I&S GRADE 10 - UNIT 2
Great Leaders?
An Introduction to the Unit
The video below explains what this unit will be about. It also outlines one of the tasks (linked below the video) you will be completing as you study this unit.
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher remains a divisive figure. Her supporters argue that she relaunched the British economy, restored British pride and not only that, she was an early advocate for taking actions to prevent climate change. Her critics argue that she destroyed British manufacturing, sold off key utilities such as water and gas, supported repressive regimes abroad like Pinochet’s Chile and opposed sanctions on apartheid South Africa.
PRO-THATCHER ARGUMENTS |
ANTI-THATCHER ARGUMENTS |
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Fidel Castro
The longest-serving non-royal head of state in the 20th and 21st centuries, Castro polarised opinion throughout the world. His supporters view him as a champion of socialism and anti-imperialism whose revolutionary government advanced economic and social justice while securing Cuba's independence from US influence. Critics call him a dictator whose administration oversaw human rights abuses, the exodus of many Cubans, and the impoverishment of the country's economy.
Joseph Stalin
Stalin’s historical reputation has waxed and waned perhaps more than anyone else’s. In the West he has been a foe in the 1930s, a friend and ally in the 1940s, and a foe again at the end of World War Two. At home he has been seen as both a tyrant and a national saviour; a tyrant in terms of how he repressed political dissent of any kind by imprisoning millions, and a national saviour in terms of defeating the Nazis and establish the USSR as a superpower.
PRO-STALIN ARGUMENTS
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ANTI-STALIN ARGUMENTS
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Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera has a complex legacy. He is one of Ireland's greatest statesmen, and his long political career defined Ireland's politics following independence. As a participant in the Easter Rising and President of Dáil Éireann during the Anglo-Irish War, his dedication to Irish independence cannot be questioned. However, his role in the Irish Civil War is controversial, and his reputation has suffered over time in comparison to his Civil War rival Michael Collins. His economic policies held Ireland back, while Ireland's neutrality during World War II damaged the country's reputation on the global stage.