article
ARTicles vol. 7 i.2a: The Secret Lives of Dictators
OCT 1, 2008
Sara Bookin-Weiner gives a brief history of the hidden idiosyncracies of some of the world’s most famous dictators.
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein had over twenty palaces where chefs cooked three luxurious meals a day – whether or not Saddam himself was present. Paranoid about assassination, Saddam hoped this tactic would prevent anyone from pinpointing his location.
Mao Tse Tung
Toward the end of Mao Tse Tung’s rule in China from 1945 to 1976, he commissioned a ten-meter-long six-door stretch luxury limousine, known as the “Red Flag,” which came with a fridge, telephone, TV, double bed, desk and sofa.
Joseph Stalin
Between 1922 and 1953, Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin hosted elaborate dinners that lasted five to six hours. During these banquets, Stalin might request a fresh tablecloth. A servant would clear everything – china, crystal, and food – and replace it with a new tablecloth and freshly prepared food.
Imelda Marcos
In 1986, the Philippines’ Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos fled their fifty-four-room palace. Soldiers later discovered Imelda’s collection of 1,060 pairs of shoes, hundreds of gowns, a diamond-studded hairbrush, bulletproof bras, a bedside oxygen tank for rejuvenation, and a purse autographed by Fidel Castro.
Idi Amin
From 1971 until 1979, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s full self-appointed title was: His Excellency, Field Marshal, Doctor, Professor, Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, President for Life, Defender of the Islamic Faith, Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda Armed Forces, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas, and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.
Sara Bookin-Weiner is the American Repertory Theater Literary Office intern.
