Your Nation's Greatest Leaders

[BEHIND_THE_MASK]

THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE/UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS/THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION:

::: Peter The Great (He gave us St. Petersburg!!!)
::: Vladimir Lenin (You might not agree with me (of course you wont) but Lenin had a hard job. come to power in a hard time and had to make some hard decisisions. He cared about Russia, even enough to allow some Capitalism so that his country would not fall apart.
::: Ivan The Great (We all know why he's great!)
::: Catherine The Great (Back you accursed Turks!)

As for some of the others:

::: Stalin (You're an . .. .. .. .. .. .. ....)
::: Ivan The Terrible (eh, sorta f**ked up isn't he?)
::: Borris Yeltsin (Was it the booze that got our your poor ability to run a country?)
::: Vladimir Putin (Get on the god damn ball or stop playing with damnit!)

 

[Quildavyr]

THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE/UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS/THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION:


::: Catherine The Great (Back you accursed Turks!)

At elementary school have the teacher us taught,how Baltaci Mehmet Paşa(he was at his 80 years) has enjoyed Catherine The Great s intimate friendship.So every turkish kid knows she was great leader,in bed too...

So you dont have to curse Turks,we respect her.

 

[RedRalph]

Ireland hasnt had any good leaders since the stone age.

 

[aronnax]

Greatest Chinese Leaders

1. Kang Xi, Whooped Russian Ass and was the probably the last Great Emperor of China that rule a state stronger in economy, science and millitary than Europe. Expanded China into present day borders. Tripled the treasury the Amount

2. Hong Wu, Peasant Boy who became a monk then got kicked out because he stoled some pig. Grew up, led a rebellion and kicked the Mongolians out of China!

 

[sysyphus]

Ireland hasnt had any good leaders since the stone age.

I know next to nothing about Irish politics, but given that Ireland has evolved into one of the most prosperous and best places to live in the world, I'm wont to beg to differ.

Anyway, my list for Canada:

- Lester Pearson
- Pierre Trudeau
- Wilfred Laurier
- Sir John A MacDonald
- HRH Queen Victoria*
- Jean Chretien

I know many Canadians will balk at this one, but she played a vital role in the building of our nation, hence why we (officially) celebrate her birthday.

 

[BeyondCivilized]

Rafik Bahaeddine Al-Hariri

His assassination in Valentine's day 2005 is why my country is witnessing its end.

Saladin ruled over Lebanon once, I guess I could put him on the list.

There is also Ryad Al Soloh, the independence guy. When was it the last time you've seen a prime minister take a bullet for his country, and not in an assassination attempt?

 

[Evie]

I know next to nothing about Irish politics, but given that Ireland has evolved into one of the most prosperous and best places to live in the world, I'm wont to beg to differ.

Anyway, my list for Canada:

- Lester Pearson
- Pierre Trudeau
- Wilfred Laurier
- Sir John A MacDonald
- HRH Queen Victoria*
- Jean Chretien

I know many Canadians will balk at this one, but she played a vital role in the building of our nation, hence why we (officially) celebrate her birthday.

Well, provided you live in the RoC, anyway

We in Québec use that day to celebrate the 1837-38 rebels AGAINST Victoria, instead :-D

 

[Arwon]

Australia:

1. Prime Minister John Curtin - Saw us through WW2, a great statesman. Pacifist who had to introduce conscription, wartime leader who hated war. Very interesting character all round.
2. Prime Minister Robert Menzies - Looms large in Australian history partly just because he led for 26 years before and after WW2. Bit of a reactionary old bastard but more liberal than the current Liberal Party, which he founded.
3. Prime Minister Edmund Barton - Probably gets a lot of credit simply due to being first, but he was a major architect of Federation in the 1890s so there's a good reason he was the first PM.
4. Governor Lachlan Macquarie - Just to get some pre-federation represenation. Fought the old colonial interests, was instrumental in getting freed convicts some measure of social equality.
5. Prime Minister Edward Gough Whitlam - This would raise some hackles among more conservative Australians as he's our most divisive historical figure, but he set in motion a great deal of the modernising reforms that had ramifications in later Prime Ministerships.

 

[bombshoo]

Ireland hasnt had any good leaders since the stone age.

I thought Michael Collins was universally loved in Ireland...Not saying you do or anything though.

United States

Presidents:
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
Franklin Roosevelt
Harry Truman
Dwight Eisenhower
James Monroe

Others:
George Marshell
Benjamin Franklin
Martin Luther King jr.
Stephen Colbert

 

[Red Door]

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. Theodore Roosevelt
3. George Washington
4. James K. Polk
5. Franklin Roosevelt

And a special shout-out to Andrew Jackson for being so thug-rich.

 

[Ambidexter]

James K. Polk? The guy started an aggressive war against Mexico.

My leaders would be:

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. George Washington
3. Franklin Roosevelt
4. Theodore Roosevelt
5. William Henry Harrison (died a month after taking office)

 

[Nuka-sama]

For UK

1) Victoria- Changed Britain to a Constitutional Monarchy, made Britain become the de facto power of Europe

2) Elizabeth- Goldne age of England

USA

1) James Polk- Manifest Destiny

 

[fugazi]

For Holland -

Johan van Oldenbarneveldt
Johan de Witt
Willem van Oranje
Willem Drees

 

[Turkish_Aries]

Turkey

1.Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
2.Mehmed II
3.Suleiman I
4.Beyazid
5.Atilla
6.Alaaddin Keykubat

 

[Huayna Capac357]

USA:

Washington- Independence
Jefferson- Bought us Louisiana (A good thing??)
FDR- AWESOME Stopped the Depression, lead us through WWII, handicapped but still powerful, cared about the common man. And an Episcopalian!
Lincoln- Freed the slaves, great guy.
Martin Luther King Jr.- Nonviolent, lead the civil-rights moevment, minister, peace and love, etc.

So:
Washington
Jefferson
FDR
Lincoln
MLK Jr.

 

[Tee Kay]

Australia (Prime Ministers only)

1) Chifley - very short term but achieved a lot of reforms during that time.
2) Menzies - very influential leader during the Cold War. Our longest serving PM.
3) Deakin - one of the main architects of Federation
4) Curtin - leader during WWII.
5) Whitlam - very short term (and was sacked) about achieved a lot of significant modernising reforms during this time. Finally got rid of the White Australia Policy after 75 years.

 

[Integral]

Most of what can be said for the USA has been said, but I'll throw my 2 cents into the ring:

Presidents
1. Washington
2. Lincoln
3. FDR
4. Eisenhower (There's a lot of Ike love on this thread. This makes me happy)
5. I need someone early...Polk? Jefferson?

Treasury Secretaries and Central Bankers
1. Hamilton. America's first "economist". I made this category solely to give him recognition.
2. Volker. He broke inflation, and in so doing caused a recession. It took guts not to bow to political pressure.
3. Greenspan. Led us through the late 80s and 90s, though he may have created an environment favorable to the current credit crisis. The only reason that he makes third, but not second, is that he's a bit too recent to judge objectively.

 

[cthom]

1. Bobby Brown
2. Willie Ormond
3. Jock Stein
4. Walter Smith
5. Alec McLeish

 

[Arwon]

Australia (Prime Ministers only)

1) Chifley - very short term but achieved a lot of reforms during that time.
2) Menzies - very influential leader during the Cold War. Our longest serving PM.
3) Deakin - one of the main architects of Federation
4) Curtin - leader during WWII.
5) Whitlam - very short term (and was sacked) about achieved a lot of significant modernising reforms during this time. Finally got rid of the White Australia Policy after 75 years.

Chifley woulda been next on my list. I didn't wanna include ALL the great Labor leaders of the past because it might have made me look biased.

Though it's interesting that most of the really interesting and reforming leaders have been ALP.

 

[Steph]

For France

1) De Gaulle, who manage to transform a bitter defeat into a final victory, and France is still in the top countries. He was also a man with honnor and integrity, who for instance, paid the electricy bill for the private appartments at the presidential palace, or refuse a president retirement advantages.

2) Napoleon, not only for his military victories, but because of everything he created (code civil, many schools, and administrative organization of France)

3) Charlemagne.... To bad his empire was split...