A new Sky HISTORY series, Secret Sex Lives of Tyrants, delves into the shocking sexual appetites of some of the world’s most notorious dictators. Among those examined are Fidel Castro, Muammar Gaddafi, and others, whose behaviour experts say reflects a broader pattern of deviation in power and relationships.
Fidel Castro, who led Cuba from 1959 until 2008, was reputed to have slept with 35,000 women. Professor Fathali M. Moghaddam of Georgetown University notes that such claims are mathematically possible, citing Genghis Khan as a historical parallel. Castro, nicknamed 'El Caballo' (The Horse) at university, openly had affairs even after marrying Mirta Díaz-Balart in 1948. Dr Meredith G. F. Worthen describes him as an extreme narcissist, while Professor Kaplan adds that he epitomised the macho male, treating mistresses as trophies.
Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s sexual depravity was uncovered after his regime fell in 2011. Hidden dungeons beneath his Tripoli residence contained gynaecological equipment, revealing a playground of sexual violence. For two decades, Gaddafi ordered the abduction of young women, girls, and boys. Dr Worthen states he did horrific things, including torturing women in a basement chamber and forcing them to watch others being tortured.
Gaddafi, born in the early 1940s near Sirte, rose to power in a 1969 coup. He portrayed himself as a women’s liberationist, creating the Green Book and opening a female-only military academy. Yet his female bodyguards were effectively sex slaves. Historian Kate Vigurs explains that these women, though beautiful and well-groomed, were trapped in a secret basement apartment with 30 others, including girls as young as 15. They were coerced into every sex act, forced to take drugs, and made to facilitate the rape of other young Libyans.
Professor Moghaddam summarises that tyrants deviate sexually because they can, reflecting their general deviation in power and relationships. The series also covers Joseph Goebbels, Idi Amin, and Saddam Hussein, whose sexual depravity knew no bounds.
