Top 10 People Who Recently Changed History for the WORSE
#10: Rodrigo Duterte
In 2016, Duterte became the 16th president of the Philippines. In his campaign, he promised to clear the Philippines of its illegal narcotics problem. Pretty much as soon as he came into power, he urged people to take the law into their own hands and massacre substance users. It was considered a major human rights violation, causing thousands of deaths. Many were likely innocent, and others committed crimes undeserving of such brutal treatment. At least he isn’t free from punishment, as he was arrested in March 2025 and has been locked away in The Hague.
#9: Donald Trump
Trump is easily one of the most divisive U.S. presidents of the century so far. He’s been impeached twice, but refused to go. Many of his critics would say he has a bit of a god complex. For example, he’s been caught on camera saying he wishes Americans treated him like North Koreans treat Kim Jong Un. One way Trump’s made history is by becoming the first American president convicted of a felony. He also keeps instigating a trade war between America and China, first in 2018 and again in 2024. This involves imposing high tariffs on Chinese goods, seeking to reduce the trade deficit. Many economists believe it just makes the deficit worse, harming the working class the hardest.
#8: Omar al-Bashir
Sudan is Africa’s third-largest country, and was controlled by al-Bashir from 1989 all the way until 2019. In 2009, he made history by becoming the first sitting head of state given an arrest warrant by the ICC. He was accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Many of these crimes were committed during the 16-year War in Darfur. Many non-Arabs believed Sudan was oppressing them. Al-Bashir and his regime responded with ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of thousands died in the conflict, and roughly three million were displaced.
After his rule was ended in a 2019 coup, he was placed on trial for corruption. Sudan has agreed to hand him over to the ICC, but it has yet to happen.
#7: Joseph Kabila
The Democratic Republic of the Congo was ruled by Kabila from 2001 to 2019. He was expected to end his presidency in 2016, but decided to stay on for two extra years. Kabila came to power during the Second Congo War, then successfully brought the various factions into negotiations. Peace was achieved in 2003, but the conflict didn’t end. Many Kivu provinces were plagued by rebel militias, and Kabila’s responses were ineffective. Since his ousting, he’s been accused of war crimes and treason. He allegedly supported rebels in Kivu provinces, specifically the M23, who have been accused of severe human rights violations.
#6: Mohammed bin Salman
Salman is Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, who is considered highly progressive by some. After becoming Crown Prince in 2017, he began improving women’s rights. For instance, he ended the ban on women drivers. Many refuse to warm up to him despite this, as he’s committed some severe human rights abuses as ruler. He’s extremely authoritarian, heavily censoring Saudi media. He’s not even scared of killing journalists, such as Jamal Khashoggi, whom he was found responsible for assassinating. After taking over, he arrested tons of his prominent figures, as an effort to crack down on corruption. Many believe that he was simply trying to get rid of the competition, as it wasn’t an effective method of dealing with corruption.
#5: Benjamin Netanyahu
According to Amnesty International, Israel is responsible for genocide against Palestinians. This has resulted in Israel’s Prime Minister, Netanyahu, becoming a wanted criminal by the ICC. The conflict has been ongoing since Britain founded Israel in the 1940s. While both sides have been responsible for despicable acts of violence, Netanyahu and his regime have upheld a regime where Palestinians are treated less than Israelis. This is frequently compared to apartheid in South Africa. Many Israelis have protested his rule, alongside criticising his authoritarianism. Unfortunately, these often end in arrests. Netanyahu has also been responsible for the conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025, which many believe was a violation of international law.
#4: Kim Jong Un
North Korea is frequently cited as one of the worst places to live on Earth. Since 2012, their supreme leader has been Kim Jong Un. As ruler, he’s made it virtually impossible to escape his dystopian nation. In the 2000s, over 2,000 people would leave every year. Now, that figure rarely gets higher than 100. He’s made his country one of the most censored places on Earth. It’s not uncommon for citizens to be harshly punished for viewing foreign media, often being sent to forced labor camps or facing capital punishment. He doesn’t even shy away from murdering his family, with many believing he ordered his half-brother’s assassination and his uncle’s execution.
#3: Bashar al-Assad
The 2011 Syrian revolution began a civil war that wouldn’t conclude until December 2024. It was motivated by President Bashar al-Assad’s diabolical rule over the nation. It’s considered one of the most oppressive regimes in human history. Instead of resigning when the war began, he fought back hard and without mercy. Over 600,000 people lost their lives in the 13-year conflict. Over 90% of all civilian deaths were caused by Assad’s supporters. He was finally ousted in December 2024, after an 11-day-long campaign by the revolutionary factions. Assad then fled to Moscow, where he is supposedly living a life of luxury.
#2: Xi Jinping
Since the death of Mao Zedong, no one in China has come close to being as powerful as he was at his peak, barring Xi Jinping. He’s been the paramount leader of China since 2012 and has been responsible for some major controversies. Under his rule, the Uyghurs of Xinjiang have been extremely abused, which is considered a genocide by some. He’s also become increasingly aggressive towards the Republic of China, or Taiwan, which he seeks to subjugate. China has also become the most surveilled country in history under Xi’s rule. After the failure of the New Enlightenment movement in the 80s, it’s extremely sad to see China stray further from the movement’s ideals.
#1: Vladimir Putin
After the Soviet Union fell, Russia became a democracy on paper. In practice, it’s still a dictatorship. Putin has been in charge for most of the 21st century so far, making him arguably the most powerful Russian leader since Stalin. He treats his opponents with little mercy. Two of his most destructive decisions were annexing Crimea in 2014, then launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This has made him a criminal according to the ICC, which put out an arrest warrant for Putin. His controversies didn’t start when he became president. Before the USSR fell, he was a KGB agent for 16 years.
Is there anyone you think deserved a spot on our list? Let us know in the comments below!
