20th-Century World Leaders Part 4 Quiz

Answer: Juan Domingo Peron

Juan Domingo Peron (1895-1974), former army general, was the Argentine President for three terms. During his first term from 1946 to 1952, he was ably supported by his second wife, Eva Duarte.

He was elected for the second term from 1952 to 1955, despite the death of Eva. His Peronist party was outlawed and he was exiled until 1973. When he returned to Argentina in 1973, he was elected for the third time, and served until he died in 1974. He was succeeded by his third wife, Maria Estela Martina aka Isabel Peron who was his Vice-President. Isabel Peron served as the Argentine president from 1974 to 1976.

Answer: Dr. Sun Yat-sen

Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) aka Sun Wen was a physician who became the first leader of the Nationalist Party of China (Kuomintang). He is often referred as the "Father of the Nation". After many unsuccessful attempts to overthrow the Qing dynasty, he finally succeeded during the Xinhai Revolution in 1911.

After his appointment as the president in 1912, he quickly relinquished the post to former Qing general, Yuan Shikai. He then left to live in exile in Japan but returned to form a revolutionary government in the South to fight against the warlords who controlled much of China. In 1923, he formed an alliance with the Chinese Communist Party to consolidate their strength against the warlords. However he did not live long enough to see his successor, Chiang Kai-shek, who unified China in the Northern Expedition.

Answer: Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1858-1919), more commonly known as Teddy Roosevelt, was the American president from 1901 to 1909. He succeeded William McKinley who was assassinated in September 1901.

He was well known as a conservation president. During his administration, the government established many national parks, forests and monuments to preserve the natural resources. In foreign policies, he initiated the construction of Panama Canal and successfully negotiated to end Russo-Japanese War, for which he was awarded the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.

Answer: Georges Clemenceau

Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929) was a popular political figure of the Independent Radicals. He successfully led his country through the end of the First World War during his second term. In the Treaty of Versailles, he got what he wanted from Germany, namely war reparations, transfers of colonies, strict control on rearming and the return of Alsace-Lorraine region, which had been annexed to Germany.

Answer: Stanley Baldwin

Stanley Baldwin (1867-1947) succeeded Andrew Bonar Law in 1923, after Law resigned due to poor health. During his second term from 1924 to 1929, his government had to face the General Strike of 1926 due to sluggish growth and decline in the mining industries. In 1927, his government implemented the Trade of Disputes and Trade Unions Act to curb the powers of the trade unions.

In his third term from 1935 to 1937, he oversaw the beginning of the rearmament process of the British military, abdication of King Edward VIII, remilitarization of the Rhineland and the Spanish Civil War.

Answer: Aung San

Aung San (1915-1947) was the founder of the Myanmar Armed Forces and is considered as the Father of modern-day Myanmar. He was the father of Aung San Suu Kyi.

After WWII, he negotiated with the British for independence of Burma. In 1946, he formed a cabinet consisting of many minor ethnic groups to serve as the Premier of the British Crown Colony. After his party won the general election to form the government, he and most of his cabinet were assassinated before the independence of Burma.

Answer: Kwame Nkrumah

Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972) founded the Convention People's Party and was elected as the Prime Minister in 1952 before independence from the UK. In 1957, he retained his post after Ghana became an independent nation. In 1960, he was elected as the president.

His government funded national industrial and energy projects, developed strong national system and promoted pan-African culture. Ghana played a leading role in African international relations during the periods when many African nations were seeking independence from colonial rules.

Answer: Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco (1892-1975) became the youngest Spanish general in 1926 at the age 33 while serving in Morocco.

In 1936, he started the Civil War as Generalissimo and Head of State when he consolidated all the nationalist parties into a one-party state. After the Civil War, he ruled the country with an iron hand as a dictator. Between 100,000 and 200,000 people were killed during the period known as the White Terror. Although Spain was neutral during WWII, he provided support to Germany and Italy, as both countries supported him during the civil war.

In a period of economic growth known as "Spanish miracle" at the start of the Cold War, he lifted the country out of the economic depression through technocratic and economically liberal policies. His anti-communist policy also won him support from the West.

In 1973, he resigned as prime minister due to advanced age and illness, but still retained power as the commander-in-chief. During his final years, he restored the monarchy to King Juan Carlos.

Answer: Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015) aka Harry Lee, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a founding member of People's Action Party which ruled Singapore since 1959. He was the prime minister from 1959 to 1990.

During the 1960s, his government faced the challenge of building up a small and backward country with no natural resources in the midst of separation from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965. In the early 1970s, the withdrawal of the British army also created an economic challenge.

Under his administration, the government efficiently carried out plans to provide education for all, attract foreign investments and developing the country into a financial and transportation hub. All these helped to transform the small nation rapidly into a "first world country".

Answer: Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989) was the Filipino president from 1965 to 1986. In 1972, Philippines was placed under martial law which he used to control the media and to carry out oppression against the political opponents, Muslims, suspected communists and even ordinary people.

During the early 1983, his popularity dipped due to the economic collapse followed by the public outrage of the assassination of opposition leader, Benigno Aquino. The discontentment in the 1984 election led him to call the snap election in 1986. During the snap election, there was mass cheating, political turmoil and human rights abuses. In February 1986, he was deposed in the People Power Revolution.