The history of this planet is filled with names that will be known for generations to come because of the impact they’ve had on society. Whether that impact was a good or a bad thing, the main thing a lot of these people have in common is that they had a leadership role in whatever system they operated in, and they were ridiculously charismatic. They were able to persuade the masses to see their point of view and shifted the world closer towards their ideal situation.
Let’s dive in the history books and take a look at some of these leaders that were known for having a huge charismatic effect on the people around them.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon was mostly known for the way he managed to keep his troops inspired, but his one mistake was not knowing when to quit. Eventually he tried to conquer too many countries, started making mistakes and he started to distrust his advisors. We’ll always have him to thank for the so-called Napoleon complex.
Malcolm X
Malcolm established the Nation of Islam in America before black people really had any rights. His methods were known to be very violent and revolutionary, as he actually attempted to create a seperate state for black people to live in. He was a very charismatic speaker and managed to rally about 40,000 people to his cause before converting to traditional Islam and stepping away from his violent methods.
Aung San Suu Kyi
She has been the symbol of independence for her nation of Myanmar. After spending about two decades imprisoned in her own home and fighting for the rights of her people, she has sadly fallen from grace quite a bit as she did very little to protect the muslim minority in Myanmar from the military. She is currently imprisoned for “inciting dissent” and will probably remain imprisoned for life.
Adolf Hitler
Sadly, not all charismatic leaders have the best intentions. Adolf Hitler managed to convince the bigger part of Germany that the treaty of Versailles combined with the jewish people were to blame for the decline in the German economy and established a regime that was responsible for one of the worst wars against humanity we’ve ever seen and hopefully will never have to see again.
Winston Churchill
Boy, did Winston Churchill know how to fill a room or what? He was bombastic at best, and he was one of the first people to realise that the rise of the Nazi party in Germany would lead to some very bad things that would require decisive action from the rest of the world.
Fidel Castro
Despite being known for ruling with an iron fist, Fidel Castro was a very charismatic person that managed to stay in power for nearly half a century. Castro’s communist regime is still in place in Cuba and despite no longer being actively tied to Russia, they still very much oppose the U.S. and blame them for the bad situation the economy in Cuba is in.
Nelson Mandela
The things Nelson Mandela did for South Africa cannot be understated. He spent almost his entire life in prison but did manage to free his country and people from white oppression, culminating in the abolishment of apartheid in 1990. He was a very charismatic person that even when imprisoned managed to rally people behind him by smuggling out political statements.
Martin Luther King Jr.
It’ll take centuries before people will no longer know who said the famous words “I have a dream”. Where Malcolm X appealed more to the more direct and angry mobs when it came to rights for African-Americans, Martin Luther King Jr. was the diplomatic version that appealed mostly to a more calm and intellectual audience.
