Famous Socialist Leaders Of All Time

A prolific author, having written 12 published books and several articles, Helen Keller was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her autobiography, The Story of My Life, made Keller famous and was adapted for film and stage. She was also an activist and campaigned for women's suffrage, labour rights, socialism and other such causes.

Billy Connolly is a retired stand-up comedian, actor, and musician. Known for his observational and idiosyncratic comedy, Connolly is widely considered one of the most influential and greatest stand-up comedians of all time. He has also worked with the British charity, Comic Relief and has appeared in a documentary and a live stage show for the charity.

The third Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi served as PM from 1966 till 1977 and then again from 1980 till her assassination in October 1984. She is considered one of India’s strongest PM and is hailed for leading India to victory over Pakistan in 1971, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. However, she is also categorised as authoritarian and is criticised for imposing Emergency in 1975.

Gamal Abdel Nasser was an Egyptian politician. He was the second president of Egypt, serving from 1954 to 1970. Before becoming the president, Nasser played a crucial role in the Egyptian revolution of 1952, in which he led a group of army to overthrow King Farouk. Nasser remains an iconic figure, not just in Egypt, but the entire Arab world.

The second prime minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri, was known for his environmental campaigns and his support for the White Revolution. His slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan,” during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, became immensely popular. He ended the war by signing the Tashkent Agreement, but died a day later.

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, created history on May 14, 2017 when at age 39 he became the youngest person to occupy the chair in the history of the country. He was initially a member of the Socialist Party, but fought the presidential elections under the banner of En Marche, a centrist political movement founded by him in 2016.

The first prime minister of Australia, Edmund Barton had also been a senior judge at the High Court of Australia. The federation movement leader was also a major force behind the drafting of the constitution of his country. After rejecting the knighthood thrice, he finally accepted the honor in 1902.

Slobodan Milosević was a Serbian political leader who served as the President of Serbia from 1989 to 1997 and of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000. He pursued Serbian nationalist policies, which resulted in the breakup of the socialist Yugoslav federation. Milosevic was charged with war crimes in connection to the Bosnian War, the Croatian War, and the Kosovo War, and died in custody.

François Hollande served as the president of France from 2012 to 2017. He has earlier been the president of the General Council of Corrèze and the First Secretary of the Socialist Party. Of the many significant policies undertaken by him was the legalization of same-sex marriage through Bill 344.

James Callaghan was a British politician who served as the prime minister from 1976 to 1979. Also having served as Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, James Callaghan is the only person in the history of the United Kingdom to have served in all the four Great Offices of State.

Tommy Douglas was a Scottish Canadian politician. From 1944 to 1961, he served as premier of Saskatchewan. His cabinet was the first to introduce North America's first single-payer, universal health care program. His life and career inspired a TV miniseries titled Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, in which Douglas was played by actor Michael Therriault.

Nobel Peace Prize-winning Guatemalan activist is known for her fight for the rights of indigenous people and women. Her entire family was accused of participating in guerrilla activities, brutalized, and killed by the Guatemalan army. She has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and founded the first Guatemalan indigenous political party.

Born into a Jewish family in Paris, three-time French prime minister Léon Blum had initially studied law. He joined politics inspired by the Dreyfus affair. The first socialist and the first Jew to head France, he introduced reforms such as the 40-hour work week and paid vacations.

Miguel Ãngel Asturias was a Guatemalan poet-diplomat, journalist, playwright, and novelist. He played a significant role in spreading the importance of indigenous cultures. In 1966, he was honored with the International Lenin Peace Prize. In 1967, he became only the second Latin American author to win the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature.

Tabaré Vázquez was a Uruguayan politician who served as the 39th and 41st president of Uruguay from 2005 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2020 respectively. The first socialist president of Uruguay, Vázquez's first presidency strengthened the country's diplomatic ties with Argentina and Brazil. In 2006, Tabaré Vázquez was honored by WHO for implementing strict tobacco control laws in Uruguay.

Mauricio Funes is a Salvadoran politician who won the 2009 presidential election representing the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front political party. He served as the 44th president of El Salvador from 2009 to 2014. Before establishing himself as a politician, Mauricio Funes had a successful career in journalism, hosting local news programs and interviewing leftist rebel leaders.

Arnoldo Alemán is a Nicaraguan politician who became the 81st President of Nicaragua on 10 January 1997. A qualified lawyer, he practiced law for several years before entering politics. As the president, he was successful in promoting economic growth in the country. After his term ended in 2002, he was convicted of corruption. These convictions were later overturned. 

Laisenia Qarase was a Fijian politician who served as the Fijian prime minister from 2000 to 2006. He was overthrown from power as a result of a military coup in 2006. Subsequently, the military-backed regime pressed corruption charges against Qarase and he was imprisoned in 2012 amidst rumors that the charges were politically motivated.

Ethiopian religious leader Abune Paulos, who led the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church for 2 decades, began his journey as a trainee deacon in his youth. He later joined the doctoral program at the Princeton Theological Seminary. His humanitarian work earned him a Nansen Medal from the UNCHR.

Son Sann was a Cambodian anti-communist resistance leader and politician. He is best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Cambodia from 1 May 1967 to 31 January 1968. Son Sann is also credited with forming a new political party called the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party.