INSTRUCTIONS

Students will research and write about the childhood and adolescent experiences of a dictator who murdered tens of thousands to millions of people in his own and/or other countries.
Students will also research theories proposed by psychologists and other behavioral scientists who argue that the dictator’s childhood and adolescent experiences contributed to his crimes against humanity.
Assignment Steps
Choose one of the dictators listed below
Search the internet for biographical information about the dictator
Search the internet for analyses that attempt to explain the dictator’s behavior in terms of his childhood and/or adolecent experiences.
Create a PowerPoint presentation that includes the following:
Brief description of dictator
Over what country did he rule?
When was he in power?
How did he gain power?
What were his crimes?
How many deaths is he responsible for?
Is he known for killing people in cruel and gruesome ways?
Did he target members of any particular ethnic, religious, or cultural groups?
The major milestones of the dictator’s childhood and teen years
Significant deviations from a typical childhood or adolescence in his culture
Examples: loss of a parent at an early age, abuse by a parent, school failure
Summaries of theories proposed to explain the dictoator’s crimes against humanity that are based on his childhood and/or adolescent experiences.
Multimedia elements
At least one image on each slide that is either an image of the dictator, his victims, his admirers, his accomplices, or a researcher who has written about him.
At least one link to a video about the dictator and his crimes.
Links to sources: provide links to all resources used in the assignment
Use only your own words. Do not quote or copy information from your sources.
Save your PowerPoint file as a PDF before you submit it.
Late Penalty 15 points
Dictators (click names for more information)
Joseph Stalin
Benito Mussolini
Mao Tse-tung
Pol Pot
Idi Amin
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Kim Il Sung
Augusto Pinochet