World History Flashcards
Use this deck to ensure that you know who's who when it comes to world historical figures.
Who is:
Alexander the Great
- Ruler of Greece in the 4th century B.C.
- Conquered most of the ancient world, extending his empire to India
- Founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt
Who is:
Attila the Hun
- King of the Huns in the 5th century
- His armies, known for their cruelty, overran much of eastern and central Europe
Who is:
Augustus Caesar
- First emperor of Rome and the adopted son of Julius Caesar
- During his reign, Rome enjoyed a time of peace and a golden age for literature and the arts, resulting in the term “Augustan age”
- The month of August is named after him
- Jesus was born during his reign
Who is:
Julius Caesar
- Roman dictator and general in the first century B.C. who secured Roman rule over Gaul, present-day France, and later reported of a campaign in Asia, “I came, I saw, I conquered”
- Fearing his power, the Roman senate demanded that he disband his army, but he refused and returned to Rome with his army, declaring himself dictator
- Assassinated by his friend Brutus, an episode immortalized in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar
- Caesar endured as the family name of the next 11 rulers of Rome, while the word “caesar” later became adapted by emperors of Russia and Germany to “czar” and “kaiser”
Who is:
Francis Bacon (philosopher)
- English scientist, politician, and author of the 16th and 17th centuries
- A leader of the Renaissance in England and advocate of the scientific method
- Has been mentioned as a possible author of some of the plays attributed to Shakespeare
Who is:
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
Spanish explorer of the 16th century who discovered the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific ocean was later named by Ferdinand Magellan
Who is:
Hannibal
- General of the third and second centuries B.C. from the ancient northern African city of Carthage, which waged war against Rome in the Punic Wars
- He tried to capture Rome by moving an enormous army from Spain through the Alps, but after several victories he was eventually defeated
Who is:
Caligula
- Tyrannical and ruthless ruler of Rome in the first century A.D.
- One of the 12 Caesars
- Once appointed his horse to the senate to mock the Roman senate
Who is:
Charlemagne
Also known as “Charles the Great”, the king of France in the 8th and 9th centuries and crowned the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 800
Who is:
Cleopatra
- Queen of Egypt in the first century B.C.
- Known for her beauty and luxurious lifestyle
- After living for some time in Rome with Julius Caesar, she returned to Egypt where she lived with Roman politician Mark Antony
- Antony’s affair with her, as well as their suicides, was dramatized in a Shakespearean play
Who is:
Christopher Columbus
- Italian explorer who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered the New World in 1492
- Casting off initially from Spain under the patronage of the king and queen of Spain, he had hoped to find a westward route to India
Who is:
Constantine the Great
- Roman emperor of the 4th century who founded Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire and later capital of the Byzantine Empire
- Allowed Christians to practice their religion within the Roman Empire
Who is:
Hernando Cortés
Spanish conquistador of the 16th century who conquered Mexico for Spain after overthrowing the Aztecs
Who is:
Sir Thomas More
- 16th-century English statesman and adviser to Henry VIII, who had him executed when he did not support Henry’s becoming head of the Roman Catholic Church in England
- Famous for his book Utopia, which depicts an ideal, imaginary society void of misery
- Friend of Desiderius Erasmus
Who is:
Desiderius Erasmus
- 15th and 16th-century Dutch theologian and humanist, also known as Erasmus of Rotterdam
- Proponent of religious toleration who sought to reform the Catholic Church while maintaining his recognition of the pope
- Friend of Sir Thomas More
Who is:
Leif Ericson
Norse explorer who is often regarded as the first European, rather than Columbus, to discover North America, around the year 1000
Who is:
Genghis Khan
Mongolian emperor of the 12th and 13th centuries who conquered great areas of western Asia and northern China
Who is:
Henry VIII
- King of England from 1509 to 1547 who established himself the head of the Church in England when the pope refused to allow him to dissolve his marriage to Catherine of Aragon
- England has remained a Protestant nation ever since
- He had six wives in all
Who is:
Joan of Arc
- 15th-century French military heroine and Roman Catholic saint who led the French army to victories during the Hundred Years’ War, eventually leading to the coronation of Charles VII
- Her claims to have heard God speak to her led to a trial for heresy, after which she was burned at the stake at the age of 19
Who is:
Francisco Pizarro
Spanish conquistador of the 16th century who established Peru after overthrowing the Incas
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Ruler of Greece in the 4th century B.C.
- Conquered most of the ancient world, extending his empire to India
- Founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt
Alexander the Great
Name the world historical figure(s):
- King of the Huns in the 5th century
- His armies, known for their cruelty, overran much of eastern and central Europe
Attila the Hun
Name the world historical figure(s):
- First emperor of Rome and the adopted son of Julius Caesar
- During his reign, Rome enjoyed a time of peace and a golden age for literature and the arts, resulting in the term “Augustan age”
- The month of August is named after him
- Jesus was born during his reign
Augustus Caesar
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Roman dictator and general in the first century B.C. who secured Roman rule over Gaul, present-day France, and later reported of a campaign in Asia, “I came, I saw, I conquered”
- Fearing his power, the Roman senate demanded that he disband his army, but he refused and returned to Rome with his army, declaring himself dictator
- Assassinated by his friend Brutus, an episode immortalized in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar
- Caesar endured as the family name of the next 11 rulers of Rome, while the word “caesar” later became adapted by emperors of Russia and Germany to “czar” and “kaiser”
Julius Caesar
Name the world historical figure(s):
- English scientist, politician, and author of the 16th and 17th centuries
- A leader of the Renaissance in England and advocate of the scientific method
- Has been mentioned as a possible author of some of the plays attributed to Shakespeare
Francis Bacon (philosopher)
Name the world historical figure(s):
Spanish explorer of the 16th century who discovered the Pacific Ocean
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
Name the world historical figure(s):
- General of the third and second centuries B.C. from the ancient northern African city of Carthage, which waged war against Rome in the Punic Wars
- He tried to capture Rome by moving an enormous army from Spain through the Alps, but after several victories he was eventually defeated
Hannibal
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Tyrannical and ruthless ruler of Rome in the first century A.D.
- One of the 12 Caesars
- Once appointed his horse to the senate to mock the Roman senate
Caligula
Name the world historical figure(s):
Also known as “Charles the Great”, the king of France in the 8th and 9th centuries and crowned the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 800
Charlemagne
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Queen of Egypt in the first century B.C.
- Known for her beauty and luxurious lifestyle
- After living for some time in Rome with Julius Caesar, she returned to Egypt where she lived with Roman politician Mark Antony
- Antony’s affair with her, as well as their suicides, was dramatized in a Shakespearean play
Cleopatra
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Italian explorer who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered the New World in 1492
- Casting off initially from Spain under the patronage of the king and queen of Spain, he had hoped to find a westward route to India
Christopher Columbus
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Roman emperor of the 4th century who founded Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire and later capital of the Byzantine Empire
- Allowed Christians to practice their religion within the Roman Empire
Constantine the Great
Name the world historical figure(s):
Spanish conquistador of the 16th century who conquered Mexico for Spain after overthrowing the Aztecs
Hernando Cortés
Name the world historical figure(s):
- 16th-century English statesman and adviser to Henry VIII, who had him executed when he did not support Henry’s becoming head of the Roman Catholic Church in England
- Famous for his book Utopia, which depicts an ideal, imaginary society void of misery
- Friend of Desiderius Erasmus
Sir Thomas More
Name the world historical figure(s):
- 15th and 16th-century Dutch theologian and humanist, also known as Erasmus of Rotterdam
- Proponent of religious toleration who sought to reform the Catholic Church while maintaining his recognition of the pope
- Friend of Sir Thomas More
Desiderius Erasmus
Name the world historical figure(s):
Norse explorer who is often regarded as the first European, rather than Columbus, to discover North America, around the year 1000
Leif Ericson
Name the world historical figure(s):
Mongolian emperor of the 12th and 13th centuries who conquered great areas of western Asia and northern China
Genghis Khan
Name the world historical figure(s):
- King of England from 1509 to 1547 who established himself the head of the Church in England when the pope refused to allow him to dissolve his marriage to Catherine of Aragon
- England has remained a Protestant nation ever since
- He had six wives in all
Henry VIII
Name the world historical figure(s):
- 15th-century French military heroine and Roman Catholic saint who led the French army to victories during the Hundred Years’ War, eventually leading to the coronation of Charles VII
- Her claims to have heard God speak to her led to a trial for heresy, after which she was burned at the stake at the age of 19
Joan of Arc
Name the world historical figure(s):
Spanish conquistador of the 16th century who established Peru after overthrowing the Incas
Francisco Pizarro
Who is:
Montezuma II
Also known as Moctezuma II, an Aztec emperor and ruler of Tenochtitlan who was overthrown by the Spanish under Hernando Cortés
Who is:
Nero
- Roman emperor from the first century A.D. known for his tyranny and persecution of Christians
- Although during his short reign he oversaw a successful war and sought to enhance cultural, artistic, and athletic life in Rome, he was driven from the throne and became the first Roman emperor to commit suicide
- Many believed he had started the Great Fire of Rome himself
Who is:
William The Conqueror
Duke of Normandy who in 1066 launched the Norman conquest of England, eventually becoming the first Norman king of England
Who is:
Ferdinand Magellan
- Portuguese explorer whose final expedition was the first expedition to sail around the Earth (though he was killed before completion of the voyage)
- His expedition was also the first to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, which he named “Mar Pacifico” (the “Peaceful Sea”)
- The Strait of Magellan is named for him
Who is:
Marco Polo
- Italian merchant and explorer from the 13th and 14th centuries whose travels across Asia were recorded in the travelogue The Travels of Marco Polo and introduced Europeans to the cultures of Central Asia
- The book later inspired Christopher Columbus, and claims that Polo became a government official at the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of China
Who is:
Juan Ponce de León
- Spanish conquistador from the 15th and 16th centuries who established and became the first governor of Puerto Rico
- He also named Florida, where he led an expedition in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth
Who is:
Pericles
- Greek statesman and general of Athens from the 5th century B.C.
- Promoted Athenian democracy and championed the arts, overseeing the creation of many great structures like the Parthenon and much of the Acropolis
- His rule is sometimes known as the Age of Pericles or the Golden Age
Who is:
Kemal Ataturk
Turkish statesman who helped found modern-day Turkey in the 1920s after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, establishing a secular government
Who is:
Yasir Arafat
- Palestinian leader and head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and of the Fatah political party
- Opposed and fought against Israel for much of his life but later engaged in negotiations to end conflicts between Israel and the PLO
- For his participation in the Oslo Accords, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994
- After his death in 2004, he has remained a controversial figure, revered by many and reviled by many others
Who is:
David Ben-Gurion
20th-century Israeli leader who was important to the formation of Israel and was named the country’s first prime minister
Who is:
Salvador Allende
- 20th-century Chilean politician who became the first Marxist to become president of a Latin American country when he won the Chilean presidency in 1970
- He was overthrown and committed suicide during a military coup supported by the CIA in 1973
- Following the coup, Chile became a military junta
Who is:
Osama bin Laden
- Islamic terrorist and founder of al-Qaeda, the jihadist network that bombed the American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 and attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the September 11 attacks of 2001
- After a decade of being the major target of the War on Terror, he was killed by American forces in Pakistan in May 2011
Who is:
Otto von Bismarck
- German statesman of the 19th century who was largely responsible for the unification of modern Germany
- After the Franco-Prussian War ended in 1871, he unified numerous German states as a single German Empire under Prussian leadership, with him as the first chancellor
- His leadership was marked by economic progress, conservatism, and a preserved peace in Europe in the later 19th century
Who is:
Simón Bolívar
- 18th and 19th-century Venezuelan military and political leader who successfully fought the Spanish Empire for the independence of countries in South America
- He helped lead Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (named in his honor) to independence
- One of the most important politicians in Latin American history, he helped lay the foundation for democracy in much of the region
Who is:
Fidel Castro
- 20th-century Cuban communist political leader who led the 1959 revolution that overthrew the United States-backed dictator of Cuba
- He then oversaw Cuba’s transformation into a communist state, serving first as prime minister then as president
- Due to his alliance with the Soviet Union, the United States implemented an economic blockade of Cuba and unsuccessfully invaded the island in 1961
- In 1962, he allowed the Soviets to place nuclear weapons on Cuba, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis, at the end of which the missiles were removed
- He remains a controversial world figure, regarded by some as an abusive dictator and by others as a champion of socialism and anti-imperialism
Who is:
Catherine the Great
- Empress of Russia in the 18th century who reigned for over thirty years
- Under her rule Russia grew larger and stronger than ever and became one of the great powers of Europe
- She encouraged the cultural influences of Western Europe and presided over the Russian Enlightenment
- She is known for her many romantic affairs, many of them with members of her court and government
Who is:
Chiang Kai-shek
- Chinese nationalist military and political leader of the 20th century who was president of China until he was overthrown by Mao Zedong’s communist forces in 1949
- He then fled to Taiwan and established the Republic of China, which exists to this day
Who is:
Winston Churchill
- British author and statesman best known for serving twice as Prime Minister, most notably during World War II
- Formed an alliance with Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA) and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union) against Hitler’s Germany and came to epitomize British resistance to conquest by the Nazis
- Regarded as a great orator, he also won a Nobel Prize in Literature
Who is:
Georges Clemenceau
- 19th and 20th-century French doctor, journalist, and statesman who twice served as Prime Minister of France and led the country to victory in World War I
- One of the principal architects of the Treaty of Versailles, he was less forgiving than American president Woodrow Wilson and wanted to punish Germany for having started the Great War
- As an editor and journalist, he is noted for having published Émile Zola’s famous article “J’accuse” on the front page of his newspaper L’Aurore, one of the major events of the Dreyfus Affair
Who is:
Captain James Cook
18th-century English explorer noted for establishing the first European colony in Australia and for exploring the western coast of North America, New Zealand, and Hawaii
Name the world historical figure(s):
Also known as Moctezuma II, an Aztec emperor and ruler of Tenochtitlan who was overthrown by the Spanish under Hernando Cortés
Montezuma II
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Roman emperor from the first century A.D. known for his tyranny and persecution of Christians
- Although during his short reign he oversaw a successful war and sought to enhance cultural, artistic, and athletic life in Rome, he was driven from the throne and became the first Roman emperor to commit suicide
- Many believed he had started the Great Fire of Rome himself
Nero
Name the world historical figure(s):
Duke of Normandy who in 1066 launched the Norman conquest of England, eventually becoming the first Norman king of England
William The Conqueror
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Portuguese explorer whose final expedition was the first expedition to sail around the Earth (though he was killed before completion of the voyage)
- His expedition was also the first to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, which he named “Mar Pacifico” (the “Peaceful Sea”)
- The Strait of Magellan is named for him
Ferdinand Magellan
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Italian merchant and explorer from the 13th and 14th centuries whose travels across Asia were recorded in the travelogue The Travels of Marco Polo and introduced Europeans to the cultures of Central Asia
- The book later inspired Christopher Columbus, and claims that Polo became a government official at the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of China
Marco Polo
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Spanish conquistador from the 15th and 16th centuries who established and became the first governor of Puerto Rico
- He also named Florida, where he led an expedition in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth
Juan Ponce de León
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Greek statesman and general of Athens from the 5th century B.C.
- Promoted Athenian democracy and championed the arts, overseeing the creation of many great structures like the Parthenon and much of the Acropolis
- His rule is sometimes known as the Age of Pericles or the Golden Age
Pericles
Name the world historical figure(s):
Turkish statesman who helped found modern-day Turkey in the 1920s after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, establishing a secular government
Kemal Ataturk
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Palestinian leader and head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and of the Fatah political party
- Opposed and fought against Israel for much of his life but later engaged in negotiations to end conflicts between Israel and the PLO
- For his participation in the Oslo Accords, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994
- After his death in 2004, he has remained a controversial figure, revered by many and reviled by many others
Yasir Arafat
Name the world historical figure(s):
20th-century Israeli leader who was important to the formation of Israel and was named the country’s first prime minister
David Ben-Gurion
Name the world historical figure(s):
- 20th-century Chilean politician who became the first Marxist to become president of a Latin American country when he won the Chilean presidency in 1970
- He was overthrown and committed suicide during a military coup supported by the CIA in 1973
- Following the coup, Chile became a military junta
Salvador Allende
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Islamic terrorist and founder of al-Qaeda, the jihadist network that bombed the American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 and attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the September 11 attacks of 2001
- After a decade of being the major target of the War on Terror, he was killed by American forces in Pakistan in May 2011
Osama bin Laden
Name the world historical figure(s):
- German statesman of the 19th century who was largely responsible for the unification of modern Germany
- After the Franco-Prussian War ended in 1871, he unified numerous German states as a single German Empire under Prussian leadership, with him as the first chancellor
- His leadership was marked by economic progress, conservatism, and a preserved peace in Europe in the later 19th century
Otto von Bismarck
Name the world historical figure(s):
- 18th and 19th-century Venezuelan military and political leader who successfully fought the Spanish Empire for the independence of countries in South America
- He helped lead Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (named in his honor) to independence
- One of the most important politicians in Latin American history, he helped lay the foundation for democracy in much of the region
Simón Bolívar
Name the world historical figure(s):
- 20th-century Cuban communist political leader who led the 1959 revolution that overthrew the United States-backed dictator of Cuba
- He then oversaw Cuba’s transformation into a communist state, serving first as prime minister then as president
- Due to his alliance with the Soviet Union, the United States implemented an economic blockade of Cuba and unsuccessfully invaded the island in 1961
- In 1962, he allowed the Soviets to place nuclear weapons on Cuba, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis, at the end of which the missiles were removed
- He remains a controversial world figure, regarded by some as an abusive dictator and by others as a champion of socialism and anti-imperialism
Fidel Castro
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Empress of Russia in the 18th century who reigned for over thirty years
- Under her rule Russia grew larger and stronger than ever and became one of the great powers of Europe
- She encouraged the cultural influences of Western Europe and presided over the Russian Enlightenment
- She is known for her many romantic affairs, many of them with members of her court and government
Catherine the Great
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Chinese nationalist military and political leader of the 20th century who was president of China until he was overthrown by Mao Zedong’s communist forces in 1949
- He then fled to Taiwan and established the Republic of China, which exists to this day
Chiang Kai-shek
Name the world historical figure(s):
- British author and statesman best known for serving twice as Prime Minister, most notably during World War II
- Formed an alliance with Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA) and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union) against Hitler’s Germany and came to epitomize British resistance to conquest by the Nazis
- Regarded as a great orator, he also won a Nobel Prize in Literature
Winston Churchill
Name the world historical figure(s):
- 19th and 20th-century French doctor, journalist, and statesman who twice served as Prime Minister of France and led the country to victory in World War I
- One of the principal architects of the Treaty of Versailles, he was less forgiving than American president Woodrow Wilson and wanted to punish Germany for having started the Great War
- As an editor and journalist, he is noted for having published Émile Zola’s famous article “J’accuse” on the front page of his newspaper L’Aurore, one of the major events of the Dreyfus Affair
Georges Clemenceau
Name the world historical figure(s):
18th-century English explorer noted for establishing the first European colony in Australia and for exploring the western coast of North America, New Zealand, and Hawaii
Captain James Cook
Who is:
Oliver Cromwell
- Puritan English political and military leader of the 17th century who led the Parliamentarians to victory in the English Civil War and became the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth
- Monarchy was restored shortly after his death
- He remains a controversial figure, particularly for his ruthless dictatorial style and harsh treatment of Catholics in Scotland and Ireland
Who is:
Charles De Gaulle
- French general and politician of the 20th century famous for heading the French Resistance to the Nazis in World War II
- Later, as president of France, he helped end the Algerian War by granting independence to Algeria
- Fiercely patriotic, he sought to strengthen France by developing its atomic weapons program and by championing a foreign policy independent of the influences of other world powers
Who is:
Elizabeth I
- Daughter of Henry VIII and queen of England in the 16th and 17th centuries
- Her reign, known as the Elizabethan Period, coincided with the Renaissance in England, including Shakespeare’s rise to fame
- The US state of Virginia is named for her; because she never married, she was called the Virgin Queen
Who is:
Karl Marx
- German economist, philosopher, and socialist of the 19th century who founded Marxism, the fundamental theory of communism that calls for a classless society where all means of production are commonly owned
- Working closely with his friend Friedrich Engels, Marx’s two most famous works are Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto
- Marxist ideology contributed to the creation of socialist states like the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China in the 20th century
Who is:
Vladimir Lenin
- Russian communist revolutionary leader, member of the Bolshevik party, and central figure in the 1917 Russian Revolution and establishment of the Soviet Union
- Oversaw Soviet industrialization, the implementation of state capitalism, the transfer of land to workers’ soviets, and the country’s exit from World War I
- Served as the chief of government until his death in 1924, whereby he was succeeded by Joseph Stalin
Who is:
Joseph Stalin
- Soviet leader of the 20th century who ruled the Soviet Union from Lenin’s death in 1924 to 1953
- His policies of collectivization and industrialization displaced millions and contributed to a famine, and they were followed by the Great Purge, a period of brutal repression against those seen as opponents of the government
- After leading the Soviet Union to victory in World War II, he figured prominently in the Potsdam and Yalta Conferences, then led the USSR in its development as a world power, contributing to the Cold War
Who is:
Nelson Mandela
- 20th-century South African politician and most prominent leader in the struggle against Apartheid
- As a member of the African National Congress, he was arrested and convicted of sabotage in 1962 and sentenced to life imprisonment by the white minority government
- Released in 1990, he helped in the establishment of democracy in 1994, and was then elected South Africa’s president in the country’s first fully representative, all-race democratic election
- He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993
Who is:
Mahatma Gandhi
- The leader of India’s drive for independence from Britain, noted for employing non-violent and passive resistance
- The honorific Mahatma means “Great Soul”
- Regarded as a hero and father of India, he was assassinated in 1948 shortly after India had secured its independence
Who is:
Mao Zedong
- Chinese communist revolutionary and the founder of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 following the flight of Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan
- In the two decades before the communist takeover, his Communist Party of China had clashed with Chiang’s Kuomintang party in the Chinese Civil War, with the two sides uniting temporarily to defeat invading Japanese forces
- He served as Chairman of the Communist Party of China until his death in 1976, overseeing the nationalization of the country’s industries and businesses, socialist reforms, the improvement of healthcare and education, and the modernization of China
- He is criticized for his Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, a program to purge and weed out all capitalist culture, and for many perceived human rights abuses that occurred during his rule
Who is:
Elizabeth II
- The present queen of Britain, the longest-lived British monarch ever
- During her reign many former British territories have gained independence
- Her husband is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and her daughter-in-law was Diana, Princess of Wales
Who is:
Archduke Francis Ferdinand
Austrian prince whose assassination in 1914 led to the outbreak of World War I
Who is:
Francisco Franco
- Fascist Spanish military leader and dictator of the 20th century
- Led the Nationalists to victory in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and ruled Spain until his death in 1975
Who is:
Adolf Hitler
- Austrian-born German politician of the 20th century who was head of the Nazi Party, dictator of Nazi Germany, and led Germany in World War II
- Author of the memoir Mein Kampf (My Struggle), which outlined his program for Germany
- As chancellor of Germany he established the Third Reich, a single-party dictatorship, and began World War II in 1939 by invading Poland
- Wishing to create a master race of Aryans, he supervised the systematic murder of 11 million people, including 6 million Jews (the Holocaust)
- In 1945, with Germany’s defeat imminent, he and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide
Who is:
Mikhail Gorbachev
- The Soviet Union’s last president, who attempted to restructure the country’s economy by adopting certain capitalist elements
- Hard-line communists staged a coup against him in 1991, but it quickly collapsed and he returned to the presidency, but he was unable to prevent the eventual dissolution of the USSR
Who is:
Che Guevara
- Argentine Marxist revolutionary who figured prominently in the Cuban Revolution that saw Fidel Castro rise to power
- He later became a guerrilla leader in Latin America, eventually captured and killed in Bolivia in 1967
- His visage has since become a countercultural symbol of rebellion
Who is:
Hirohito
- Japanese emperor of the 20th century who reigned over Japan in World War II
- After the war, he was not prosecuted for war crimes and was forced to give up the claim to divine status
- He then became the symbol of Japan’s recovery, and he died in 1989, his nation’s economy the second largest in the world
Who is:
Ho Chi Minh
- Vietnamese revolutionary of the 20th century who helped found the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945
- His forces helped drive out Japanese forces in the 40s and defeat the French in 1954
- Although he died during the Vietnam War, he served as an inspiration for the People’s Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong fighting for a united, communist Vietnam
- Saigon was renamed in his honor
Who is:
Saddam Hussein
- Dictator of Iraq from 1979 to 2003, noted for the brutality of his dictatorship, namely his suppression of Shi’ite Muslims and Kurds
- He nationalized oil and sought to make Iraq the dominant force in the Persian Gulf, invading Iran in 1980 and Kuwait in 1990, leading to the Persian Gulf War
- In 2003, British and American forces invaded Iraq to depose him and institute a transition to democracy
- Under the interim Iraqi government, he was tried and sentenced to death for the killing of Iraqi Shi’ites in 1982; he was executed in 2006
Who is:
Pol Pot
- 20th-century Cambodian revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge, the communist movement in Cambodia that came to power in 1975
- His three-year dictatorship saw the Cambodian population being forced to relocate to work in labor projects and collective farms, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 1 to 3 million people
- When the Khmer Rouge fell in 1979, he fled to the jungles and died under house arrest in 1998
Who is:
Louis XIV
- Powerful French king who ruled in the 17th and 18th centuries
- Known as the Sun King, he reigned for more than 70 years and strongly believed in the divine right of kings
- During his reign France was the leading European power, and he helped create a centralized state by pacifying the aristocracy by inviting many nobles to live at his palace at Versailles
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Puritan English political and military leader of the 17th century who led the Parliamentarians to victory in the English Civil War and became the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth
- Monarchy was restored shortly after his death
- He remains a controversial figure, particularly for his ruthless dictatorial style and harsh treatment of Catholics in Scotland and Ireland
Oliver Cromwell
Name the world historical figure(s):
- French general and politician of the 20th century famous for heading the French Resistance to the Nazis in World War II
- Later, as president of France, he helped end the Algerian War by granting independence to Algeria
- Fiercely patriotic, he sought to strengthen France by developing its atomic weapons program and by championing a foreign policy independent of the influences of other world powers
Charles De Gaulle
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Daughter of Henry VIII and queen of England in the 16th and 17th centuries
- Her reign, known as the Elizabethan Period, coincided with the Renaissance in England, including Shakespeare’s rise to fame
- The US state of Virginia is named for her; because she never married, she was called the Virgin Queen
Elizabeth I
Name the world historical figure(s):
- German economist, philosopher, and socialist of the 19th century who founded Marxism, the fundamental theory of communism that calls for a classless society where all means of production are commonly owned
- Working closely with his friend Friedrich Engels, Marx’s two most famous works are Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto
- Marxist ideology contributed to the creation of socialist states like the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China in the 20th century
Karl Marx
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Russian communist revolutionary leader, member of the Bolshevik party, and central figure in the 1917 Russian Revolution and establishment of the Soviet Union
- Oversaw Soviet industrialization, the implementation of state capitalism, the transfer of land to workers’ soviets, and the country’s exit from World War I
- Served as the chief of government until his death in 1924, whereby he was succeeded by Joseph Stalin
Vladimir Lenin
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Soviet leader of the 20th century who ruled the Soviet Union from Lenin’s death in 1924 to 1953
- His policies of collectivization and industrialization displaced millions and contributed to a famine, and they were followed by the Great Purge, a period of brutal repression against those seen as opponents of the government
- After leading the Soviet Union to victory in World War II, he figured prominently in the Potsdam and Yalta Conferences, then led the USSR in its development as a world power, contributing to the Cold War
Joseph Stalin
Name the world historical figure(s):
- 20th-century South African politician and most prominent leader in the struggle against Apartheid
- As a member of the African National Congress, he was arrested and convicted of sabotage in 1962 and sentenced to life imprisonment by the white minority government
- Released in 1990, he helped in the establishment of democracy in 1994, and was then elected South Africa’s president in the country’s first fully representative, all-race democratic election
- He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993
Nelson Mandela
Name the world historical figure(s):
- The leader of India’s drive for independence from Britain, noted for employing non-violent and passive resistance
- The honorific Mahatma means “Great Soul”
- Regarded as a hero and father of India, he was assassinated in 1948 shortly after India had secured its independence
Mahatma Gandhi
Name the world historical figure(s):
- Chinese communist revolutionary and the founder of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 following the flight of Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan
- In the two decades before the communist takeover, his Communist Party of China had clashed with Chiang’s Kuomintang party in the Chinese Civil War, with the two sides uniting temporarily to defeat invading Japanese forces
- He served as Chairman of the Communist Party of China until his death in 1976, overseeing the nationalization of the country’s industries and businesses, socialist reforms, the improvement of healthcare and education, and the modernization of China
- He is criticized for his Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, a program to purge and weed out all capitalist culture, and for many perceived human rights abuses that occurred during his rule
Mao Zedong
Name the world historical figure(s):
- The present queen of Britain, the longest-lived British monarch ever
- During her reign many former British territories have gained independence
- Her husband is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and her daughter-in-law was Diana, Princess of Wales
Elizabeth II
Name the world historical figure(s):
Austrian prince whose assassination in 1914 led to the outbreak of World War I
Archduke Francis Ferdinand