World Famous People Introduction 4: Politicians Volume (French-Chinese Contrastive Translation)

Author: Huang Yanhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Richard Nixon explicitly pointed out in his book "Leaders" that: "Throughout history—from the ancient Greeks, through Shakespeare, to the modern era—few themes have endured as long as the great leaders have attracted dramatists and historians." Indeed, for many centuries, common people have maintained a keen interest in praising or criticizing these high-ranking politicians while spreading numerous true or false anecdotes about them. People are fascinated by the "men of flesh and blood" because their words and actions can significantly alter their own destinies. Later generations, tracing the footsteps of these powerful figures, can clearly hear the rumbling of history's wheels moving forward and glimpse the steady pace of human society as it strides toward the future. This book features ten such politicians whose names are etched in history, and anyone studying the history of human progress in that era cannot avoid mentioning their names and achievements. It is noteworthy that the more people pursue what they call the "absolute" truth, the more they realize that history cannot be easily analyzed or judged by simple concepts of good or evil. Those recognized as politicians or "great" leaders are not necessarily good people, and the figures selected in this book are no exception: Peter the Great was an extremely cruel and bloodthirsty tyrant, as Marx described him as "subduing Russia with barbarity through barbarity"; Alexander, as well as Napoleon, are remembered largely because they were conquerors; Richelieu, during his time of relentless taxation and insatiable greed, died with taxes already pre-collected for three years; Louis XIV, though a brilliant leader, was also ambitious and extravagant, engaging in endless military campaigns and lavish spending. His seventy-two-year reign was also the period when French power and the monarchy declined from its peak to gradual decline. All these political figures—except perhaps de Gaulle and Mahatma Gandhi—were difficult for later generations to judge as either good or bad. Regardless, they were fortunate to stand at the opportunities offered by history and their times, and ultimately seized them, thereby shaping the course of history and altering the lives and destinies of millions. As Nixon metaphorically put it: When the curtain falls on a play, the audience exits the theater one by one to return to their normal lives; but when the life of a leader ends and the curtain falls, the audience's own lives change, and the course of history may also undergo profound transformations.