List of titles used by dictators

See also: President for life

This is a list of titles used by dictators, authoritarian political leaders.

Before the Second World War

• The Supreme Ruler of Russia Alexander Kolchak, head of the military dictatorship in Russia during the Russian Civil War in the territories controlled by the White movement.
• The Paraguayan President José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia used, among other titles, El Supremo (The Supreme) and Dictador Perpetuo (Perpetual Dictator).

In the 1940s and parts of the 1950s

Such titles used by heads of state and/or government during the Second World War include:

• Führer ("leader" or "guide") Adolf Hitler, from 1934 to 1945, dictator of Germany (formally "Führer and Reich Chancellor").
• Führer und Lehrer Joseph Stalin, late 1940s in East Germany
• Joseph Stalin, dictator of Soviet Union has been referred to as Father of Nations, "Great Leader", "General Secretary", "Generalisimus"
• Duce (from Latin dux meaning "guide") Benito Mussolini, from 1925 to 1943 dictator of Italy (formally "Head of Government").
• Vodca ("Leader") monsignor Jozef Tiso, from 1942 self-styled, in Slovakia, President 1939–1945 (acting to 26 October 1939).
• Conducător ("leader"), a title used by Ion Antonescu and Nicolae Ceaușescu in Romania.
• El Caudillo de España ("the Chieftain of Spain") Generalísimo Francisco Franco Bahamonde, Jefe de Estado (Chief of State) and "Chief of Government" (Prime Minister). He adopted this title for himself and came to power after winning the Spanish Civil War. During World War II he maintained the neutrality of Spain. In fact the title of Franco was used officially and rather than personally (cf: "mein führer" or "mio duce" my fuhrer and my duce). It is alleged that it was often used as a protocolary title; preceded with By the Grace of God it would indicate that the Spanish People had been luckily spared from the Soviet invasion.
• "Marszałek" (marshal) Józef Piłsudski, dictator of Poland from 1926 to 1935.
• Poglavnik Nezavisne Države Hrvatske ("Chief of the Independent State of Croatia") Ante Pavelić, leader of the Nazi-Fascist Italy puppet government in Croatia.
• Maréchal ("Marshal") – Between 1940 and 1944, when Marshal Philippe Pétain was Chief of the French State (Vichy France), the name for his military rank became synonymous with Pétain. Though the country retained the Marseillaise as its national anthem, Maréchal, nous voilà ! was widely seen as the alternative Vichy French anthem.^{[ citation needed ]}
• Nemzetvezető ("leader of the nation"), a title used by Ferenc Szálasi, the chief of the Nyilaskeresztes Párt (Arrow Cross Party) who succeeded Miklós Horthy in Hungary.
• Arhigos ("chief" or "leader"), a title used by General Ioannis Metaxas of Greece's 4th of August Regime.
• Adipati ("chief of state" or "generalissimo"), the title used by Ba Maw of the Japanese satellite State of Burma
• Udhëheqësi [i partisë dhe i popullit] ynë i madh, Our great guide [of the party and of the people], the most common title used by Albanian communist dictator Enver Hoxha.

Postwar era and the Cold War

Mobutu Sese Seko, Zaire's longtime dictator, embezzled over $5 billion from his country.

Suharto, Indonesia's longtime dictator, embezzled up to $35 billion from his country.

• Idi Amin's official title while in office as President of Uganda was 'His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, 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'. He also claimed to be the uncrowned King of Scotland.
• In the North Korean hereditary system, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il used the titles Great Leader and Dear Leader respectively. Kim Jong Un uses Supreme Leader as his title.
• Muammar Gaddafi, once de facto Libyan head of state, used the title "Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" and "Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution". In 1990 he was legally designated supreme leader by the General People's Congress. Gaddafi officially granted himself many other titles over his 42-year rule, most famously the military rank of colonel. Other titles included "King of Kings of Africa", "Dean of Arab Rulers", "Imam of Muslims" and "Amghar of the Taureg", among others. Arab nationalist leader Gamal Abdel Nasser also awarded him the title of "Keeper of Arab Nationalism". ^{[1] [2]}
• In the People's Republic of China, Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong used the titles, "the great leader, the great supreme commander, the great teacher and the great helmsman" during the Cultural Revolution.
• In Romania, Communist Party General Secretary and President Nicolae Ceaușescu even had the same title, Conducător (Romanian for leader), as earlier dictator Marshal Ion Antonescu.
• U.S.-backed Indonesian dictator Suharto was awarded the title of "Father of Development" by the Golkar and Armed Forces-controlled Parliament in 1983.
• Saparmurat Niyazov, the late president for life of Turkmenistan, and former First Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party and later of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (the country's only political party), assumed from 22 October 1993 the unique, paternalistic national title Turkmenbashi (Türkmenbaşy in Turkmen), which means "Head of (all) the Turkmens". ^[3]
• In Mali, Moussa Traoré gave himself the title President for Life, but was deposed in 1991.
• Pakistani general Pervez Musharraf, called himself "chief executive" after 1999 coup.
• Jean-Bédel Bokassa would proclaim the Central African Empire in 1976, and in a lavish coronation ceremony the following year, awarded himself the full title of "Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Central African people, united within the national political party, the MESAN". ^[4]

See also

• Supreme Leader (disambiguation)

References

1. "الديكتاتور المُعمّر: ليبيا: 40 عام تحت سيطرة العقيد" [The Long-Lasting Dictator: Libya: 40 Years Under Colonel Gaddafi]. Middle East Transparent (in Arabic). 8 September 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
2. Farid, Sonia (1 April 2009). "Libya's Gaddafi: A man of many titles". Al Arabiya News. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
3. "Bizarre, brutal and self-obsessed. Now time's up for Turkmenistan's dictator". The Guardian. December 22, 2006.
4. Lentz, H. M. (1994). Heads of States and Governments . Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN   978-0-89950-926-6.