Title: 10 Surprisingly Benevolent Dictators - Toptenz.net
Headings: 10 Surprisingly Benevolent Dictators
10 Surprisingly Benevolent Dictators
10. Peisistratos
9. Ashoka
8. Marcus Aurelius
7. Khosrow I
6. Frederick the Great
5. Simón Bolívar
4. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
3. Douglas MacArthur
2. Sir Seretse Khama
1. Abdullah II
Not all people in power are quite so warm and cuddly.
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Content: He worked for the people – he offered land and loans to the needy, for example. He created a time of peace and prosperity for Athens. Upon his death however, Peisistratos’ sons Hippias and Hipparchus took over. For a while they maintained popular support, but after Hipparchus was assassinated, Hippias began to rule much more harshly, and lost the support of the people. In the end Hippias was exiled by the Spartans, who had been convinced to come and liberate Athens. 9. Ashoka
Ashoka the Great lived from 304 to 231 BCE, and ruled the Indian Mauryan Empire, the largest ever in the Indian subcontinent and one of the world’s largest empires at the time. When Ashoka first gained power, he ruled as his predecessor had. He was cruel and efficient – he used the might of his military to control and expand his empire, and he even built a prison aptly called ‘Ashoka’s Hell,’ where all prisoners where subject to horrific tortures, and no prisoner was to leave alive. During the expansion of his empire, Ashoka led a war against a nearby state called Kalinga, with the goal of taking its land to add to his Empire.