Ayatullah Haajj Sayyid Ali Khamenei was born July 17th, 2014 in Mashhad to Seyyed Javad Khamenei and Khadijeh Mirdamani. Being the second eldest of eight children, Khamenei and his family were very poor living in a small house with only one room. Although they were poor, Khamenei's family, especially his father, was very religious. Growing up Khamenei was inspired by his father and went into religious studies. In the year 1952, when a revolutionist visited Mashhad while he was still a student, Khamenei attended the lecture Sayyid Mujtaba Nawwab Safawiin was giving and felt a spark of interest in political activism. Still continuing with his religious studies. Later in 1979, Ruhollah Khomeini, an Iranian religious leader and politician who had also been the leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, appointed Khamenei to the post of Tehran's Friday prayers Imam after the forced resignation of Hussein-Ali Montazeri. Khamenei thren briefly served as the Deputy Minister for Defence and as the supervisor for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. In 1981, due to an attempted assassination, Khamenei's right arm became fully paralyzed. That same year, after the assassination of Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Khamenei was elected President of Iran in the Iranian presidential elections of October 1981. Khamenei was there to help guide the country during the Iraq-Iran War during the 1980's. As president, he had a reputation of being deeply interested in the military, budget, and administrative details. In 1989, after Ruhollah Khomeini's death, Khamenei was elected the new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts on June 4th, 1989. Khamenei was elected Leader by 60/70 members that were present. He is still alive and still hold the position as the Supreme Leader of Iran. He was selected the 21st in the list of "The World's Most Powerful People" by Forbes.

Klaudio Luarasi
AP Comparative
Feb 14, 2014
Chen Duxiu Biography

Chen Duxiu born in Anhui providence of Anqing China in 1879. He was the youngest of four children, and was born into a rich family where his father who had died when Chen was only 2 years old has once passed in a first degree in civil service examination and served as an official in the military office in Manchuria. For a while Chen was home schooled by his mother where he was educated in the Chinese Classics and traditional literature. After that he was raised by his strict grandfather where he followed the normal course of Confucian Studies and passed the local level of the imperial exams in 1896 at the age of 17 in Huaining, and the following year passed the second exam in Nanjing. But Chen was horrified by the experience. He spend nine days living in a small dorm with the other test takers. He noticed the psychological damage the test was doing to his acquaintances and decided to leave the traditional exam system permanently. After he left tradition behind he decided to become a social and political reformed. He studied English, naval architecture and even French at "Qiushi Academy" which means "Truth Seeking Academy" in Hangzhou.

When Chen was 23 he started giving speeches against the Qing regime in the capital of his home. In the same year which was 1902 he went to Japan and enrolled at the "Tokyo Higher Normal School." The following year in 1903 he helped his peers. They made from the Tokyo with "Guomin Riribao" which means National Daily News in Shanghai. Unfortunenently it was put an end to by authorities in less then a year. During his stay in Japan Chen refused to join the revolutionary party led by Sun Yat-Sen for the reasons that he did not want to accept nationalism, which was one of its tenants. After the overthrow of the Manchu monarchy and the establishment of the republic, Chen became secretary general to the military governor of his hometown in 1912 and dean of he provincial higher normal school. He then decided to take part in the second revolution against President Yuan Shikai in 1913 but was unsuccessful. So Chen fled to Shanghai then a year later to Japan where he helped with the editing for "Jiayin" a liberal Chinese magazine calling for political reforms.

 When Chen returned back to China in 1915 he was the establisher of the months "Xinqingnian" which was a magazine where Chen proposed that the youth of Chine take part of a vast intellectual, literary, and cultural revolution to rejuvenate the nation. The young writers that contributed to Chens magazine such as Hu Shi, Lu Xun, Li, Dazhao, and Mao Zedong became political leaders that were important and knowledgeable 

In 1917 Jen was appointed dean of the School of Letters at Perking University. He gathered as much liberal and progressive professors and students as he can. Together they established "Meizhou Pinglun" which was a weekly critic that only lasted for a few weeks. Their ideas and new ways of literature played an enormous role in the "May Fourth Movement" which was a huge protest of students in May 4, 1919 against the Chinese government's weak policy toward Japan and the Shandong resolution of the Versailles Peace Conference. The goal was to transfer German right in China to the Japanese. Riding China's old culture that led to inactive government and create new values for a "New China." Consequently, since Chen played a lead role int he movement Chen had to resign and was imprisoned for 13 weeks until September of that year.

In July of 1921 the official communist party in China was born with Mao Zedong in attendance who was one of Chen's writers during the Xinqingnian magazines where Chen proposed the May Fourth Movment.

Chen eventually didn't like Stalin's (Russian dictator) Chen became the blame for the failure of the Party to spark revolution in China's cities and was finally expelled from the party in 1929. As a civil war was raging inside of China, Chen decided to not live in the open. He witnessed his two sons killed fighting against Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists. In 1932 Chen was arrested and charged with being a "Trotskyite" Trotskyites were radicals who support Trotsky's theory that socialism must be established throughout the world by continuing revolution. Chen was sentenced to 13 years in prison, but Chen was released on his 7th year for having poor health, and unable to live in the jail. So Chen retreated to an isolated village in the mountain of Sichuan.

As Chen was watching Stalins's evil ways emerge, Chens faith in democracy reemerged. He lived his life regretting so many things he thought he did wrong although he helped instigate one of China's most important protest and founded China's ruling political party. He worried the rest of his life doubting his choices and fearing what would happen to China in the long run hoping it would regain it's strength. Chen Duxiu died at 62 in 1942 from bad health and is now buried at his birthplace of Anhui providence in Anqing China.

Catherine The Great by TYLER JURASKA BRUH

Catherine the Great. Full name  Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, Born May 2^nd, 1729 in Szczecin, Poland, Catherine was the longest female ruler of Russia, reigning from July 9^th, 1762 until her death in 1796 (Age 67).  The time during her reign was referred to as the “golden age”.   She came into power following the assassination of her husband,  Peter III of Russia (Death 1762). 

 

During her reign, Russia was growing larger and stronger than ever, being recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.  She governed during a time when the Russian Empire was rapidly expanding, especially by conquest and diplomacy; many new cities were founded upon her orders.  She expanded Russia’s borders to the Black Sea and into central Europe.

 

Her political views consisted mainly of enlightenment and humanism.  She will go down in history as being one of the most powerful woman rulers of all time. She will be known for adding around 200,00 square miles to Russian territory.

 

      

 

Joseph Stalin, originally named "Losif Vissarinovich Dzhugashvil"  was born December 18th, 1878 in Gori, Georgia, Russia. Stalin was the former dictator of Russia upon Vladimir Lenins death. The Soviet government went through a violent period of time after the revolution after many people strived to have the position of being the leader.  In 1922, Stalin was selected to be the general secretary of the Communist Party.  It wasn't a big position but it allowed stalin to build a base to work his way up from because it gave Stalin control over all the party member appointments. He used his small amount of power to the point where nearly all the members of the central command basically owed their position to him.  By the time people found out what he was doing it was too late and Lenin was gravely ill. When Lenin died is when Stalin set out to destroy the old party leadership and take total control, and he succeeded. Stalin forced rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agricultural land which resulted in millions dying from famine while others were sent to camps. Stalin along with the red army also helped defeat Nazi Germany. Stalin later died on March 5th 1953 in Moscow, Russia.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky

Vice Chairman of the State Duma, Russia

(April 26, 1946-)

Vladimir found himself at the forefront of Russian politics after studying law at Moscow State University and followed by a lengthy career in the Russian Army.  He co-founded the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia under the Communist regime in 1990.  It was the first opposition party in the USSR.  While the tile can be misleading the party, is extremely conservative and is nearest the end of the right-wing.

Like the LDPR, Zhirinovsky's supports Russian Ultra-Nationalism (which borders on Fascism) and conservative economic policies.  Zhirinovsky has taken a strong stance against the United States and further Western culture.  He has shown support for a united Russia, defined by a strong Caucasian populous.  He has created multiple policies which would call for deportation of millions of Chinese and Japanese immigrants.

In 1991, Zhirinovsky came in third in Russia's first presidential election where he got more than 6 million votes.  The LDPR reached its peak support in 1993 when Zhirinovsky ran for president again, this time against Yeltsin.  This success caused Western observers to scrutinize his boorish, bullying behaviour and to take more seriously his rhetoric and views, which included a promise to create a dictatorship and give everyone free vodka when elected president.

The LDPR has not placed better than third in parliamentary elections since 1999.  In 2000, he ascended to Vice Chairman of the State Duma and has held that position to this day. Zhirinovsky won less than 10% of the vote in the 2000 and 2008 presidential elections.  He has most recently trademarked his surname, and created a brand of vodka and ice-cream under the brand "Zhirinovsky".

Liu Shaoqi

Liu Shaoqui

President of the People's Republic of China ( April 28, 1959 - October 31, 1968)

             

Chinese Communist Party

• Past positions include being Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (1956-57), Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China (1956-66), and Member of the National People's Congress (1954-68). 
• He led numerous political campaigns and strikes in Hubei and Shanghai, helped organize the 16 month long Canton-Hong Kong strike and reorganized underground activites in northern China centered around Beijinh and Tianjin.   Liu was an orthodox Soviet-style Communist who had favored state planning, development of heavy industry, ect.  In his writings [How to be a Good Communist (1939), On the Party (1945), and Internationalism and Nationalism (1952)] he expressed his political and economic beliefs
• In October 1968, Liu was officially denounced as "a renegade, traitor and scab hiding in the Party, a lackey of imperialism, modern revisionism and the Guomindang reactionaries", formally stripped all his positions and permanently expelled from the Party. He died in a Kaifeng prison, allegedly because he was refused medication for diabetes.  

Lin Biao

Lin Biao how was original named Lin Yurong was born in Huanggang Hubei province, China. He lived his life form the date of his birth December 5th 1907 to the day of his death September 13th 1971. Biao was a Chinese military as a field commander of the Red Army. Biao was politically affiliated with the Communist Party of China.The Communist Party of China is known as the the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China. Lin wast the general who commanded the decisive Liaoshen and Pingjin Campaigns. He contributed to the communists' struggle of power and held many high government and party posts for 22 years. He played a prominent role in the first several years of the Cultural Revolution. Lin Biao was killed in an airplane crash in Mongolia. The official explanation given at the time was that he had been involved in a failed plot to kill Mao Zedong and was killed while fleeing to the Soviet Union.

Olusegun Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo:

    Olusegun Obasanjo was born on March 5, 1937 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Obasanjo served  Ruler of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1976 to 1979 and became President of  Nigeria in 1999 to May 2007.   As a military leader, politician, and diplomat, Obasanjo was the first military leader in Africa to hand over power to civilian rule. 

Throughout his teen years, he attended a Baptist High school  for boys and later worked as a teacher. Unable to afford collage, he joined the army in England where he was trained to become officer. Obasanjo ranked very high in army ranks that led him to be head of the commando division during the Biafran Conflict. Obasanjo was influenced by general Mohammed who took control of Nigerian's government and wanted to relinquish power in 1979 to civilian rule. At the following year, general Mohammed was assassinated and his leadership was passed down to Obasanjo. Three years later, Obasanjo became known as an influential statesman in where he wanted to bring back the Nigeria back to democracy. In the start of improving the country, he tried to rebuild institutions wrecked by decades of neglect, repression and mismanagement. He later created the country’s first Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which secured in excess of 275 convictions and prosecute public officials for the misuse of state funds.

In Nigeria, not only he became an influential leader but became a role model to young Africans. He established the African Leadership Forum, which is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1988 in where the primary focus of ALF is to help improve the current leadership in Africa while at the same time helping to train the next generation of leaders for Nigeria. Another organization he also founded was the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation where charities are raised in feeding Africa, youth empowerment, education for Girls and a health initiative focused on non-communicable and water borne diseases.

As of today, Obasanjo is involved in furthering developing Africa's economic transformation in which Nigeria is among the fastest growing in the world, where it could lead a choice for international investors to join the Nigerian markets. As an experienced farmer and business man, he will try to bring in more investments into Nigeria.

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Vicente Fox

President of Mexico (PAN)  
(2000-2006)
Chief Exec. of  Coca-Cola Mex. 
(1975-1979)


Vicente Fox (Vicente Fox Quesada) was born on July 2, 1942 in Mexico City, Mexico, and was the second of nine children. He spent his early life on a family ranch in Guanajuato where he began to experience firsthand the problems of poverty in Mexico and the value of everyday people. He later moved to Mexico City to attend the Ibero-American University where he recieved his Bachelor's degree in business administration in 1964. Fox also attended Harvard Business School in 1974 where he revieced a diploma in Top Management Skills. In 1964, Fox joined Coca-Cola as a route supervisor and quickly climbed the ranks to eventually become the supervisor and head of Coca-Cola operations in all of Latin America. During his time at Coca-Cola while riding the delivery trucks, he was exposed to some of the most isolated parts of Mexico and subsequently everyday people in situations of poverty and economic troubles. This experience helped to shape his ideals and inspired him to participate in politics.

Fox began his political career during the struggling Mexican economy in 1980's when he joined the Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party, or PAN), one of three main political parties in Mexico. This party's ideology rejects permanent adherence to left- or right-wing politics and instead, adapts and adheres to policies based on the problems faced by the country at any given moment. After being elected to the National Chamber of Deputies in 1988, and as Governor of Guanajuato from 1995 to 1999 Fox ran in the 2000 presidential election. He won the elections and began his term, marking the end of 71 uninterrupted years of rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

During his early presidency, Fox focused his efforts on improving trade relations with the United States and reducing crime, unrest, and drug trafficking in his own country, as well as introducing constitutional ammendments to grant more rights to Mexico's indigenous peoples. However, many Mexican states rejected these measures, and a number of Fox's economic policies also met tough resistence. Despite significant progress early on, the United States became skeptical of Fox's close political allignment, and although his personal popularity remained high, people became disillusioned by the slow and ineffective reform taking place and Fox left office in 2006.

محمود احمدی‌نژاد

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born 28 October 1956) was the former sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. The son of a blacksmith, Ahmadinejad was born in 1956 in Garmsar, near Tehran. He holds a PhD in traffic and transport from Tehran's University of Science and Technology, where he was a lecturer. In 2003, he was appointed mayor of Tehran. During his time as mayor, he reduced social freedoms and curtailed many of the reforms introduced by more moderate figures who ran the city before him.

For his 2005 presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad reportedly spent no money. Instead, he had the support of powerful conservatives who used their network of mosques to benefit Ahmadinejad. The campaign focused on poverty, social justice and the distribution of wealth inside Iran. Ahmadinejad also repeatedly defended his country's nuclear program, which put the US and EU in a state of worry.

He made a bold speech at the UN on the nuclear issue and refused to back down on Tehran's decision to resume uranium conversion. He continues to defend what he says is his country's right to civilian nuclear energy and its missile development programme. In June 2010 when the UN Security Council voted in favour of fresh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, he said they should be thrown in the dustbin like a "used handkerchief". Iran blames political pressure from the US and its allies for Security Council decisions. It insists it will not break its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and will not use its technology to make a nuclear bomb.

Limited to two terms under the current Iranian constitution, Ahmadinejad supported Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei's campaign for president. On 15 June 2013, Hassan Rouhani was elected as Ahmadinejad's successor and assumed office on 3 August 2013.

Алекса́ндр Фёдорович Ке́ренский (Alexander Kerensky)

May 4 1881 - June 11 1970 (89)

In Office: July 21 1917 - November 7 1917




Born to Fyodor Kerensky, a teacher and director of a local gymnasium, and Nadezhda née Adler, the daughter of a nobleman, in Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk), Russia, Alexander Fydoch Kerensky grew up to be a lawyer and major political leader before the Russian Revolutions of 1917.

At the age of eight, his family moved to Tashkent, where his father was newly appointed the main inspector of public schools (superintendent).  Kerensky graduated from a Tashkent secondary school with honors in 1899, and in the same year entered St. Petersburg University. There, he studied history and philology his first year. The next year he switched over to the law department and received a degree in 1904. In the same year, he got married to the daughter of a Russian general, Olga Lvovna Baranovskaya.

In 1905, Kerensky joined the Narodnik and worked as a legal counsel to victims of Revolution 1905.  By the end of the year, he was jailed for suspicion of belonging to a militant group. After the ordeal, he gained a reputation for his work as a defense lawyer in a number of political trials of revolutionaries. By 1912 he was widely known when he visited the goldfields at the Lena River and published about the Lena Minefields incident. That same year, he was elected to the Fourth Duma as a member of the Trudoviks, a non-Marxist labour party who were associated with the Socialist-Revolutionary Party.

When the February Revolution broke out in 1917, Kerensy was one of its most prominent leaders, being that he was a member of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and was elected vice-chairman of the Petrograd Soviet. He simultaneously became the first Minister of Justice in the newly formed Provisional Government. When a resolution prohibiting leaders from joining the government was passed by the Soviet, Kerensky delivered a stirring speech at a Soviet meeting. Despite the decision never being formalized, he was granted a de facto exemption and continued acting in both capacities.

During the Kornilov Affair, Kerensky distributed arms to the Petrograd workers, and by November most of the armed workers had gone over to the Bolsheviks. On October 25-26 1917, the Bolsheviks launched the second Russian revolution of the year. Kerensky's government in Petrograd had almost no support in the city, and only one group was willing to fight; A 137 soldier strong subdivision of 2nd company of the First Petrograd Women's Battalion a.k.a The Women's Death Battalion.  This force was overwhelmed by the numerically superior pro-Bolsheviks forces and were easily defeated and captured. It took less than 20 hours for the Bolsheviks to take over the government.

Kerensky fled to France, and during the the Russian Civil War he supported neither side.  He lived in Paris until 1940, engaged in the endless splits and quarrels of the exiled Russian politicians. He married a former Australian journalist Lydia "Nell" Tritton in 1939, and they both emigrated to the US when Germany occupied France in 1940.  His wife became terminally ill in 1945, which sent them both to Australia to live with her family. After he death on April 10, 1946, Kerensky moved  back to the US, where he spent the rest of his life.  He died at his home in New York City, and because of his being largely responsible for Russia falling to the Bolsheviks, neither The local Russian Orthodox Churches in New York nor the Serbian Orthodox Church would grant him a burial. Instead, his body was flown to London where he was buried at Putney Vale's non-denominational cemetery.

Mikhail Gorbachev

     Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the head of the state of the Soviet Union, and also the Soviet Union's first and only president.

     Gorbachev was born into a peasant Russian-Ukrainian in the Soviet Union, in a town that is now part of the Causcasus region of Southern Russia. After graduating from college, Gorbachev became very active in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev rose through the part ranks, becoming one of the youngest provincial part chiefs, and later a part of the Communist Party Central Committee. On March 11, 1985, at the age of 54, Gorbachev was elected General Secretary of the Politburo, becoming the youngest member.

     As General Secretary, Gorbachev introduced many reforms to boost the state economy, including glasnost, perestroika, and demokratizatsiya. Glasnost, meaning openness, gave Soviet citizens freedoms that had never experienced, such as freedom of speech. Also, state control of the press became far less suppressed. Demokratizatsiya, meaning democratization, was a major component of perestroika, or reconstucturing of the Soviet state.

    In March of 1990, Gorbachev was elected the first and only president of the U.S.S.R., though only served for about a year and half before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. With the union's dissoultion, Gorbachev's political career came to an end. However, Gorbachev has still remained active in Russian politics.

Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown.  Born February 20th, 1951, was the previous Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2007-2010), and leader of the Labour Party during the same time.  He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government for ten years (1997-2007). He has been a member of Parliament since 1983, previously for Dunfermline East and currently for Kirkaldy and Cowdenbeath.

In 1989, Gordon Brown joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Trade, and was then later promoted to become Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1992.  After the Labour Party's victory in 1997, Gordon was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.  The Labour Party contains a diversity of ideological trends from socialist to more moderately social democratic.  The party was founded in 1900, and overtook the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920's.  It was last in national government between 1997 and 2010 under Tony Blair and yes, Gordon Brown.  The party was 258 seats in the 2010 general election, and currently forms the Official Opposition in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Gordon Brown became Prime Minister of the UK when in 2007, Tony Blair resigned and he was chosen in an uncontested election.  On May 20th, 2010, Brown announced he would step down from leader of the Labour Party, and was succeeded by Harriet Harman, and as Prime Minister by David Cameron.  Harman was later succeeded by Ed Miliband.

Porfirio Diaz

Porfirio Diaz (1830-1915)
 

Porfirio Diaz (1830-1915) Porfirio Diaz was a Liberal, Mexican general, president, politician, and dictator.  He ruled Mexico for 35 years (1877-1911).  When Mexico was in distress because of The Reform War, Spain, France, and Britain had lent a helping hand but when debts were not paid they planned to invade Veracruz.  When the alliance fell apart Spain and Britain fled leaving France troops behind to fight the battle.  Mexican forces defeated the France invasion; among the troops was young general Porfirio Diaz, who led the cavalry unit.  It made him famous and cemented his reputation. 

                When Diaz lost his first election, he rebelled and with the support of the United Sates and the Catholic Church he brought an army into Mexico City in 1876, removing President Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada and seized power in a dubious “election.”  He then appointed himself president November 28, 1876.

                In power, his first goal was to establish peace throughout Mexico. His second goal was outlined in his motto – "little of politics and plenty of administration."  He created an economic boom allowing foreign investment to develop Mexico’s cast resources.  Money flowed in from the United States and Europe, and soon mines, plantations and factories were built and humming with production.

                Diaz had suppressed the media and controlled the court system. He managed to dissolve all local authorities and all aspects of federalism that once existed. Not long after he became president, the leaders of Mexico were answering directly to him.  To secure power, he engaged in various forms of co-optation and coercion.  Although, cracks began appearing and the economy went into a recession and when people began speaking out it was not tolerated.

                In 1910, Diaz stated that Mexico was ready for democracy and elections and that he would retire and allow other candidates to compete for the presidency. Although when he didn’t want to lose to Francisco Madero, who wanted to run because he felt that the time for Diaz to step aside came, he re-elected himself.  In the end a revolution broke out when Madero would not let him gain power again and overruled him.  When he had been defeated, he was allowed to go into exile and died in Paris on July 2, 1915.

Zhou Enlai

The First Premier of the People's Republic of China.

Served as Premier from October 1949 till his death in January 1976.

Party Affiliation- Communist Party of China.

Zhou Enlai ( Chou En-Lai ) was born March 5, 1898 in Huai’an, Jiangsu province, China to an affluent family.  Zhou Enlai was a participant of a few student movements like the May Fourth Movement, which led him to be arrested and imprisoned.  Zhou later move to France after his release to become a worker-student. While in France Zhou joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1922, and helped set up various branches of the party in Europe.  He returned to China in 1924.

Between 1924 and 1949, Zhou Enlai participated in various government activities like the Northern Expedition and the Long March (1934-1935).  during this time Zhou also married Deng Yingchao and was responsible for The CCP's negotiations with the Guomindang government.

After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, Zhou became not only the first Premier of The PRC but also the Minister of Foreign Affairs.  In Foreign Affairs Zhou Enlai traveled a lot and earned China good standing among other Third World countries due to his "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence".  As the Premier ,Zhou tried to keep the balance between the radical ideas of Mao and keeping the pretense that everything was normal in China. Zhou Enlai died in January 1976 due to cancer.

Cuauhtémoc Cardenas

Cuauhtémoc Cardenas is a Mexican politician who was born on May 1, 1934 in Mexico City, Mexico to President Lazaro Cardenas del Rio and Amalia Solórzano. Being born in a very successful family, Cuauhtémoc really lived up to the their expectations. In 1974, Cardenas became senator for the state of Michoacán and then governor in 1980. When his term ended in 1986, Cardenas and a few other politicians founded The Party of Democratic Revolution (PRD) in 1989 where he became the Head of Government of the Federal District. PRD is a social democratic political party meaning that they advocate the use of democratic means to achieve a gradual transition from capitalism to socialism. Today, Cárdenas remains a senior member of the PRD, and is considered the 'moral leader' of this party.

Pancho Villa

June 5 1878-July 20 1923

Born under the name Doroteo Arango, Pancho Villa was a Mexican revolutionary leader. Born in a hacienda in San Juan del Rio, Villa lived a peasant’s life as a sharecropper’s son. During Villa’s childhood in the hacienda, the rich grew in power by stealing and keeping down the poor, and the poor were treated like slaves. Villa’s father died early in his son’s life, leaving Villa to support his mother and four siblings on the wages of a sharecropper.

In 1894, Villa arrived to his home to to learn that the hacienda’s owner had raped Villa’s 12 year old sister. In retaliation, Villa killed the hacienda owner with a pistol and ran to live in the mountains. In his time spent in the mountains (1894-1910), Villa outran the law and survived on his own. However, in 1896, he joined a group of bandits and became their leader.  While in the group of bandits, he abandoned the name of Doroteo Arango, and adopted Francisco (Pancho) Villa.  As the bandits’ leader, Villa committed crimes against the wealthy and gave to the poor. Because of this, he was viewed as a Robin-Hood figure to the poor community.

Villa’s role as the bandits’ leader was recognized by people planning a revolution on Mexico’s current president, Porfirio Diaz who abused the lower class. Acknowledging Villa’s skills, they knew he could be used as a fighter in the revolution. Villa agreed to join the revolution as a leader on the side of Francisco Madero, who promised to give back to the lower class if he was made president. Villa served as the revolutionary leader until May 1911 when he stepped down from command due to altercations with Pascual Orozco Jr, another commander in the revolution.

After leaving the revolution, Villa attempted to settle into a quiet life. However, his rest came to an end in the spring of 1912, when the commander Pascual Orozco Jr became outraged when he was left out of what he considered to be his position in the new Mexican government. In this rage, he began a revolution against the current president Francisco Madero, who was the very man the revolution fought to put in power. Villa came out of resting to oppose the revolution with General Victoriano Huerta to protect Madero.  However, Villa was later betrayed by Huerta when he ordered Villa to be executed under the suspicion that Villa stole Huerta’s horse. Villa was saved from the execution by Madero, but was still thrown in jail from June 1912 to December 1912 when he escaped.

After Villa’s escape, Huerta turned against president Francisco Madero and killed him on February 22, 1913 taking the seat of Mexican President for himself.  In outrage, Villa allied with Coahuila’s Venustiano Carranza to fight against Huerta. Villa’s forces were in Chihuahua, where he ruled northern Mexico as a warlord. Along with Carranza’s forces, the two fought Huerta’s dictatorship of Mexico. Huerta was eventually unseated, and Carranza became Mexico’s new president. However, a later split among revolutionary leaders turned Villa and Carranza against each other.  Villa and his forces had several battles over the span of many years with Carranza, as Mexico becomes the grounds of a civil war between the two factions of Pancho Villa and Venustiano Carranza.

In the battle, the United States chose to aid and support Carranza’s presidency. In retaliation, Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico on March 9^th, 1916. This attack was one of the first raids on American grounds since 1912. To fight back, the United States sent thousands of soldiers to Mexico to search for Villa. However, the search for Villa turned up mostly fruitless as they searched for over a year and never caught him.

Pancho Villa finally left behind his life as a revolutionary leader when Adolfo De La Huerta became president of Mexico after Carranza was assassinated and granted him a hacienda in Chihuahua as part of a peace agreement for Mexico. Upon receiving the hacienda in 1920, Villa enjoyed retirement until he was shot in his car on July 20, 1923. 

David Cameron

Current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Assumed office- May 11, 2010


David William Donald Cameron. Born 9 October 1966, is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. He represents Witney as its Member of Parliament (MP).

In the 2010 general election held on May 6th, the Conservatives won 306 seats in a hung parliament. After five days of negotiation, Cameron formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Cameron leads the first coalition government of the United Kingdom since the Second World War. The 43-year-old Cameron became the youngest British Prime Minister since the Earl of Liverpool 198 years earlier. Cameron's relative youth and inexperience before becoming leader have invited satirical comparison with Tony Blair.
Cameron describes himself as a "modern compassionate conservative" and has spoken of a need for a new style of politics. He has stated that he is "certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite."  He has also claimed to be a "liberal Conservative", and "not a deeply ideological person."  As Leader of the Opposition, Cameron stated that he did not intend to oppose the government as a matter of course, and would offer his support in areas of agreement. He has urged politicians to concentrate more on improving people's happiness and "general well-being", instead of focusing solely on "financial wealth".  

He believes that British Muslims have a duty to integrate into British culture, but notes that they find aspects such as high divorce rates and drug use uninspiring. Prior to its legalization, Cameron advocated for legalizing same-sex marriage. 

Sun-Yat-Sen

Dr. Sun-Yat-Sen: First Provisional President of the Republic of China (1911-1912)
                            Years as De Facto Ruler (1923-1925)

Dr.Sun-Yat-Sen was born to an extremely poor family of farmers in the South China village known as Xiangshan on November 12, 1866.  There, he completed his basic education and afterward moved to Honolulu to live with his older brother Sun Mei, who had become a very wealthy merchant.  Soon, Sun-Yat-Sen became fascinated with the ideals of Abraham Lincoln, more specifically his philosophy of having a government "of the people, by the people and for the people".  Fueled by this ideology, Sun began to further his education, concentrating mainly on his fluency in English.  After gaining his American citizenship and graduating from Oahu college, he began working on revolutionary ideals for China (inspired by Abraham Lincoln's).  The three main components of this revolution were:  nationalism, sovereignty, and socialism.  

After the Qing dynasty implemented an extremely conservative law concerning education policy, Sun-Yat-Sen made it his mission to rebuild China as a Republic.  In 1895 he tried to organize a coup d'etat  (or surprise overthrow of the government) against the Chinese government with his Kuomintang political party, which not only failed but forced Sun-Yat-Sen into a nineteen year exile.  During this period, he traveled the world raising money and support for his revolutionary efforts.  After a military rebellion took down the Chinese monarchy in 1911, Sun-Yat-Sen returned to China and was elected the first provisional president of the Republic of China.  While Sun-Yat-Sen was in power, he implemented many changes such as the election of new senators in all provinces of China,  and the extensive planning of another coup d'etat against the head of the Beiyang Army.  Although this attempt failed (and the head of the Beiyang Army - Yuan - became the new emperor of China) Yuan was forced to step down from his position due to his many corrupt policies and inability to rule China as a dictator.  

Yuan stepping down left China to be led by various military leaders without a centralized government.  This infuriated Sun-Yat-Sen, and caused him to establish a military government in Southern China in an attempt to unify China once more.  He acted as both the President and General of this military government.  Under his rule, he established the "Three Principals of the People" (democracy, nationalism, and the livelihood of the people) which illustrated his Kuomintang ideals and acted as the foundation for the foundation of the Chinese government. 

After stepping down from his position in 1925, Sun-Yat-Sen actively gave speeches and seminars about the future of the Chinese government.  He also initiated a talk with the northern leaders of China about the unification of the country.  However, Sun-Yat-Sen never got to see China unified because he died on March 12, 1925 - at the age of 58 - from lung cancer.  Because of his revolutionary policies, Sun-Yat-Sen is known as the National Father of Modern China and the forerunner of the Chinese revolution.  His philosophies are still well-respected in China, and a line from one of his most famous speeches is incorporated in the present day Chinese national anthem to memorialize him forever.  

        

    Boris Yeltsin,  First President of the Russian Federation

       

 In Office: July 1991-December 1999

          Boris Yeltsin was born on February 1, 1931 in the village of Butka to a peasant family. He graduated from Ural Polytech Institute in 1955 with a degree in construction. Yelstin joined the Communist Party in 1961, and by 1981 he became a member of  the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Around 1980, Yeltsin became friends with Mikhail Gorbachev during his leadership. Yeltsin was named to the top party post in Moscow and to the Politburo by Gorbachev, once Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union.  However, toward the end of his leadership Gorbachev became isolated. Yeltsin emerged as a prominent opponent who pushed for radical reform, which resulted in him losing his leadership positions. He resigned from both the Politburo and the Communist party in 1990.
By June 12, 1991 Yeltsin was elected President of the Russian Federation winning 54% of the vote (first popular vote for this position.) Boris Yeltsin faced a crucial challenge a few months into his presidency. This challenge was a coup took place by hard-line Communists, who were opposed to Perestroika (the economic reform plan instituted by Gorbachev.) Yeltsin united the Russian people and inspired Soviet troops to oppose the coup; the coup had failed. During Yeltsin’s presidency, the Russian federation transitioned to a free market and pursued a policy of ‘shock therapy.’ On the other hand, this transition led to widespread economic hardship and inequality. Many oligarchs tried to take control of state owned assets at low prices, while the average Joe struggled to deal with rising prices and falling incomes. Yeltsin became progressively unpopular near the end of his presidency, due to the economic crisis and rumors about his drunkenness.  He resigned as president in 1999 and preferred Putin as candidate. The “architect of modern Russia” has been praised for leading Russia on the path to democracy. He died at the age of 76 in 2007 due to heart failure. While Yeltsin’s legacy may have been controversial, he has without a doubt written his name into Russia’s history.

Wei Jingsheng, O.C.D.C. Chairman and Creator of the Wei Jingsheng Foundation

 Wei Jingsheng, dubbed the "Father of Chinese Democracy" and "The Nelson Mandela of China," was born in 1950 in Beijing, China to parents who were long time Chinese Communist Party cadres. His name, Jingsheng, reflects his family's pride in his birthplace, as Jing means "capital" and and Sheng means "birth." Wei was 16 at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1966, and left home to explore the north and northwest Chinese countryside. During this time, he saw firsthand the effects that Communism was having on the Chinese people, as well as served in the People's Liberation Army.  Once he returned to Beijing, he wrote the essay "The Fifth Modernization," in which he explained that China could not truly modernize unless it adopted democracy.  This essay was posted on The Democracy Wall in Beijing in 1978, and caused quite a sensation.  Wei was arrested March 29, 1979 after publishing an article in an underground magazine called "Exploration."  The article was titled "Democracy or a New Dictatorship," and identified Deng Xiaoping, China's communist leader at the time, as the new dictator.  He spent a total of 18 years in various prisons before he was ultimately exiled to The United States in 1997.  Wei now lives in Washington, D.C., and is still very active in the cause for Chinese democratization.  He frequently gives speeches and publishes articles for media stations like Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, and BBC.  In 1998, Wei founded the Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition (O.C.D.C.), which is an umbrella organization for international groups dedicated to Chinese democratization.  In 1998, Wei also established and became president of the Wei Jingsheng Foundation, a non-profit organization based in New York City that aims to promote democratization and improved human rights in China.  Wei's dedication to Chinese democratization has been recognized, and he has received numerous awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Human Rights Award in 1996, the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, and the National Endowment for Democracy Award in 1997, among others.  Since 1993, he has been nominated seven times for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Wei also published the book "Courage to Stand Alone--Letters from Prison and Other Writings," which is a collection of articles he wrote on toilet paper while in jail. 

Welcome to the AP Comparative Valentines 'Day' Social! For each assigned person you must complete a mini biography. It should include their: country, name, political affiliation (explain the political party if applicable), current/past positions, notable achievements, picture (if applicable). Comment on 3 other people's post in character.
Due: Sunday February 16 by 6 P.M.

Example:

Margaret Thatcher

Prime Minister, U.K.

In Office: 4 May 1979 – 28 November 1990 Born on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, England, Margaret Thatcher became Britain's Conservative Party leader and in 1979 was elected prime minister, the first woman to hold the position. During her three terms, she cut social welfare programs, reduced trade union power and privatized certain industries. Thatcher resigned in 1991 due to unpopular policy and power struggles in her party. She died on April 8, 2013, at age 87.