Top 10 of the most deadly leaders in history

Joseph Stalin–40 Million

Joseph Stalin led the Soviet Union from 1924 until 1953. In the 1930s, Stalin consolidated his power and established a Soviet dictatorship, which remained in place until the fall of the USSR in 1991. In his rise to power, Stalin slaughtered anyone who got in his way and millions of Russian civilians who didn’t, many of whom died during the Great Purge. While Stalin sent his troops into combat during WWII, and many died, his war casualties pale in comparison to the number of Soviet citizens he killed throughout his brutal reign of terror. Estimates vary, but most place the number of dead at his command at 40 million, with some estimates passing 60 million.