The "Great Leaders" Were Mass Murderers
"... The greatest leaders, according to conventional appraisals, are usually those who draw the most blood. Most opinion makers distance themselves from Hitler, Mao, Stalin, and their ilk, although even here who can doubt they tower over modern history precisely because of their bloodletting?....Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and (perhaps we can call him an honorary American at the least) Winston Churchill stand as giants in the usual narrative of international progress, and despite their flaws — some of which historians quickly concede, proud of the balance and sophisticated nuance of their work — these men represent goodness nearly as much as Hitler represents evil. Just as important, the great wars these allegedly great men presided over have come to represent virtue and redemption nearly as much as the Nazis have come to symbolize barbarity.
Ralph Raico dissents. In his terrific book Great Wars and Great Leaders: A Libertarian Rebuttal, the venerable historian acquaints the reader with the dark side of such revered great leaders. His volume could be called an antihagiography, yet that is perhaps a grandiose descriptor for what is in ways not so presumptuous a project. All it takes is a fair account of what these men in power actually did to destroy the textbook interpretations...."
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