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Phil Andrade
London
UK
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Posts: 6386
Joined: 2004
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Right now, as I’m writing this, the TV news bulletins are steeped in the reporting of the arrival of the new British Prime Minister , Liz Truss.
This is bound to occupy British media; no doubt other nations are preoccupied with their own affairs.
A refrain that keeps being uttered is that our new PM faces a particularly difficult task : the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine, other geo strategic threats and political challenges, inflation, socio industrial unrest, post pandemic difficulties, the fragility of the United Kingdom’s integrity, the post Brexit dilemma and too many other issues.
The worst predicament faced by a British PM in the last three generations, it’s being said.
This leads me to ask, which leader in a democratic nation has faced the toughest ordeal in modern times ?
Abraham Lincoln, in my opinion.
Agree or disagree, please, I’d love to read your suggestions.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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jahenders
Colorado Springs
CO USA
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Posts: 681
Joined: 2017
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Phil,
That depends, of course, on your definitions of 'toughest' and of 'modern times.'
If modern times does include the Civil War, then I couldn't argue against Lincoln -- trying to prevent the collapse of the US, while dealing with all manner of fools.
Churchill -- he had to keep his people motivated during an existential crisis and a pretty long string of setbacks and challenges
Ben Gurion and other Israeli Prime Ministers
You might also consider a caveat that they faced challenges and did well/succeeded. Otherwise you might add:
- Hoover -- Depression
- Several French presidents or premiers -- bad news WWI and collapse WWII
- Some early leaders of the Weimar Republic
Jim
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Phil Andrade
London
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Posts: 6386
Joined: 2004
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Thanks Jim.
Good points.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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Brian Grafton
Victoria
BC Canada
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Posts: 4720
Joined: 2004
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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I would probably also look at Oliver Cromwell somewhat seriously:
– overthrew a monarchy of at least 600 years;
– executed a monarch;
– faced wars at home and abroad, for reasons of regicide (after all, in killing Charles I he also killed the King of Scotland), religion and loyalty (think New World loyalties to the Crown).
And IMHO Liz Truss’ biggest challenge springs from her own weaknesses. Yes, she meets formidable problems, at least some of them stemming from the Tory commitment to Brexit. From what I’ve read about her policies, she offers no realistic direction out of the quagmire Britain finds herself in.
Cheers
Brian G
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"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly.
"The Best Things in Life Aren't Things" Bumper sticker.
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scoucer
Berlin
Germany
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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I might add Konrad Adenauer - the first Kanzler of the German Federal Republic.
Trevor
Edit. AS for Liz "Pork markets" Truss the plastic Thatcher, I can only agree with Anthony Albanese, the Australian premier minister, and Sergei Lavarov, the Russian Foreign Minister , who both referred to her as an idiot.
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`Hey don´t the wars come easy and don´t the peace come hard`- Buffy Sainte-Marie
Some swim with the stream. Some swim against the stream. Me - I´m stuck somewhere in the woods and can´t even find the stupid stream.
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Phil Andrade
London
UK
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Posts: 6386
Joined: 2004
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Liz Truss takes inspiration from the motto of REME :
“ The impossible we’ll do straight away. Fucking miracles take two minutes longer. “
Idiots have their uses : didn’t Lenin say that ?😂
Lenin had a tough job, but he had no aspirations to uphold democratic rule.
I hadn’t thought about Oliver Cromwell , or Konrad Adenauer : thanks for proffering them for consideration, Brian and Trevor.
Editing : the phrase “ useful idiot “ has been attributed to Lenin, but there’s doubt about this.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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Brian Grafton
Victoria
BC Canada
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Posts: 4720
Joined: 2004
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Phil, I thought that “useless mouths” was Lenin’s socio-political gem! 
Cheers
Brian G
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"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly.
"The Best Things in Life Aren't Things" Bumper sticker.
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OpanaPointer
St. Louis
MO USA
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Posts: 1892
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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I vote for all the government heads in WWII.
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Phil Andrade
London
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Posts: 6386
Joined: 2004
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Quote: I vote for all the government heads in WWII.
Many will agree ; forgive me if I dissent.
The war leaders of 1939-45 had well honed and intricate methods of state control at their disposal. Things were largely in place. There'd been the experience of an extremely unpleasant rehearsal a generation earlier to offer guidance.
Lincoln in 1861 had none of this.
Both on the battlefield and on the political front things had to be adapted and improvised as the war grew steadily more demanding.
The toughest job, I think ; it actually cost Lincoln his life.
His southern counterpart, Jeff Davis, faced a similarly daunting ordeal.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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OpanaPointer
St. Louis
MO USA
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Posts: 1892
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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They still had to deal with humans, on a global scale in some cases. Dealing with each other would have been a real PITA.
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Phil Andrade
London
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Posts: 6386
Joined: 2004
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Quote: They still had to deal with humans, on a global scale in some cases. Dealing with each other would have been a real PITA.
Yes, in the full glare of publicity, with screened news vignettes of the leaders meeting each other etc.
This could be a nightmare ; it could also facilitate.
Lincoln had a red hot press on his back : nothing like the media that were able to impose themselves in WW2, but still a formidable intrusion.
The thing that I find fascinating is the terrible burden of dealing with different army commanders. This came to the fore with Churchill in the earlier part of WW2. It was very apparent with Lloyd George and his conflict with Haig in WW1. Hitler and Stalin were not too worried by democratic incursions into their respective realms.
Reflecting on Lincoln trying to cope with McClellan, Hooker, Meade and Burnside, my mind boggles trying to imagine how stressful this must have been. Especially with home front dissent, the toxic rivalries of his political peers and the desperately fragile adherence of the Border States. Even his wife posed a problem !
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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OpanaPointer
St. Louis
MO USA
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Posts: 1892
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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"General McClellan, if you're not going to use the Army might I borrow it for a while?"
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NYGiant
home
USA
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Posts: 953
Joined: 2021
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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FDR.
He steered the United States though the 2 crises of the 20th Century, the Great Depression and World War II. And he did it while he battled a debilitating illness that took away his ability to walk.
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George
Centre Hastings
ON Canada
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Posts: 13378
Joined: 2009
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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I am an admirer of FDR because of the relationship that he forged with my country, Canada, just prior to the war. He promised that should Canada be attacked by any foreign power that the US would not stand idly by to watch it happen. That gave the country some peace of mind as it mobilized for war in 1939.
However, all world leaders were forced to deal with the depression and several were heavily involved with the actual fighting of WWII prior to the entry of the US. So I cannot see that he had a tougher job than many of his contemporaries.
I will say that he masterfully tip-toed the line between violation of the Neutrality act and support for those fighting the war in Europe.
Of his contemporaries I would say that Churchill had the tougher job. Bombs were falling on his country and the rest of Europe had fallen to the Nazis. He had the task to keep Britain and the Commonwealth in the fray, to feed his people and to manufacture arms in defence of his nation. And I think that he deserves some credit for his powers of persuasion as he negotiated with the US for material support.
Cheers,
George
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Phil Andrade
London
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Posts: 6386
Joined: 2004
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Thanks for these replies, folks !
All of them are informed and interesting.
The awful burden of leading a country in a world war - especially in an existential situation - is hard to imagine.
I would still opine, though, that the ordeal of a civil war lends something of an extra twist to the nightmare.
Churchill and Lincoln were both disposed to " melancholia". I suspect that WSC's aristocratic birth, his insistence on indulging in luxuries and his downright selfishness rescued him from the worst ravages of depression. Lincoln, I reckon, faced the lonelier ordeal. There was something uniquely dreadful in the burden he bore, in my opinion.
Winston, I think, was someone who could rejoice in warfare : this is not to traduce him, because he also had a visceral humanity. Lincoln, I imagine, recoiled from the horror of war and must have felt like a butterfly being broken on the wheel. What he had to preside over was something which - in my mind's eye - he loathed to his very marrow.
A man of singular humanity, humour and humility ( forgive the Lincolnesque alliteration! ) , he suffered more profoundly, I reckon, than either Churchill or FDR, and saw the task through, paying with his life. That's why I extol him.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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Lightning
Glasgow
UK
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Hi Phil,
I would find it hard to argue against Lincoln, if we accept him as a 'modern' leader. Lincoln had no recent examples to fall back on for guidance, as the American Civil War was largely unique for its time. A large chunk of the officers of the regular army defected, taking with them what should have had been the core tactical and strategic leadership of his new armies. The industrial power of the North was greater than the South, but at this point still lagged behind the western European powers who had struggled to feed their armies in the Crimea. He was reliant on European goodwill (or neutrality) to keep the South blockaded, which was a critical weapon in winning the war.
The Northern public was for the war, but not at any cost. A good majority were hostile to slavery, but were not for race equality; seeing black soliders in uniform was not universally popular at first. His own political party wanted the Union preserved, but had numerous opinions on how this should be achieved. The Opposition would not swing behind the Government in a way that Churchill (and Lloyd-George before him) had enjoyed - even the Labour party stood down its campaigning to back the war effort in 1914 & 1939. Lincoln faced significant industrial unrest and civil discontent as the casualties mounted and the costs became higher. He also had to contend with trouble on the frontier, as the retreat of the regular army led to a counter-surge by native peoples very much aware of the lack of troops to protect settlers who were encroaching on native lands.
Lincoln played a balancing act each day of the war, satisfying some to the discontent of others. He had commanders who would not fight the war in the way he wanted; indeed, he had commanders who would not fight at all. The fall of Atlanta probably saved him from electoral defeat and the prospect of a negotiated settlement, but he had done enough work from 1861-1863 to find capable officers that a breakthrough on one or more of the fronts was inevitable. Conversely, the war may well have ended in 1862 had Lee not taken over from Johnston. Lee was a formidable battlefield opponent, on a level that the Southern political leadership could never have hoped to emulate strategically.
My vote therefore also goes to Lincoln, with Churchill in second place. Britain was not, IMO, at risk of outright defeat and surrender in 1914-18; it sailed perilously close to this in 1940-41 before the Americans came in. Churchill had to keep the country and Commonwealth going in the face of near insurmountable odds. However, I think Lincoln faced greater overall pressure as he directly commanded so many of the policies of the war effort that Churchill was able to delegate to others.
Cheers,
Colin
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"There is no course open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight to the end."
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Phil Andrade
London
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Posts: 6386
Joined: 2004
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Which leader had the toughest job ?
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Colin,
You give a superb rendition.
Thanks.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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