Despots, Dictators, Revolutionaries & Rebels

Hastings Kamuzu Banda 1898-1997
Malawi's 1st Prime Minister after gaining independence from Great Britain in 1964, 2 years later in 1966, after declaring Malawi a republic he would become President.
He turned Malawi into an opressive one-party State, in 1971 he was declared 'President for Life', Banda improved his country's infrastructure & education standards were of a good level.
His regime was oppressive though, with 1000's of people tortured, imprisoned without trial & killed.
Up to 18,000 people are estimated to have been murdered during his Presidency.
Banda gained a personality cult-like following akin to other African dictators of the time, Malawi was essentially a police state with mail being opened & censored, telephones were tapped and any opposition was suppressed. It was mandatory for every business to have his portrait on display.
By the 1990's opposition was growing, he was charged with the murder of 4 political opponents 10 years earlier & acquitted.
Banda wrote an apology to the people of Malawi in 1996 which was met with disdain.

Malawi 1 Kwacha (1992)

Thanks walk2dwater.
Yes, power corrupts. Banda was propped up by Western governments due to his anti-communist stance during the Cold War.
When that ended in the early 1990's, he was surplus to requirements, maybe helped to aid his demise too.
And of course 'people power', helped remove many a despot.

Very nice!

Nice example!

Benito Juárez revered in Mexico as the symbol of Mexican nationalism and resistance to foreign intervention.

Mexico 1981 50 Pesos P-73

Chiang Kai-shek
Taiwan 1976 10 Yuan P-1984

Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama to independence from the Spanish Empire.

Venezuela 1998 1000 Bolivares P-79

Great additions to the thread topic IndianGoldEagle