HOME |
RSS | 
What do you do with your life after you’ve ruled a nation with an iron fist? There are plenty of examples from history of dictators who were offered a chance to live out their lives, just as long as they did it somewhere else. But where? The Shah of Iran had a hard time finding a country to take him in after he was overthrown in 1979. Initially refused by the US, he lived in Egypt, Morocco, the Bahamas, and Mexico.
Finally, in October 1979 he was allowed into the U.S., where he was treated (unsuccessfully) for advanced lymphatic cancer at Cornell Medical Hospital in New York City. His friendly reception in the U.S. sparked outrage in Iran, where radical students retaliated by taking over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and holding embassy workers hostage for 444 days. Hoping to take political pressure off the U.S., the dying ex-monarch next traveled to Panama, a U.S. ally with modern medical facilities. But the Panamanian government was ambivalent, and even considered extraditing the Shah to Iran to face charges of murder and torture during his reign. Hoping to avoid this final indignity, the Shah returned to Egypt, where he died in Cairo on July 28, 1980.
Read more about the Shah and seven other dictators in exile at mental_floss. Link
Comments Off
In a series that he calls Kim Jong Phil, artist Phillip Toledano depicted himself as a heroic leader, much as North Korea’s propaganda art shows dictator Kim Jong-il. He explained that this is a natural thing for an artist to do:
It occurred to me that being an artist is a great deal like being a dictator.
Just like a dictator, I must live in a closed loop of self-delusion. A place where my words and ideas always ring true. A gilded daydream of grandiosity. There can be no room for doubt. I must be convinced that I have something vital to say. I must believe that the world is waiting in keen anticipation to hear my message.
Link via Crackajack
Previously on Phillip Toledano:
Bankrupt Offices Photography
Mr. Toledano
The Reluctant Father
You might like to think that the decisions made in stately offices are in your benefit, but a quick look back through 20th century history reveals numerous offices of government used to plan, organize and ultimately commit untold atrocities.
In fact, throughout history men and women of power have decided the fate of millions from behind their desks.
The infamous offices in this list are all well known for the notoriously shady activities that occurred within them, that is except for one shining example, The Cabinet War Rooms. The remaining offices have a dark and sinister history having served as headquarters for some of the most brutal regimes and criminal empires the world has ever seen.
From the Upcoming 
ueue, submitted by 
Their fathers ruled nations with an iron fist – so what’s an offspring to do? If you ever wonder what the descendants of dictators have been up to, check out this interesting post by our very own Stacy over at mental_floss:
1. Alessandra Mussolini, the daughter of Benito Mussolini’s son and his first wife, Anna Maria Scicolone (who also happened to be Sophia Loren’s sister). Alessandra has been all over the place – she’s been a Playboy model, an actress and a singer. The album was only released in Japan, though, and is apparently quite the collector’s item. She was also the leader of a right-wing political party and kicked the minister for equal opportunities on a talk show. It happens at about 43 seconds into the linked video, if you’re interested.
Link – via i met a possum
