PoliticalTests

29 figures mapped

Political Views of Famous Activists and Reformers

Abolitionists, suffragists, civil rights leaders, labor organizers and campaigners, placed on the same 12 axes from their speeches and writings.

Take the 12 Axes test Filter all figures

Each dot is one figure: economic views across, the mean of the civil and society axes up and down. Hover or tap a dot for the name.

15Economic left
9Near the economic centre
5Economic right

Up and down the compass: 2 on the authority side, 9 near the middle and 18 on the liberty side.

All 29

  1. 1748-1832 · United KingdomJeremy BenthamPhilosopher and legal theoristLib right
  2. 1759-1833 · United KingdomWilliam WilberforceParliamentary leader of the campaign against the slave tradeAuth right
  3. 1815-1902 · United StatesElizabeth Cady StantonWomen's rights leader and organizer of the 1848 Seneca Falls ConventionLib right
  4. 1817-1862 · United StatesHenry David ThoreauEssayist and naturalistLib right
  5. 1818-1895 · United StatesFrederick DouglassAbolitionist and oratorLib right
  6. 1820-1906 · United StatesSusan B. AnthonyWomen's suffrage leaderCentre
  7. 1839-1897 · United StatesHenry GeorgePolitical economistCentre
  8. 1849-1910 · BrazilJoaquim NabucoAbolitionist leaderLib right
  9. 1855-1926 · United StatesEugene V. DebsFounder of the American Railway UnionLib left
  10. 1858-1928 · United KingdomEmmeline PankhurstFounder and leader of the Women's Social and Political Union (1903)Centre
  11. 1860-1935 · United StatesJane AddamsCo-founder of Hull-House, ChicagoLib left
  12. 1868-1963 · United StatesW. E. B. Du BoisSociologist and historianLib left
  13. 1869-1940 · United StatesEmma GoldmanAnarchist writer and lecturerLib left
  14. 1869-1948 · IndiaMahatma GandhiLeader of the Indian independence movementLib left
  15. 1872-1970 · United KingdomBertrand RussellPhilosopher, logician and social criticLib left
  16. 1884-1962 · United StatesEleanor RooseveltFirst Lady of the United States (1933-1945)Lib left
  17. 1891-1956 · IndiaB. R. AmbedkarChairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of IndiaLib left
  18. 1918-2008 · RussiaAleksandr SolzhenitsynNovelist and historian, author of The Gulag ArchipelagoAuth right
  19. 1918-2013 · South AfricaNelson MandelaPresident of South Africa (1994-1999)Lib left
  20. 1924-2009 · South KoreaKim Dae-jung8th President of South Korea (1998-2003)Lib right
  21. 1924-2016 · United StatesPhyllis SchlaflyFounder and president of Eagle ForumAuth right
  22. 1925-1965 · United StatesMalcolm XMinister and national spokesman of the Nation of IslamAuth left
  23. 1927-1993 · United StatesCesar ChavezCo-founder and president of the United Farm WorkersLib left
  24. Born 1928 · United StatesNoam ChomskyLinguist, Institute Professor emeritus at MITLib left
  25. 1929-1968 · United StatesMartin Luther King Jr.Baptist ministerLib left
  26. 1931-2021 · South AfricaDesmond TutuAnglican Archbishop of Cape Town (1986-1996)Lib left
  27. Born 1934 · United StatesRalph NaderConsumer advocate and lawyerLib left
  28. 1936-2011 · CzechiaVáclav HavelPresident of Czechoslovakia (1989-1992)Lib right
  29. Born 1943 · PolandLech WałęsaPresident of Poland (1990-1995)Lib right

★ 12 axes · 4 groups · 3 lengths ★

Who is your historical twin?

Take the 12 Axes test and see where you land next to the 29 figures on this page, and which three are closest to you.

FAQ

Activists: questions

Who counts as an activist or reformer?

People known mainly for campaigning: for abolition, the vote, civil rights, labor or other causes. 29 figures qualify, some of whom also held office. Of them, 15 sit on the economic left, 9 near the centre and 5 on the economic right.

How are these positions worked out?

Each person is placed on the 12 axes of the 12 Axes Political Test from their own speeches, writings, votes and record in office, with sources on every profile page. The map shows two of those measures: economic views across, and the mean of the civil and society axes up and down. Axes with no reasonable basis are left blank and do not count.

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