PoliticalTests

90 figures mapped

Libertarian-Leaning Political Figures

Figures in the lower half of the compass: more personal liberty, fewer limits from the state and more openness to social change. This is the compass sense of libertarian, so it includes people of the economic left and right.

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.

50Economic left
20Near the economic centre
20Economic right

Up and down the compass: 0 on the authority side, 0 near the middle and 90 on the liberty side.

All 90

  1. 1632-1704 · United KingdomJohn LockePhilosopherLib right
  2. 1689-1755 · FranceMontesquieuBaron de La Brède et de MontesquieuLib right
  3. 1706-1790 · United StatesBenjamin FranklinSigner of the Declaration of IndependenceLib right
  4. 1737-1809 · United StatesThomas PaineAuthor of Common Sense and Rights of ManLib left
  5. 1743-1826 · United StatesThomas Jefferson3rd President of the United StatesLib right
  6. 1748-1832 · United KingdomJeremy BenthamPhilosopher and legal theoristLib right
  7. 1751-1836 · United StatesJames Madison4th President of the United StatesLib right
  8. 1759-1797 · United KingdomMary WollstonecraftWriter and philosopherLib left
  9. 1767-1848 · United StatesJohn Quincy Adams6th President of the United States (1825-1829)Lib right
  10. 1773-1841 · United StatesWilliam Henry Harrison9th President of the United States (1841)Lib right
  11. 1782-1862 · United StatesMartin Van Buren8th President of the United States (1837-1841)Lib right
  12. 1806-1873 · United KingdomJohn Stuart MillPhilosopher and economistLib left
  13. 1809-1865 · FrancePierre-Joseph ProudhonPolitical theoristLib left
  14. 1814-1876 · RussiaMikhail BakuninRevolutionaryLib left
  15. 1815-1902 · United StatesElizabeth Cady StantonWomen's rights leader and organizer of the 1848 Seneca Falls ConventionLib right
  16. 1817-1862 · United StatesHenry David ThoreauEssayist and naturalistLib right
  17. 1818-1895 · United StatesFrederick DouglassAbolitionist and oratorLib right
  18. 1818-1883 · GermanyKarl MarxPhilosopherLib left
  19. 1820-1895 · GermanyFriedrich EngelsPhilosopherLib left
  20. 1842-1921 · RussiaPeter KropotkinGeographerLib left
  21. 1849-1910 · BrazilJoaquim NabucoAbolitionist leaderLib right
  22. 1849-1923 · BrazilRui BarbosaMinister of Finance (1889-1891)Lib right
  23. 1850-1932 · GermanyEduard BernsteinSocial democratic theoristLib left
  24. 1853-1895 · CubaJosé MartíFounder of the Cuban Revolutionary Party (1892)Lib left
  25. 1855-1926 · United StatesEugene V. DebsFounder of the American Railway UnionLib left
  26. 1856-1915 · United KingdomKeir HardieFounder of the Independent Labour Party (1893)Lib left
  27. 1859-1914 · FranceJean JaurèsLeader of the French Socialist Party and co-leader of the SFIOLib left
  28. 1860-1935 · United StatesJane AddamsCo-founder of Hull-House, ChicagoLib left
  29. 1868-1963 · United StatesW. E. B. Du BoisSociologist and historianLib left
  30. 1869-1940 · United StatesEmma GoldmanAnarchist writer and lecturerLib left
  31. 1871-1919 · GermanyRosa LuxemburgMarxist theoristLib left
  32. 1872-1970 · United KingdomBertrand RussellPhilosopher, logician and social criticLib left
  33. 1881-1973 · AustriaLudwig von MisesEconomist of the Austrian schoolLib right
  34. 1883-1946 · United KingdomJohn Maynard KeynesEconomistLib left
  35. 1884-1962 · United StatesEleanor RooseveltFirst Lady of the United States (1933-1945)Lib left
  36. 1889-1964 · IndiaJawaharlal Nehru1st Prime Minister of India (1947-1964)Lib left
  37. 1891-1956 · IndiaB. R. AmbedkarChairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of IndiaLib left
  38. 1897-1972 · CanadaLester B. Pearson14th Prime Minister of Canada (1963-1968)Lib left
  39. 1899-1992 · AustriaFriedrich HayekEconomist and political philosopherLib right
  40. 1902-1994 · AustriaKarl PopperPhilosopher of science and political philosopherLib right
  41. 1903-1950 · United KingdomGeorge OrwellNovelistLib left
  42. 1904-1986 · CanadaTommy Douglas7th Premier of Saskatchewan (1944-1961)Lib left
  43. 1905-1982 · United StatesAyn RandNovelist and philosopherLib right
  44. 1905-1980 · FranceJean-Paul SartrePhilosopher, novelist and playwrightLib left
  45. 1906-1975 · GermanyHannah ArendtPolitical theoristLib right
  46. 1908-1973 · ChileSalvador AllendePresident of Chile (1970-1973)Lib left
  47. 1908-1986 · FranceSimone de BeauvoirPhilosopherLib left
  48. 1909-1998 · United StatesBarry GoldwaterU.S. Senator from Arizona (1953-1965, 1969-1987)Lib right
  49. 1909-1997 · United KingdomIsaiah BerlinPhilosopherLib left
  50. 1912-2006 · United StatesMilton FriedmanEconomist at the University of ChicagoLib right
  51. 1913-1960 · FranceAlbert CamusNovelist, essayist and philosopherLib left
  52. 1913-2006 · United StatesGerald Ford38th President of the United States (1974-1977)Lib right
  53. 1913-2010 · United KingdomMichael FootLeader of the Labour Party (1980-1983)Lib left
  54. 1913-1992 · GermanyWilly BrandtChancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1969-1974)Lib left
  55. 1916-1996 · FranceFrançois MitterrandPresident of France (1981-1995)Lib left
  56. 1916-2014 · AustraliaGough Whitlam21st Prime Minister of Australia (1972-1975)Lib left
  57. 1916-1995 · United KingdomHarold WilsonPrime Minister of the United Kingdom (1964-1970, 1974-1976)Lib left
  58. 1916-1992 · BrazilUlysses GuimarãesPresident of the National Constituent Assembly (1987-1988)Lib left
  59. 1918-2013 · South AfricaNelson MandelaPresident of South Africa (1994-1999)Lib left
  60. 1919-2000 · CanadaPierre Trudeau15th Prime Minister of Canada (1968-1979, 1980-1984)Lib left
  61. 1920-2003 · United KingdomRoy JenkinsHome Secretary (1965-1967, 1974-1976)Lib left
  62. 1921-2002 · United StatesJohn RawlsPolitical philosopherLib left
  63. 1924-2009 · South KoreaKim Dae-jung8th President of South Korea (1998-2003)Lib right
  64. 1925-1961 · FranceFrantz FanonPsychiatrist at Blida-Joinville Hospital, Algeria (1953-1957)Lib left
  65. 1925-2014 · United KingdomTony BennSecretary of State for Energy (1975-1979)Lib left
  66. 1926-1984 · FranceMichel FoucaultPhilosopher and historian of ideasLib right
  67. 1926-1995 · United StatesMurray RothbardEconomist of the Austrian schoolLib right
  68. 1927-1986 · SwedenOlof PalmePrime Minister of Sweden (1969-1976, 1982-1986)Lib left
  69. 1927-2017 · FranceSimone VeilPresident of the European Parliament (1979-1982)Lib right
  70. Born 1928 · United StatesNoam ChomskyLinguist, Institute Professor emeritus at MITLib left
  71. 1929-2019 · AustraliaBob Hawke23rd Prime Minister of Australia (1983-1991)Lib right
  72. 1929-1968 · United StatesMartin Luther King Jr.Baptist ministerLib left
  73. 1930-2011 · BrazilItamar FrancoPresident of Brazil (1992-1994)Lib left
  74. 1930-2015 · AustraliaMalcolm Fraser22nd Prime Minister of Australia (1975-1983)Lib right
  75. 1931-2021 · South AfricaDesmond TutuAnglican Archbishop of Cape Town (1986-1996)Lib left
  76. Born 1931 · BrazilFernando Henrique CardosoPresident of Brazil (1995-2003)Lib right
  77. 1932-2024 · IndiaManmohan Singh14th Prime Minister of India (2004-2014)Lib right
  78. 1933-2020 · United StatesRuth Bader GinsburgAssociate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1993-2020)Lib left
  79. 1935-2025 · UruguayJosé MujicaPresident of Uruguay (2010-2015)Lib left
  80. Born 1935 · United StatesRon PaulU.S. Representative from Texas (1976-1977, 1979-1985, 1997-2013)Lib right
  81. 1936-2011 · CzechiaVáclav HavelPresident of Czechoslovakia (1989-1992)Lib right
  82. Born 1938 · CanadaPaul Martin21st Prime Minister of Canada (2003-2006)Lib right
  83. 1938-2002 · United StatesRobert NozickPhilosopherLib right
  84. Born 1944 · AustraliaPaul Keating24th Prime Minister of Australia (1991-1996)Lib right
  85. Born 1947 · BrazilDilma RousseffPresident of Brazil (2011-2016)Lib left
  86. 1947-1992 · GermanyPetra KellyCo-founder of the German GreensLib left
  87. Born 1949 · BrazilFernando Collor de MelloPresident of Brazil (1990-1992)Lib right
  88. Born 1961 · United StatesBarack Obama44th President of the United States (2009-2017)Lib left
  89. Born 1971 · CanadaJustin Trudeau23rd Prime Minister of Canada (2015-2025)Lib left
  90. Born 1980 · New ZealandJacinda ArdernPrime Minister of New Zealand (2017-2023)Lib left

★ 12 axes · 4 groups · 3 lengths ★

Who is your historical twin?

Take the 12 Axes test and see where you land next to the 90 figures on this page, and which three are closest to you.

FAQ

Liberty side: questions

What does libertarian mean on this page?

A position in the lower half of the compass, below the centre band: the mean of the civil and society axes is under -15 on a scale of -100 to 100. It is not the same as membership of a libertarian party. 90 figures qualify.

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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All historical figures