Julius Caesar, Che Guevara, Kim Jong-un and other personalities around whom controversy continues today

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Heroes give us hope, forcing us to look at what is happening with different eyes and remember that there is still something good in the world. But as you know, what is good for one person is bad for another. The same is the case with famous personalities who went down in history as heroes who left behind an indelible, but very contradictory mark.

1. Che Guevara

Che Guevara was a prominent communist figure in the Cuban Revolution (1956–59) who later became a guerrilla leader in South America. Executed by the Bolivian army in 1967, he was considered a hero-martyr by generations of leftists around the world. The image of Guevara remains the predominant symbol of left-wing radicalism and anti-imperialism. And despite the fact that in many hipster circles his image stood for anti-materialism and "against man", there were many good reasons that did not suit most of the people who lived under his leadership. So it turns out that for some he was a hero, and for others - an enemy of the people.

2. Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes' history dates back to 1605, when a group of Catholic extremists planned to assassinate King James I and place a Catholic monarch on the throne. Guy Fawkes was one of those assigned to guard the explosives planted under the House of Lords. But by chance and betrayal by one of the conspirators, the man was discovered and arrested while trying to set fire to the powder kegs. As a result, the conspiracy was exposed and the king's life was no longer in danger. To celebrate the fact that their king survived the assassination attempt, people lit fires all over London. And a couple of months after the incident, it was decided to make November 5 a public holiday, called the Night of Guy Fawkes, or the Night of Bonfires and Fireworks.

3. Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) - The first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, served from 1979 to 1990. During her tenure, she reduced the influence of trade unions, privatized certain industries, reduced social benefits, and changed the political environment. She, like her friend and ideological ally, US President Ronald Reagan led the debate, for which she received the nickname "Iron Lady". In addition, at one time, Margaret opposed Soviet communism and waged a war for control of the Falkland Islands. Thatcher, who served as British prime minister for a long time in the twentieth century, was eventually forced to step down. And despite the fact that many praise her as a woman leader who has achieved success in the political arena, others say that behind her shoulders there is a whole string of crimes of various kinds, including those of a military nature.

4. Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill was one of the most famous, and some say one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century. Although he was born into a privileged life, he devoted himself to public service. His legacy is complex: he was an idealist and pragmatist, speaker and soldier, a proponent of progressive social reform and an implacable elitist, as well as a defender of democracy, especially during World War II and Britain's fading empire. But many people in Britain and elsewhere believe that Winston Churchill, often regarded as a great liberator, had views on things like eugenics that were very little different from his German counterparts. In addition, the almost starving continent of India has indeed cemented its antihero stance, making one country's idol a hater of another.

5. Peter Pan

Another very controversial character, Peter Pan, was actually not as harmless as they wrote about him, and his prototype was a real person. Undoubtedly, the story of Peter Pan, the boy who did not grow up, has become a classic fairy tale, and even after more than a century, Peter Pan shows no signs of aging. The story has become a typical part of popular culture, appearing on stage, on television and in films. Scottish writer and playwright J. M. Barry coined the character of Peter Pan for his 1902 novel The Little White Bird when he first appeared in a chapter entitled Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. The story soon took to the stage, and after its success, Barry wrote the complete Peter and Wendy novel in 1911. And despite the fact that this seemingly peaceful character aroused a sea of positive emotions in many readers and viewers, nevertheless, among his actions there are such things that still do not fit into the head of some, for for the majority it is still it remains a mystery why the boy cut off Captain Hook's hand and fed it to the crocodile, absolutely, as well as the fact that Peng deliberately kidnapped a group of children, allegedly under the pretext of showing them other worlds. So what was really heroic in his actions? It remains a mystery to this day.

6. Guy Julius Caesar

Guy Julius Caesar, one of the greatest military leaders in the world, was born into a Senate patrician family and was the nephew of another famous Roman general, Marius. After the death of Marius and the revolt of Sulla, Caesar's life was in jeopardy, but in the early 60s BC. he began his successful political and military career. Rising quickly, he successfully campaigned for a consulate in 60 BC. and made a deal with two of the leading figures of Rome - Pompey the Great and Crassus. Together they became known as the First Triumvirate and controlled Rome in the 50s BC, until Caesar and Pompey, after the death of Crassus, went to war with each other in 49 BC.

But before embarking on the warpath, statesman and military leader Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) expanded Roman borders through a series of battles across Europe, for which he paid the price of his own life because of a conspiracy in the Senate and the betrayal of your best friend. Julius Caesar is often remembered as one of the greatest military minds in history and is credited with founding the Roman Empire. In addition, he was a brilliant and charismatic commander who did many things solely out of his own interests. Caesar largely ignored the Senate and Roman law, achieving his goals with excessive force. And then he was stabbed to death. Suffice it to say that Julius managed to generate his fair share of contradictions.

7. Kim Jong Un

Of course, it was impossible not to mention the North Korean President Kim Jong-un, who in his native country is both a king and a god, and a real savior of people, and beyond its borders, he is basically a meme that causes many different disputes and controversies. And if some foreign sources are to be believed, the early years of Kim's rule were characterized by a ruthless consolidation of power and a sharp acceleration in North Korea's nuclear weapons program. In December 2013, Kim executed his uncle Jang Sung Taek, saying that he had "removed the scum" from the KVP. Chan was a member of Kim Jong Il's inner circle and served as virtual regent for the younger Kim after his father's death. Chan's execution also marked a break with Beijing, as he has long been a supporter of closer ties with China. Although Song was a high-ranking official whom Kim killed, defectors and South Korean intelligence services reported that people who were unhappy with the new ruler's regime were executed on a regular basis. On the other hand, if other sources are to be believed, on several occasions, individuals who were reported to have been killed in incredibly horrific ways reappeared several years later. And it is not surprising that such cases clearly demonstrated how difficult it is to obtain accurate information about the events in North Korea. So it turns out that a foreign country, like a soul, is still dark.

8. Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger was born in Germany in 1923 and escaped the Nazi regime by becoming an influential and controversial US statesman. He first became a renowned professor at Harvard University and an advisor to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. As National Security Advisor (1969-75) and Secretary of State (1973-77) to Nixon and Gerald Ford, he negotiated arms treaties with the Soviet Union and received the Nobel Prize for ending U. S. involvement in the Vietnam War. instigated a short era of detente with the Soviet Union and opened up frozen relations with the People's Republic of China, and as secretary of state he moved freely between the capitals of Israel, Egypt and Syria after the 1973 Middle East war.

After leaving office and cabinet, he chaired the National Bipartisan Commission for Central America and served on the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Council. Strange, but at the same time cleverly able to manipulate people, Henry, striving for power and favorable publicity, "raised" prominent officials and influential reporters, while becoming for some time an incredibly popular American diplomat and adviser who managed to become famous for his influence on the American foreign policy.

9. Thomas Wilson

Wilson was the 28th President of the United States. More than any other president before him, he was responsible for increasing American participation in world affairs, and his idealistic vision led to the creation of the League of Nations. Thomas Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia on December 28, 1856. His father was a Presbyterian minister. Wilson grew up in Georgia and South Carolina amid the American Civil War. He attended Princeton University, briefly became a lawyer, and then went to Johns Hopkins University, where he received his doctorate in history and political science. After a successful academic career, Wilson became president of Princeton University, serving there from about 1902 to 1910. Thomas’s reform efforts caught his attention, and New Jersey Democrats asked him to run for governor in 1910. It was this "small" victory that marked the beginning of his political career. In 1912, he ran as the Democratic presidential candidate and won.

Wilson's domestic policies included the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, which provides the framework that still governs U. S. banks and the money supply. Wilson sought to maintain American neutrality after the outbreak of World War I and was re-elected president in 1916 under the slogan "He saved us from the war." But the German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, which included the sinking of American shipping, led Wilson to engage the United States in the April 1917 conflict. In January 1918, in his keynote speech to Congress, Wilson outlined his Fourteen Points, which, in his opinion, should form the basis of peaceful settlements in Europe. He took part in the Versailles peace talks to support this program, but the treaties made left him with bitter disappointment. Wilson returned to the United States and launched a futile struggle to secure the United States' ratification of the Treaty of Versailles and American support for the new League of Nations. He was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to build the league.

10. Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. As a first generation American and the son of Irish immigrants, he worked hard to advance socially and politically. His actions during the War of 1812, especially his overwhelming victory over British forces at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 and the War of the Creek, made him a national hero. He is sometimes considered the first modern president to expand from a mere leader to an active representative of the people, but his Indian policy of removal and reluctance to take into account any opinion other than his own tarnishes his reputation. So, each person, like a medal, has its own downside, and it does not always look positive in the eyes of others.

Continuing the topic - about whose gender they argue to this day.