Leader who are a little bit badass.

jlckansas

Starting in the 20th century it seems like there is a dearth of leader who are a bit of a badass. I can think of a few US presidents who were pretty good before they became presidents. Here is my list of US Presidents in the 20th century what about other countries?

1. Teddy Roosevelt, goes without saying.
2. Harry Truman, went thru WW1 in a front line artillery unit.
3. JFK stay with the PT boats even after getting sunk.
4. Reagan, besides surviving the assassination attempt, when he was Governor of California he saved a person who was drowning in the middle of a party at the mansion. Dove right in the pool and saved them.
 

Dayton Kitchens

Banned
Charles De Gaulle- survived various assassination attempts and generally took it all in stride until the last one.

That was one where the leader of the assassination team was supposed to signal the gunmen on each side of the road by waving a newspaper but De Gaulle's car was going much faster since they had been delayed on the way to the airport by De Gaulle's wife going back to get some chicken she wanted to cook after they got to their destination. She put it in the trunk.

It was also raining. The leader of the assassination team frantically started waving the newspaper, the gunmen opened up with more than 100 rounds IIRC killed one of the police motorcycle escorts, blew out the tires on the car and shattered the windows. De Gaulle's only reaction was to brush the glass off his lap for which he suffered a minor cut on his finger. He continued talking to his wife.

When they reached the airport De Gaulle's wife opened the trunk and said "Oh, I hope they didn't hit the chicken".

De Gaulle was generally very merciful but he had the leader of the assassination team executed reportedly because of his indifference to the danger to De Gaulle's wife. Saying "Well, she married him for better or for worse".

Also, King Hassan of Morocco who not only survived THREE assassination attempts by one of his Air Force generals on the SAME DAY, but did so with massive style.
 

arctic warrior

King Hussein of Jordan surviving umpteen assassination attemps; in one firing at the attackers.
Anker Jørgensen PM of Denmark during the 1980's; during his military service in WWII with the Guard Hussars Cavalry the German attacked the Danish armed forces 29. August 1943 and according to rumour he was the man to carry the flag of surrender. Following release he joined the resistance movement.
 

Marthabutt

On January 30th,1835, Andrew Jackson not only survived an assassination attempt(thanks to the guns misfiring) but he also beat the assassin,Richard Lawrence,with his cane.
 

jlckansas

Malkenny said:
On January 30th,1835, Andrew Jackson not only survived an assassination attempt(thanks to the guns misfiring) but he also beat the assassin,Richard Lawrence,with his cane.
Click to expand...
Wrong century, Lots of leaders before the 20th century were badass. But you get a +1 for replying.
 

Marthabutt

jlckansas said:
Wrong century, Lots of leaders before the 20th century were badass. But you get a +1 for replying.
Click to expand...

My bad,forgot the forum.

In that case,Castro had a few interesting assassination attempts. One involved an exploding cigar and another where he found out that his mistress was going to assassinate him and even gave her the gun,telling her to shoot him but she didn't have the nerve too.
 

Halagaz

King Peter I of Serbia. Fought in the Franco-Prussian War as a volunteer, with plenty of adventures and escapades: he led a rescue mission which freed 80 captured soldiers, swam across the Loare under enemy fire to rejoin his unit, dodged some Prussian patrols by impersonating a local drunkard, and ended up fighting for the Paris Commune (which is highly unusual for a prince). Later he'd fight as a volunteer in another war. And in WWI he drove his ministers and adjutants mad by constantly visiting trenches to boost morale, with little care for the risks.

King Zog of Albania was the targed of hundreds of blood vendettas and allegedly survived over 50 assassination attempts. One time, he was attacked by gunmen in the streets of Vienna - so he pulled out his own gun and held them off until the police arrived.

The Yugoslav dictator Tito also survived a lot of stuff as a resistance leader in WWII. Can't remember anything specific, though.
 
Cregan

Cregan

Tito = badass. I love, love, love the note he reportedly sent to Stalin during the split - "Stop sending men to kill me, we've already caught 4 in Belgrade. If you keep sending them I will have to send one man to Moscow, and I won't need to send another".

Castro = another badass. Was actually a guerrilla fighter and survived numerous CIA assassination attempts.
 

MattII

Winston Churchill. He took part the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the Mahdist War, the Second Boer War and the First World War, at least as front-line service went, though not always as a soldier (he was a war correspondent in the Boer War). One action he was involved in was the charge of the 21st Lancers at the Battle of Omdurman.
 

mlp

Isn't the question a bit stupid though?
Hirohito was badass, he was a military and religious leader for over four decades.
Saddam Hussein was badass, he defied American imperialism for 20 years.
Bush the Second was badass, he declared the war in Iraq over on an aircraft carrier after landing a jet there.
Stalin was badass, he had a cool mustache and led the coolest war in human history.
Idi Amin was badass, he considered himself a Scotsman and often rode horses.
Questions like this are too subjective to be ever legitimate questions.
 

Bad@logic

Clemenceau was pretty badass, his remarks after an assassination attempt on him (after saying "They shot me in the back. They didn't even dare to attack me from the front.") were; “We have just won the most terrible war in history, yet here is a Frenchman who misses his target 6 out of 7 times at point-blank range. Of course this fellow must be punished for the careless use of a dangerous weapon and for poor marksmanship. I suggest that he be locked up for eight years, with intensive training in a shooting gallery."

He also fought a duel with Paul Déroulède, but probably his most impressive thing was his continual visits to the front during WW1;

"And now," he said, "I claim my reward." "What is that, sir?" asked Rawlinson. "I wish to pass the river and see the battle." The Army commander shook his head. "It would not be right for you to go across the river," he said. "Why not?" "Well, we are not at all sure of the situation beyond the river. It is extremely uncertain."

"Good," cried Clemenceau. "We will re-establish it. After coming all this way and sending you two divisions, I shall not go back without crossing the river. You come with me, Mr. Winston Churchill (this time he got it right); and you Loucheur. A few shells will do the General good," pointing gaily to his military Chef de Cabinet. So we all got into our cars again and set off towards the river and the cannonade. (T&A, 173-74)

http://www.winstonchurchill.org/pub...urchill-on-clemenceau-his-best-student-part-i
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/pub...rchill-on-clemenceau-his-best-student-part-ii

He spent around one day a week at the front, naturally with the danger which attends to that, which is more than any other purely political leader I can think of.

Not to mention the political aspects with holding France together until victory were important and impressive in of their own right.

He was sort of like the French WW1-version of Winston Churchill.
 
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