Both the current Republican and Democratic nominees are awful, awful choices to lead the free world. However, despite their flaws, like an infatuation with a wall or a blatant disregard for national security, they’re not the worst that history has to offer. Below are the seven most vile, foul, sadistic, and horrid individuals to ever walk the planet.

7) Idi Amin

Representing all of the dictators in postcolonial Africa, Idi Amin was initially hailed as a champion of liberal, capitalist, democracy, a new beacon after the years of colonial darkness. An ex-British military man, he initially enjoyed a healthy relationship with the United States CIA, the Israeli government, and the United Nations. That is until he expelled Ugandan citizens of Asian descent, massacred Christian tribes, created storm trooper units that patrolled the country searching for dissidents, torturing citizens in unspeakable ways, started playing nicely with Islamic terrorists, the USSR, and Muammar Gaddafi, and tried to invade Tanzania. Unfortunately, he lived a peaceful life after seeking exile in Saudi Arabia.

6) Saddam Hussein

Responsible for the extermination of 2 million Shiite Muslims and Iraqi Kurds, this madman’s rap sheet includes torture, assassination, and familicide. He was even known to videotape the torture sessions of his enemies and watch them back for his amusement. His 24 year reign included a war with Iran and an invasion of Kuwait and ended with his capture and hanging by a coalition of American-Iraqi forces.

5) Maximilien Robespierre

Vive la Revolution! Just another example of how a moderate movement can be shouted down, rounded up, and executed by a small radical faction. And the poster child of this radical faction was Monsieur Robespierre. Leader of the Jacobins and eventually their extremist faction The Mountain, he framed and executed thousands of his political rivals at the guillotine. He even turned against the moderate branch of the Jacobins and had their leader arrested and killed. All of this came to a speedy end, when the rest of the assembly had the sense to kill him before he destroyed the entire French government. Just like that, the Reign of Terror was over.

4) Nero

Emperor. Thespian. Statesman. Psychopath. Murderer. Madman. Let’s face it, besides Caligula, Nero is quite possibly the worst Roman emperor ever. While it’s unclear if he actually fiddled while Rome burned, or started the fire, he certainly did blame a small, innocent faction for the inferno. That faction, the Christians, were then executed by gladiators, burned at the stake, crucifixion, and eaten alive by animals in the Colosseum. Also, under his rule, two great leaders of Christianity Peter and Paul, were crucified. Also, let’s not mention the fact that he killed his mother, wife, and unborn child.

3) Pol Pot

This lovely piece of work is a prime example of how well communism works. I mean vacating major metropolitan areas and moving the population to rural work camps. There, they farmed and formed a perfect agrarian society. Right? Wrong. These people were forced at gunpoint to farm. Don’t worry! Everyone was equal! No matter your race, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status you would die of disease, malnutrition, or lead poisoning. The body count was approximately 3 million and counting. It's still going up as leftover landmines kill innocent citizens to this day.

2) Adolf Hitler

I’m not going to explain this because, I would be doing a disservice to the Jewish population. I can’t even begin to describe all of the reasons that Hitler is an awful man. However, I will answer your question of why Hitler isn’t number one. Because number one on the list not only killed more people, but those he killed were his own citizens.

1) Josef Stalin

This man is the root of all evil. He is the Antichrist and Satan incarnate. Worst of all, he was our ally at one point. This man executed about 10 million of his own citizens, including Jews, doctors, professors, lawyers, and economists. How convenient that the most educated people, the ones who would have known to speak out against him, were sent to the Siberian gulags. That is why he is the worst ruler in history.

Dishonorable Mentions

• Kim Il-sung/Kim Jong-il/Kim Jong-un
• Mao Zedong
• Emperor Hirohito
• Attila the Hun
• King Leopold II of Belgium
• Ayatollah Khomeini
• Josef Mengele/Reinhard Heydrich/Heinrich Himmler/Adolf Eichmann