Hello kongulu~
It might help to first define what an enlightened despots is; strictly
speaking, enlightened despots were rulers of the 18th Century who
followed the ideas of the Age of the Enlightenment. They believed they
were rulers in order to do what was best for the people?-even if the
people disagreed with them. Similar is the term ?benevolent
dictators,? who are absolute rulers who ?do good? for their people.
Clearly, this is a matter of opinion; therefore, I haven?t listed
anyone here unless more than one website listed them as either an
enlightened despot or a benevolent dictator. The links next to each
name go to an article about the individual; all are from
Encyclopedia.com, unless otherwise noted.
1. Frederick the Great ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/x/x-f1redg1r.asp )
2. Catherine the Great (http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/x/x-c1athring1rt.asp )
3. Maria Theresa ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/m/mariat1he.asp )
4. Joseph II ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/F/FrancisJ1.asp )
5. Louis XV (http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/louis15fr_earlyreign.asp )
6. Louis XVI ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/l/louis16f1r.asp )
7. Charles III ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/c/charles3s1p.asp )
8. Gustav II ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/G/Gustavus2.asp )
9. Leopold II ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/l/leopo2h1r1e1.asp )
10. Napoleon I ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/napoleon1_theempire.asp
)
11. Anwar Sadat (Wikipedia link on Sadat:
http://haiti.asinah.net/en/wikipedia/a/an/anwar_sadat.html )
12. Francisco Franco ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/f/franco-f1.asp )
13. Augusto Pinochet ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/p/pinochet.asp )
14. The Medici ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/medici_familymembers.asp
)
15. King David, King Joash, King Amaziah, King Azariah, King Jotham,
King Hezekiah, and Deborah, and Moses of the Bible
16. Charles Augustus ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/c/charlesa1u.asp )
17. Kemal Atatürk ( Ataturk website article: http://www.ataturk.com/index2.html )
18. Marquis of Pombal ( Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquis_of_Pombal )
19. The Achaemenids (
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/persia_theachaemenids.asp )
20.Fidel Castro ( http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/c/castro-f1.asp )
I wish I could have found more folks to include on this list, but
enlightened despots or a benevolent dictators are few and far between!
Regards,
Kriswrite
KEYWORDS USED:
"benevolent dictators" history
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22benevolent+dictators%22+history&btnG=Google+Search
"enlightened despots"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22enlightened+despots%22 |
Request for Answer Clarification by
kongulu-ga
on
01 Mar 2004 22:51 PST
It turns out my question was poorly worded, so I will pay the fee.
However Fidel certainly does not qualify as a Benovlent Dictator,
therefore the rest of the list is suspect, and requires that I
research each one.
I did the simple search also, but had the same problem, there appeared
to be a shortage of refrences to benevolent dictators. Thats why I
went to GA.
I will repost a re-worded question, should you care to take a second whack at it.
Thank you.
|
Clarification of Answer by
kriswrite-ga
on
02 Mar 2004 08:05 PST
Hi Kongulu~
I should have been more clear. Truly who is and who is not a
benevolent dictator is all a matter of opinion. Which is why I based
my Answer not just on my opinions, but on the opinions of others
(mostly educators and expert articles). I agree that Castro is
suspect...but I found him not just once, not just twice, but *four*
times on lists of benevolent dictators! Therefore, I felt he should be
included. However, even abolishing him from the list gives you more
than 20, since I grouped all the Biblical kings and rulers together :)
Regards,
Kriswrite
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