Semester Essay Review

Adolf Hitler

Fascist leader of Germany who orchestrated the Holocaust that resulted in the deaths of millions of Jews across Europe. He led Germany into World War II with the goal of conquering Europe and eventually the world to spread the Fascist ideology, which eventually became a global conflict between the Axis Powers against the Allies (GB, France, USA, Soviet Union). He also enacted various anti-Semitic laws and persecuted Jews in events such as the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht.

Albert Camus

A French philosopher and playwright who won the 1957 Nobel Prize of Literature. His writing is associated with Existentialist philosophy (although he rejected the label of Existentialism), exploring themes of the estrangement of the individual, individual freedom, searching for meaning, and responsibility. His most famous play was “The Stranger,” which follows a detached protagonist as he feels alienated from society.

Albert Einstein

A German theoretical physicist that won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. He developed the theory of relativity, revolutionizing our understanding of space-time and energy and created the two pillars of modern physics. His famous equation (E = mc2) establishes the relationship between mass and energy, and he opened the gateway to modern physics and quantum mechanics. Einstein held socialist beliefs, but was critical of authoritarianism.

Alexander Calder

American sculpture who is famous for his mobile sculptures that were mounted to the ceiling and relied on kinetic energy (either from the wind or motors) to move around, representing the uncertainty of the 1900s in the “chance” movements of air currents. His sculptures often abstractified subjects of nature, using various basic geometric shapes to represent them in an abstract manner. One of his most famous wire sculptures is Red Lily Pads in the Guggenheim Museum.

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was the face of Pop Art in America, known for his innovative ways of portraying mass media and American consumer culture. Some of his most famous works are “Campbell’s Soup Cans” and “Marilyn Diptych,” which became hallmarks of the Pop Art movements. He explored various mediums such as filmmaking and was a famous celebrity, often being a subject of Pop Art himself as he encapsulated the “hivemind” that was American consumerism and media consumption.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, whose assassination in 1914 by Gavrilo Princip (a Serbian nationalist) sparked the beginning of World War I. His death caused bubbling tensions between alliances in Europe to boil over, sparking one of the most destructive and horrid conflicts in history. His assassination was considered a pivotal moment in history, as it incited the first conflict in history that occurred on a truly global scale and showed the destructive power of our modern industrial society.

Arnold Schoenberg

Schoenberg was an Austrian composer and music theorist, who was known for his development and use of the twelve-tone technique that revolutionized music in the 1900s as well as the concept of atonal music that sounded dissonant and didn’t follow an established key. His most significant work, “Pierrot Lunaire,” shows his innovative use of atonality and complex musical structures. His works influenced many composers and defined classical music with its defiance of established compositional standards.

Ayatollah Khomeini

Khomeini was an Iranian religious leader and politician that led the 1979 Iranian Revolution, overthrowing the Shah and establishing the Islamic Republic of Iran. As the Supreme Leader of Iran, he implemented a theocratic government that was based on the fundamental principles of Islam, with himself essentially functioning as a totalitarian head of state for the theocracy. Khomeini holds a vision for governance according to Islamic law, and has had a large impact on Iran’s contemporary society.

Benito Mussolini

Mussolini was the fascist dictator of Italy who founded and led their Fascist Party, becoming the dictator of Italy in 1922 and leading them through World War II. He established a totalitarian regime in Italy and allied with Nazi Germany through World War II in their quest for a fascist conquest of Europe, fueled by his aggressive expansionist policies. His tenure greatly impacted Italy’s society, but ultimately led to the downfall of Italy and their defeat in WWII.

Che Guevara

Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, and guerrilla leader who played a big role in the Cuban Revolution alongside Fidel Castro. His most important contribution was helping overthrow the Batista regime in Cuba, leading to the establishment of Casto’s communist government. His writings, such as “The Motorcycle Diaries,” document his revolutionary awakenings, inspiring leftist movements worldwide.

Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek was a Chinese political leader who led the Nationalist government of China against the Chinese Communist Party during the Chinese Civil War. Following his defeat against the Communists, he established a government in exile in Taiwan (with Mao Zedong leading the Communists in China). His leadership of China before the Civil War was characterized by efforts to modernize China and resist invasion from Japan during World War II, but his regime was largely corrupt and authoritarian.

Christo

Christo, along with his wife Jeanne-Claude, was an artist known for his innovative large-scale environmental installations, such as wrapping monumental structures & landscapes, dotting the landscape in structures, or covering structures with large pieces of fabric. He challenged conventional standards of art & architecture and transformed public spaces, albeit temporarily. His most famous works include “Wrapped Reichstag” in Berlin, where he wrapped the Berlin Reichstag building in fabric.

Deng Xiaoping

Xiaoping was a leader of the Chinese Communist Party after Mao Zedong who was known for his major economic reforms of the Chinese economy, greatly stimulating economic growth & activity and accelerating China’s development from the failures of Mao’s leadership. His reforms included opening China to global markets and opening special economic zones in which he permitted free-market to stimulate economic growth, but he remained a Socialist leader, emphasizing the control of the state over people’s lives (such as with state censorship). His leadership boosted China’s development, and greatly contributed to China’s significant position in the global economy today.

Diego Rivera

Rivera was a Mexican muralist who was known for his large public murals that emphasized social/political themes. His art played a significant role in the Mexican Muralism movement, which emphasized the struggles of the working class and indigenous peoples. He aimed to foster nationalism and unite citizens living in a fractured post-revolutionary state. His most significant work was “Man at the Crossroads,” which included a portrait of Lenin that led to its destruction.

Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro was a Cuban revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba for around 50 years. He overthrew the Batista regime and established a Communist government, greatly impacting the dynamics of the Cold War as it brought the threat of communism just a hundred miles off the coast of the United States. His alliance with the Soviet Union resulted in a great threat to America’s domestic security, as the Soviets installed nuclear missiles in Cuba which eventually led to the Cuban Missile Crisis and infringed on many important American population centers. His leadership led to significant social & economic changes in Cuba, and also spurred conflict with the United States as seen in events like the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Frank Gehry

Gehry is an important postmodern architect who was known for his innovative and unconventional designs, making use of odd figures/shapes and materials to create breathtaking designs. His most famous work, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, is a hallmark of postmodern architecture in the irregular yet striking shapes that make up its exterior design. His visionary approach characterized postmodern architecture and paved the way for the creation of other postmodern buildings.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Wright was an architect renowned for his buildings that followed the organic architecture style, which involved the construction of buildings in harmony with their natural surroundings. His most famous work, the Fallingwater residence, seamlessly integrates itself into its surrounding landscape. His philosophy with architecture was that the structure and setting were very important, so he worked to blend in his buildings with the surrounding environment and make everything seem organic. Additionally, he looked to the East Asian design principles of horizontality and the creation of continuous spaces that unified the exterior with the interior buildings. His influential designs left a lasting legacy on modern architecture, with an emphasis on functionality and harmony with nature.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

FDR was the president of the United States during the Great Depression and World War II. He implemented the New Deal, which was a series of government programs and reforms designed to stimulate the American economy and help them recover from the Great Depression. His New Deal policy was a partial departure from the American economic philosophy of the government not getting involved with the economy, as it showed that some level of economic stimulation from the government was needed to promote economic growth. His policy helped create new jobs and social welfare programs for those suffering. Additionally, with the advent of World War II, America’s economy experienced a wartime economic boost, helping to kickstart the economy from the Great Depression. His leadership during these trying times made him one of the most influential presidents in American history.

Franz Kafka

Kafka was a writer known for his existential literature that delved into themes of alienation and the absurd. His most famous work, “The Metamorphosis,” tells the story of a man who transforms into a giant insect and feels isolated from modern life. The nightmarish, oppressive worlds that he created in his stories led to the coining of the term “Kafkaesque” to describe situations reminiscent of his stories. His impact on human psychology and unique narrative style made him one of the most influential writers of the 1900s, especially amidst the tragic world wars and many other horrors of the century.

Frida Kahlo

Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her deeply personal and symbolic self-portraits that explore themes of identity, pain, and her cultural heritage. She was known for challenging traditional gender roles and often wore male clothing, being a large player in the feminist movement. Her most famous work, “The Two Fridas,” represents her dual heritage and emotional suffering. Her vibrant and emotional art (along with her feminist themes) made her a pivotal figure in the various nationalist & feminist movements of the 1900s.

Gamal Nasser

Nasser was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt. He was a key figure in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, in which he helped overthrow the Egyptian monarchy to establish a republic. He was an Arab nationalist and was a large part of the Pan-Arabism movement. His most significant contributions included nationalizing the Suez Canal, provoking intervention from European powers (who backed off by the command of the US & USSR). He emphasized secular rule over Egypt, suppressing groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. He was important to the creation of the Egypt Republic as it is today and championing social reforms.

Georgia O'Keeffe

O’Keeffe was an artist who lived in New Mexico and became famous for her paintings of natural landscapes, such as the deserts of New Mexico, close-ups of flowers & other natural subjects, as well as some abstract and nonrepresentational pieces (sometimes, she would zoom in a lot on a subject to make it seem almost abstract). Her most famous work, “Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1,” is one of the most expensive paintings ever sold by a female artist. Her use of abstraction and ability to capture the essence of her subjects in bold, vivid colors made her one of the most influential artists of the 1900s.

Harry Truman

Harry Truman was the president of the USA after FDR. He oversaw the end of World War II and authorized the use of the atomic bomb on Japan, which was a very large moral dilemma that ended the war on the Pacific front. He implemented the Marshall Plan for reconstruction in Europe, and oversaw the beginning of the Cold War against the Soviet Union. He also was a key part of establishing the United Nations after WWII.

Henry Moore

Moore was an English sculptor who created monumental bronze sculptures inspired by natural forms and human figures. He redefined modern sculpture and influenced many artists with his organic yet abstract style. He carefully made use of voids & spaces in the form of holes in his sculptures and looked back to traditional subject matter such as reclining nudes, albeit reconstructed them in a modern, abstract style. One of his most famous works is “Reclining Figure,” which features the classic nude figure but portrays it in an abstract manner. He made powerful expressions of form and space, leaving a lasting impression on art and sculpture.

Ho Chi Minh

He was a Vietnamese communist revolutionary who led North Vietnam against South Vietnam in the Vietnam War. He played a large role in Vietnamese decolonization against French rule, and then against the Americans & their support of South Vietnam in the Vietnam War. One of his most influential battles was his leadership of the Viet Minh in defeating French forces, which led to the establishment of the Geneva Accords that partitioned Vietnam. Additionally, he led the Communists in the brutal fight against the Americans in South Vietnam, emerging victorious and tragically leaving many soldiers scarred and disillusioned.

Igor Stravinsky

He was a Russian composer and conductor who was one of the most influential figures in 1900s music. His most important contributions were his ballet scores, such as “The Rite of String” which revolutionized composition with their dissonant harmonies and rhythmic complexity. His work spanned multiple styles and left a mark on classical music as well as inspiring many other composers, like Philip Glass.

Jackson Pollock

Pollock was an American painter who was a leading figure in the Abstract Expressionism movement of the 1900s. One of his most famous techniques was action painting, in which he would strap a canvas around the floor and walk around it, splashing, dripping, and pouring paint over it to cover it in various streaks & lines of paint. This form of painting emphasized the random chance in how the paint struck the canvas, emphasizing the act of creating the painting rather than actually representing a discernible subject, transforming the way people perceived art in the modern era. One of his most famous works, “Convergence,” demonstrated this unique technique.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India (after its decolonization). He fought for Indian independence alongside Gandhi, stressing the importance of industrialization (which Gandhi was opposed to). He played a big role in shaping modern India’s democracy and foreign policy, and he pressed Gandhi to demand immediate action from the British. Additionally, he opposed the Muslim League’s proposition to partition India based on religion.

Jean-Paul Sartre

He was a French novelist who was one of the key figures of developing existentialist philosophy. His idea of “existence precedes essence” defines existence as being defined through our actions and choices rather than predetermined essence. His most influential works, such as the play “No Exit,” explore the burden of human freedom and the burden of responsibility that humans have to bear for their actions and their effects on other people, shaping the philosophy of existentialism.

Josef Stalin

Stalin was the second Leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union after Lenin. He transformed the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state through political repression with his brutal removal of Lenin’s administration and influences, forced industrialization with his Five-Year Plans, and collectivization of agriculture that led to the deaths of many due to famines (such as the Ukrainian Famine). His rule was marked by mass purges and political terror (he would kill people who disagreed with him or his administration), making him an extremely controversial figure of the 1900s who shaped the dynamics of the Cold War.

Kim il Sung

Kim il Sung was the founder and supreme leader of North Korea, serving as its leader until his death. He established the authoritarian regime of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK/North Korea) and initiated the ideology of Juche, emphasizing self-reliance, nationalism, and socialism. He created a cult of personality around him and his family, encouraging his citizens to treat them like gods. Today, North Korea and South Korea separate themselves with the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between their border as the Korean War never officially ended but continues on as an armistice agreement.

Kwame Nkrumah

Nkrumah was a Ghanaian revolutionary who led the country to independence from British colonial rule in 1957. His most important contribution was advocating for pan-Africanism, which is an ideology advocating for the union of all indigenous inhabitants of Africa. His leadership and vision for unity influenced various decolonization movements across Africa, leaving a lasting impact on African decolonization.

Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong was the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, being the first leader of the Chinese Communist Party. He orchestrated the Communist Revolution, establishing a communist regime that led China. He implemented radical economic and social reforms, such as the Great Leap Forward (which mobilized the Chinese population to industrialize the country’s steel production, but did not really go to plan) as well as the Cultural Revolution which aimed to purge capitalist/traditional elements of Chinese culture to preserve communist ideology. His leadership shaped modern China, but also led to lots of suffering and economic turmoil.

Marcel Duchamp

He was an artist and leading figure in the Dada movement, which was a complete rejection of conventional, traditional principles of art in reaction to the horrors of World War I. His most important contribution is his challenge of traditional principles through works like “Fountain,” which is a urinal signed with a pseudonym. His concept of the “readymade” was an everyday object selected by the artist and presented as a work of art without altering its appearance, such as a manufactured product. His emphasis on the intellectual rather than visual aspects of art influenced contemporary art practices.

Margaret Thatcher

She was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. She implemented conservative economic policies that were very much in-line with Ronald Reagan policies of “Reaganomics,” emphasizing free-market, privatization, and deregulation – she was almost like the Reagan of the UK. Her market philosophy was coined as Thatcherism. She reshaped British politics and society for her strong-willed approach to governance.

Mark Rothko

Rothko was an Abstract Expressionist painter known for his color field paintings, which made use of large rectangles of colors that were overlaid or stained onto the canvas over a background color. The complexity in the interactions between the various fields of color in the painting aimed to evoke emotional responses from viewers, and he tried to capture the essence of emotion in color rather than representational subject matter. His iconic works, like the “Rothko Chapel” and his many color field paintings have had a large influence on the Abstract Expressionist movement.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Gorbachev was the final leader of the USSR and contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. His tenure was characterized by policies of perestroika (“restructuring”) of the Soviet economy and glasnost (“openness”), which fostered political transparency. His leadership faced harsh criticism and opposition from Communist Party members, as it ended up greatly hurting the Soviet economy and the unity of the state. However, it also led to the end of the Cold War and the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union, which shaped the global political landscape going into the 2000s and was probably the favorable situation!

Mohandas Gandhi

Mohandas/Mahatma Gandhi was a leader of the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. He advocated for nonviolent civil disobedience to promote political and social change, inspiring civil rights movements across the world. He believed that India could unify together and that they could achieve equality, leading him to go against the proposition of partition between Hindus and Muslims. His philosophy of Satyagraha (“truth-force”) emphasized moral courage and peaceful resistance.

Mustafa Kemal

Mustafa Kemal (AKA Ataturk) was the founder of the Republic of Turkey. He led Turkey through reforms aimed at modernizing and secularizing the country, like adopting a new legal system, introducing a Western-style education, and promoting women’s rights. He was a visionary leader and nationalist which came to shape Turkey as a country today.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who was the President of South Africa in the 1990s. He led the transition of the country from minority rule by a white population and apartheid to democracy, trying to reconcile and advocate for equality. He committed to non-violence and forgiveness, which earned him international acclaim. His fight against the inherent evil of apartheid paints him as a positive light of social justice and beacon against oppression worldwide.

Nicholas II

Tsar Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russia (he was abdicated during the 1917 Russian Revolution). He oversaw the modernization of Russia’s infrastructure and military, but his autocratic rule and mishandling of political unrest eventually led to the downfall of the Romanovs. During 1905, his regime experienced a rebellion from the Russian population, which hurt their authority but was ultimately unsuccessful in disposing of his government – that would happen in 1917. Additionally, his insistence on leading WWI battles himself undermined his authority. His reign was marked by economic hardship, social inequality, and discontent, culminating in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 that established a Communist government.

Okonkwo

Okonkwo is a character in Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo was a part of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, and he was a strong-willed man with a very short temper who rose to great prominence in his local village. He worked hard with the fear of becoming like his father, who was a lazy man that hardly did any work and did not leave anything of value for Okonkwo. Okonkwo was a large follower of traditional values within his village, following through with customs and staying true to his tribe. Eventually, Okonkwo commits a murder and is banished to a neighboring village. During his exile, white Christian missionaries arrive in the area and begin building churches to spread their faith, and he finds that his own son deflects to the Christians. When he returns to his village after years of living in exile, he finds that the Christians have overrun his hometown. Upon seeing this, Okonkwo hangs himself as he cannot bear the sight of seeing his indigenous culture being stomped down by the Christian missionaries.

Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden was the Saudi-Arabian founder of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda and the orchestrator of the September 11th attacks on the USA. These attacks resulted in thousands of deaths, changes to global security policies in regards to flying, and spurred the War on Terror. His role as the perpetrator of these attacks made him a very wanted man, and he was eventually found and killed in a compound in Pakistan by a Navy SEAL team in 2011.

Rasputin

Rasputin was a Russian lunatic that claimed to be a miracle doctor and advisor to the Tsars of Russia, particularly Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. He had major influence over the Russian royal family, as he claimed to be a healer who seemingly helped their son with hemophilia feel better. The extremely controversial rumors surrounding him and his political meddling fueled rumors and conspiracies about him and his closeness to the Tsar family, culminating in his assassination. Opponents attempted to assassinate him multiple times, and all of those attempts failed until he eventually died from hypothermia after being thrown from a bridge in the middle of Siberia.

Rene Magritte

Rene Magritte was a surrealist artist who created thought-provoking and enigmatic paintings. He explored the subconscious mind through the use of ordinary objects in very odd contexts, challenging viewers’ perceptions of reality. His most famous work, “The Treachery of Images,” shows a pipe with the caption, “This is not a pipe.” This highlighted the gap between representation and true reality, and showed his philosophical approach to art, really challenging viewers to think in different ways when looking at his art.

Robert Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer was an American physicist who was the director of the Manhattan Project, which was a secret project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II. He oversaw the development and testing of the first atomic bomb, which ultimately led to the end of WWII on the Pacific Front when Truman made the decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His major contributions to creating the atomic bomb characterized the rest of history with the rise of the nuclear era (which could very much lead to the end of humanity as we know it), especially during the arms race of the Cold War.

Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali was a Spanish surrealist artist who was known for his imaginative artworks that seemed to resemble dreamlike imagery. He pioneered the Surrealism movement, and his art greatly resembled dreams in that it just made no sense, yet it was portrayed with almost photo-like realism in its creation. His most famous work, “The Persistence of Memory,” shows melting clocks on a barren landscape, symbolizing the subconscious mind that characterizes how our dreams might feel.

Sigmund Freud

Freud was an Austrian neurologist who used dreams to try and interpret & understand human nature. One of his most famous works, “The Interpretation of Dreams,” aimed to change our understanding of dreams by proposing that they are symbolic expressions of unconscious wishes and desires. Additionally, he proposed the concepts of id, ego, and superego (pleasure principle, compromise between id/superego, and logical thinking) that make up our psyche as driving forces for why we do the things that we do. These concepts aimed to draw conclusions between how our unconscious/subconscious feelings influence our actions. He also explored the influences of childhood trauma, such as how the fulfillment or absence of childlike desires like oral stimulation during early development may affect behavior.

Simone de Beauvoir

Simone was a French existentialist writer and feminist. Her most famous work, “The Second Sex,” was an existentialist analysis of women’s oppression, challenging traditional gender roles and advocating for the liberation of women. In this book, women were referred to as the “other” in society, and that the meaning of what it meant to be a woman was discovered by the standards of society. Her ideas have had a large influence on feminist theory and activism, and they propagated the social constructs of gender inequality that we still consider today.

Vladimir Lenin

Lenin was the founder of the Russian Communist Party and the first leader of the Soviet Union. He led the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, overthrowing the Russian Provisional Government and establishing the Communist Soviet Union government. He advocated for the establishment of professional revolutionaries to lead the working class in order to achieve a socialist revolution, and emphasized how a centralized authority was very important to control the state’s assets.

William Butler Yeats

He was an Irish poet and was one of the greatest poets of the 1900s. He explored Irish folklore, mythology, and nationalism in his poetry. His most famous work includes poems like “The Second Coming,” where he explored the human condition and his condition to Irish culture.

Winston Churchill

He was the British Prime Minister during World War II, and he led the country through the war. He rallied the British people against the Nazis with his inspirational speeches, even during trying times like the Nazi bombings of London and other British population centers, which often forced the British population into underground bomb shelters. Despite these challenges, he kept morale up and maintained steadfast resolve against the Nazis. He also helped shape post-war Europe, advocating for the formation of the United Nations and promoting a “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and the USA.

Woodrow Wilson

He was a former president of the US who led the United States through World War I and advocated for the creation of the League of Nations to prevent future conflicts (although Congress voted against joining). He is also well-known for his Fourteen Points speech, where he gave a set of principles that aimed to establish lasting peace and prevent future conflicts after World War I. His presidency also saw significant reforms like the establishment of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Ai Weiwei

He is an artist and anti-Chinese activist who outspokenly speaks out against the Chinese government and advocates for social justice. He uses various media, like sculptures, installations, and social media, to address concerns of human rights, freedom of expression, and repression. His most famous works includes “Sunflower Seeds,” which is a large-scale installation made up of millions of handcrafted porcelain sunflower seeds manufactured in China that people were encouraged to walk over, emphasizing the mass production and the soulless manufacturing of the overworked workers in Chinese factories.

Magdalena Abakanowicz

She was a Polish sculptor who was known for her monumental textile sculptures and installations. She innovatively used textiles to express human experiences, emotions, and existential themes. Her most famous work is her series of “Abakans,” which were large-scale fiber sculptures that challenge traditional forms of sculpture.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

He was a Colombian novelist who was a major component of literary modernism – specifically, he pioneered the use of magical realism, which was blending fantastical elements with realistic settings and themes (like in his book “One Hundred Years of Solitude”). His works explored themes of love, solitude, and Latin American heritage. He shaped the literary modernism movement.

Juan Peron

Juan Peron was a former President of Argentina. He implemented policies that aimed to improve the welfare of the working class, like labor rights and social benefits. He was a charismatic leader and populator with the people, promoting Peronism as a political ideology (emphasizing social justice, nationalism, and advocating for the rights of the working class) and left a lasting impact on Argentine society. Additionally, his wife, Eva Peron, was very popular with Argentinians as well.

Papa Doc Duvalier

He was a Haitian politician who was the President of Haiti for over two decades. He established a brutal dictatorship that tragically committed state-sponsored violence and repression, supported by paramilitary forces. His regime created a cult of personality, and he promoted himself as a voodoo priest with supernatural powers. His authoritarian rule left a legacy of fear and instability in Haiti that still plagues its society today.

Isoroku Yamamoto

He was a Japanese Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the US into the war. His strategic leadership and innovative naval tactics shaped Japan’s early successes in the Pacific War. His plane was shot down by Americans in 1943, leading to his death.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan was a former US president who implemented conservative economic policies (known as Reaganomics) that emphasized tax cuts, deregulation, and a strong military buildup. His presidency also saw significant developments in foreign policy, like the end of the Cold War and improved relations with President Gorbachev of the Soviet Union (inviting him to the USA to give speeches and stuff), which left a lasting effect on America’s foreign politics and global affairs.

George W. Bush

Bush was a former US president who led the country through the September 11th, 2001 attacks and initiated the War on Terror, which included the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. He also oversaw the creation of the Department of Homeland Security to foster communication between various intelligence agencies and safeguard the American population following the 9/11 attacks. His presidency had many domestic policies (like tax cuts and educational reform) as well as some controversial foreign policies.

Chinua Achebe

Achebe is a Nigerian novelist who is widely regarded as the father of African literature in English, as he propagated the writing of African-centric novels from the perspective of African writers rather than being written by Europeans. His most groundbreaking novel “Things Fall Apart” explores the effects of colonialism and the collision of traditional culture with Western influences. His works challenge the Western stereotypes of Africa and made African literature written by Africans more pervasive in our society.

Saddam Hussein

Hussein was the former President of Iraq, and he was an authoritarian ruler and brutally suppressed dissenters. He led Iraq through the IRan-Iraq War and the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which prompted the US to launch the Gulf War in 1990 against Iraq. His totalitarian government committed many human rights abuses, like using chemical weapons and persecuting political opponents

Pablo Picasso

Picasso was a Spanish painter and the co-founder of the Cubist movement with Georges Braque. He pioneered the use of abstraction and fragmentation of his art, and challenged traditional representational figures. His most famous work, “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” marked a significant departure from traditional artistic styles and laid the groundwork for future Cubist art.