While it is easy to judge historical figures by our own standards and values, the most useful measures to evaluate leaders are their own goals and objectives. Did they succeed or fail on their own terms? How would victory look to them? This presentation will look at three leaders who failed to achieve their dreams, in the process gaining notoriety and enduring association with defeat. Although they lived in dramatically different circumstances articulated visions for success that had little in common, Marie Antoinette of France, Benito Mussolini of Italy, and Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia each ended their lives imprisoned by their enemies, despised by their people, and mocked by their contemporaries. Earlier in their lives, however, each had coherent, plausible, and feasible plans to achieve their dreams, initially seeing success in their endeavors. What can we learn from the outlines of their lives, their leadership styles, and their failures - in terms they would understand? After a brief lecture on each leader, this presentation will consider their speeches and writings, their successes and failures, and what lessons, if any, we can generalize from these histories.
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