In rhetoric there are generally three Means Of Persuasion: ethos (credibility), logos (logic), and pathos (means of communication). Remarkably, some of history's greatest wartime leaders were not military leaders but great orators (this is the pathos, the speakers means of communication or their presentation). Their ability to rally and inspire a nation as they articulated a vision of victory outweighed the advantages of military experience. These leaders include the following:
- ABRAHAM LINCOLN - Lincoln was a lawyer turned politician and was elected president of the United States right before the civil war broke out. He was a great orator and led the North to victory despite only minor experience in the military. At the end of the war he gave the Gettysburg Address, a mere 272 words that would become one of the United States most famous speeches that helped heal a nation.
- FRANKLIN D. ROSEVELT - FDR was elected president of the United States in 1932 the same year Adolf Hitler came to power, and was re-elected 4 times. He is widely considered to be a great war time president leading the Allied Forces to victory during World War 2 despite not having substantial military experience. This is widely attributed to his great oratory skills, which is what enabled him to rally the nation behind him, and later behind the war when the United States joined in.
- WINSTON CHURCHILL - Churchill did serve four years in the military, but was a politician for most of his career. Churchill is said to be one of the greatest public speakers of his time, and many attribute his oratory skills to helping the Allied Forces win World War 2. He helped rally support to fight the Nazis with his famous speech which he stated “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender...”
- RONALD REAGAN - Reagan came to fame as an actor, and later entered politics. He had limited military experience, mostly serving in the reserves. He was one of the most popular politicians of the 20th century winning 49 states in his 1984 presidential election. Known as The Great Communicator, he used his oratory skills to defeat the Soviet Union in the cold war.
- VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY - Zelenskyy like Reagan was an actor prior to becoming president of Ukraine. He was the President when Russia decided to invade. Having no military experience he was tasked with stopping Russia from invading, which had already invaded Georgia and Crimea with virtually no resistance. With Russia hoping for the same result in Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s oratory skills were instrumental in rallying the Ukrainians to stand up to Russia, and resist the invasion.
There have been many military leaders who were great wartime leaders as head of state. But they were also great orators. The following are two of my favorite wartime leaders who had substantial military experience:
- MENACHEM BEGIN - Menachem Begin is perhaps the greatest head of state of the 20th century. He was instrumental in establishing the state of Israel. While leading the Irgun during the fight for independence he stopped civil war amongst the Jewish population multiple times. After eventually becoming Prime Minister he made peace with Egypt eliminating any existential threat to Israel. None of this would have been possible without his great oratory skills.
- BENJAMIN NETANYAHU - Netanyahu may be the greatest politician of the 21st century. He was in an elite military unit, and his brother was one of the greatest soldiers in the Israeli Defense Force. As Prime Minister he led Israel through numerous threats from Iran and their proxies including the October 7th attack. But in Israel serving in the military is mandatory for most Jews, and the Israeli government is filled with former military leaders. Many of them outranked Netanyahu, yet they did not have the success of Netanyahu, as they did not possess his oratory skills. In 2015 when speaking to an anti-Israel United Nations said "The days when the Jewish people remain passive in the face of genocidal enemies—those days are over.”
CONCLUSION
Oratory skills are a common trait among great wartime leaders, even surpassing the strategic advantages of military experience. While military experience did give wartime leaders an advantage, it was the power of words that was often most important during times of war.
