How did Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman become leaders of their country?
Winston Churchill was selected by Conservative M.P.’s to take over from Neville Chamberlain, who was perceived to have been weak in dealing with Adolf Hitler. Similar, perhaps to Gordon Brown’s case, there was no popular vote of the people. Joeph Stalin became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union’s Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953. His rise to power began after the death of the former Soviet leader, Lenin. He gradually increased his personal power – often by ruthless means of getting rid of rivals – and was, in effect, Dictator of the Soviet Union until his death. He created the political and economic system known as ‘Stalinism’. Franlin Delano Roosevelt was elected as President of the United States four times between 1933 and 1945. He died in office, shortly before the end of World War II. He was the only U.S. President to have been elected more than twice. This was because when the War began, it was felt that an experienced President should
