Top 10 Most Popular Wartime Leaders Throughout History
- Adolf Hitler. Scum though he was, you’ve gotta be at least sort of popular to convince an entire country that all their problems are due to one particular ethnic group, and further that said ethnic group must be eradicated from the face of the earth. Not only that, he almost won.
- Napoleon Bonaparte. Besides being cool enough to have the title “Emperor” added to the front of his name, he led France to victory after victory in the early 19th century, only to be defeated by the same mistake that would doom Hitler a century later: invading Russia.
- Winston Churchill. As fate would have it, the Allies had the anti-Hitler: Winston Churchill. His speeches would rally Britain (and consequently the Allied powers) back to battle many times when it seemed all was lost. Who else could give a speech consisting of “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up,” and receive a standing ovation?
- George Washington. Besides starring on the 1 dollar bill, ol’ George also had a hand in the founding of the United States. In fact, without him, it probably never would’ve gotten off the ground, as no one else had the grit or motivational ability to see the ragtag bunch of men known as the Revolutionary Army through the winter at Valley Forge.
- Alexander the Great. Undefeated. That’s what you need to know about Alexander the Great—he beat Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and then went on to finish off the Persian Empire. His tactics were so good, they’re still taught at military school today.
- Julius Caesar. Pretty much the definition of popular general, Caesar conquered France, invaded Britain, and was then proclaimed “dictator in perpetuity”.
- Genghis Khan. Not the nicest guy you ever met, he nonetheless carved up most of China and Central Asia to become the Mongolian Empire. His successors took it upon themselves to add Eastern Europe and the Middle East to the list of victories. Although he wasn’t particularly loved in the countries he vanquished, Mongolians consider him the founding father of their country.
- Hannibal. He convinced an army of normally sane men to march over the Alps, with elephants, in order to carry out a successful surprise attack.
- Robert E. Lee. Who said you had to win the war to be popular? Lee was so good, Abraham Lincoln tried to sign him up for the Union, but he decided his allegiance was with his home state of Virginia. His brilliant tactics stopped the far-more-powerful North time after time, and had it not been for Grant’s bloody strategy of throwing men at the South until victory, the U.S. might today be a lot smaller.
- David. King David led Israel from its status as a little-known marginalized people group to its ascendancy as the most powerful nation in the Middle East. His legacy would extend for thousands of years in Israel, as he became known as the “father” of all future kings.
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