilians misplaced from military operations stand above 380,000. The Turkish government stated that losses to civilians would be reimbursed, despite this promise; many still remain homeless without reimbursement. Human rights organizations, such as [[Human Rights Watch]], have also highlighted the government’s use of [[torture]] and extrajudicial killing during the thirteen-year-long conflict.<ref>http://hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/turkey/turkey_violations.htm</ref>

==Effect on the Kurdish Population==
As the Turkish fight against the PKK has progressed so has the conflict over the rights of [[Kurds]] living inside of Turkey and elsewhere. Many Kurdish people blame the government for placing heavy restrictions on the whole Kurdish populations for the abuses carried out by a small fraction of it, through the PKK. In an effort to “retain their nationality”, the government has restricted the teaching of the Kurdish language and the printing of symbols which are non-Turkish. The PKK has lost considerable support in the Kurdish population, to which it claimed as trying to “liberate.” Part of the decrease in support for the terrorist group has perhaps been due to its increasing use of force in its attempt to coerce civilians into the terrorist organization to increase their forces, the State Department wrote, “[the] PKK routinely kidnaps young men or threatens their families as part of its recruiting effort.”<ref>http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1996_hrp_report/turkey.html</ref>

==Iraq, Turkey Border Dispute==
In the Turkish government’s efforts to stamp out the terrorist group, they have continually fought near and across the [[Iraq]] border, where the PKK has operated and trained their forces. Turkey and the United States led an effort to push PKK forces out of northern Iraq; however, this effort has had few visible effects.<ref>http://www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/fellows/20070706.htm</ref> The increase in terrorist buildup in the region has led the Turkish government to increase military forces along the Turkey/ Iraq border. This buildup of over 200,000 troops has brought tensions between [[Turkey]] and the [[United States]], which believes Turkish intervention could distract the stabilization mission and possibly lead to the Turkish military intervention in other areas.<ref>http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKBUL91940220070719</ref> Despite the United States warnings, high ranking Turkish officials, including Turkey’s defense minister, have stated their willingness to operate across the border.<ref>http://www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/fellows/20070706.htm</ref>

==Peace talks==
In March 2013 Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, called for a cease fire<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/22/pkk-commander-says-rebels-to-heed-leader-call-for-cease-fire-retreat-from/</ref> and peace talks.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/19/turkish-pm-erdogan-hopeful-for-peaceful-resolution-long-conflict-with-kurdish/</ref> In September 2013 PKK announced they would end their withdrawal from Turkey.<ref>http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/kurdish-rebels-halt-withdrawal-turkey</ref> In the end the PKK suspended its withdrawal and captured an Turkish soldier.<ref>http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/25308282.asp</ref>

==Syrian Civil War==
During the [[Syrian Civil War]] PKK and [[Peshmerga]] troops have been fighting the [[Islamic State]]. Turkish government attacks the Kurdish militants by air force hits.<ref>http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33663005</ref>

==See also==
*[[Peshmerga]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Terrorism}}

[[Category:Terrorist Organizations]]
[[Category:Turkey]]

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

2016-10-05T04:42:00Z

SteveVi:

'''Recep Tayyip Erdoğan''' is a [[Turkish]] politician, a former mayor of [[Istanbul]], the Prime Minister of the Republic of [[Turkey]] from 14 March 2003 to 28 August 2014 and president since 2014. He is also the former chairman of the Justice and Development Party (''Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi''; AKP), which holds a majority of the seats in the Turkish Parliament.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recep_Tayyip_Erdo%C4%9Fan</ref>

== Positions ==

During a visit in the Gaza Strip, Erdoğan said he “hopes that his visit can contribute to the process [of establishing a Palestinian state].”<ref>http://frontpagemag.com/2013/charles-bybelezer/mainstreaming-hamas/</ref> During the [[Syrian Civil War]] he supported the [[Muslim Brotherhood]].<ref>http://frontpagemag.com/2013/joseph-puder/the-widening-turkey-saudi-arabia-rift/</ref> In 2013 Erdoğan beat the [[secular]] protests against the government violently down<ref>http://frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/inside-the-turkish-protests/</ref> and started to censor the media.<ref>http://frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/the-heart-of-erdogans-darkness/</ref>

In March 2014 he banned [[Twitter]].<ref>http://cnsnews.com/news/article/turkey-blocks-twitter-over-graft-recordings</ref>

Erdoğan harved attention after he explained that America was not discovered by [[Christopher Columbus]], but by a Muslim.<ref>http://cnsnews.com/news/article/turkeys-erdogan-muslims-discovered-americas</ref>

Erdoğan is pro-life. He wants to curb abortion.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/06/03/turkish-women-protest-plans-to-curb-abortion/</ref>

== Criticisms ==

[[John Kerry]] criticized Erdoğan for his equal enforcement of [[Zionism]] with [[Fascism]].<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/01/official-kerry-to-rap-turkey-pm-for-remark/</ref> He was also criticized by the conservative governor [[Rick Perry]] for his aggression against the Jewish state of [[Israel]].<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/17/perry-draws-turkey-rebuke-over-debate-comments/</ref> Erdoğan said that [[Hamas]] is a "resistance group".<ref>http://frontpagemag.com/2013/ryan-mauro/israels-apology-crowns-turkeys-erdogan-leader-of-islamist-world/</ref> After [[Omar Hassan al-Bashir]] caused a genocide against Christians, Erdoğan defended Bashir and answered: 'Muslims Don't Cause Genocide'.<ref>http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134297</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/344294/shhhh-don-t-tell-anyone-hamas-won-andrew-c-mccarthy Shhhh, Don’t Tell Anyone: Hamas Won by National Review Online]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Heads of State]]
[[Category:Former Heads of Government]]
[[Category:Sunnis]]

Turkiye

2016-09-23T10:16:47Z

SteveVi:

For the animal with the same name see [[Turkey (bird)]]

{{Country
|name =''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti''
|map =Turkey rel 2006.jpg
|flag =Flag of Turkey.png
|arms =Arms of Turkey.png
|capital =Ankara
|capital-raw =
|government =Parliamentary republic
|government-raw =
|language =Turkish
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Binali Yıldırım
|pm-raw =
|area =302,535 sq mi
|pop =78,785,000
|pop-basis =2011
|gdp =$508 billion
|gdp-year =2008
|gdp-pc =$6,670
|currency =Turkish lira
|idd =
|tld =
}}
The '''Republic of Turkey''' is a country occupying the Anatolian Peninsula of western [[Asia]], as well as a small section of eastern [[Europe]] at the Bosporus Strait.

==People==
[[File:Children in traditional dress Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|Children in traditional dress, Istanbul.]]
Modern Turkey encompasses bustling cosmopolitan centers, pastoral farming villages, barren wastelands, peaceful Aegean coastlines, and steep mountain regions. More than half of Turkey's population lives in urban areas that juxtapose Western lifestyles with more traditional ways of life.

The Turkish state has been officially [[secular]] since 1924. Approximately 99% of the population is [[Muslim]]. Most Turkish Muslims follow the [[Sunni]] traditions of Islam, although a significant number follow Alevi and [[Shiite]] traditions. Questions regarding role of religion in society and government, the role of linguistic and ethnic identity, and the public's expectation to live in security dominate public discourse. Turkish citizens who assert a [[Kurds|Kurdish]] identity constitute an ethnic and linguistic group that is estimated at up to 12 million in number.
*Population (2006): 72.9 million.
*Annual population growth rate (2004 est.): 1.33%.
*Ethnic groups: Turkish, Kurdish, other.
*Religions: Muslim 99%, Christian, Bahai, and Jewish.
*Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Zaza, Arabic, Armenian, Greek.
*Education: Years compulsory—8. Attendance—97.6%. Literacy—86.5%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate—39.4/1,000. Life expectancy—68.5 yrs.
*Work force (23 million): Agriculture—35.6%; industry—17.5%; services—47.2%.

[[File:Ankara panorama Turkey.jpg|thumb|center|700px|The capital Ankara.]]

==Government and Political Conditions==
[[File:Turkish Parliament in Ankara.jpg|thumb|300px|The Parliament in Ankara.]]
The 1982 Constitution, drafted by the military in the wake of a 1980 military coup, proclaims Turkey's system of government as democratic, secular, and parliamentary. The presidency's powers are not precisely defined in practice, and the president's influence depends on his personality and political weight. The president and the Council of Ministers led by the prime minister share executive powers. The president, who has broad powers of appointment and supervision, is chosen by Parliament for a term of 7 years and cannot be reelected. A constitutional amendment recommending the direct election by the people of the president to a 5-year term, with the possibility of serving a second 5-year term, may be submitted to a popular referendum in 2007. The prime minister administers the government. The prime minister and the Council of Ministers are responsible to Parliament.

The 550-member Parliament carries out legislative functions. Election is by proportional representation. To participate in the distribution of seats, a party must obtain at least 10% of the votes cast at the national level as well as a percentage of votes in the contested district according to a complex formula. The president enacts laws passed by Parliament within 15 days. With the exception of budgetary laws, the president may return a law to the Parliament for reconsideration. If Parliament reenacts the law, it is binding, although the president may then apply to the Constitutional Court for a reversal of the law. Constitutional amendments pass with a 60% vote, but require a popular referendum unless passed with a two-thirds majority; the president may also submit amendments passed with a two-thirds majority to a popular referendum.

The judiciary is declared to be independent, but the need for judicial reform and confirmation of its independence are subjects of open debate. Internationally recognized human rights, including freedom of thought, expression, assembly, and travel, are officially enshrined in the Constitution but have at times been narrowly interpreted, can be limited in times of emergency and cannot be used to violate what the Constitution and the courts consider the integrity of the state or to impose a system of government based on religion, ethnicity, or the domination of one social class. The Constitution prohibits torture or ill treatment; the current government has focused on ensuring that practice matches principle. Labor rights, including the right to strike, are recognized in the Constitution but can be restricted.

The 1982 Constitution provides for a system of State Security Courts to deal with offenses against the integrity of the state. The high court system includes a Constitutional Court responsible for judicial review of legislation, a Court of Cassation (or Supreme Court of Appeals), a Council of State serving as the high administrative and appeals court, a Court of Accounts, and a Military Court of Appeals. The High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, appointed by the president, supervises the judiciary.

In the November 2002 election of Turkey's 58th government, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) captured 34.3% of the total votes, making Abdullah Gül Prime Minister, followed by the Republican People's Party (CHP) with 19.39% of the vote, led by Deniz Baykal. A special General Election was held again in the province of Siirt in March 2003, resulting in the election of AKP's chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to a seat in parliament, allowing him to become prime minister. AKP and CHP were the only parties to surpass the 10% threshold required to hold seats in parliament. The elections resulted in 363 of the 550 seats going to AKP, 178 seats to CHP, and 9 as independent. Due to a reshuffle in party affiliation, AKP holds 367 seats, CHP holds 175 seats, five are independent, and three joined the True Path Party (DYP). In March 2004 nationwide local elections, AKP won 57 of 81 provincial capital municipalities and, with 41.8% of the votes for provincial council seats, consolidated its hold on power.
[[File:Turkish president Abdullah Gul.jpg|thumb|240px|Former Turkish president [[Abdullah Gül]].]]
The Turkish Grand National Assembly was to have elected in May 2007 a new president to succeed President Sezer on June 16. Opposition parties led a challenge to the electoral procedures, which resulted in a series of proposed constitutional amendments and the call for early general elections on July 22. The new parliament, which was sworn in on July 28, includes 341 AKP members, 98 CHP members, 70 Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) members, 20 Democratic Society Party (DTP) members, 13 Democratic Left Party (DSP) members, and 7 independents. Following the election, Sezer reappointed Erdoğan as PM and then-Foreign Minister Gül declared his presidential candidacy. The parliament elected Gül in the third round of voting on August 28. President Gül approved Erdoğan's proposed cabinet on August 30, and the new government received a vote of confidence on September 5.

Since 2014 [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] is the president of Turkey.

Human-right abuses, especially against [[Christians]] remains a problem
<ref>http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78844.htm</ref> and the frequency of violent attacks on Christian ministers and priests is still high
<ref>http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20070418-030533-9552</ref>
.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5139408.stm</ref>
{{Clear}}
===Principal Government Officials===
*President of the Republic—Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
*Prime Minister—Binali Yıldırım
*Minister of Foreign Affairs—Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
*Ambassador to the United States—
*Ambassador to the United Nations—

===Foreign Relations===
[[File:Turkish girls laughing in calimanesti.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Turkish dancers in a festival in [[Romania]].]]
Turkey's primary political, economic, and security ties are with the West, although some voices call for a more "Eurasian" orientation.

Turkey entered NATO in 1952 and serves as the organization's vital eastern anchor, controlling the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and sharing a border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran. A NATO headquarters is located in Izmir. Besides its relationships with NATO and the EU, Turkey is a member of the OECD, the Council of Europe, and OSCE. Turkey also is a member of the UN and the Islamic Conference Organization (OIC). In December 1999, Turkey became a candidate for EU membership. On December 17, 2004, the EU decided to begin formal accession negotiations with Turkey in October 2005.

Turkey and the EU formed a customs union beginning January 1, 1996. The agreement covers industrial and processed agricultural goods. Turkey is harmonizing its laws and regulations with EU standards. Turkey adopted the EU's Common External Tariff regime, effectively lowering Turkey's tariffs for third countries, including the United States.

On October 3, 2005, Turkey and the EU reached agreement for Turkey to begin negotiations on accession to the European Union. Turkey and EU officials have begun the process of screening Turkey's laws and policies in order to begin negotiating the individual chapters required for ultimate EU accession. However, this admission request has not been without criticism,<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2420697.stm</ref> including:
*Serious human rights violations<ref>http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070419-0809-italy-turkey-eu.html</ref>
*Refusal to admit genocide of [[Armenia]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043730.stm</ref>
*Refusal to recognize [[Cyprus]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6153186.stm</ref>
*Only 3% of Turkey is in [[Europe]]
*Threat of increasing [[Islamic]] fundamentalism<ref>http://www.freemuslims.org/news/article.php?article=1761</ref>

Turkey opened and provisionally closed in 2006 one EU negotiating chapter on science and technology. Another chapter on statistics was opened in February 2007, and two more are expected to be opened by July 1, 2007. Eight chapters, mostly related to trade, were suspended by the European Council in December 2006 after Turkey declined to open its ports and airports to Cypriot vessels—a commitment Turkey made as part of the Ankara Protocol and its EU Customs Union membership.

Turkey is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It has signed free trade agreements with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Israel, and many other countries. In 1992 Turkey and 10 other regional nations formed the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Council to expand regional trade and economic cooperation. Turkey chaired BSEC in 2007 and hosted in Istanbul the 15th BSEC Summit in June 2007.

===Relations with the United States===
U.S.-Turkish friendship dates to the late 18th century and was officially sealed by a treaty in 1830. The present close relationship began with the agreement of July 12, 1947, which implemented the Truman Doctrine. As part of the cooperative effort to further Turkish economic and military self-reliance, the United States has loaned and granted Turkey more than $12.5 billion in economic aid and more than $14 billion in military assistance.

U.S.-Turkish relations focus on areas such as strategic energy cooperation, trade and investment, security ties, regional stability, the global war on terrorism, and human rights progress. Relations were strained when Turkey refused in March 2003 to allow U.S. troops to deploy through its territory to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but regained momentum steadily thereafter and mutual interests remain strong across a wide spectrum of issues. On July 5, 2006, Secretary Rice and then-Foreign Minister Gül signed a Shared Vision Statement to highlight the common values and goals between our two countries and to lay out a framework for increased strategic dialogue.

The U.S. and Turkey have had a Joint Economic Commission and a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which last met in Washington in April 2007, for several years. In 2002, the two countries indicated their joint intent to upgrade bilateral economic relations by launching an Economic Partnership Commission, which last convened in Ankara in February 2007. In 2006, Turkish exports to the U.S. totaled about $5.4 billion, and U.S. exports to Turkey totaled $5.7 billion.

[[Condoleezza Rice]] ones described Turkey as “a vital and strategic partner of the United States”. But since the tenure of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan these times are over.<ref>http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348422/erdo%C4%9Fan%E2%80%99s-agenda</ref> For example, he equated [[Zionism]] with [[Fascism]], [[John Kerry]] criticized him for this statement.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/01/official-kerry-to-rap-turkey-pm-for-remark/</ref>

==Economy==
[[Image:Framed medallion Turkey.jpg|300px|thumb|Framed medallion.]]
Turkey is a large, middle-income country with relatively few natural resources. Its economy is currently in transition from a high degree of reliance on agriculture and heavy industrial economy to a more diversified economy with an increasingly large and globalized services sector. Coming out of a tradition of a state-directed economy that was relatively closed to the outside world, Prime Minister and then President Turgut Ozal began to open up the economy in the 1980s, leading to the signing of a Customs Union with the European Union in 1995. In the 1990s, Turkey's economy suffered from a series of coalition governments with weak economic policies, leading to high-inflation boom-and-bust cycles that culminated in a severe banking and economic crisis in 2001 and a deep economic downturn (GNP fell 9.5% in 2001) and increase in unemployment.

Turkey's economy has recovered strongly from the 2001 thanks to good monetary and fiscal policies and structural economic reforms made with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The independence of the Central Bank has been firmly established, a floating exchange rate system has been put in place, and the government's overall budget deficit has been substantially reduced. In addition, there have been substantial reforms in the financial, energy, and telecommunications sectors that have included the privatization of several large state-owned institutions.

Turkey's economy grew an average of 7.5% per year from 2002 through 2006—one of the highest sustained rates of growth in the world. It is expected to grow about 6.1% in 2007. Inflation and interest rates have fallen significantly, the currency has stabilized, government debt has declined to more supportable levels, and business and consumer confidence have returned. At the same time, booming economic growth has contributed to a growing current account deficit. Though Turkey's vulnerabilities have been greatly reduced, the economy could still face problems in the event there is a sudden change in investor sentiment that leads to a sharp fall in the exchange rate. Continued implementation of reforms, including tight fiscal policy, is essential to sustain growth and stability.

After years of low levels of foreign direct investment (FDI), in 2006, Turkey succeeded in attracting $18.9 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) and is expected to attract a similar level in 2007. A series of large privatizations, the stability fostered by the start of Turkey's EU accession negotiations, strong and stable growth, and structural changes in the banking, retail, and telecommunications sectors have all contributed to the rise in foreign investment. Turkey has taken steps to improve its investment climate through administrative streamlining, an end to foreign investment screening, and strengthened intellectual property legislation. However, a number of disputes involving foreign investors in Turkey and certain policies, such as high taxation and continuing gaps in the intellectual property regime, inhibit investment. Turkey has a number of bilateral investment and tax treaties, including with the United States, which guarantee free repatriation of capital in convertible currencies and eliminate double taxation.
*GDP: (2004) $300.6 billion; (2005) $361.5 billion; (2006) $390.4 billion.
*Annual real GDP growth rate: (2004) (+) 8.9%; (2005) 7.4%; (2006) 6.0%.
*GDP per capita: (2004) $4,187; (2005) $5,016; (2006) $5,349.
*Annual inflation rate /CPI: (2003) 18.4%; (2004) 9.3%; (2005) 7.7%; (2006) 9.7%.
*Natural resources: Coal, chromium, mercury, copper, boron, oil, gold.
*Agriculture (10.8% of GNP): Major cash crops—cotton, sugar beets, hazelnuts, wheat, barley, and tobacco. Provides 26% of jobs and 4% of exports.
*Industry (25.4% of GNP): Major growth sector, types—automotive, electronics, food processing, textiles, basic metals, chemicals, and petrochemicals. Provides 20% of jobs.
*Trade: Exports (merchandise)--(2005) $73.1 billion; (2006) $83.5 billion: textiles and apparel, industrial machinery, iron and steel, electronics, petroleum products, and motor vehicles. Imports (merchandise)--(2005) $116 billion; (2006) 135.5 billion: petroleum, machinery, motor vehicles, electronics, iron and steel, plastics precious metals. Major partners—Germany, U.S., Italy, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, U.K.

====European Union accession====
Turkey's principal ongoing economic challenge is providing for the needs of a fast-growing, young population. Raising living standards to those prevalent in Europe will require high rates of GDP growth sustained over many years. This will entail continued structural reforms that encourage both domestic and foreign investment. Principal areas for reform identified by international financial intuitions include increasing flexibility in the labor market, making the educational sector more responsive to the needs of the economy and ensuring faster and more predictable operation of the judicial system. As an aspirant to membership in the European Union, Turkey aims to adopt the EU's basic system of national law and regulation (the acquis communautaire) by 2014. While implementing some elements of the acquis will be costly and difficult (for example in the areas of environmental protection and agriculture), its adoption will make a significant contribution to modernizing the economy.

====Energy====
[[File:Electric Energy Grid Turkey.jpg|thumb|360px|Electric Energy Grid.]]
Installed electricity generation capacity in Turkey reached 35,600 megawatts (MW) as of 2004. Fossil fuels account for 71% of the total installed capacity and hydro, geothermal, and wind account for the remaining 28%. The growth in electricity generation has remained below electricity demand until recently, which has made Turkey a net importer of electricity since 1997. The growth of energy demand slowed somewhat as a result of the 2001 economic crisis, but has picked up again. Turkish authorities expect a significant electricity shortfall unless new facilities become operational. The Government of Turkey took some important steps in 2001 to liberalize its energy sector, including passage of the Electricity Market Law and establishment of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). However, the government has moved slowly to follow through on plans to liberalize and privatize the electricity and natural gas sectors. In 2004, the High Planning Council approved the Electricity Sector Reform Strategy to renew the reform process.

Oil provides about 43% of Turkey's total energy requirements; around 90% is imported. Domestic production is mostly from small fields in the southeast. New exploration is taking place in the eastern Black Sea. In 2004, the Parliament approved a petroleum market reform bill that liberalized consumer prices and would lead to the privatization of the state refining company TUPRAS. TUPRAS was privatized in 2005, but this has been held up by court cases still in process. Turkey has a refining capacity of 802,275 barrels per day (b/d).

Turkey acts as an important link in the East-West Southern Energy Corridor bringing Caspian, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern energy to Europe and world markets. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which came online in July 2006, delivers 1 million b/d of petroleum, and in 2007, the South Caucasus Pipeline (from Shah Deniz) is expected to bring natural gas from Azerbaijan to Turkey. Turkey is building an interconnector pipeline to Greece, an important step in bringing Caspian natural gas to Europe via Turkey.

====Telecommunications====
[[File:Turk map.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Turkey map.]]
Parliament enacted legislation separating telecommunications policy and regulatory functions in January 2000, by establishing an independent regulatory body, the Telecommunication Authority. The Authority is responsible for issuing licenses, supervising operators, and taking necessary technical measures against violations of the rules. Most regulatory functions of the Transport Ministry were transferred to the Authority, and the regulator is slowly gaining competence and independence. The long-expected privatization of the state-owned telecommunications company was accomplished by the sale of 55% of Turk Telekom to the Saudi-owned Oger Group in November 2005. With liberalization and growth in the economy, there is growing competition for Internet provision, but Turk Telekom remains the sole provider of ADSL wide band Internet.

====Environment====
[[File:TurkishForest.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Turkish forest.]]
With the establishment of the Environment Ministry in 1991, Turkey began to make significant progress addressing its most pressing environmental problems. The most dramatic improvements were significant reductions of air pollution in Istanbul and Ankara. However, progress has been slow on the remaining—and serious—environmental challenges facing Turkey.

In 2003, the Ministry of Environment was merged with the Forestry Ministry. With its goal to join the EU, Turkey has made commendable progress in updating and modernizing its environmental legislation. However, environmental concerns are not fully integrated into public decision-making and enforcement can be weak. Turkey faces a backlog of environmental problems, requiring enormous outlays for infrastructure. The most pressing needs are for water treatment plants, wastewater treatment facilities, solid waste management, and conservation of biodiversity. The discovery of a number of chemical waste sites in 2006 has highlighted weakness in environmental law and oversight.
{{Clear}}

====Transportation====
The Turkish Government gives a special priority to major infrastructure projects, especially in the transport sector. The government is in the process of building new airports and highways, thanks to an increased public investment budget. The government will realize many of these projects by utilizing the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

==History==
[[Image:St. Sophie Turkey.jpg|right|280px|thumb|Hagia Sofia, Istanbul]]
[[Mustafa Kemal]], celebrated by the Turkish State as a Turkish [[World War I]] hero and later known as "Atatürk" or "father of the Turks," led the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 after the collapse of the 600-year-old [[Ottoman Empire]] and a three-year war of independence. The empire, which at its peak controlled vast stretches of northern Africa, southeastern Europe, and western Asia, had failed to keep pace with European social and technological developments. The rise of national consciousness impelled several national groups within the Empire to seek independence as nation-states, leading to the empire's fragmentation. This process culminated in the disastrous Ottoman participation in World War I as a German ally. Defeated, shorn of much of its former territory, and partly occupied by forces of the victorious European states, the Ottoman structure was repudiated by Turkish nationalists brought together under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. The nationalists expelled invading Greek, Russian, French and Italian forces from Anatolia in a bitter war. After the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey the temporal and religious ruling institutions of the old empire (the sultanate and caliphate) were abolished.
[[File:Muslims in Europe map.jpg|thumb|320px|left|Muslims in Europe by country.]]
The leaders of the new republic concentrated on consolidating their power and modernizing and Westernizing what had been the empire's core—Asian Anatolia and a part of European Thrace. Social, political, linguistic, and economic reforms and attitudes decreed by Atatürk from 1924-1934 continue to be referred to as the ideological base of modern Turkey. In the post-Atatürk era, and especially after the military coup of 1960, this ideology came to be known as "Kemalism" and his reforms began to be referred to as "revolutions." Kemalism comprises a Turkish form of secularism, strong nationalism, statism, and to a degree a western orientation. The continued validity and applicability of Kemalism are the subject of lively debate in Turkey's political life. The current ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) comes from a tradition that challenges many of the Kemalist precepts and is driven in its reform efforts by a desire to achieve EU accession.

Turkey entered [[World War II]] on the Allied side until shortly before the war ended, becoming a charter member of the [[United Nations]]. Difficulties faced by [[Greece]] after World War II in quelling a communist rebellion and demands by the [[Soviet Union]] for military bases in the Turkish Straits prompted the United States to declare the [[Truman Doctrine]] in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece and resulted in large scale U.S. military and economic aid under the [[Marshall Plan]]. After participating with United Nations forces in the [[Korean War|Korean conflict]], Turkey in 1952 joined the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO). Turkey is currently a [[European Union]] candidate, although this has been clouded by their refusal to acknowledge the [[Armenian genocide]].

== See also ==
[[File:Blue mosque Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|The Blue Mosque, Istanbul.]]
*[[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]]
*[[Battle of Adrianople]]
*[[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]]
*[[Parthia]]
*[[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]]
*[[Oriental art]]
{{Clear}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.nuktravel.com/turkey.html WELCOME TO TURKEY]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/ A Turkish Delight: they think so in Israel also!]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{| style="width: 100%; background:transparent; border: 2px solid #000099;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432.htm]}}}.
|}

{{Asian Countries}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO Members]]
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Muslim-Majority Countries]]

Pervez Musharraf

2016-09-23T07:03:58Z

SteveVi:

[[Image:Pervez Musharraf.jpg|thumb|right|Pervez Musharraf]]
'''Pervez Musharraf''' (b. Delhi on August 11, 1943) became [[President]] of [[Pakistan]], via a [[coup]] on October 12, 1999. He is considered a key ally of the [[United States]] in the fight against global [[terrorism]].

Musharraf stepped down as Pakistan's military commander November 28, 2007, giving way to successor Gen. Ashfaq Kayani. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071128/ap_on_re_as/pakistan]

::''General Pervez Musharraf, the second of three brothers, was born in Delhi on August 11, 1943. His parents chose to settle in [[Karachi]] after the creation of Pakistan. He comes from a middle-class family, his father having worked for the foreign ministry. He spent his early years in [[Turkey]], from 1949 to 1956, owing to his father, the late Syed Musharrafu-ud-din’s deputation in [[Ankara]]. He is fluent in Turkish and claims that [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Kamal Ataturk]] is his hero.'' <ref>[http://www.storyofpakistan.com/person.asp?perid=P029 Gen. Pervez Musharraf]</ref>

::Musharraf began his military career in 1964. He ''was promoted to the rank of General on 7th October 1998 and appointed Chief of Army Staff. He was given the additional charge of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee on 9th April 1999 which he relinquished in October 2001. He performed his duties as the Chief Executive of Pakistan from 12 th October 1999 to the time he became President. He is now the COAS and the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.''<ref>[http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/ Biography General Pervez Musharraf]</ref> After this coup Musharraf fleed into [[Dubai]].

In 2013 he returned into his country and started an comeback in the policy, by he wanted to be a candidate in the next election.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/24/former-pakistan-president-musharraf-heads-home-amid-militant-death-threats/</ref> Later he was arrested by the police.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/04/19/former-pakistani-military-ruler-lashes-out-at-accusers-following-his-arrest/</ref>

Musharraf is married to Begum Sehba. They have two children, Ayla and Bilal, and both are married. They have two granddaughters from Ayla; a grandson and a granddaughter from Bilal.

== See also ==
*[[Benazir Bhutto]]
*[[India]]

<gallery>
Image:Musharraf 1.jpg|Musharraf and his wife Sehba
Image:Musharraf 2.jpg|Musharraf and his wife Sehba
Image:Musharraf 3.jpg|Secretary Rice with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf
Image:Musharraf 4.jpg|President Bush and President Pervez Musharraf
</gallery>

== References ==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musharraf, Pervez}}

[[Category:Former Heads of State]]
[[Category:Pakistan]]

Turkiye

2016-09-23T07:03:16Z

SteveVi: /* See also */

For the animal with the same name see [[Turkey (bird)]]

{{Country
|name =''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti''
|map =Turkey rel 2006.jpg
|flag =Flag of Turkey.png
|arms =Arms of Turkey.png
|capital =Ankara
|capital-raw =
|government =Parliamentary republic
|government-raw =
|language =Turkish
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Binali Yıldırım
|pm-raw =
|area =302,535 sq mi
|pop =78,785,000
|pop-basis =2011
|gdp =$508 billion
|gdp-year =2008
|gdp-pc =$6,670
|currency =Turkish lira
|idd =
|tld =
}}
The '''Republic of Turkey''' is a country occupying the Anatolian Peninsula of western [[Asia]], as well as a small section of eastern [[Europe]] at the Bosporus Strait.

==People==
[[File:Children in traditional dress Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|Children in traditional dress, Istanbul.]]
Modern Turkey encompasses bustling cosmopolitan centers, pastoral farming villages, barren wastelands, peaceful Aegean coastlines, and steep mountain regions. More than half of Turkey's population lives in urban areas that juxtapose Western lifestyles with more traditional ways of life.

The Turkish state has been officially [[secular]] since 1924. Approximately 99% of the population is [[Muslim]]. Most Turkish Muslims follow the [[Sunni]] traditions of Islam, although a significant number follow Alevi and [[Shiite]] traditions. Questions regarding role of religion in society and government, the role of linguistic and ethnic identity, and the public's expectation to live in security dominate public discourse. Turkish citizens who assert a [[Kurds|Kurdish]] identity constitute an ethnic and linguistic group that is estimated at up to 12 million in number.
*Population (2006): 72.9 million.
*Annual population growth rate (2004 est.): 1.33%.
*Ethnic groups: Turkish, Kurdish, other.
*Religions: Muslim 99%, Christian, Bahai, and Jewish.
*Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Zaza, Arabic, Armenian, Greek.
*Education: Years compulsory—8. Attendance—97.6%. Literacy—86.5%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate—39.4/1,000. Life expectancy—68.5 yrs.
*Work force (23 million): Agriculture—35.6%; industry—17.5%; services—47.2%.

[[File:Ankara panorama Turkey.jpg|thumb|center|700px|The capital Ankara.]]

==Government and Political Conditions==
[[File:Turkish Parliament in Ankara.jpg|thumb|300px|The Parliament in Ankara.]]
The 1982 Constitution, drafted by the military in the wake of a 1980 military coup, proclaims Turkey's system of government as democratic, secular, and parliamentary. The presidency's powers are not precisely defined in practice, and the president's influence depends on his personality and political weight. The president and the Council of Ministers led by the prime minister share executive powers. The president, who has broad powers of appointment and supervision, is chosen by Parliament for a term of 7 years and cannot be reelected. A constitutional amendment recommending the direct election by the people of the president to a 5-year term, with the possibility of serving a second 5-year term, may be submitted to a popular referendum in 2007. The prime minister administers the government. The prime minister and the Council of Ministers are responsible to Parliament.

The 550-member Parliament carries out legislative functions. Election is by proportional representation. To participate in the distribution of seats, a party must obtain at least 10% of the votes cast at the national level as well as a percentage of votes in the contested district according to a complex formula. The president enacts laws passed by Parliament within 15 days. With the exception of budgetary laws, the president may return a law to the Parliament for reconsideration. If Parliament reenacts the law, it is binding, although the president may then apply to the Constitutional Court for a reversal of the law. Constitutional amendments pass with a 60% vote, but require a popular referendum unless passed with a two-thirds majority; the president may also submit amendments passed with a two-thirds majority to a popular referendum.

The judiciary is declared to be independent, but the need for judicial reform and confirmation of its independence are subjects of open debate. Internationally recognized human rights, including freedom of thought, expression, assembly, and travel, are officially enshrined in the Constitution but have at times been narrowly interpreted, can be limited in times of emergency and cannot be used to violate what the Constitution and the courts consider the integrity of the state or to impose a system of government based on religion, ethnicity, or the domination of one social class. The Constitution prohibits torture or ill treatment; the current government has focused on ensuring that practice matches principle. Labor rights, including the right to strike, are recognized in the Constitution but can be restricted.

The 1982 Constitution provides for a system of State Security Courts to deal with offenses against the integrity of the state. The high court system includes a Constitutional Court responsible for judicial review of legislation, a Court of Cassation (or Supreme Court of Appeals), a Council of State serving as the high administrative and appeals court, a Court of Accounts, and a Military Court of Appeals. The High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, appointed by the president, supervises the judiciary.

In the November 2002 election of Turkey's 58th government, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) captured 34.3% of the total votes, making Abdullah Gul Prime Minister, followed by the Republican People's Party (CHP) with 19.39% of the vote, led by Deniz Baykal. A special General Election was held again in the province of Siirt in March 2003, resulting in the election of AK's chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to a seat in parliament, allowing him to become prime minister. AKP and CHP were the only parties to surpass the 10% threshold required to hold seats in parliament. The elections resulted in 363 of the 550 seats going to AK, 178 seats to CHP, and 9 as independent. Due to a reshuffle in party affiliation, AKP holds 367 seats, CHP holds 175 seats, five are independent, and three joined the True Path Party (DYP). In March 2004 nationwide local elections, AKP won 57 of 81 provincial capital municipalities and, with 41.8% of the votes for provincial council seats, consolidated its hold on power.
[[File:Turkish president Abdullah Gul.jpg|thumb|240px|Former Turkish president [[Abdullah Gül]].]]
The Turkish Grand National Assembly was to have elected in May 2007 a new president to succeed President Sezer on June 16. Opposition parties led a challenge to the electoral procedures, which resulted in a series of proposed constitutional amendments and the call for early general elections on July 22. The new parliament, which was sworn in on July 28, includes 341 AKP members, 98 CHP members, 70 Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) members, 20 Democratic Society Party (DTP) members, 13 Democratic Left Party (DSP) members, and 7 independents. Following the election, Sezer reappointed Erdoğan as PM and then-Foreign Minister Gul declared his presidential candidacy. The parliament elected Gul in the third round of voting on August 28. President Gul approved Erdoğan's proposed cabinet on August 30, and the new government received a vote of confidence on September 5.

Since 2014 [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] is the president of Turkey.

Human-right abuses, especially against [[Christians]] remains a problem
<ref>http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78844.htm</ref> and the frequency of violent attacks on Christian ministers and priests is still high
<ref>http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20070418-030533-9552</ref>
.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5139408.stm</ref>
{{Clear}}
===Principal Government Officials===
*President of the Republic—Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
*Prime Minister—Binali Yıldırım
*Minister of Foreign Affairs—Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
*Ambassador to the United States—
*Ambassador to the United Nations—

===Foreign Relations===
[[File:Turkish girls laughing in calimanesti.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Turkish dancers in a festival in [[Romania]].]]
Turkey's primary political, economic, and security ties are with the West, although some voices call for a more "Eurasian" orientation.

Turkey entered NATO in 1952 and serves as the organization's vital eastern anchor, controlling the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and sharing a border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran. A NATO headquarters is located in Izmir. Besides its relationships with NATO and the EU, Turkey is a member of the OECD, the Council of Europe, and OSCE. Turkey also is a member of the UN and the Islamic Conference Organization (OIC). In December 1999, Turkey became a candidate for EU membership. On December 17, 2004, the EU decided to begin formal accession negotiations with Turkey in October 2005.

Turkey and the EU formed a customs union beginning January 1, 1996. The agreement covers industrial and processed agricultural goods. Turkey is harmonizing its laws and regulations with EU standards. Turkey adopted the EU's Common External Tariff regime, effectively lowering Turkey's tariffs for third countries, including the United States.

On October 3, 2005, Turkey and the EU reached agreement for Turkey to begin negotiations on accession to the European Union. Turkey and EU officials have begun the process of screening Turkey's laws and policies in order to begin negotiating the individual chapters required for ultimate EU accession. However, this admission request has not been without criticism,<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2420697.stm</ref> including:
*Serious human rights violations<ref>http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070419-0809-italy-turkey-eu.html</ref>
*Refusal to admit genocide of [[Armenia]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043730.stm</ref>
*Refusal to recognize [[Cyprus]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6153186.stm</ref>
*Only 3% of Turkey is in [[Europe]]
*Threat of increasing [[Islamic]] fundamentalism<ref>http://www.freemuslims.org/news/article.php?article=1761</ref>

Turkey opened and provisionally closed in 2006 one EU negotiating chapter on science and technology. Another chapter on statistics was opened in February 2007, and two more are expected to be opened by July 1, 2007. Eight chapters, mostly related to trade, were suspended by the European Council in December 2006 after Turkey declined to open its ports and airports to Cypriot vessels—a commitment Turkey made as part of the Ankara Protocol and its EU Customs Union membership.

Turkey is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It has signed free trade agreements with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Israel, and many other countries. In 1992 Turkey and 10 other regional nations formed the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Council to expand regional trade and economic cooperation. Turkey chaired BSEC in 2007 and hosted in Istanbul the 15th BSEC Summit in June 2007.

===Relations with the United States===
U.S.-Turkish friendship dates to the late 18th century and was officially sealed by a treaty in 1830. The present close relationship began with the agreement of July 12, 1947, which implemented the Truman Doctrine. As part of the cooperative effort to further Turkish economic and military self-reliance, the United States has loaned and granted Turkey more than $12.5 billion in economic aid and more than $14 billion in military assistance.

U.S.-Turkish relations focus on areas such as strategic energy cooperation, trade and investment, security ties, regional stability, the global war on terrorism, and human rights progress. Relations were strained when Turkey refused in March 2003 to allow U.S. troops to deploy through its territory to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but regained momentum steadily thereafter and mutual interests remain strong across a wide spectrum of issues. On July 5, 2006, Secretary Rice and then-Foreign Minister Gul signed a Shared Vision Statement to highlight the common values and goals between our two countries and to lay out a framework for increased strategic dialogue.

The U.S. and Turkey have had a Joint Economic Commission and a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which last met in Washington in April 2007, for several years. In 2002, the two countries indicated their joint intent to upgrade bilateral economic relations by launching an Economic Partnership Commission, which last convened in Ankara in February 2007. In 2006, Turkish exports to the U.S. totaled about $5.4 billion, and U.S. exports to Turkey totaled $5.7 billion.

[[Condoleezza Rice]] ones described Turkey as “a vital and strategic partner of the United States”. But since the tenure of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan these times are over.<ref>http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348422/erdo%C4%9Fan%E2%80%99s-agenda</ref> For example, he equated [[Zionism]] with [[Fascism]], [[John Kerry]] criticized him for this statement.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/01/official-kerry-to-rap-turkey-pm-for-remark/</ref>

==Economy==
[[Image:Framed medallion Turkey.jpg|300px|thumb|Framed medallion.]]
Turkey is a large, middle-income country with relatively few natural resources. Its economy is currently in transition from a high degree of reliance on agriculture and heavy industrial economy to a more diversified economy with an increasingly large and globalized services sector. Coming out of a tradition of a state-directed economy that was relatively closed to the outside world, Prime Minister and then President Turgut Ozal began to open up the economy in the 1980s, leading to the signing of a Customs Union with the European Union in 1995. In the 1990s, Turkey's economy suffered from a series of coalition governments with weak economic policies, leading to high-inflation boom-and-bust cycles that culminated in a severe banking and economic crisis in 2001 and a deep economic downturn (GNP fell 9.5% in 2001) and increase in unemployment.

Turkey's economy has recovered strongly from the 2001 thanks to good monetary and fiscal policies and structural economic reforms made with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The independence of the Central Bank has been firmly established, a floating exchange rate system has been put in place, and the government's overall budget deficit has been substantially reduced. In addition, there have been substantial reforms in the financial, energy, and telecommunications sectors that have included the privatization of several large state-owned institutions.

Turkey's economy grew an average of 7.5% per year from 2002 through 2006—one of the highest sustained rates of growth in the world. It is expected to grow about 6.1% in 2007. Inflation and interest rates have fallen significantly, the currency has stabilized, government debt has declined to more supportable levels, and business and consumer confidence have returned. At the same time, booming economic growth has contributed to a growing current account deficit. Though Turkey's vulnerabilities have been greatly reduced, the economy could still face problems in the event there is a sudden change in investor sentiment that leads to a sharp fall in the exchange rate. Continued implementation of reforms, including tight fiscal policy, is essential to sustain growth and stability.

After years of low levels of foreign direct investment (FDI), in 2006, Turkey succeeded in attracting $18.9 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) and is expected to attract a similar level in 2007. A series of large privatizations, the stability fostered by the start of Turkey's EU accession negotiations, strong and stable growth, and structural changes in the banking, retail, and telecommunications sectors have all contributed to the rise in foreign investment. Turkey has taken steps to improve its investment climate through administrative streamlining, an end to foreign investment screening, and strengthened intellectual property legislation. However, a number of disputes involving foreign investors in Turkey and certain policies, such as high taxation and continuing gaps in the intellectual property regime, inhibit investment. Turkey has a number of bilateral investment and tax treaties, including with the United States, which guarantee free repatriation of capital in convertible currencies and eliminate double taxation.
*GDP: (2004) $300.6 billion; (2005) $361.5 billion; (2006) $390.4 billion.
*Annual real GDP growth rate: (2004) (+) 8.9%; (2005) 7.4%; (2006) 6.0%.
*GDP per capita: (2004) $4,187; (2005) $5,016; (2006) $5,349.
*Annual inflation rate /CPI: (2003) 18.4%; (2004) 9.3%; (2005) 7.7%; (2006) 9.7%.
*Natural resources: Coal, chromium, mercury, copper, boron, oil, gold.
*Agriculture (10.8% of GNP): Major cash crops—cotton, sugar beets, hazelnuts, wheat, barley, and tobacco. Provides 26% of jobs and 4% of exports.
*Industry (25.4% of GNP): Major growth sector, types—automotive, electronics, food processing, textiles, basic metals, chemicals, and petrochemicals. Provides 20% of jobs.
*Trade: Exports (merchandise)--(2005) $73.1 billion; (2006) $83.5 billion: textiles and apparel, industrial machinery, iron and steel, electronics, petroleum products, and motor vehicles. Imports (merchandise)--(2005) $116 billion; (2006) 135.5 billion: petroleum, machinery, motor vehicles, electronics, iron and steel, plastics precious metals. Major partners—Germany, U.S., Italy, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, U.K.

====European Union accession====
Turkey's principal ongoing economic challenge is providing for the needs of a fast-growing, young population. Raising living standards to those prevalent in Europe will require high rates of GDP growth sustained over many years. This will entail continued structural reforms that encourage both domestic and foreign investment. Principal areas for reform identified by international financial intuitions include increasing flexibility in the labor market, making the educational sector more responsive to the needs of the economy and ensuring faster and more predictable operation of the judicial system. As an aspirant to membership in the European Union, Turkey aims to adopt the EU's basic system of national law and regulation (the acquis communautaire) by 2014. While implementing some elements of the acquis will be costly and difficult (for example in the areas of environmental protection and agriculture), its adoption will make a significant contribution to modernizing the economy.

====Energy====
[[File:Electric Energy Grid Turkey.jpg|thumb|360px|Electric Energy Grid.]]
Installed electricity generation capacity in Turkey reached 35,600 megawatts (MW) as of 2004. Fossil fuels account for 71% of the total installed capacity and hydro, geothermal, and wind account for the remaining 28%. The growth in electricity generation has remained below electricity demand until recently, which has made Turkey a net importer of electricity since 1997. The growth of energy demand slowed somewhat as a result of the 2001 economic crisis, but has picked up again. Turkish authorities expect a significant electricity shortfall unless new facilities become operational. The Government of Turkey took some important steps in 2001 to liberalize its energy sector, including passage of the Electricity Market Law and establishment of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). However, the government has moved slowly to follow through on plans to liberalize and privatize the electricity and natural gas sectors. In 2004, the High Planning Council approved the Electricity Sector Reform Strategy to renew the reform process.

Oil provides about 43% of Turkey's total energy requirements; around 90% is imported. Domestic production is mostly from small fields in the southeast. New exploration is taking place in the eastern Black Sea. In 2004, the Parliament approved a petroleum market reform bill that liberalized consumer prices and would lead to the privatization of the state refining company TUPRAS. TUPRAS was privatized in 2005, but this has been held up by court cases still in process. Turkey has a refining capacity of 802,275 barrels per day (b/d).

Turkey acts as an important link in the East-West Southern Energy Corridor bringing Caspian, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern energy to Europe and world markets. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which came online in July 2006, delivers 1 million b/d of petroleum, and in 2007, the South Caucasus Pipeline (from Shah Deniz) is expected to bring natural gas from Azerbaijan to Turkey. Turkey is building an interconnector pipeline to Greece, an important step in bringing Caspian natural gas to Europe via Turkey.

====Telecommunications====
[[File:Turk map.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Turkey map.]]
Parliament enacted legislation separating telecommunications policy and regulatory functions in January 2000, by establishing an independent regulatory body, the Telecommunication Authority. The Authority is responsible for issuing licenses, supervising operators, and taking necessary technical measures against violations of the rules. Most regulatory functions of the Transport Ministry were transferred to the Authority, and the regulator is slowly gaining competence and independence. The long-expected privatization of the state-owned telecommunications company was accomplished by the sale of 55% of Turk Telekom to the Saudi-owned Oger Group in November 2005. With liberalization and growth in the economy, there is growing competition for Internet provision, but Turk Telekom remains the sole provider of ADSL wide band Internet.

====Environment====
[[File:TurkishForest.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Turkish forest.]]
With the establishment of the Environment Ministry in 1991, Turkey began to make significant progress addressing its most pressing environmental problems. The most dramatic improvements were significant reductions of air pollution in Istanbul and Ankara. However, progress has been slow on the remaining—and serious—environmental challenges facing Turkey.

In 2003, the Ministry of Environment was merged with the Forestry Ministry. With its goal to join the EU, Turkey has made commendable progress in updating and modernizing its environmental legislation. However, environmental concerns are not fully integrated into public decision-making and enforcement can be weak. Turkey faces a backlog of environmental problems, requiring enormous outlays for infrastructure. The most pressing needs are for water treatment plants, wastewater treatment facilities, solid waste management, and conservation of biodiversity. The discovery of a number of chemical waste sites in 2006 has highlighted weakness in environmental law and oversight.
{{Clear}}

====Transportation====
The Turkish Government gives a special priority to major infrastructure projects, especially in the transport sector. The government is in the process of building new airports and highways, thanks to an increased public investment budget. The government will realize many of these projects by utilizing the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

==History==
[[Image:St. Sophie Turkey.jpg|right|280px|thumb|Hagia Sofia, Istanbul]]
[[Mustafa Kemal]], celebrated by the Turkish State as a Turkish [[World War I]] hero and later known as "Atatürk" or "father of the Turks," led the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 after the collapse of the 600-year-old [[Ottoman Empire]] and a three-year war of independence. The empire, which at its peak controlled vast stretches of northern Africa, southeastern Europe, and western Asia, had failed to keep pace with European social and technological developments. The rise of national consciousness impelled several national groups within the Empire to seek independence as nation-states, leading to the empire's fragmentation. This process culminated in the disastrous Ottoman participation in World War I as a German ally. Defeated, shorn of much of its former territory, and partly occupied by forces of the victorious European states, the Ottoman structure was repudiated by Turkish nationalists brought together under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. The nationalists expelled invading Greek, Russian, French and Italian forces from Anatolia in a bitter war. After the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey the temporal and religious ruling institutions of the old empire (the sultanate and caliphate) were abolished.
[[File:Muslims in Europe map.jpg|thumb|320px|left|Muslims in Europe by country.]]
The leaders of the new republic concentrated on consolidating their power and modernizing and Westernizing what had been the empire's core—Asian Anatolia and a part of European Thrace. Social, political, linguistic, and economic reforms and attitudes decreed by Atatürk from 1924-1934 continue to be referred to as the ideological base of modern Turkey. In the post-Atatürk era, and especially after the military coup of 1960, this ideology came to be known as "Kemalism" and his reforms began to be referred to as "revolutions." Kemalism comprises a Turkish form of secularism, strong nationalism, statism, and to a degree a western orientation. The continued validity and applicability of Kemalism are the subject of lively debate in Turkey's political life. The current ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) comes from a tradition that challenges many of the Kemalist precepts and is driven in its reform efforts by a desire to achieve EU accession.

Turkey entered [[World War II]] on the Allied side until shortly before the war ended, becoming a charter member of the [[United Nations]]. Difficulties faced by [[Greece]] after World War II in quelling a communist rebellion and demands by the [[Soviet Union]] for military bases in the Turkish Straits prompted the United States to declare the [[Truman Doctrine]] in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece and resulted in large scale U.S. military and economic aid under the [[Marshall Plan]]. After participating with United Nations forces in the [[Korean War|Korean conflict]], Turkey in 1952 joined the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO). Turkey is currently a [[European Union]] candidate, although this has been clouded by their refusal to acknowledge the [[Armenian genocide]].

== See also ==
[[File:Blue mosque Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|The Blue Mosque, Istanbul.]]
*[[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]]
*[[Battle of Adrianople]]
*[[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]]
*[[Parthia]]
*[[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]]
*[[Oriental art]]
{{Clear}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.nuktravel.com/turkey.html WELCOME TO TURKEY]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/ A Turkish Delight: they think so in Israel also!]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{| style="width: 100%; background:transparent; border: 2px solid #000099;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432.htm]}}}.
|}

{{Asian Countries}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO Members]]
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Muslim-Majority Countries]]

Paris Peace Conference

2016-09-23T07:02:14Z

SteveVi: /* Ottoman Empire divided up */

The '''Paris Peace Conference''' of 1919, also called the '''Versailles Conference''', was the most important [[Diplomacy|diplomatic]] meeting of the 20th century. The victorious [[Allied Powers]] of [[World War I]] dictated the peace terms to the defeated [[Central Powers]], declared explicitly the guilt of [[Germany]] for starting the war, and imposed very heavy reparations on Germany so that it would eventually pay all the costs of the war, rearranged the map of [[Europe]] to allow some [[self-determination]] and create numerous new nations (such as [[Poland]], [[Czechoslovakia]] and [[Yugoslavia]]), and created the [[League of Nations]] in order to prevent future wars. The major provisions were included in the '''Treaty of Versailles''', along with several other treaties. The [[United States of America|U.S.]] led by President [[Woodrow Wilson]] played a major role at Versailles, but the U.S. Senate rejected the Versailles Treaty and refused to join the League of Nations. Historians give a mixed verdict to the conference. Many believe it sowed the seeds of [[World War II]] by mistreatment of Germany, others say it was about as good a result as could have been expected.
[[Image:Lgeorge1.jpg|thumb|290px||A pleased British Prime Minister [[David Lloyd George]] brings an Easter egg to Britain in the form of the Versailles Peace Treaty, April 1919'']]

The Peace Conference met in [[Paris]] from January 1919 to January 1920, finishing its most important work regarding Germany in June 1919. It wrote five major treaties: (1) the Treaty of Versailles with Germany, June 28, 1919; (2) the Treaty of Saint-Germain with Austria, Sept. 10, 1919; (3) the Treaty of Neuilly with Bulgaria, Nov. 27, 1919; (4) the Treaty of Trianon with Hungary, June 4, 1920; and (5) the Treaty of Sèvres with Turkey, Aug. 20, 1920 (which was modified by the Treaty of Lausanne, July 24, 1923).
==Big Four==
[[Woodrow Wilson]] was the hope of idealists everywhere; even the Germans looked to him for a statesmanlike peace. But the cry for vengeance was strong among the Allies, especially the French. Wilson sought the self-determination of peoples, but there were many overlapping interests and no simple solution was possible. Secret agreements among the Allies, especially promises made to Italy, hindered Wilson's treaty-making, and, idolized though he was by the peoples of Europe, he had to modify his aims to the practical demands of [[Georges Clemenceau]] of France, [[David Lloyd George]] of Britain, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy.

Thirty-two nations were represented, but Germany, Austria and the Soviet Union were not invited. Each delegation brought specialists who analyzed information on the geography, history, and economic conditions of the various countries whose claims had to be adjudicated. Orlando was dissatisfied with territorial gains given Italy, and walked out of the inner council, which was charged with final decisions. That left the "Big Three," Wilson, Clemenceau, and Lloyd George, to decide the major terms of the peace.
==Disarmament==
Wilson compromised on several important points to get his main objective, the [[League of Nations]]. He agreed to the disarmament of Germany, although he had sought universal disarmament. But public opinion in the Allied states, fearing Germany, would not agree to their own national disarmament. The German army was limited to 100,000 men; compulsory military training was forbidden; voluntary enlistment was provided for, with a minimum service of 12 years; a limited navy was permitted; and submarines and military airplanes were forbidden. Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria were, in the treaties signed with them, made subject to similar restrictions.
==Boundaries in western Europe==
Clemenceau and Wilson clashed over the statues of the west bank of the Rhine. France, anxious for security and riches, demanded to annex this area with its rich coal mines and industries. Wilson opposed the French, for their plan conflicted with his proposal for self-determination and no annexations; millions of Germans lived in the area. A compromise was worked out when Wilson agreed to sign a military treaty with France and Britain to guard against German aggression.<ref>This treaty was never ratified by the U.S. Senate</ref> The Allies were to occupy the left bank of the Rhine for 15 years. The coal mines of the Saar Basin were under control of France; the League of Nations was to administer the territory. The people of the Saar, after 15 years, were to vote to determine their future political status.<ref>In 1936 90% voted to rejoin German.</ref>
==Italy’s gains==
Wilson acceded to the Italian demands for territory in the Adriatic, which involved turning over to Italy large numbers of Slavs and Germans. Italy was awarded the entire Trentino region (where the language was German), the city of Trieste, and a large part of Istria, but Fiume was withheld from it on Wilson's insistence.<ref>Italian adventurers, led by poet Gabriele d'Annunzio, seized Fiume and kept it. Italy and the newly created state of Yugoslavia were then left to themselves to settle the question of the disputed territory.</ref>
==Colonies into mandates==
Wilson proposed that, instead of permitting an actual transfer of the colonies to new owners, the latter should administer them as trustees of the League of Nations. The areas were called "mandated" territories, and the trustees were to report to the league on their administration of them. The Treaty of Versailles took from Germany its colonial possessions and made them mandates under the nominal control of the League and the actual control of Britain, its dominions and France, Belgium and Japan. Britain directly took the mandate over German East Africa and part of the German Cameroons; the British self-governing dominions of South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, were given mandates for South-West Africa and the German areas in New Guinea and Samoa. France was given the mandate for most of German Togoland and the Cameroons. Belgium received a mandate for Ruanda-Urundi (Rwanda and Busundi), and Japan got mandates for the German islands in the Pacific north of the equator and Germany's lease on Tsingtao.
==Ottoman Empire divided up==
The defunct Ottoman Empire was divided into British and French mandates. Secret treaties among the powers had provided for such distribution, but after an uprising among the Turks, led by [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) Pasha]], the Allies agreed to a revision of their demands.<ref>The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which superseded the Treaty of Sevres, permitted Turkey to retain Eastern Thrace. Armenia was returned to Turkey.</ref> Syria was given to France; Britain received Mesopotamia, Transjordan, and Palestine; the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean were given to Italy; the Hejaz, an Arabian territory along the Red Sea, was to be independent; it became Saudi Arabia.

Wilson was upset by repeated violations of his principle of self-determination of peoples, but he was particularly angered by Japan's acquisition of Tsingtao (Qingdao) in China. Japan agreed to return it to China in the future and did so in 1922.

==Reparations==
Germany (and the defunct Austro-Hungarian Empire) were declared to be guilty of starting the war. Reparations were imposed on Germany, and long disputes raged over what should be included in the list of damages to be paid by Germany. The Allies wanted Germany to pay the direct costs of the war plus all future veterans benefits. At first no fixed sum was stated, then in 1921 the figure of $33 billion became the minimum figure. Germany began payments, but negotiated reduced amounts and in 1932 stopped all payments.
==New nations==
The principle of self-determination of ethnic nationalities shaped most of the territorial settlements. A number of new states were created whose nationalistic aspirations, long submerged, were finally realize. Poland, which had been partitioned in the 1790s, was now restored. Indeed, a Polish Republic was already operational at the end of 1918. The Conference pondered how to draw its boundaries; a key decision was a strip of territory, known as the "Polish Corridor," that gave Poland access to the Baltic. This "corridor" cut off East Prussia from the rest of Germany. The new Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, as well as Finland, became independent of Russia.

As the war ended the Austro-Hungarian Empire no longer existed. It gave way to the new independent states of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and an enlarged Romania; but the boundaries of these states were uncertain. The statesmen at Versailles fixed the boundaries more precisely. The problem was complex because of the intermixture of peoples and their bitter rivalries. The Czechs came off very well, although here as elsewhere the Wilsonian principle of self-determination was largely ignored. Romania was doubled in size with the addition of Transylvania and Hungarian territory. The new nation of Yugoslavia was created out of the old kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro, a portion of Bulgaria, and Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and part of the Banat of Temesvar. Austria was left a small state of 6,500,000 Austrian Germans, one third of whom lived in an impoverished Vienna—a world class city that rules a small country. Hungary became independent with much reduced territory and a population of 8,000,000. Despite the violations of Wilson's principle of self-determination, the map of Europe after the war conformed more to the desires of the various nationalities than did the map of 1914.

Irish nationalists in the U.S. thought Wilson had promised to work for Irish independence if the Irish supported his war effort. At Versailles Wilson made no effort to redeem any such promises, and the Irish Americans felt betrayed. They turned against Wilson and his Versailles treaty.
==League of Nations==
It was hoped by Wilson, South African General [[Jan Smuts]], British Lord Robert Cecil, and others idealists that a [[League of Nations]] would guarantee the security of all nations. There was general agreement as to the advisability of such a league; only its form and powers were in question. The league was created with four operating groups: a secretariat, council, assembly, and an international court of justice. The league set up machinery which could be used by member states to prevent war. It also set up various agencies to deal with other problems. The League went into operation, but could not prevent or end wars.

The Covenant of the League of Nations was part of the Treaty of Versailles that Germany was forced to sign, as the Allies kept up a food blockade with near-starvation conditions inside Germany. The German delegation at first refused to sign because the treaty was not in accord with the [[Fourteen Points]] Wilson had proclaimed a year earlier (but which Germany had never accepted). Finally, the German National Assembly, under protest, accepted the treaty on June 23, 1919. The official signing was dramatically staged five days later in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

==See also==
• [[World War I]]
• [[World War II]]
==Bibliography==
* Albrecht-Carrie, Rene. ''Italy at the Paris Peace Conference'' (1938) [http://www.questia.com/read/27941224?title=Italy%20at%20the%20Paris%20Peace%20Conference%20(Part%20One%20%22The%20Orlando-Sonnino%20Ministry%20(November%2c%201918%20-%20June%2c%201919)%22) online edition]
* Ambrosius, Lloyd E. "Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush: Historical Comparisons of Ends and Means in Their Foreign Policies," ''Diplomatic History'', 30 (June 2006), 509–43. [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/diph online at Blackwell Synergy]; also [http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-567650/Woodrow-Wilson-and-World-War.html excerpt online]
* Ambrosius, Lloyd E. ''Woodrow Wilson and the American Diplomatic Tradition: The Treaty Fight in Perspective'' (1990) [http://www.amazon.com/Woodrow-Wilson-American-Diplomatic-Tradition/dp/0521385857/ref=sr_1_17/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192011082&sr=8-17 excerpt and text search]
* Andelman, David A. ''A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today'' (2007) popular history that stresses multiple long-term disasters caused by Treaty. [http://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Peace-Versailles-Price-Today/dp/0471788988/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210532673&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Bailey; Thomas A. ''Wilson and the Peacemakers: Combining Woodrow Wilson and the Lost Peace and Woodrow Wilson and the Great Betrayal'' (1947) [http://www.questia.com/library/book/wilson-and-the-peacemakers-combining-woodrow-wilson-and-the-lost-peace-and-woodrow-wilson-and-the-great-betrayal-by-thomas-a-bailey.jsp online edition]
* Birdsall, Paul. ''Versailles twenty years after'' (1941) well balanced older account
* Boemeke, Manfred F., et al., eds. ''The Treaty of Versailles: A Reassessment after 75 Years'' (1998). major collection of important papers by scholars [http://www.amazon.com/Treaty-Versailles-Reassessment-Publications-Historical/dp/0521621321/ref=sip_rech_dp_7 excerpt and text search]
* Clements, Kendrick, A. ''Woodrow Wilson: World Statesman'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Woodrow-Wilson-Statesman-Kendrick-Clements/dp/1566632676/ref=sr_1_1/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192010890&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Cooper, John Milton. ''Breaking the Heart of the World: Woodrow Wilson and the Fight for the League of Nations'' (2001) 454pp [http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Heart-World-Milton-Cooper/dp/0521807867/ref=sr_1_3/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192010636&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]
* Greene, Theodore P. Ed. ''Wilson at Versailles'' (1957), shortr excerpts from scholars [http://www.questia.com/read/9467242 online edition]
* Henig, Ruth. ''Versailles and After: 1919-1933'' (2nd ed. 1995), 100 pages; brief introduction by scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Versailles-After-1919-1933-Lancaster-Pamphlets/dp/0415127106/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c excerpt and text search]
* Keynes, John Maynard, ''The Economic Consequences of the Peace'' (1920) famous criticism by leading economist [http://books.google.com/books?id=0VcKN-RbPnoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:Economic+intitle:Consequences+intitle:of+intitle:the+intitle:Peace&lr=&num=30&as_brr=0 full text online]
* Knock, Thomas J. ''To End All Wars: Woodrow Wilson and the Quest for a New World Order'' (1995) [http://www.amazon.com/End-All-Wars-Woodrow-Wilson/dp/0691001502/ref=sr_1_8/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192010890&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* Lederer, Ivo J. ''The Versailles Settlement--Was It Foredoomed to Failure?'' (1960) excerpts from scholars [http://www.questia.com/read/6098836?title=The%20Versailles%20Settlement--Was%20It%20Foredoomed%20to%20Failure%3f online edition]
* Levin, Jr., N. Gordon ''Woodrow Wilson and World Politics: America's Response to War and Revolution'' (1968), New Left [http://www.amazon.com/Woodrow-Wilson-World-Politics-Revolution/dp/0195008030/ref=sr_1_3/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192011152&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]
* Link, Arthur S. ''Wilson the Diplomatist: A Look at His Major Foreign Policies'' (1957) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=9422144 online edition]
* Macmillan, Margaret. ''Peacemakers: The Paris Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War'' (2002), also published as ''Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World'' (2003); highly influential study [http://www.amazon.com/Paris-1919-Months-Changed-World/dp/0375760520/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210532673&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Mayer, Arno J., ''Politics and Diplomacy of Peacemaking: Containment and Counter-revolution at Versailles, 1918-1919'' (1967), leftist
* Newton, Douglas. ''British Policy and the Weimar Republic, 1918-1919'' (1997). 484 pgs.
* Schwabe, Klaus. ''Woodrow Wilson, Revolutionary Germany, and Peacemaking, 1918-1919: Missionary Diplomacy and the Realities of Power'' (1985) [http://www.questia.com/read/104678514 online edition]
* Steiner, Zara. ''The Lights that Failed: European International History 1919-1933'' (Oxford History of Modern Europe) (2007), major scholarly work [http://www.amazon.com/Lights-that-Failed-International-1919-1933/dp/0199226865/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231806541&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Walworth, Arthur. ''Wilson and His Peacemakers: American Diplomacy at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919'' (1986) 618pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=104399613 online edition]
* Watson, David Robin. ''Georges Clemenceau: A Political Biography'' (1976) 463 pgs. [http://www.questia.com/read/102168963?title=Georges%20Clemenceau%3a%20A%20Political%20Biography online edition]

====notes====
<references/>

[[Category:World War I]]
[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Diplomacy]]
[[Category:German History]]
[[Category:European History]]

Ataturk

2016-09-23T07:00:59Z