Although there has been widespread devastation created by some modern dictators in our world, man's nature is intrinsically good. According to Mencius, a great Chinese philosopher (circa 371 – circa 289 BC), man's nature is good. Mencius' thought was that man is born good-hearted, but due to a series of external influences he can become evil. The last century has brought us some dictators who can be described by this ancient idea of ​​human nature. Joseph Stalin was the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. Under Stalin's leadership, the Ukraine suffered from a famine so great that many considered it an act of genocide by part of Stalin's government. During the time of the famine, Stalin also ordered the purge within the Soviet Union of anyone who was an enemy of the state. The total number of deaths during Stalin's reign is estimated to be between 10 and 60 million. However, Stalin was not always an evil person. He was born the son of a poor shoemaker. As a young man he was trained to be a priest and after becoming dictator he acquired many titles over the years including "Father of Nations", "Brilliant Genius of Mankind", and "Gardener of Human Happiness". During Stalin's tenure, the Soviet Union became a world power and even gained a brief technological lead in space exploration. By the age of 34 he had become a professional revolutionary and member of the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party. It was here that Stalin was influenced by the people and politics that transformed him into the kind of dictator he became. Ruhollah Khomeini is another dictator who started with proper education and i...... middle of paper.... ..education, but were then influenced by religion, their teachers, the community, from friends and social groups. These influences could have been different and led them to become a true and just leader for their people or an integral pillar of the community, but this was not the case. The teachings of Mencius show that man's nature is good as long as it is not influenced or affected by external forces. It is these forces that will persuade or convince a person to become good or bad. With each new baby that is born, these same influencing factors will come that will ultimately make them good or bad. Works CitedEncyclopedia.com Pol Pot. http://www.encyclopedia.com.Encyclopedia.com Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. http://www.encyclopedia.com.Britannica.com Ruhollah Khomeini. http://www.britannica.com.Enotes.com joseph-stalin http://www.enotes.com