People Who Ruined History

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]Adolf Hitler.

[00:00:02]It was 1907 and Hitler submitted his works to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and got rejected. Then in 1908, he tried again, but this time, nope. The professors said his works were too underdeveloped.

[00:00:16]What they didn't know was the same guy would later become the most brutal dictator in history.

[00:00:22]Okay, so after World War II, between 1918 to 1920, Germany lost badly. The entire economy collapsed rapidly into rubble leading to inflation and unemployment across the country. German citizens were suffering from starvation and slowly it got to a point where nothing was available. Then people's anger was another problem. They were filled with rage out of humiliation and wanted someone to blame. This created the perfect opportunity for gaining support. So Hitler stepped into politics. He also got nominated in a small political party called the Nazi and gave chilling speeches to hype the people of Germany to stand up for themselves. When Hitler announced invasion in Poland in 1939, it started World War II and created a lot of suffering. German forces quickly took over using fast attacks and cities were bombed. Soldiers and special units hurt innocent civilians, beheaded children, and killed leaders, teachers, and whoever were against them. Families were forced to leave their homes, and people were made to work under cruel terms.

[00:01:29]Jewish people, according to estimates, were treated horrifically, which later became part of the Holocaust in 1941.

[00:01:37]While estimates and researches show that 6 million Jews were massacred, theories online suggest the numbers were less. By the end, Poland was taken over and millions of people were left living in fear and hardship. Kim Jong-un.

[00:01:52]What would life look like if you could never choose your leaders, never freely speak your mind, and never even access outside information? That's how many people describe life under Kim Jong-un, who rules North Korea with control over politics, media, and personal lives of his citizens. Honestly, North Korea is controlled by one ruling family, and real political competition or free elections don't even exist. The government decides what citizens can watch, read, and say, which means speaking against rules can kill you.

[00:02:24]Movement in and out of the country is also restricted, and many reports from outside organizations say that harsh penalties are used against those seen as not loyal, literally. At the same time, a large part of the nation's resources goes toward the military and ordinary people face economic hardships. Polepot.

[00:02:44]When Polepot in 1975 took control of Cambodia, everything shifted very quickly. Within days, cities like Ponam Pen were emptied and millions of people were forced out of their homes and pushed to rural areas. Families were apart and the flow of normal life like schools, jobs, markets, even simple daily routines faded. Under the Cime Rouge regime, life was rebuilt in a very strict way. So, money was no longer used, schools were shut down, and people were pushed into hard agricultural labor regardless of their status. The idea was to create a completely strict society where everyone lived and worked in the same way. Between 1975 and 1979, Cambodia was tightly controlled and things like education, speech or identity could put people in danger, meaning freedom of speech was gone. That sudden collapse of everyday life combined with such strict control is why this period under Polepot is remembered as one of the worst times. Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin was a leader who ruled the Soviet Union from the 1920s until 1953.

[00:03:54]He was born in 1878 in Georgia and rose to power after Vladimir Lenon. Then he became one of the most powerful leaders of his time and led the country during World War II and was listed as one of the worst dictator. Well, it is because he didn't just rule the Soviet Union.

[00:04:12]Instead, he controlled it down to the smallest thing. It wasn't about laws or power. It was about the atmosphere people lived in, or rather survived in.

[00:04:22]Imagine a place where words feel heavy, where a simple opinion can sit on your tongue like a risk. Under Stalin, many people chose silence, not because they had nothing to say, but because saying it could cost them their lives and families. He built a system where everything flowed from him. Decisions, directions, even what was considered right or wrong, and depended on his approval only. His word was the final say. There was no real space for opposition, no safe ground for disagreement. That is why power wasn't shared. It was held tightly like something that could never be loosened.