“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” says John Quincy Adams. Being a leader is to inspire the public, make them curious, render them aware of their rights, dreams, and right to dream. It is not like that the leader is a savior but he is more like a lantern or a spark that incites whatever died inside of us. Leaders never die; their speeches, good deeds, and legacy are transcendent and their transcendence is measured by the way they affected their society, country and sometimes the world. Being inspired by the concept, we, along with a team from CustomEssayOrder.com, prepared you a list of 10 of the greatest leaders of all time.
10 Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French leader who took advantage of the chaos resulted from the conflict between Republican and Monarchist factions in France. After the French Revolution, he rose to power. His small armies defeated larger armies. In a relatively short term, the man invaded all of Europe and North Africa. As a result, Napoleon managed to restore France’s high position among other world’s powers.
However, the end came when Napoleon made a fatal mistake when he conquered Russian. He and his army were heavily defeated by the Russian troops. Finally, Napoleon was exiled for good, leaving his memoir and legacy recited by millions of people.
9 George Washington
George Washington was known as a leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolution and, of course, as the first U.S. president. At first, Washington worked as a general and commander-in-chief of the colonial armies during the American Revolution. Moreover, from 1789 to 1797, he governed the United States and became the first American president. He held a tremendous vision for America which has led the country to the image it has today. His convince and decisiveness made him worthy of respect, love, and appreciation of not only the Americans but people all over the world.
8 Abraham Lincoln
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax” If he was living today, he would become the United Nations goodwill ambassador for now and for years to come. Abraham Lincoln is the man who led America in its darkest times. Without his humility which he firmly believed in, America wouldn’t have reached its status today. He was there for America during the US Civil War. He kept the people united. He signed the Emancipation Proclamation, putting an end to slavery in the US. He was up to the expectations of those who believed in and counted on him.
7 Salahuddin
He was the first sultan to unify Egypt and Syria and he also founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He is known as the leader of the Muslim armies against the Crusader. When the Crusaders invaded the “Holy Land” or Jerusalem. At first, they managed to enter the lands and to take over Jerusalem; however, keeping it was harder than taking over it. Historically, the Muslim troops surrounded Jerusalem, coming from Egypt and Syria to retake the land. At the helm of these armies was a wily and pragmatic military commander by the name of Salahuddin. He was cautious and decided not to make the same mistakes over again and opted for a systematic approach which attained victory.
6 Che Guevara
“Above all, always be capable of feeling deeply any injustice committed against anyone, anywhere in the world. This is the most beautiful quality in a revolutionary” says Che Ernesto Guevara.
Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, doctor, writer and a guerrilla leader. After finishing his studies, he went, along with his friend, on a trip across South America which rendered him disgruntled over what he witnessed of poverty, hunger, and disease. As a result, he took a step forward as he found the spark of rebellion inciting inside of him and decided to stir up the Cuban revolution. Finally, after years of fighting for equality, Che Guevara became a symbol of rebellion and support of the marginalized. He sums up his approach in his own words, declaring “The peasant must always be helped technically, economically, morally and culturally. The guerrilla fighter will be a sort of guiding angel who has fallen into the zone, helping the poor always and bothering the rich as little as possible in the first phases of the war”.
5 Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar who is commonly known as Julius Caesar. turned the Roman Republic into the powerful Roman Empire. He is a Roman politician and general who is remembered for turning the fragile Roman Republic into the power Roman Empire. Julius Caesar‘s rich history can be highlighted in the part in which his reputation was boosted further in 74 BC when he established a private army and defeated Mithradates VI Eupator, king of Pontus, who had declared war on Rome. Moreover, his alliance with Pompey facilitated the entrance to hold a powerful position in Rome. His power and savvy enabled him to invade Western Europe and to widen the Roman Empire. However, he was assassinated by his companion Brutus and his assassination is the considered the worst of all time.
4 Alexander, The Great
Becoming a king when he was twenty after his father Philip’s murder, Alexander decided to take over the world literally and figuratively. After his father’s assassination, Alexander took a leaf out of his father’s book and decided to conquer Persia as his father wished. However, such empire did not fulfill Alexander’s needs so he moved forward towards modern Afghanistan and Central Asia. He devised an outline where he supposed to establish an empire from India to Macedon to Egypt, but he drew back from India without conquering it and was convinced by his leaders to move to Babylon in lieu of India where he died from a fever when he hit the age of 32. Undoubtedly, Alexander the Great‘s memoir remains eternal and present as he named the cities he conquered after himself, creating a widespread Hellenistic Civilisation.
3 Nelson Mandela
Spending thirty years in jail did not drain his cry outs against racial discrimination in South Africa. However, he came out more powerful and determined like he was never seen before.Of course, Mandela is the first democratically elected president of South Africa as he turned it from a British colony into a powerful state with infrastructure and mighty. The author of Long Walk to Freedom describes his love and appreciation for South Africa as he says, “I will not leave South Africa, nor will I surrender. Only through hardship, sacrifice, and militant action can freedom be won. The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days”.
2 Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for change, a dream for equality and a better world free from racism. His approach to non-violence saved him a place among the world’s greatest leaders and among Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. Furthermore, Luther King Jr. strove for equality among people. who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. View his amazingly touching and informative speech “I Have A Dream” to see his conviction, sagacity, and oratory.
1 Mahatma Gandhi
This list comprises 10 of the most influential leaders in the world; however, there are thousands of human beings who have made real and defining differences in other people’s lives. Despite the fact that they are not famous to make it to the list, their actions and goodwill will always remain. You can be a leader yourself when you believe in your potential and, most importantly, embrace a cause.