Seven (screwed up) wonders of the totalitarian world

There is something terribly crazy about totalitarian governments and their sense of architecture: monumental, gaudy, pompous, and, more often than not, in extraordinarily poor taste.

That's whey the fine folks over at Esquire Magazine have compiled a list of what they feel are the world's most "colossal monument[s] to narcissism."

The Seven Wonders of the Totalitarian World, as you might imagine, is a rather bizarre assortment of architectural toy things by those drunk with power and devoid of taste. I can't say I agree with all of them--there are certainly others that should make the list such as Kim Il Sung's massive bronze statue in Pyongyang (above). But the ones that are included are still worth checking out nonetheless. And remember, when dictators fall, as Esquire points out, their statues soon follow--so be sure to visit soon.

Fist Crushing U.S. Fighter Plane, Libya
Monument to President Laurent Kabila, Congo
Lenin's Mausoleum, Russia
Monument to President Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan
Mao Leading the Chinese People's Liberation Army, China
The Hands of Victory, Iraq
Monument to the Founding of the North Korean Worker's Party, North Korea

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Congo, Libya, China, Iraq, North Korea, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan