Know why they are listed on Top 10 Best Politicians Ever Lived as the greatest politicians that have ever lived with their achievements and personal information.
10. FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
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The 32nd President of the United States in 1933, Roosevelt was a Democrat who led the US during the times of worldwide economic crisis and total war also known as “The Great Depression.” His program, New Deal, has significantly expanded the role of the federal administration in the economy for relief, recovery and reform platform. He instituted the New Deal Coalition which bonded and unified the labor amalgamations, big city machines, white ethnics, African Americans, and rural white Southerners in the provision of the party.
Roosevelt is the first ever American president to be chosen four times up until his decease despite having polio. He headed his fellow Americans to World War II and made America upsurge to supremacy and power. He aimed to make America the “Arsenal of Democracy” and called the Pearl Harbor attack “a date which will live in infamy” when he declared war after the assault. His efforts influenced the formation of the United Nations and Bretton Woods.
9. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
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A French military and political leader, Napoleon escalated to prominence throughout the French Revolution and headed successful movements during the Revolutionary Wars. He was accountable in the conquering of the Monarchy. During the Napoleonic Wars, he controlled European affairs and listed as one of the greatest commanders in the history. The Napoleonic Code was his final legal achievement which has been implemented in many structures by a sector of the world’s legal systems.
Napoleon has won various wars which led him to rewards and victorious dominance. After his fall in 1814, he was expatriated to Elba but later then formed his new government after he has escaped until the Seventh Coalition was his final conquest. During his demise in 1821 at the age of 51, the Europeans have grieved and were left in the state of shock. However, the cause of his death remained a great debate since then.
8. RONALD REAGAN
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The 40th President of the United States, Reagan also became the Governor of California from 1967 to 1975. According to him, the eleventh commandment was “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” In fact, the current US President Barack Obama mentioned that Reagan was his political leadership role model because he “changed the trajectory of America in a way… that, Bill Clinton, did not”.
During his administration, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recorded that the federal expenditure raised 22 percent. He imposed swishing new political and economic initiatives, and his “Reaganomics” supported tax rate decrease to outgrow economic progress, restrain inflation thru money-control, financial deregulation, and government expenditure reduction. He has survived an assassination attempt, intensified the combat on drugs, and brawled public-sector labor during his term.
7. ADOLF HITLER
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An Austrian-born German politician, Hitler was the Nazi Party (NSDAP) leader and a renowned dictator. He was considered one of the cruelest leaders of the world but also dubbed as one of the greatest leaders. As I have mentioned, he was a dictator known for his authoritarian actions. However, his headship and military skill are incomparable. In 1933, he led the Germans to the Great War when he was the Chancellor of Germany. Hitler is also known for his careful planning, maneuvering, and publicity that molded the power politics.
Hitler has been in the history books, culture films, and literature. His fervent nationalism primarily stimulated the Germans who eventually supported his National Socialist party after the massive forfeiture of territory and stature in World War I. During his reign, he led the Third Reich into victory and oppression, and forcefully passed terror through the continent. His force was finally overpowered during the World War II.
6. MAO ZEDONG
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The first Chairman of the Communist of China, Zedong was a Chinese communist revolutionary and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. He was listed as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by TIME. Constructing on Marxism and Leninism, Zedong had created his twist on Communist political theory when he established his principles of governance, ideologies, and economics in what he called the ‘Maoism.’ He suspended the Japanese invasion and permitted the nation to its supremacy and power.
In China, he is known as a revolutionary instigator with his ideas that delivered groundwork for progressions. This assisted the country in propagating from a rural civilization into world supremacy. However, his Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution have been accused of the losses of tens of million mainly due to starvation.
5. ABRAHAM LINCOLN
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The 16th President of the United States, Lincoln headed his country through the Civil War, the goriest war, and its supreme moral, constitutional and political crisis. This led to the preservation of the Union, abolition of slavery, consolidation of the federal government and streamlining the economy. Hence he is well-known for passing the Emancipation Proclamation which finished the captivity in the country. His leadership has been the reason why America is a large country because if it was for him, US must have been a small nation.
Lincoln is also respected for his humility, oratory skills, and conviction. Although he had once said that a “house divided cannot stand,” he fought for the Union to save the Constitution when he was elected in 1860. In 1865 just after the end of the conflict, he was assassinated that caused his death. But he has been an iconic figure along with his Gettysburg Address that has become an inspiration to many.
4. WINSTON CHURCHILL
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A British Prime Minister, Churchill was listed among the most influential people in the history of the United Kingdom. He served a significant role in the foreign affairs of the nation during the World War I and as a prime minister during World War II. He was abstracted by foreign affairs including the Malayan Emergency, Mau Mau Uprising, Korean War and a UK-backed coup d’etat in Iran. In 2002, Churchill was dubbed the Greatest Briton of all time.
While he assisted in redeeming Britain from Axis conquest, he also governed as the once-mighty British Empire accomplished its departure from the world stage. In 1939, he led the British Navy when Britain declared war on Germany. But it was then clear that only he could yoke the country in the aspect of Nazi violence. He finally replaced the compliant Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Churchill spurred the British people and conceded them through five years of European struggle.
3. MOHANDAS ‘MAHATMA’ GANDHI
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Also regarded as Bapu or simply Father in India, Mahatma Gandhi led the country against the rule of the Britain. According to him, achieving independence is achieved through a non-violent movement for the protection from any harm. While serving as a lawyer in South Africa, he advocated the satyagraha or civil disobedience in response to tyranny. This helped the Indian silently campaign for their civil rights. Hence his diplomatic deeds of remonstration overseas and his anti-poverty campaigns at home led the Indian independence struggle.
Gandhi has directed India in nonviolent protest against foreign dominion and demonstrated by the 1930 Salt March in objection to a British salt tax. In 1947, India finally freed and, he was then called the “Father of India.” During his leadership, he surfaced the path for other communal engagements like the America’s struggle for civil rights. Today, Mahatma Gandhi has been respected, and the world celebrates his birthday every October 2 as an International Day of Nonviolence.
2. MUHAMMAD ALI JINNAH
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A Pakistani lawyer and politician, Ali Jinnah is known to be the founder of his country. In 1913, he became the leader of the All-India Muslim League until the independence of Pakistan in 1947. He then became the first Governor-General from the independence of Pakistan until he died. Known as ‘Quaid-I-Azam’ or A Great Leader and ‘Baba-i-Quam’ which means Father of the Nation, Jinnah proposed a fourteen-point constitutional reform plan that secures the Muslim’s political rights.
In 1920, he resigned after the Congress decided to follow the satyagraha campaign supported by Mohandas Gandhi for non-violent resistance. After the World War II, he successfully fought for Pakistan through the Lahore Resolution claiming for a separate nation. His legacy has left a massive impact on the people as he has contributed so much to the survival of his country.
1. NELSON MANDELA
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The first President of South Africa, Mandela was chosen via the means of democratic elections. He was the leader of the Anti-Apartheid movement with his goal of ripping the legacy of apartheid thru undertaking established racism and nurturing racial reconciliation. And just like Martin Luther King Jr., he campaigned against racism. He was repeatedly arrested for revolutionary activities and leadership as a lawyer.
Over his 27 years in jail, Mandela became the representation of the whole people’s fight in contrast to prejudice. In 1990, he was released and again became the head of the Afrikaner National Congress (ANC) and worked alongside President F.W. de Klerk in ending the country’s long-held racial segregation and apartheid policies. Mandela since continued to exemplify the struggle for peace, reconciliation, and social justice globally.