Women presidents of the countries of the world. Women presidents of different countries: who are they and what have they achieved? Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto
Today we are talking about women who have left their mark on history. For thousands of years, the fairer sex has tried to rule the world. Some of them were born queens and empresses, some were ready to kill and manipulate people for the sake of the throne. In a world ruled by men, famous women who have achieved the most transcendental heights in government can be equated with a supernatural phenomenon. Here are 10 of the brightest representatives.
Hatshepsut, Egyptian Queen
This woman ruled the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt for 20 years after the death of her husband, Pharaoh Thutmose. Historians note the strong-willed character of the queen. She managed to bring her country to prosperity by restoring the old trade routes. She left behind an unusual and rich heritage of buildings, including her own mortuary temple, which is located at the entrance to the Valley of the Kings. 
Empress Theodora
In her youth, the future Byzantine empress was a street performer. Emperor Justinian I fell in love with her at first sight and even changed the law so that he could marry a commoner. The royal couple built most of Constantinople (now Istanbul). Under them, the Hagia Sophia appeared, which for a thousand years was considered the largest temple in the Christian world. Empress Theodora expanded women's rights and passed laws that allowed Byzantine women to divorce, have their own property, as well as a law that equated rape with a serious crime punishable by death. 
Empress Wu Zetian
The only empress of China became famous for killing and manipulating men on her way to the throne. When the lumber merchant's daughter became Emperor Taizong's concubine, she used guile to obtain the title of consort to the son of the ruler of China. After the death of Taizong, she actually ruled the country for 40 years. She gave political and legal rights to women and spread Chinese expansion into the territories of Central Asia and Korea. 
Eleanor of Aquitaine
This woman was considered the richest person in Europe in the 12th century and the only one who was the queen of France (1137-1152), and then of England (1154-1189). The heiress of the prosperous Principality of Aquitaine was unable to bear a son to King Louis VII, and their marriage was annulled. Within 8 weeks, Eleanor became the wife of the future King of England, Henry II. In this marriage, sons were born. Two of them later became the rulers of England: Richard I the Lionheart and John the Landless.
Queen Elizabeth I
The youngest daughter of King Henry VIII refused to marry and share power with her husband, claiming that she was married to England. Elizabeth (she is in the main photo) masterfully used female charms to unite a coalition of supporters against Catholic enemies, both at home and abroad. 
Empress Nur Jahan
The 20th wife of the Mongol Emperor Jahangir managed not only to become the main wife, but actually issued decrees. Nur Jahan lived in a veil and whispered instructions to her incompetent husband from behind a screen. Her connections with noble women from other Asian countries helped Mongolia strengthen trade routes and international diplomacy. 
Catherine the Great
The born German princess, having become the wife of the Russian Emperor Peter III, received the throne in her own hands two years later. Together with her favorites Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin, Catherine II conquered Ukraine and expanded the Russian Empire to the shores of the strategically important Black Sea. 
Queen Victoria
The record of Queen Victoria, who ruled England for 63 years, was broken by Elizabeth II in 2015. 9 children gave her the opportunity to wear the proud title of "grandmother of Europe". When her husband Albert died, Victoria entered 40 years of mourning. She strongly opposed the suffragette movement and expanded the British Empire to one-fourth of the Earth's landmass. 
Margaret Thatcher
The nickname "iron lady" was coined by the Soviet press for her uncompromising stance towards communism. During the tenure of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of Great Britain, much of the country's economy was open to market forces. This polarized the incomes of the social strata of the population and reduced the influence of trade unions. 
Angela Merkel
The daughter of an East German pastor, Angela Merkel became the first female head of the German government. She is one of the most powerful and influential leaders of the European Union. The Germans affectionately call her mother, residents of other countries admire her diplomacy and ability to resolve internal and international conflicts.
On March 18, Russia will elect a new president. Meanwhile, the election race is gaining more and more unexpected momentum. Trying to agitate voters, candidates do not neglect even the most decisive methods. So, at the televised debates of March 14, 2018, the opponents brought the only female candidate to tears. The TV presenter was unpleasantly touched by the fact that her competitors kept interrupting her speech without showing such disrespect to male candidates.
YouTubeIt is not surprising, because women have been considered the weaker sex since ancient times, so it is extremely difficult for them to compete with men in all activities of the modern world. Society is especially skeptical about women politicians, although there are quite successful representatives among them. What is, for example, "iron lady" or. The editors of 24SMI have compiled a list proving that successful women presidents of the countries of the world have met in history.
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Croatia (2015 - present)
smexkartinka.ru In January 2015, for the first time in the history of Croatia, a woman became the president of the country. bypassed its main competitor - the Social Democrat Ivo Josipović. Despite the fact that the country's leadership is actually in the hands of the parliament, the voters were impressed by the candidate's policy, which was aimed primarily at solving internal problems and only then - external ones. Political scientists noted that 49-year-old Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic grew up in the family of a simple butcher, who, by the way, at first wanted to call her Xenia, and is a “simple village girl.” That is why she is closer to the people and perfectly understands what people want.
Despite Grabar-Kitarović's simple origins, she built an excellent political career, working on behalf of Croatia in NATO for several years. Now she is not only a successful president, but also a wonderful decoration of her country - her photos in a bikini are becoming hits on social networks.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina (2007 - 2015)
Twitter In December 2007, the former first lady of the country, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, took the presidency of Argentina. Her appointment did not surprise the citizens of the country, because the wife of ex-president Nestor Kirchner, even during his reign, was the most important adviser and repeatedly spoke on behalf of her husband.
Nestor Kirchner made an invaluable contribution to the development of the country's economy, raising it by almost 50%. This, of course, is the merit of his wife. Realizing that the woman would continue the policy of her husband, the voters cast their votes for Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, and she became the winner in the first round of voting, collecting 40% of the total number of votes. In addition, it is worth noting the principles of the foreign policy of the female president of Argentina. She has a talent for negotiating and got along well with many world leaders, including also.
Tarja Halonen, Finland (2000 - 2012)
tbn-tv.com The first woman president of Finland is Tarja Halonen. Her policy was many times different from everything that was in Finland before. However, this is not surprising, because Halonen attributed herself to the left movement and considered the Cuban revolutionary her idol. The woman stood out for her overly straightforward manner of communication and independent style of government.
During the presidential race, she was only a fraction of a percent ahead of her competitors. It can be said that they literally went on an equal footing. Nevertheless, the citizens preferred the woman president, and she soon justified their trust, becoming one of the most memorable leaders in Finland.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Philippines (2010 - 2016)
conceptnewscentral.com The current president of the Philippines is famous for being harsh, including against women. For example, he recently suggested "shooting the genitals of feminists fighting for women's rights, because without them the girls will be useless." It is hard to imagine that a few years ago the Philippines was ruled by a woman president - Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was first elected to the presidency in 2001. The citizens liked her policy so much that she was soon re-elected for a second term. Despite the fact that her main competitor had doubts about the honesty of the results, the woman president successfully ruled the country until 2010 and was recognized as the fourth most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine.
Dilma Rousseff, Brazil (2011 - 2016)
bjemfoco.com.br But the leadership of the first woman president in Brazil ended not so positively. In January 2011, Dilma Rousseff came to power, and her reign ended in August 2016. The reason was a banal corruption scandal.
In September 2015, the Brazilian opposition uncovered tax fraud and corruption during Dilma Rousseff's election campaign. A little later, Parliament was forced to announce the start of proceedings against her, which ended in 2016. At the same time, Michel Temer was appointed interim president of Brazil, who still rules the country to this day.
Park Geun-hye, South Korea (2012 - 2016)
koryo-saram.ru Even more striking with the impeachment in the final flared up in South Korea. There, the female president, Park Geun-hye, chose her clairvoyant friend as an unofficial adviser and for several years literally leaked secret government information to a person who had absolutely nothing to do with politics.
Moreover, sources in the South Korean government told reporters that the president's girlfriend literally ruled the country behind her back. She wrote speeches for the president and dealt with all sorts of personnel issues.
Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuania (2014 - present)
allpravda.info It is an excellent confirmation that a woman can act tough and decisively. In 2014, she became the first female president of Lithuania and immediately began to demonstrate an aggressive policy towards Russia, proposing to declare it an aggressor country. However, long before that, Dalia Grybauskaite showed her inflexibility, and in 2004 The Wall Street Journal called her the second “iron lady”.
Dalia Grybauskaite has repeatedly supported anti-Russian sanctions, it was her position that divided the opinion of the Baltic countries. So, the ex-president of Latvia Andris Berzins said that he does not support the opinion of Grybauskaite.
Simonetta Sommaruga, Switzerland (2015 - 2016)
artsakh-karabakh.am Switzerland has always been famous for its neutral position in foreign policy and concentration on solving domestic problems. It is worth noting that for many decades this approach has brought exceptionally positive results. The country appears so rarely in scandalous news that it is unlikely that many will be able to remember at least one of its leaders. And in vain, because in modern history, Switzerland was led by at least 6 female presidents.
Perhaps the most prominent of them is Simonetta Sommaruga. Since childhood, she dreamed of becoming a musician and played the piano well. Nevertheless, fate brought her into politics, but Simonetta Sommaruga showed good results in this area.
From time immemorial, power has been the prerogative of men. Tsars and kings, khans and shahs became fathers to their peoples, led countries to prosperity and prosperity. The role of a woman in power was limited to dynastic marriage and the birth of healthy, strong heirs. However, since the time of the pharaohs, there have been wise and majestic persons who can bear the weight of the Monomakh's cap.
Hatshepsut
"Woman with a beard". The beliefs of Egypt required that the holder of the crown of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms embodied the god Horus. Therefore, Hatshepsut, having ascended the throne after the death of her husband Thutmose II, was forced to wear men's clothes and wear a false beard. She was the eldest daughter and sole heir of Pharaoh Thutmose I - the future Thutmose III, the illegitimate son of her husband, had barely reached the age of six. Having come to power, she sent the bastard prince to be raised in the temple and single-handedly led Egypt for 22 years. The country ravaged by nomads under the rule of Hatshepsut experienced unprecedented economic growth, construction and trade developed, Egyptian ships reached the country of Punt. The female pharaoh personally led a military campaign in Nubia and won. Hatshepsut was supported by the priestly elite and loved the people. The only thing she (like most female rulers) can be reproached for is her favorite, the architect Senenmut, the son of a simple scribe. He, of course, could not marry a living incarnation of God, but he loved his queen so much that he even erected a tomb for himself, exactly repeating the sarcophagus of his beloved.
« You will proclaim her word, you will obey her command. Whoever worships her will live; he who blasphemously speaks ill of her majesty will die» (Thutmose I about Queen Hatshepsut).
Cleopatra
"Fatal Beauty". To understand the irony of Cleopatra VII's fate, you need to know the history of her "fun" family. Egyptian rulers, descendants of Ptolemy, commander Alexander the Great, married sisters for 12 generations in a row, executed, slaughtered and poisoned children, parents, brothers, husbands and wives. To ascend the throne, Cleopatra had to defeat two sisters - Berenice and Arsinoe, marry alternately two young brothers and poison both. She charmed the young Caesar and bore him a son, Ptolemy Caesarion, to rule in his name. She fell in love with the elderly Roman commander Mark Antony and bore him three children. She almost managed to embarrass Emperor Octavian, but age still took its toll. And at the same time, Cleopatra should not be considered a frivolous depraved woman. In terms of education, the Egyptian princess surpassed most of the ladies of her time - she knew eight languages, understood not only Homer, but also tactics, medicine, and toxicology. And for almost 30 years she successfully fought against Rome, defending the independence of Egypt.
« Although the beauty of this woman was not that which is called incomparable and strikes at first sight, her manner was distinguished by irresistible charm. The very sounds of her voice caressed and delighted the ear, and her tongue was like a multi-stringed instrument, easily tuned to any tune.» (Plutarch about Cleopatra).
Elizabeth Taylor as Queen Cleopatra in the film of the same name (1963, dir. J. Mankiewicz)
Princess Sophia
"Bogatyr-princess". Undeservedly forgotten, slandered and relegated to the shadows, the regent-ruler, the elder sister of Peter I from another mother (Miloslavskaya). The very fact of its existence denies rumors about the illegal origin of the first All-Russian emperor - brother and sister resembled each other, like twins, with iron will, stubbornness, tenacious mind and exorbitant ambition. If Pyotr Alekseevich had been born as weak as his older brothers Ivan and Fyodor, the history of Russia would have taken a different path - Sofya Alekseevna not only tried on Monomakh's hat, but also wore it with pride. Unlike the princess sisters, she was educated, composed poetry, received ambassadors, founded the first higher educational institution in Russia in Moscow - the Slavic-Greco-Roman Academy. And she would have been a good queen ... but Peter turned out to be stronger.
« An example of a historical woman: she was freed from the tower, but did not take moral restraints out of it and did not find them in society» (S. Solovyov about Sofya Alekseevna).
Princess Sophia in the Novodevichy Convent. I. Repin
Elizabeth of England
"Virgin Queen". Like many women-rulers of antiquity - with a difficult fate. An unloved daughter from Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, who was executed by him allegedly for treason, in fact - for the inability to give birth to a son. She went through disgrace, exile, exile, imprisonment in the Tower, and yet she took the royal throne. The reign of Elizabeth was called the "golden age", under her wise rule, England defeated the "Invincible Armada" of Spain and became the queen of the seas. Despite the fact that Elizabeth had an official favorite, Robert Dudley, and many courtiers swore love to their queen, who was indeed distinguished by her amazing beauty, at least in her youth, she claimed to have retained her virginity and was pure before God.
« I'd rather be a lonely beggar than a married queen».
Eleanor of Aquitaine
"Beautiful lady". Daughter and sole heiress of the Duke of Aquitaine, wife of Louis VII of France and Henry II of Plantagenet, mother of Kings Richard the Lionheart, John the Landless, Queens Eleanor of Spain and Joanna of Sicily. Ideal beloved, Beautiful lady of all the troubadours of her time. Self-willed, decisive, formidable, amorous and jealous - according to rumors, she poisoned the "beautiful Rosamund", Henry's lover, about which many sentimental ballads were composed. Married to the young French king by a 15-year-old girl, she did not love her husband, but lived with him for 20 years, bore him two daughters, and even went on the Crusade with him. A year after the annulment of her first marriage, she married Heinrich, gave birth to seven more (!) children. When her husband imprisoned her in a tower for insatiable jealousy, she raised her sons against him. She lived until the age of 80, until the last day she actively participated in European politics, protecting the interests of children.
I'll call that lady young
Whose noble thoughts and deeds,
Whose beauty cannot be tarnished by rumor,
Whose heart is pure, far from evil.
(Troubadour Bertrand de Born about Eleanor of Aquitaine)
Queen Eleanor. Frederick Sandys
Elizaveta Petrovna
"Merry Queen" The daughter of Peter I and Catherine I, a carefree beauty, a skilled dancer and a kind-hearted person. She did not plan to take the Russian throne, being content with the life of a girl of royal blood. According to foreign ambassadors, it was not a serious political force. However, at the age of 31, she led a rebellion of the guards and ascended the throne, supported by the bayonets of the Preobrazhenians. The merry princess turned out to be a good ruler, at least she was smart enough to find herself wise ministers. She waged victorious wars, opened the first banks in Russia, the imperial theater, and a porcelain factory. And ... abolished the death penalty - a couple of hundred years earlier than in Europe. The queen was also lucky with her personal life - she entered into a morganatic marriage with the singer Razumovsky. He loved his wife so much that after his death he destroyed the wedding documents so as not to compromise Peter's daughter.
« I have no Alians and correspondence with the enemy of my fatherland».
Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. I. Argunov
"Land of the moon" - this is how the name of Indira is translated. Contrary to legend, she is not a daughter or even a relative of Mahatma (Teacher) Gandhi, but her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was one of his closest associates. The whole family of young Indira took part in the liberation struggle of India, in the destruction of the patriarchal order and the removal of caste restrictions. Contrary to class prejudices (in India they are still stronger than any laws), Indira married Feroz Gandhi, who professes Zoroastrianism. Marriage landed them in prison, but love was stronger. Even the birth of two sons did not prevent Indira from actively participating in the political life of the country. In 1964, she became Prime Minister of India and remained in power for twenty years, with few interruptions. Developed the country, eliminated dependence on food imports, built schools, plants, factories. She was killed by political opponents.
« You can't shake hands with clenched fists» .
Golda Meir
"Grandmother of the State" She was born into a hungry, impoverished family, the daughter of a nurse and a carpenter. Five of the eight children died from malnutrition and disease. Together with her parents, she emigrated to America, graduated from a free elementary school. She earned money for further education by teaching English to new immigrants. She married a modest young accountant who shared the ideas of Zionism, and together with him emigrated to Palestine in 1921. She worked in a kibbutz, washed clothes, participated in the resistance movement. She joined the labor movement and soon became one of its leaders. In 3 months, she collected $50 million for the newly proclaimed Jewish state, was the ambassador to the USSR, negotiated with the king of Jordan, and eventually became the fourth prime minister of Israel. She never used makeup, didn't follow fashion, didn't dress up, but was always surrounded by admirers and romantic stories.
"A person who loses his conscience loses everything."
Margaret Thatcher
"The Iron Lady". The path of this woman to power is an example of perseverance and long, hard work. Initially, Margaret did not plan to become a politician, she was attracted to chemistry. She received an Oxford scholarship, worked in the laboratory where one of the first antibiotics was created, under the direction of Dorothy Hodgkin, the future Nobel laureate. Politics was her hobby, her youthful passion, but you can't escape fate. First, Margaret joined the Conservative Party, then met her future husband, Dennis Thatcher, studied to be a lawyer, and gave birth to twins four months before passing the exam. Four years later, young Mrs. Thatcher entered the British Parliament. In 1970 she became a minister, and in 1979 - the prime minister of Great Britain. The "Iron Lady", as Margaret was nicknamed by the Soviet newspapers, many did not like her for her tough social policy, for the Falklands War and radical views. However, she improved the education system, making it more accessible to children from poor families, raised the economy and production. In 2007, a monument to Margaret Thatcher was erected in the British Parliament - she became the only British Prime Minister to receive such an honor in her lifetime.
« It is not at all necessary to agree with the interlocutor in order to find a common language with him.». 
Vigdis Finnbogadottir
"Daughter of the Snows" De jure the second, de facto the first legally elected woman president in the world. She held this post four times, left it of her own free will. Initially, she had nothing to do with politics. Vigdis studied in Denmark and France, studied theater, French, returned to her homeland in Iceland, and raised her children alone. On October 24, 1975, she became one of the initiators of the women's strike - all women refused to go to work and do housework in order to demonstrate how much work falls on their shoulders. In 1980, Vigdis was elected president of the country. She was a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, dealt with the problems of women and children, and after leaving politics, she founded the Association for the Study of Spinal Cord Injuries - the doctors of this organization collect and analyze world experience in the treatment of spinal injuries.
« Women are inherently closer to nature, especially girls and women from the “common people”, who often have direct contact with the environment. To succeed, to save mother earth from impending catastrophes, we must enlist the help of women.».
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In which country was a woman elected president for the first time?
The world's first female president - Maria Estela Martinez de Peron. Argentina.Maria Estela Martinez de Peron, known as Isabel, was the third wife of Juan Peron, President of Argentina, and the first female president of Argentina from 1974-1976.
She met her future husband in Panama, where she worked as a dancer in a nightclub. She moved to Spain with Perón in 1960.
Unlike the former wife of Peron, Eva Peron, whom she resembled outwardly, Isabel was rather weak-willed and did not play an active role in politics.
When Peron decided in 1973 to run for president of Argentina for the third time, he nominated his wife for vice president. Shortly after winning the election, Juan Peron died, and in 1974 Isabel Peron automatically became the head of state. She served as President of Argentina from July 1, 1974 to March 24, 1976. Removed from office as a result of a coup organized by General Jorge Rafael Videla. She was under house arrest and deported to Spain in 1981.
Isabel was the first woman in the world to hold the presidency of any state (although she was not elected to this post), and the first woman to head a republic in the Western Hemisphere.
In January 2007, an arrest warrant was issued in Argentina for Isabel Peron, who is considered involved in the murders and disappearances of hundreds of Argentines and therefore requires her extradition. According to human rights organizations, in 1974-1976, almost 1,500 left-wing activists were killed in the country at the hands of members of the Anti-Communist Argentine Alliance, which allegedly acted with the personal sanction of Isabel Peron.
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The world's first female president to be elected to this post is Vigdis Finnbogadottir. Iceland.
Vigdis Finnbogadottir has been the fourth President of Iceland since 1980. She was the first woman in the world to be elected to the post of constitutional head of state (and in general the second woman president in the world after Isabel Martinez de Peron).
Vigdis Finnbogadottir did not prepare for a political career. She studied French language and literature at the University of Grenoble and the Sorbonne in Paris from 1943 to 1949, theater history at the University of Copenhagen.
Since 1972 she has directed the National Theater in Reykjavik. She was first elected president in 1980 and remained in office for four terms. During her tenure as president, she paid great attention to the development of the Icelandic language, the unique culture of Iceland and the interests of young people. Founder and leader of the Children's Help Association in Iceland.
In 1996, refusing to participate in the next elections, she headed the World Council of Women Leaders. After leaving the presidency of the country, she was elected a lifetime honorary member of the Icelandic Women's Rights Association. At the same time, Vigdis Finnbogadottir is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Development of Linguistic Diversity and an honorary doctorate from several universities in France, the USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the UK and Japan.