These Figures Have A Complicated Legacy

From feminism to communism, sometimes it takes a revolution to create change. Whether the ensuing transformation was positive or not, the revolutions themselves were driven by an idealist vision for the future. Despite often being later corrupted, the people who led them started with a dream and truly believed they could make a positive change for humanity. Here are the 20 most iconic revolutionary figures and what they did. 

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1. Che Guevara

Perhaps the face most synonymous with "revolution" is Che Guevara, known for his role in the Cuban Revolution. He was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, and guerrilla leader who became a symbol of rebellion.

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2. Leon Trotsky

Leon Trotsky was a central figure in the 1905 Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Union. His ideas inspired an off-shoot of Marxism known as Trotskyism.

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3. Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi led the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India. He played a crucial role in winning the nation's independence in 1947 and became an enduring symbol of peace and justice.

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4. Maximilien Robespierre

Maximilien Robespierre was a key figure in the French Revolution. He was one of the leaders behind The Reign of Terror in which perceived enemies of the revolution were executed en mass. 

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5. Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro was the main orchestrator behind the 1959 overthrow of the Batista regime in Cuba, transforming the country into a Socialist state. Afterward, he became Cuba's Communist leader for almost 50 years. 

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6. Karl Marx

Karl Marx was the thinker who inspired the countless socialist revolutions worldwide that dominated much of the 20th century. He co-authored The Communist Manifesto which advocated for replacing capitalism with a classless society.

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7. Nelson Mandela 

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who was a key figure in de-segregating the country. He spent 27 years in prison for fighting racial segregation and later became the country’s first Black president.

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8. Simón Bolívar

Known as "El Libertador," Simón Bolívar was a revolutionary figure who led several South American countries to independence from Spain. He was a Venezuelan military leader and politician.

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9. Emiliano Zapata

Emiliano Zapata was a Mexican revolutionary who fought for the rights of peasants during the Mexican Revolution. He inspired Zapatismo which focused on agrarian reform, indigenous rights, and anti-imperialism.

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10. Claire Lacombe

Claire Lacombe was a French revolutionary and one of the founding members of the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women. She fought with the rebels during the storming of the Tuileries where she was shot in the arm but kept fighting.

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11. Francisco "Pancho" Villa 

Francisco Villa was one of the main players who overthrew President Porfirio Díaz during the Mexican Revolution. He allied with Emiliano Zapata and helped form a coalition government.

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12. Meena Keshwar Kamal

Meena Keshwar Kamal was an Afghan revolutionary and feminist. She founded the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. She was assassinated in 1987 but continues to be an enduring symbol of women's rights. 

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13. George Washington

George Washington led the Continental Army to victory against the British in the American Revolutionary War. He was also the first American president and is considered the father of his country. 

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14. Patrice Lumumba

Patrice Lumumba was the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was the leader of the Congolese National Movement which played a significant role in de-colonizing the Congo.

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15. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the most significant figure in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He used nonviolent resistance to advance the rights of Black people and dismantle segregation laws.

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16. Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin was a Russian revolutionary who played a key role in establishing the USSR. As the leader of the Bolsheviks, he led the October Revolution and was Soviet Russia's first head of government.

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17. Ahmed Ben Bella

Ahmed Ben Bella was an Algerian socialist revolutionary. As a soldier, he led the Algerian nationalist army against France and later served as the first head of government of Algeria.

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18. Emilio Aguinaldo

Emilie Aguinaldo who led the Philippine forces first against Spain in the Philippine Revolution, then again in the Spanish-American war, and finally in the Philippine–American War against the US. He was the first and is still the youngest president of the Philippines. 

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19. Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony was a women's rights activist who played a major role in the women's suffrage movement. She also petitioned for the abolition of slavery from a young age. 

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20. Jonas Savimbi

Jonas Savimbi was an Angolan revolutionary and leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola which waged a guerrilla war against Portuguese colonial rule. He was one of the biggest anti-communist voices in the world.

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