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Saddam Hussein, Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler were three dictators in world history that had several things in common. These similarities are: - As children all had poor male role models.
Saddam never knew his father. His mother remarried and had three sons with her new husband. This man treated Saddam terribly. He made young Saddam steal for him as a young boy. He went to live with his Uncle Tulfah in Baghdad at the age of 10.
Benito Mussolini grew up with both parents in northern Italy. His mother was a school teacher and his father was a blacksmith. Benito's father had a horrible temper and showed this to his children often.
Adolf Hitler's father was a repressive authoritarian. He retired in 1895 when Adolf was 6 years old and his father became worse, short tempered and domineering until his death 8 years later.
- As children all lived by poor or modest means.
Saddam's parents were sheephearders and his mother tried to abort him but failed.
Benito was raised in one of the poorest regions of Italy, outside the village of Predappio in the northeast Italian province of Forli.
Adolf Hitler was born the son of an Austrian customs official in Braunau, Austria in 1889.
All three of the dictators widely used propoganda in their rule to keep a desirable image. Saddam had his picture all over Iraq in a military uniform even though he never spent any time in Iraq military.
Propaganda can be defined as the systematic manipulation of the opinion of the public through various means.
- The need for total control.
All three controlled what was written in newspapers, even who wrote the articles, what was taught in schools and who was able to attend, and almost all forms of media.
- All three had a secret police.
- All three had a political style that could be described as brutal suppression of internal opposition.
Meaning anyone that was in politics when they took power was "removed". Often this means they were killed. When Benito Mussolini marched in Italy he promised to make Italy impossible to govern unless he was given Prime Minister status. Once he got this status, those who did not want him there were killed.
When Saddam Hussein took office, all those who were against his rise to power were asked to leave the room and were escorted outside to be shot.
Hitler entered office and within months he scared the people into joining the Nazi party and had total control over Germany. This was done with great help from the fear of Hitler's S.A. and Nazi controlled police.
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