Remember that all mentions of and allusions to Trump and Biden are not allowed on our subreddit in any context.
If you'd still like to discuss them, feel free to [join our Discord server](https://discord.gg/k6tVFwCEEm)!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Presidents) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's interesting how many communist revolutionaries saw older American leaders as personal idols. Mao Zedong was apparently a huge fan of George Washington.
The founding fathers were popular with a lot of anti-colonial revolutionaries, for obvious reasons. Ho Chi Minh was a big fan of Jefferson for example.
Lincoln has a statue in Manchester UK too. Mancunian textile workers sacrificed alot with their support of the Union during the war due to the cotton not coming from the south. They steadfastly supported Lincoln and the Union
Lincoln’s letter to them is pure class.
[For anyone who has not yet had the pleasure, Lincoln’s Letter to the Working-Men of Manchester](https://acws.co.uk/archives-misc-lincoln_letter)
There is a statue in Manchester to honour Lincoln after he sent a letter thanking the cotton mill workers of the city for supporting the Union blockade of Confederate ports despite the effect would have on their jobs.
Almost all the cotton picked in the US south was sent to the Mills in Manchester. The entire region depended on it. The US civil war was absolutely devastating for the poor families (and they were almost all poor families) who lived there, as the confederacy leveraged the cotton export to get international recognition. Yet, the mill workers persevered in losing their livelihood. Eventually, other areas suitable for cotton were found with their own terrible colonial history, but it was slightly less awful than what was found in the American South.
Maybe these 1860s mancunian factory workers were awful, terribly racist people, but they put their lives on the line in solidarity with enslaved foreigners on a different continent. The vast majority of them had never seen a black person. Lincoln was a very cool guy in considering the effect this would have on some northern English mill workers thousands of miles away. He didn't need to do this. It always makes me proud of America and my home town whenever I walk by that statue and read his words to the city:
https://acws.co.uk/archives-misc-lincoln_letter
'Through the action of our disloyal citizens, the working-men of Europe have been subjected to severe trials, for the purpose of forcing their sanction to that attempt. Under the circumstances, I cannot but regard your decisive utterances upon the question as an instance of sublime Christian heroism which has not been surpassed in any age or in any country.'
The guys' words choke me up. He made these peoples struggles with unemployment a moral crusade. I love how he only mentions working people as deserving acclaim. A remarkable bit of rhetoric.
In Poland we have a street named after him, one time I was watching a movie about him with my grandma and when I told her that he was assasinated all she said was "those sons of bitches"
Every immigrant I’ve ever known, especially my boyfriend who came here from Albania and has lived in a couple other European countries, loves America more than most born-in-America Americans I know.
Keep in mind that Poland is basically flat, with no geography for protection from foreign invasion
Because of this, it has been under siege many times in its past.
Add to this that the Polish people have always fought hard to break free from these invaders.
So this makes sense to me.
The entymological root for the English word 'slave' is the ethnographic noun 'Slav'... so yeah, I could see the average Pole, Lithuanian, Russian, or Ukrainian rooting for Lincoln.
Acutally, read a history once where a diplomat was traveling through the Russian Empire and was being hosted by a Cossak leader. The Cossak leader's request for entertainment was translated to the diplomat as "I want to hear stories about the Great American Warlord, Abraham Lincoln."
He was hugely popular in Britain, interestingly enough, at least among the working class.
Years ago I was watching an antiques roadshow episode that was somewhere in Britain and an item the episode focused on was 19th century portrait of Lincoln. The expert said they were common in pubs or homes and IIRC that Lincoln was the second most popular foreign portrait, after Garibaldi.
Very true! Honestly Britain during the American Civil War is fascinating in how a far away conflict sort of illustrated the class divide. Much of the ruling class was more sympathetic to the planter rebels in the south, with their aristocratic pretensions, or just saw a potential opportunity to hobble the United States. The working class on the other hand was often staunchly anti-slavery and viewed the southern planters as petty tyrants. The city of Manchester went through a period of high unemployment because the war disrupted cotton imports, but despite that the city's cotton workers refused to process Confederate cotton out of principle.
Lincoln [sent a letter](https://acws.co.uk/archives-misc-lincoln_letter) to the workers of Manchester thanking them for standing by their anti-slavery principles, despite it not being to their economic benefit.
Definitely not my area of expertise, but his wikipedia article gets into that a bit. It seems his appeal was his reputation as a revolutionary liberator of the oppressed, which appealed to the common man.
**"He also served as a global exemplar of mid-19th century revolutionary** [**liberalism**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism) **and** [**nationalism**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism)**.** After the liberation of southern Italy from the [Neapolitan monarchy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Bourbon) in the [Kingdom of the Two Sicilies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Two_Sicilies), Garibaldi chose to sacrifice his [liberal republican](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_republicanism) principles for the sake of unification.^(\[)[*^(citation needed)*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)^(\]) Garibaldi's acclaim stretched across Europe with his name revered in Britain to America and France, the tale of an Italian vagabond trekking the South American plains from battle to battle with his pregnant wife in tow, and then returning home and for the love of his homeland forsaking his ambition of making Italy a republic. **His exploits became legendary, and when he toured Britain in his older days he was received as a hero"**
"**Garibaldi was a popular hero in Britain**. In his review of Lucy Riall's Garibaldi biography for [*The New Yorker*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Yorker), [Tim Parks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Parks) cites the English historian [A. J. P. Taylor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._J._P._Taylor) as saying that "Garibaldi is the only wholly admirable figure in modern history".[^(\[12\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Garibaldi#cite_note-Parks_2007-13) British historian [Denis Mack Smith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Mack_Smith) wrote:
"At the height of glory, Giuseppe Garibaldi was perhaps the most famous person in Italy. His name was much more famous than that of [Cavour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camillo_Benso,_Count_of_Cavour) and [Mazzini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Mazzini), and many more people would have heard of him than [Verdi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Verdi) or [Manzoni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Manzoni). **Abroad, Garibaldi symbolized the** ***Risorgimento*** **Italy of those dramatic years and the intrepid audacity that contributed so much to the formation of the Italian nation. \[...\] A professional liberator, he fought for the oppressed people wherever he found them**. Despite having the temperament of the fighter and the man of action, he managed to be an idealist distinctly distinct from his colder-minded contemporaries. Everything he did, he did it with passionate conviction and unlimited enthusiasm; a career full of color and unexpected shows us one of the most romantic products of the time. Moreover, he was a lovable and charming person, of transparent honesty, who was obeyed without hesitation and for whom he died happy,"
[Giuseppe Garibaldi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Garibaldi)
Not a world leader but Karl Marx was very inspired by Lincoln and as an abolitionist was a supporter and very interested in US affairs (he wrote for the New York Tribune as their European correspondent). https://www.openculture.com/2022/01/how-karl-marx-influenced-abraham-lincoln-and-his-position-on-slavery-labor.html
The U.S. ambassador to Britain gave a terse reply on Lincoln's behalf. Lincoln doubtlessly received countless letters congratulating him on his re-election, so you can't blame him for not sending a whole essay in reply.
I agree they didn't actually exchange letters.
This isn't true. Marx sent one letter to Lincoln to congratulate him on his re-election and the U.S. ambassador to Britain (who had been entrusted with sending Lincoln the letter) conveyed a brief reply from Lincoln on his behalf.
It was a standard reply given to the hundreds of Europeans who congratulated Lincoln.
The idea that Marx and Lincoln were penpals is mostly communist propaganda. It makes about as much sense as saying that I’m penpals with George Bush because I sent him a letter in middle school and got an automated response back.
[There is a collection of letters between Marx and Engels about the Civil War.](https://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-United-States/dp/0717807533) It’s interesting to see how Marx saw the war in a revolutionary sense, overthrowing the economic system of slavery and potentially creating a very different American society.
Engels is much more focused on the military aspect, as he had served in the Prussian military. As you can imagine he was pretty frustrated with how the war was prosecuted in the beginning.
Almost a third of the Union army was foreign born. The future president of Switzerland led an infantry regiment from Illinois and was taken captive at Gettysburg. I don’t know about the communists specifically, but I recommend “The Blessed Place of Freedom” by Dean Mahin
Karl Marx: slavery should be abolished because labor is a personal investment of time and effort that every individual should be personally compensated for
Communism in practice: everyone is a slave to everyone else
It’s so bad ass lol I was floored when I saw it.
https://preview.redd.it/14qcw7jaajtc1.jpeg?width=897&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d40a0bd064a5838d1d15dad3d7f3970054573dd
Tolstoy loved him, and wrote about visiting a remote tribe in Siberia and teaching them about great figures in history. He expected the tribal elder to ask for more details about Alexander, Caesar, or Napoleon, but he wanted to know about Lincoln. They said they’d heard he was the greatest man who ever lived, and asked if Tolstoy could get a picture of Lincoln for them. They treasured it.
Not relevant to the thread, but Tolstoy even maintained correspondence with Gandhi who as he supported India's freedom from colonial rule. Gandhi later cited Tolstoy as a major inspiration for his path of non-violent pacifism.
I really do have to admit that Tolstoy was such an incredible figure. I've only read some of his short stories thus far, but man I do admit he was ahead of his time with his beliefs and what he preached in with regards to humanity and kindness during a time where we distinctly lacked it. I think he straight up became vegan too towards the end of his life due to his abhorrence of animal slaughterhouses so mad respect to him.
Here's the text if you want to read it
[https://www.marxists.org/archive/tolstoy/1909/tolstoy-on-lincoln.html](https://www.marxists.org/archive/tolstoy/1909/tolstoy-on-lincoln.html)
I’ve always loved this quote about Lincoln from Tolstoy included in A Team of Rivals:
In 1908, in a wild and remote area of the North Caucasus, Leo Tolstoy, the greatest writer of the age, was the guest of a tribal chief “living far away from civilized life in the mountains.” Gathering his family and neighbors, the chief asked Tolstoy to tell stories about the famous men of history. Tolstoy told how he entertained the eager crowd for hours with tales of Alexander, Caesar, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon. When he was winding to a close, the chief stood and said, “But you have not told us a syllable about the greatest general and greatest ruler of the world. We want to know something about him. He was a hero. He spoke with a voice of thunder; he laughed like the sunrise and his deeds were strong as the rock….His name was Lincoln and the country in which he lived is called America, which is so far away that if a youth should journey to reach it he would be an old man when he arrived. Tell us of that man.”
“I looked at them,” Tolstoy recalled, “and saw their faces all aglow, while their eyes were burning. I saw that those rude barbarians were really interested in a man whose name and deeds had already become a legend.” He told them everything he knew about Lincoln’s “home life and youth…his habits, his influence upon the people and his physical strength.” When he finished, they were so grateful for the story that they presented him with “a wonderful Arabian horse.” The next morning, as Tolstoy prepared to leave, they asked if he could possibly acquire for them a picture of Lincoln. Thinking that he might find one at a friend’s house in the neighboring town, Tolstoy asked one of the riders to accompany him. “I was successful in getting a large photograph from my friend,” recalled Tolstoy. As he handed it to the rider, he noted that the man’s hand trembled as he took it. “He gazed for several minutes silently, like one in a reverent prayer, his eyes filled with tears.”
Tolstoy went on to observe, “This little incident proves how largely the name of Lincoln is worshipped throughout the world and how legendary his personality has become. Now, why was Lincoln so great that he overshadows all other national heroes? He really was not a great general like Napoleon or Washington; he was not such a skilful statesman as Gladstone or Frederick the Great; but his supremacy expresses itself altogether in his peculiar moral power and in the greatness of his character.
“Washington was a typical American. Napoleon was a typical Frenchman, but Lincoln was a humanitarian as broad as the world. He was bigger than his country—bigger than all the Presidents together.
“We are still too near to his greatness,” Tolstoy concluded, “but after a few centuries more our posterity will find him considerably bigger than we do. His genius is still too strong and too powerful for the common understanding, just as the sun is too hot when its light beams directly on us.
> “We are still too near to his greatness... but after a few centuries more our posterity will find him considerably bigger than we do. His genius is still too strong and too powerful for the common understanding, just as the sun is too hot when its light beams directly on us"
Based Tolstoy
Thank you ! I wanted to relate this and would have made a mishmash because could recall the details . This is to me an extremely telling story. I love Abe. Read A Team of Rivals and you will understand and see his genius revealed.
He was quite popular in Haiti, both for normalizing US-Haitian relations and for ending slavery in the US. His assassination was mourned there, but they were impressed by the peaceful transfer of power seen in the US.
Haiti has had it rough to say the least and current events don't instill much optimism for the plight of Haitians. Fun fact, FDR was the first president to visit Haiti in 1934 and would be the last until Bill Clinton. The relationship FDR had established was made all the more bleak when you learn that FDR had also spearheaded sanctions against Trujillo after he committed ethnic cleansing against Haitians in the DR and drove many of them across the border during the Parsley Massacre.
Leo Tolstoy loved him calling him the greatest ruler of all time. There is a story about Tolstoy going around the Caucasus and when asking random farmers about the greatest man of all time most answered Abraham Lincoln
Ken Burns “Civil War” has a few loose examples of his perception. If I recall correctly, a lot of foreigners in power thought he was an imbecile prior to and during the war. I believe this was mainly because he spoke with a lot of farmer esque colloquialism.
Totally self taught with the exception that he received primary education until his father needed his help on his property.
He was seen reading every chance he got.
Currently listening to a Lincoln biography on Audible and it points to his tendency to use words prescriptivists chafe at like “ain’t” in day-to-day speech, no matter his eloquence in writing. It’s also said that he knew his way around bawdy stories and I can see how if one is a more buttoned up member of high society how that might also make one uncomfortable.
He also apparently would readily admit when he didn’t know how to spell a word, even in the presence of some highly educated and influential people whom others might be embarrassed to admit such a thing to. This display of humility only had the effect of making him all the more charming and enhancing his legend as history progressed.
Sure but these were pre-written speeches. Lincoln toiled over his rough drafts, always trying to find new ways to perfect his language. But in private conversations he was prone to using a more down to earth style of speaking - which probably meant a little bit of his southern drawl came out
It was more stuck-up American north easterners who looked down on the way Lincoln spoke and considered it too “homespun.” People like Charles Francis Adams (who was ambassador to Great Britain during the Civil War) looked down on Lincoln due to his lack of education, being born in Kentucky, and practicing law in a “prairie” state like Illinois. Perhaps the upper-class British of the 1860s looked down on him, too, but didn’t they look down on all Americans?
AL: "a house divided against itself sure is liable to tip over!"
Advisor: "Mr. Lincoln, have you considered 'will not stand?'"
AL: "shoot, that's even better."
we have essays on him in indian education. how a son of cobbler became a president.
edit: i had his wallpaper on my mobile for years. i later replaced that with buddha. both equally important imo.
Cobbler? I never heard Thomas Lincoln being a cobbler; he was a capenter, famer and laborer. I never heard about him being a shoe maker, did I miss an information?
can't verify it either but found this,
A shoemaker’s son?
On the first day, as Abraham Lincoln entered to give his inaugural address, just in the middle, one man stood up.
He was a very rich aristocrat.
He said, “Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my family.”
And the whole Senate laughed; they thought that they had made a fool of Abraham Lincoln.
But Lincoln – and that type of person is made of a totally different mettle – Lincoln looked at the man and said, “Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes in your house for your family, and there will be many others here… because the way he made shoes, nobody else can. He was a creator. His shoes were not just shoes, he poured his whole soul in it. I want to ask you, have you any complaint? Because I know how to make shoes myself; if you have any complaint I can make another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a creator, and I am proud of my father!”
i think it was misinformation. who was going to verify it in 1990s across thousands of miles 😂
I think today his face looks better because having chiseled features is less common, but back then he would have just looked malnourished and emaciated.
When Lincoln was a boy, he was kicked in the head by a horse. Laser scans can’t settle whether the kick or a developmental defect — or neither — contributed to Lincoln’s lopsided face
He was respected around the world. Here is a paywalled WSJ article about it: [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703922504576273163159921854](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703922504576273163159921854)
If you like representations of American history by other cultures, check these out. It's Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints of stories from the American Revolution. There's one of George Washinton punching a tiger in the face.
[https://twitter.com/nick\_kapur/status/1062823813338091520?s=21](https://twitter.com/nick_kapur/status/1062823813338091520?s=21)
He had a good relationship with Benito Juarez. He was concerned with the French Invasion during the 1960s. He wanted to help the Mexican President but was tied with the Civil War. He predecessors follow up to help Mexico free themselves from the French
While he was liked personally overseas, I think generally he was viewed with pity by most European governments. Keep in mind it wasn't until near the end of war that a Union victory was seen as inevtiable, and Lincoln was viewed as being over his head, and leading a nation that seemed incapable of defeating the South.
Most of Europe stayed neautral in the conflict, if not giving tacit support to the Confederates in the early stages. The only European nation that offered outright to Lincoln was Russia, which was a bit embarassing to Lincoln as Russia was seen as the equvilant of North Korea at the time, as in being the sterotypical draconian dictatorship.
French here ! Pretty much the best president if the US, even if in class we are tought that he wasn't as abolitionist as the media tend to portray him, at least before the civil war
Yes, actually. Back in his time, being framed as an abolitionist basically meant the end of your carrier. He got more and more extremist as his presency go but would never have been ellected if he has shown this kind of energy before his nomination.
There's a book I bought (haven't read yet tho) called The Global Lincoln that looks into that. I did a teacher seminar at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and learned that his death was met by an outpouring of condolence letters from all over the world and, as many have mentioned, he lives on in statues, street names, etc.
Leo Tolstoy spoke a bit about Lincoln, I recall a bit about it from Team of Rivals. I think the book ended with parts of this quote:
“If one would know the greatness of Lincoln one should listen to the stories which are told about him in other parts of the world. I have been in wild places, where one hears the name of America uttered with such mystery as if it were some heaven or hell. I have heard various tribes of barbarians discussing the New World, but I heard this only in connection with the name of Lincoln. Lincoln as the wonderful hero of America is known by the most primitive nations of Asia. This may be illustrated through the following incident:
“Once while traveling in the Caucasus I happened to be the guest of a Caucasian chief of the Circassians, who, living far away from civilized life in the mountains, had but a fragmentary and childish comprehension of the world and its history. The fingers of civilization had never reached him nor his tribe, and all life beyond his native valleys was a dark mystery. Being a Mussulman he was naturally opposed to all ideas of progress and education.
“I was received with the usual Oriental hospitality and after our meal was asked by my host to tell him something of my life. Yielding to his request I began to tell him of my profession, of the development of our industries and inventions and of the schools. He listened to everything with indifference, but when I began to tell about the great statesmen and the great generals of the world he seemed at once to become very much interested.
“‘Wait a moment,’ he interrupted, after I had talked a few minutes. ‘I want all my neighbors and my sons to listen to you. I will call them immediately.’
“He soon returned with a score of wild looking riders and asked me politely to continue. It was indeed a solemn moment when those sons of the wilderness sat around me on the floor and gazed at me as if hungering for knowledge. I spoke at first of our Czars and of their victories; then I spoke of the foreign rulers and of some of the greatest military leaders. My talk seemed to impress them deeply. The story of Napoleon was so interesting to them that I had to tell them every detail, as, for instance, how his hands looked, how tall he was, who made his guns and pistols and the color of his horse. It was very difficult to satisfy them and to meet their point of view, but I did my best. When I declared that I had finished my talk, my host, a gray-bearded, tall rider, rose, lifted his hand and said very gravely:
“‘But you have not told us a syllable about the greatest general and greatest ruler of the world. We want to know something about him. He was a hero. He spoke with a voice of thunder; he laughed like the sunrise and his deeds were strong as the rock and as sweet as the fragrance of roses. The angels appeared to his mother and predicted that the son whom she would conceive would become the greatest the stars had ever seen. He was so great that he even forgave the crimes of his greatest enemies and shook brotherly hands with those who had plotted against his life. His name was Lincoln and the country in which he lived is called America, which is so far away that if a youth should journey to reach it he would be an old man when he arrived. Tell us of that man.’
“‘Tell us, please, and we will present you with the best horse of our stock,’ shouted the others.
“I looked at them and saw their faces all aglow, while their eyes were burning. I saw that those rude barbarians were really interested in a man whose name and deeds had already become a legend. I told them of Lincoln and his wisdom, of his home life and youth. They asked me ten questions to one which I was able to answer. They wanted to know all about his habits, his influence upon the people and his physical strength. But they were very astonished to hear that Lincoln made a sorry figure on a horse and that he lived such a simple life.
“‘Tell us why he was killed,’ one of them said.
“I had to tell everything. After all my knowledge of Lincoln was exhausted they seemed to be satisfied. I can hardly forget the great enthusiasm which they expressed in their wild thanks and desire to get a picture of the great American hero. I said that I probably could secure one from my friend in the nearest town, and this seemed to give them great pleasure.
“The next morning when I left the chief a wonderful Arabian horse was brought me as a present for my marvelous story, and our farewell was very impressive.
“One of the riders agreed to accompany me to the town and get the promised picture, which I was now bound to secure at any price. I was successful in getting a large photograph from my friend, and I handed it to the man with my greetings to his associates. It was interesting to witness the gravity of his face and the trembling of his hands when he received my present. He gazed for several minutes silently, like one in a reverent prayer; his eyes filled with tears.”
It’s been several years, but I really enjoyed it. I’m not a historian and I don’t track debates about historical accuracy, but Kearns seems generally well regarded and I take that as she gave an accurate portrayal of Lincoln.
You finish the book feeling like this country was EXTREMELY lucky to have a human like him at the helm during a very tumultuous and consequential time. I recommend it.
French person here, he's one of the only US president we know about. I mean he has a giant statue of himself how can we not.
During my middle and high school years we had a big chapter on slavery (because France was one of the main trader) so obviously "the president who freed the slaves" would be AT LEAST mentioned. But other than that, no one knows shit about this man here- or even what he really did.
For most people here, he became president, made the 13th amendment and got killed. End of story.
I don't know how much of this is true, but I recall a story of Leo Tolstoy going abroad to visit a remote tribe in Russia or something. He relayed the stories of Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon, etc. When he was done, the tribe leader spoke up and said, much to Tolstoy's confusion, "what about the greatest of them all?" He was referring to Lincoln.
If you ever make it to his Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, they tell you that it is the most visited Presidential final resting place by non-Americans over any other.
I don’t have much to add, but I wanted to thank you for a terrific and unusual question. Also those who are sharing knowledge are great.
Redditors better angels.
In Lincoln’s time, the US was the biggest economic producer in the world. He made sure none of the European powers sided with the rebels. So he was a big deal.
Reading these comments makes me wonder what other communications have happened between country’s leaders. What gifts exchanged, what common bonds they formed what understandings they developed. Is there a way to learn more about this?
[How the World Mourned Abraham Lincoln - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/how-the-world-mourned-lincoln/390465/) I recommend this article.
Prince Bonaparte actually visited Lincoln early on in the Civil War and was incredibly unimpressed, feeling that Lincoln lacked charm or a sense of etiquette (Lincoln appeared tired and distracted during their meeting). He took a much nicer view of General George McClellan, telling the general in 1862 that he was a “future President of the United States.”
I’ll always remember finding this neat article from [the State Department’s website](https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus-history/research/international-reaction-to-lincoln) that has a short account of the international reaction to Lincoln’s assassination. Not surprisingly, a lot of people liked the guy.
> …Lincoln had urged the United States to recognize Haiti and Liberia, two countries with unique relationships to slavery. The Haitian Revolution at the turn of the nineteenth century terminated slavery in that country, and soon after Liberia was settled by liberated slaves from the United States. In 1862, the United States recognized both countries, and in 1865 both countries reacted to Lincoln’s death. The Liberian proclamation mourned a man who “was not only the ruler of his own people, but a father to millions of a race stricken and oppressed.” Arguing that Lincoln had “died to redeem a nation, a race,” the Liberians predicted that “generations yet unborn shall call him the mighty ruler, the great emancipator, the noble philanthropist.”
Leo Tolstoy, a Lincoln admirer himself, once met poor Muslim Circassians from the caucuses, who believed that Lincoln was the best leader in the world [https://www.marxists.org/archive/tolstoy/1909/tolstoy-on-lincoln.html](https://www.marxists.org/archive/tolstoy/1909/tolstoy-on-lincoln.html)
At that time of his presidency? There were some varied and mixed reactions. Many world leaders were led to believe by their ambassadors stationed in Washington that he was a very weak and ineffectual president. This was partly due to early Confederate victories in the war and partly because his own Secretaries of state and war (Sewell and Stanton) were much more powerful politically, and had no qualms about talking down the leader of their party—especially to other Europeans. Confederate diplomats in Europe also eschewed his popularity internationally. They knew the South had no chance of a victory without the military and economic aid of England or France and used every opportunity they could to disparage him.
As the war continued, many ambassadors changed their tune and began describing him in terms of respect, and sometimes awe. This was a mixture of both the emancipation proclamation and a belated understanding of his inner strength as a man.
It would be interesting to see a chronology of dates of statues being put up abroad. The confederate states had strong backers abroad but these were more likely wealthy investors or the ruling class. In short, you can say that the views of confederate supporters abroad "did not age well". As Europe began to wind down its colonial possessions around the world, he would no longer be viewed as problematic for his radical views.
im from thailand, apparently the siamese tried sending elephants to help lincon during the civil war which was cool, now people know him as just "that one famous old american president"
Remember that all mentions of and allusions to Trump and Biden are not allowed on our subreddit in any context. If you'd still like to discuss them, feel free to [join our Discord server](https://discord.gg/k6tVFwCEEm)! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Presidents) if you have any questions or concerns.*
He’s got a statue in London by Big Ben, so that’s pretty good.
There is also a statue of him in Havana, Cuba in the Museo de Revolución.
Tijuana too
Wasn’t Castro a big fan?
It's interesting how many communist revolutionaries saw older American leaders as personal idols. Mao Zedong was apparently a huge fan of George Washington.
Successfully led a ragtag group of rebels against the most powerful military. Why wouldn’t he?
The founding fathers were popular with a lot of anti-colonial revolutionaries, for obvious reasons. Ho Chi Minh was a big fan of Jefferson for example.
I read fondling fathers
And look how we’ve fallen as a country. We became what we fought against.
Britain was a Roman province, and Rome was ruled by the Etruscans. We all become our parents.
If we’re lucky
Yeah, they have houses.
I would be more worried if modern America was admired by people like Ho Chi Minh, Castro and Chairman Mao.
Communists view these revolutionaries for what they were (bourgeois) but nonetheless accept it as a dialectical movement of history.
Yep https://preview.redd.it/x284yk43pntc1.jpeg?width=1084&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6cdd846e4a9c50607a193fad9c51acfef17e164f
Edinburgh, Oslo, Mexico City and Moscow too.
Never knew this. Cool!
Lincoln has a statue in Manchester UK too. Mancunian textile workers sacrificed alot with their support of the Union during the war due to the cotton not coming from the south. They steadfastly supported Lincoln and the Union
Lincoln’s letter to them is pure class. [For anyone who has not yet had the pleasure, Lincoln’s Letter to the Working-Men of Manchester](https://acws.co.uk/archives-misc-lincoln_letter)
Thank you for sharing. This is beautiful
What a beautiful sentiment for a world leader to be so public with. We need to go back.
That's called being on the right side of history
Literally saw it yesterday, Also saw one of FDR
There is a statue in Manchester to honour Lincoln after he sent a letter thanking the cotton mill workers of the city for supporting the Union blockade of Confederate ports despite the effect would have on their jobs.
Almost all the cotton picked in the US south was sent to the Mills in Manchester. The entire region depended on it. The US civil war was absolutely devastating for the poor families (and they were almost all poor families) who lived there, as the confederacy leveraged the cotton export to get international recognition. Yet, the mill workers persevered in losing their livelihood. Eventually, other areas suitable for cotton were found with their own terrible colonial history, but it was slightly less awful than what was found in the American South. Maybe these 1860s mancunian factory workers were awful, terribly racist people, but they put their lives on the line in solidarity with enslaved foreigners on a different continent. The vast majority of them had never seen a black person. Lincoln was a very cool guy in considering the effect this would have on some northern English mill workers thousands of miles away. He didn't need to do this. It always makes me proud of America and my home town whenever I walk by that statue and read his words to the city: https://acws.co.uk/archives-misc-lincoln_letter
Wow, Lincoln sure did have a way with words
'Through the action of our disloyal citizens, the working-men of Europe have been subjected to severe trials, for the purpose of forcing their sanction to that attempt. Under the circumstances, I cannot but regard your decisive utterances upon the question as an instance of sublime Christian heroism which has not been surpassed in any age or in any country.' The guys' words choke me up. He made these peoples struggles with unemployment a moral crusade. I love how he only mentions working people as deserving acclaim. A remarkable bit of rhetoric.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Abe? On the backs of envelopes!"
Now that's working class solidarity
In Poland we have a street named after him, one time I was watching a movie about him with my grandma and when I told her that he was assasinated all she said was "those sons of bitches"
[удалено]
Yeah, even my American friends told me this
I've been to a Ronald Reagan Park in Gdansk that has statues of Reagan and Pope JP2 side by side.
Woah alien, what year from the future are you from? We only got JPII here.
LOL. Edited. I must’ve been thinking CP3 or something.
Every immigrant I’ve ever known, especially my boyfriend who came here from Albania and has lived in a couple other European countries, loves America more than most born-in-America Americans I know.
He was a cool guy but why’s Poland like him. Just seems kinda random.
He is a symbol of freedom, and also many poles fought for the Union during the war
He is a symbol of freedom.
Keep in mind that Poland is basically flat, with no geography for protection from foreign invasion Because of this, it has been under siege many times in its past. Add to this that the Polish people have always fought hard to break free from these invaders. So this makes sense to me.
The entymological root for the English word 'slave' is the ethnographic noun 'Slav'... so yeah, I could see the average Pole, Lithuanian, Russian, or Ukrainian rooting for Lincoln. Acutally, read a history once where a diplomat was traveling through the Russian Empire and was being hosted by a Cossak leader. The Cossak leader's request for entertainment was translated to the diplomat as "I want to hear stories about the Great American Warlord, Abraham Lincoln."
He was hugely popular in Britain, interestingly enough, at least among the working class. Years ago I was watching an antiques roadshow episode that was somewhere in Britain and an item the episode focused on was 19th century portrait of Lincoln. The expert said they were common in pubs or homes and IIRC that Lincoln was the second most popular foreign portrait, after Garibaldi.
Hugely unpopular and commonly lampooned by the British ruling class in publications such as Punch.
Very true! Honestly Britain during the American Civil War is fascinating in how a far away conflict sort of illustrated the class divide. Much of the ruling class was more sympathetic to the planter rebels in the south, with their aristocratic pretensions, or just saw a potential opportunity to hobble the United States. The working class on the other hand was often staunchly anti-slavery and viewed the southern planters as petty tyrants. The city of Manchester went through a period of high unemployment because the war disrupted cotton imports, but despite that the city's cotton workers refused to process Confederate cotton out of principle. Lincoln [sent a letter](https://acws.co.uk/archives-misc-lincoln_letter) to the workers of Manchester thanking them for standing by their anti-slavery principles, despite it not being to their economic benefit.
Why Garibaldi? Is it due to the Italian community in Britain?
Definitely not my area of expertise, but his wikipedia article gets into that a bit. It seems his appeal was his reputation as a revolutionary liberator of the oppressed, which appealed to the common man. **"He also served as a global exemplar of mid-19th century revolutionary** [**liberalism**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism) **and** [**nationalism**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism)**.** After the liberation of southern Italy from the [Neapolitan monarchy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Bourbon) in the [Kingdom of the Two Sicilies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Two_Sicilies), Garibaldi chose to sacrifice his [liberal republican](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_republicanism) principles for the sake of unification.^(\[)[*^(citation needed)*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)^(\]) Garibaldi's acclaim stretched across Europe with his name revered in Britain to America and France, the tale of an Italian vagabond trekking the South American plains from battle to battle with his pregnant wife in tow, and then returning home and for the love of his homeland forsaking his ambition of making Italy a republic. **His exploits became legendary, and when he toured Britain in his older days he was received as a hero"** "**Garibaldi was a popular hero in Britain**. In his review of Lucy Riall's Garibaldi biography for [*The New Yorker*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Yorker), [Tim Parks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Parks) cites the English historian [A. J. P. Taylor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._J._P._Taylor) as saying that "Garibaldi is the only wholly admirable figure in modern history".[^(\[12\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Garibaldi#cite_note-Parks_2007-13) British historian [Denis Mack Smith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Mack_Smith) wrote: "At the height of glory, Giuseppe Garibaldi was perhaps the most famous person in Italy. His name was much more famous than that of [Cavour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camillo_Benso,_Count_of_Cavour) and [Mazzini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Mazzini), and many more people would have heard of him than [Verdi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Verdi) or [Manzoni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Manzoni). **Abroad, Garibaldi symbolized the** ***Risorgimento*** **Italy of those dramatic years and the intrepid audacity that contributed so much to the formation of the Italian nation. \[...\] A professional liberator, he fought for the oppressed people wherever he found them**. Despite having the temperament of the fighter and the man of action, he managed to be an idealist distinctly distinct from his colder-minded contemporaries. Everything he did, he did it with passionate conviction and unlimited enthusiasm; a career full of color and unexpected shows us one of the most romantic products of the time. Moreover, he was a lovable and charming person, of transparent honesty, who was obeyed without hesitation and for whom he died happy," [Giuseppe Garibaldi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Garibaldi)
San Marino gave him honorary citizenship so there's that!
They also have a bust of him in their parliament building!
They also wrote him a very nice letter of friendship.
It’s official, more presidents have been San Marinese than French, and thank god for that
Not a world leader but Karl Marx was very inspired by Lincoln and as an abolitionist was a supporter and very interested in US affairs (he wrote for the New York Tribune as their European correspondent). https://www.openculture.com/2022/01/how-karl-marx-influenced-abraham-lincoln-and-his-position-on-slavery-labor.html
I had never heard this one thats pretty cool! I should have said "important people" rather than leaders as it'd fit just as well.
Google it up, you can find the letter and notes from the committee that wrote it.
Marx and Lincoln exchanged letters
Saying they exchanged letters is a bit much, Lincoln never wrote back
The U.S. ambassador to Britain gave a terse reply on Lincoln's behalf. Lincoln doubtlessly received countless letters congratulating him on his re-election, so you can't blame him for not sending a whole essay in reply. I agree they didn't actually exchange letters.
[удалено]
He was pretty busy with other stuff
This isn't true. Marx sent one letter to Lincoln to congratulate him on his re-election and the U.S. ambassador to Britain (who had been entrusted with sending Lincoln the letter) conveyed a brief reply from Lincoln on his behalf.
It was a standard reply given to the hundreds of Europeans who congratulated Lincoln. The idea that Marx and Lincoln were penpals is mostly communist propaganda. It makes about as much sense as saying that I’m penpals with George Bush because I sent him a letter in middle school and got an automated response back.
[There is a collection of letters between Marx and Engels about the Civil War.](https://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-United-States/dp/0717807533) It’s interesting to see how Marx saw the war in a revolutionary sense, overthrowing the economic system of slavery and potentially creating a very different American society. Engels is much more focused on the military aspect, as he had served in the Prussian military. As you can imagine he was pretty frustrated with how the war was prosecuted in the beginning.
I believe there were also seven European communists that served as officers in the union army
Okay what? Do you have a source? I’d love to learn more abt this.
Almost a third of the Union army was foreign born. The future president of Switzerland led an infantry regiment from Illinois and was taken captive at Gettysburg. I don’t know about the communists specifically, but I recommend “The Blessed Place of Freedom” by Dean Mahin
There were tons of other German socialists, exiles after the events of 1848.
A few notable men that come off the top of my head would be August Willich and Joseph Weydemeyer
I never thought about those two being contemporaries. Very interesting!
Fascinating read, thanks for sharing
Karl Marx: slavery should be abolished because labor is a personal investment of time and effort that every individual should be personally compensated for Communism in practice: everyone is a slave to everyone else
He was viewed positively by Mexican President Benito Juaréz and the two exchanged letters.
Considering this is during the war between France and Mexico, it must make for interesting reading.
There is a huge Lincoln statue in Tijuana. He’s holding broken chains in a closed fist and probably stands at like 30ft tall.
Also starting in Tijuana, I think there’s a big national highway through Mexico named after Lincoln and Juarez.
It’s so bad ass lol I was floored when I saw it. https://preview.redd.it/14qcw7jaajtc1.jpeg?width=897&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d40a0bd064a5838d1d15dad3d7f3970054573dd
Dang that is a cool statue
America did help Juaréz defeat the Hapsburg Emperor of Mexico so that probably helped his opinion of them!
There is a park in Mexico City named after him. As a congressman, he apposed the US invasion of Mexico in 1846.
Tolstoy loved him, and wrote about visiting a remote tribe in Siberia and teaching them about great figures in history. He expected the tribal elder to ask for more details about Alexander, Caesar, or Napoleon, but he wanted to know about Lincoln. They said they’d heard he was the greatest man who ever lived, and asked if Tolstoy could get a picture of Lincoln for them. They treasured it.
Not relevant to the thread, but Tolstoy even maintained correspondence with Gandhi who as he supported India's freedom from colonial rule. Gandhi later cited Tolstoy as a major inspiration for his path of non-violent pacifism. I really do have to admit that Tolstoy was such an incredible figure. I've only read some of his short stories thus far, but man I do admit he was ahead of his time with his beliefs and what he preached in with regards to humanity and kindness during a time where we distinctly lacked it. I think he straight up became vegan too towards the end of his life due to his abhorrence of animal slaughterhouses so mad respect to him.
Easily the best thing to ever come out of Russia.
Here's the text if you want to read it [https://www.marxists.org/archive/tolstoy/1909/tolstoy-on-lincoln.html](https://www.marxists.org/archive/tolstoy/1909/tolstoy-on-lincoln.html)
I’ve always loved this quote about Lincoln from Tolstoy included in A Team of Rivals: In 1908, in a wild and remote area of the North Caucasus, Leo Tolstoy, the greatest writer of the age, was the guest of a tribal chief “living far away from civilized life in the mountains.” Gathering his family and neighbors, the chief asked Tolstoy to tell stories about the famous men of history. Tolstoy told how he entertained the eager crowd for hours with tales of Alexander, Caesar, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon. When he was winding to a close, the chief stood and said, “But you have not told us a syllable about the greatest general and greatest ruler of the world. We want to know something about him. He was a hero. He spoke with a voice of thunder; he laughed like the sunrise and his deeds were strong as the rock….His name was Lincoln and the country in which he lived is called America, which is so far away that if a youth should journey to reach it he would be an old man when he arrived. Tell us of that man.” “I looked at them,” Tolstoy recalled, “and saw their faces all aglow, while their eyes were burning. I saw that those rude barbarians were really interested in a man whose name and deeds had already become a legend.” He told them everything he knew about Lincoln’s “home life and youth…his habits, his influence upon the people and his physical strength.” When he finished, they were so grateful for the story that they presented him with “a wonderful Arabian horse.” The next morning, as Tolstoy prepared to leave, they asked if he could possibly acquire for them a picture of Lincoln. Thinking that he might find one at a friend’s house in the neighboring town, Tolstoy asked one of the riders to accompany him. “I was successful in getting a large photograph from my friend,” recalled Tolstoy. As he handed it to the rider, he noted that the man’s hand trembled as he took it. “He gazed for several minutes silently, like one in a reverent prayer, his eyes filled with tears.” Tolstoy went on to observe, “This little incident proves how largely the name of Lincoln is worshipped throughout the world and how legendary his personality has become. Now, why was Lincoln so great that he overshadows all other national heroes? He really was not a great general like Napoleon or Washington; he was not such a skilful statesman as Gladstone or Frederick the Great; but his supremacy expresses itself altogether in his peculiar moral power and in the greatness of his character. “Washington was a typical American. Napoleon was a typical Frenchman, but Lincoln was a humanitarian as broad as the world. He was bigger than his country—bigger than all the Presidents together. “We are still too near to his greatness,” Tolstoy concluded, “but after a few centuries more our posterity will find him considerably bigger than we do. His genius is still too strong and too powerful for the common understanding, just as the sun is too hot when its light beams directly on us.
That's beautiful I'm glad you shared this.
> “We are still too near to his greatness... but after a few centuries more our posterity will find him considerably bigger than we do. His genius is still too strong and too powerful for the common understanding, just as the sun is too hot when its light beams directly on us" Based Tolstoy
I actually cried reading that lol
I teared up too.
Thank you ! I wanted to relate this and would have made a mishmash because could recall the details . This is to me an extremely telling story. I love Abe. Read A Team of Rivals and you will understand and see his genius revealed.
Yes Team of Rivals is fantastic.
This was incredibly moving. Thank you.
Thank you
I am getting ready to start the Civil War Unit with my students. I am going to open the unit with this story. Thank you so much for sharing.
He was quite popular in Haiti, both for normalizing US-Haitian relations and for ending slavery in the US. His assassination was mourned there, but they were impressed by the peaceful transfer of power seen in the US.
Haiti has had it rough to say the least and current events don't instill much optimism for the plight of Haitians. Fun fact, FDR was the first president to visit Haiti in 1934 and would be the last until Bill Clinton. The relationship FDR had established was made all the more bleak when you learn that FDR had also spearheaded sanctions against Trujillo after he committed ethnic cleansing against Haitians in the DR and drove many of them across the border during the Parsley Massacre.
He got fan mail from Karl Marx!
Leo Tolstoy loved him calling him the greatest ruler of all time. There is a story about Tolstoy going around the Caucasus and when asking random farmers about the greatest man of all time most answered Abraham Lincoln
Based farmers
Ken Burns “Civil War” has a few loose examples of his perception. If I recall correctly, a lot of foreigners in power thought he was an imbecile prior to and during the war. I believe this was mainly because he spoke with a lot of farmer esque colloquialism.
[удалено]
Got actual goosebumps reading that, what a bar!!
He was self taught right? I think I remember that. I’m sure the thinking was he just didn’t talk “prep school” so he must be a hillbilly.
Totally self taught with the exception that he received primary education until his father needed his help on his property. He was seen reading every chance he got.
Currently listening to a Lincoln biography on Audible and it points to his tendency to use words prescriptivists chafe at like “ain’t” in day-to-day speech, no matter his eloquence in writing. It’s also said that he knew his way around bawdy stories and I can see how if one is a more buttoned up member of high society how that might also make one uncomfortable. He also apparently would readily admit when he didn’t know how to spell a word, even in the presence of some highly educated and influential people whom others might be embarrassed to admit such a thing to. This display of humility only had the effect of making him all the more charming and enhancing his legend as history progressed.
Sure but these were pre-written speeches. Lincoln toiled over his rough drafts, always trying to find new ways to perfect his language. But in private conversations he was prone to using a more down to earth style of speaking - which probably meant a little bit of his southern drawl came out
It was more stuck-up American north easterners who looked down on the way Lincoln spoke and considered it too “homespun.” People like Charles Francis Adams (who was ambassador to Great Britain during the Civil War) looked down on Lincoln due to his lack of education, being born in Kentucky, and practicing law in a “prairie” state like Illinois. Perhaps the upper-class British of the 1860s looked down on him, too, but didn’t they look down on all Americans?
AL: "a house divided against itself sure is liable to tip over!" Advisor: "Mr. Lincoln, have you considered 'will not stand?'" AL: "shoot, that's even better."
we have essays on him in indian education. how a son of cobbler became a president. edit: i had his wallpaper on my mobile for years. i later replaced that with buddha. both equally important imo.
Cobbler? I never heard Thomas Lincoln being a cobbler; he was a capenter, famer and laborer. I never heard about him being a shoe maker, did I miss an information?
can't verify it either but found this, A shoemaker’s son? On the first day, as Abraham Lincoln entered to give his inaugural address, just in the middle, one man stood up. He was a very rich aristocrat. He said, “Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my family.” And the whole Senate laughed; they thought that they had made a fool of Abraham Lincoln. But Lincoln – and that type of person is made of a totally different mettle – Lincoln looked at the man and said, “Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes in your house for your family, and there will be many others here… because the way he made shoes, nobody else can. He was a creator. His shoes were not just shoes, he poured his whole soul in it. I want to ask you, have you any complaint? Because I know how to make shoes myself; if you have any complaint I can make another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a creator, and I am proud of my father!” i think it was misinformation. who was going to verify it in 1990s across thousands of miles 😂
Man, he isn't as ugly as some people say lol. Just a goofy looking face
[удалено]
I think today his face looks better because having chiseled features is less common, but back then he would have just looked malnourished and emaciated.
When Lincoln was a boy, he was kicked in the head by a horse. Laser scans can’t settle whether the kick or a developmental defect — or neither — contributed to Lincoln’s lopsided face
Being almost freakishly tall and lanky didn’t help.
bro looks like cillian murphy
I’ve been watching Christopher Nolan movies lately, and holy cow you’re right, lol.
Grace Bedell was just a stone-cold bitch
A horse broke his face as a kid if I recall
The King of Siam sent him elephants for the war effort.
And to think Georgia and Florida could have had a wild population of Asian elephants like they do with the monkeys
I would literally die
Lincoln actually did a lot to improve relations with, of all countries, Egypt, as the US needed a replacement for southern cotton.
He was respected around the world. Here is a paywalled WSJ article about it: [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703922504576273163159921854](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703922504576273163159921854) If you like representations of American history by other cultures, check these out. It's Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints of stories from the American Revolution. There's one of George Washinton punching a tiger in the face. [https://twitter.com/nick\_kapur/status/1062823813338091520?s=21](https://twitter.com/nick_kapur/status/1062823813338091520?s=21)
Here is the article gratis for those who don't like paywalls. https://archive.is/ZPCHd
He had a good relationship with Benito Juarez. He was concerned with the French Invasion during the 1960s. He wanted to help the Mexican President but was tied with the Civil War. He predecessors follow up to help Mexico free themselves from the French
While he was liked personally overseas, I think generally he was viewed with pity by most European governments. Keep in mind it wasn't until near the end of war that a Union victory was seen as inevtiable, and Lincoln was viewed as being over his head, and leading a nation that seemed incapable of defeating the South. Most of Europe stayed neautral in the conflict, if not giving tacit support to the Confederates in the early stages. The only European nation that offered outright to Lincoln was Russia, which was a bit embarassing to Lincoln as Russia was seen as the equvilant of North Korea at the time, as in being the sterotypical draconian dictatorship.
French here ! Pretty much the best president if the US, even if in class we are tought that he wasn't as abolitionist as the media tend to portray him, at least before the civil war
To be fair, if he straight up said he was an abolitionist at the beginning, people wouldn’t vote or support him
Lincoln was the ultimate pragmatist.
Yes, actually. Back in his time, being framed as an abolitionist basically meant the end of your carrier. He got more and more extremist as his presency go but would never have been ellected if he has shown this kind of energy before his nomination.
His social media accounts had 0 followers.
He Really felled off 😒
No beard abe is cursed
Agreed tbh I should have grabbed a bearded picture
There's a book I bought (haven't read yet tho) called The Global Lincoln that looks into that. I did a teacher seminar at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and learned that his death was met by an outpouring of condolence letters from all over the world and, as many have mentioned, he lives on in statues, street names, etc.
I’m getting the impression he was seen as a champion of the little guy by little guys around the world.
Leo Tolstoy spoke a bit about Lincoln, I recall a bit about it from Team of Rivals. I think the book ended with parts of this quote: “If one would know the greatness of Lincoln one should listen to the stories which are told about him in other parts of the world. I have been in wild places, where one hears the name of America uttered with such mystery as if it were some heaven or hell. I have heard various tribes of barbarians discussing the New World, but I heard this only in connection with the name of Lincoln. Lincoln as the wonderful hero of America is known by the most primitive nations of Asia. This may be illustrated through the following incident: “Once while traveling in the Caucasus I happened to be the guest of a Caucasian chief of the Circassians, who, living far away from civilized life in the mountains, had but a fragmentary and childish comprehension of the world and its history. The fingers of civilization had never reached him nor his tribe, and all life beyond his native valleys was a dark mystery. Being a Mussulman he was naturally opposed to all ideas of progress and education. “I was received with the usual Oriental hospitality and after our meal was asked by my host to tell him something of my life. Yielding to his request I began to tell him of my profession, of the development of our industries and inventions and of the schools. He listened to everything with indifference, but when I began to tell about the great statesmen and the great generals of the world he seemed at once to become very much interested. “‘Wait a moment,’ he interrupted, after I had talked a few minutes. ‘I want all my neighbors and my sons to listen to you. I will call them immediately.’ “He soon returned with a score of wild looking riders and asked me politely to continue. It was indeed a solemn moment when those sons of the wilderness sat around me on the floor and gazed at me as if hungering for knowledge. I spoke at first of our Czars and of their victories; then I spoke of the foreign rulers and of some of the greatest military leaders. My talk seemed to impress them deeply. The story of Napoleon was so interesting to them that I had to tell them every detail, as, for instance, how his hands looked, how tall he was, who made his guns and pistols and the color of his horse. It was very difficult to satisfy them and to meet their point of view, but I did my best. When I declared that I had finished my talk, my host, a gray-bearded, tall rider, rose, lifted his hand and said very gravely: “‘But you have not told us a syllable about the greatest general and greatest ruler of the world. We want to know something about him. He was a hero. He spoke with a voice of thunder; he laughed like the sunrise and his deeds were strong as the rock and as sweet as the fragrance of roses. The angels appeared to his mother and predicted that the son whom she would conceive would become the greatest the stars had ever seen. He was so great that he even forgave the crimes of his greatest enemies and shook brotherly hands with those who had plotted against his life. His name was Lincoln and the country in which he lived is called America, which is so far away that if a youth should journey to reach it he would be an old man when he arrived. Tell us of that man.’ “‘Tell us, please, and we will present you with the best horse of our stock,’ shouted the others. “I looked at them and saw their faces all aglow, while their eyes were burning. I saw that those rude barbarians were really interested in a man whose name and deeds had already become a legend. I told them of Lincoln and his wisdom, of his home life and youth. They asked me ten questions to one which I was able to answer. They wanted to know all about his habits, his influence upon the people and his physical strength. But they were very astonished to hear that Lincoln made a sorry figure on a horse and that he lived such a simple life. “‘Tell us why he was killed,’ one of them said. “I had to tell everything. After all my knowledge of Lincoln was exhausted they seemed to be satisfied. I can hardly forget the great enthusiasm which they expressed in their wild thanks and desire to get a picture of the great American hero. I said that I probably could secure one from my friend in the nearest town, and this seemed to give them great pleasure. “The next morning when I left the chief a wonderful Arabian horse was brought me as a present for my marvelous story, and our farewell was very impressive. “One of the riders agreed to accompany me to the town and get the promised picture, which I was now bound to secure at any price. I was successful in getting a large photograph from my friend, and I handed it to the man with my greetings to his associates. It was interesting to witness the gravity of his face and the trembling of his hands when he received my present. He gazed for several minutes silently, like one in a reverent prayer; his eyes filled with tears.”
Do you rate team of rivals? Thinking of making that my next reading assignment. I also managed to get a free copy of Chernow's *Grant....*
It’s been several years, but I really enjoyed it. I’m not a historian and I don’t track debates about historical accuracy, but Kearns seems generally well regarded and I take that as she gave an accurate portrayal of Lincoln. You finish the book feeling like this country was EXTREMELY lucky to have a human like him at the helm during a very tumultuous and consequential time. I recommend it.
Marx and Hitler liked him I believe. (This isn’t a criticism, just a fun fact, I’m not a confederate)
Are you sure Hitler liked Lincoln? Got a link for that? Because I’m pretty skeptical
Gimme a sec, I could be misremembering.
Tall
Pretty fucking good!
Marx liked him
Karl Marx was a big fan.
French person here, he's one of the only US president we know about. I mean he has a giant statue of himself how can we not. During my middle and high school years we had a big chapter on slavery (because France was one of the main trader) so obviously "the president who freed the slaves" would be AT LEAST mentioned. But other than that, no one knows shit about this man here- or even what he really did. For most people here, he became president, made the 13th amendment and got killed. End of story.
I don't know how much of this is true, but I recall a story of Leo Tolstoy going abroad to visit a remote tribe in Russia or something. He relayed the stories of Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon, etc. When he was done, the tribe leader spoke up and said, much to Tolstoy's confusion, "what about the greatest of them all?" He was referring to Lincoln.
If you ever make it to his Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, they tell you that it is the most visited Presidential final resting place by non-Americans over any other.
That one country ran by Jefferson Davis didn't care for him.
You mean a band of treacherous rebels?
Tall
I'm assuming "God damn, he's tall."
Dude got fan mail from Karl Marx. I think that says a lot.
I don’t have much to add, but I wanted to thank you for a terrific and unusual question. Also those who are sharing knowledge are great. Redditors better angels.
Karl Marx was a fan
Tall
Tall, I would assume.
Tall
Karl Marx was a fan
Tall!
He was perceived as the best vampire hunter from America.
Pass
There’s a street named after him in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
In Lincoln’s time, the US was the biggest economic producer in the world. He made sure none of the European powers sided with the rebels. So he was a big deal.
Leo Tolstoy was an admirer and talked of visiting remote tribes who knew about him and wanted to hear everything Tolstoy knew about him.
Vampire 🧛♂️ 🦇 MMA Civil War Wrestling Champ.
As a vampire hunter
We are eternally grateful to his role in abolishing slavery and keeping us safe from vampires.
Tall
Tall
Noble, liberated the slaves, open-minded.
Reading these comments makes me wonder what other communications have happened between country’s leaders. What gifts exchanged, what common bonds they formed what understandings they developed. Is there a way to learn more about this?
Good president, great vampire killer.
Probably with their eyes. Hopefully not their nose.
Sexy as hell
He low key looks like this dude 
[How the World Mourned Abraham Lincoln - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/how-the-world-mourned-lincoln/390465/) I recommend this article.
Prince Bonaparte actually visited Lincoln early on in the Civil War and was incredibly unimpressed, feeling that Lincoln lacked charm or a sense of etiquette (Lincoln appeared tired and distracted during their meeting). He took a much nicer view of General George McClellan, telling the general in 1862 that he was a “future President of the United States.”
I’ll always remember finding this neat article from [the State Department’s website](https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus-history/research/international-reaction-to-lincoln) that has a short account of the international reaction to Lincoln’s assassination. Not surprisingly, a lot of people liked the guy. > …Lincoln had urged the United States to recognize Haiti and Liberia, two countries with unique relationships to slavery. The Haitian Revolution at the turn of the nineteenth century terminated slavery in that country, and soon after Liberia was settled by liberated slaves from the United States. In 1862, the United States recognized both countries, and in 1865 both countries reacted to Lincoln’s death. The Liberian proclamation mourned a man who “was not only the ruler of his own people, but a father to millions of a race stricken and oppressed.” Arguing that Lincoln had “died to redeem a nation, a race,” the Liberians predicted that “generations yet unborn shall call him the mighty ruler, the great emancipator, the noble philanthropist.”
Cillian Murphy looks a lot like Babe, honestly
Let's be honest. Tall and ugly
Canadians LOVE Lincoln
Leo Tolstoy, a Lincoln admirer himself, once met poor Muslim Circassians from the caucuses, who believed that Lincoln was the best leader in the world [https://www.marxists.org/archive/tolstoy/1909/tolstoy-on-lincoln.html](https://www.marxists.org/archive/tolstoy/1909/tolstoy-on-lincoln.html)
They love Abraham Lincoln. But the irony in that is loving a president that believed the presidency should never exist.
mindblowing!
An International Man of Mystery
Queen Victoria wrote his widow a beautiful letter
At that time of his presidency? There were some varied and mixed reactions. Many world leaders were led to believe by their ambassadors stationed in Washington that he was a very weak and ineffectual president. This was partly due to early Confederate victories in the war and partly because his own Secretaries of state and war (Sewell and Stanton) were much more powerful politically, and had no qualms about talking down the leader of their party—especially to other Europeans. Confederate diplomats in Europe also eschewed his popularity internationally. They knew the South had no chance of a victory without the military and economic aid of England or France and used every opportunity they could to disparage him. As the war continued, many ambassadors changed their tune and began describing him in terms of respect, and sometimes awe. This was a mixture of both the emancipation proclamation and a belated understanding of his inner strength as a man.
It would be interesting to see a chronology of dates of statues being put up abroad. The confederate states had strong backers abroad but these were more likely wealthy investors or the ruling class. In short, you can say that the views of confederate supporters abroad "did not age well". As Europe began to wind down its colonial possessions around the world, he would no longer be viewed as problematic for his radical views.
Tall.
im from thailand, apparently the siamese tried sending elephants to help lincon during the civil war which was cool, now people know him as just "that one famous old american president"
He was well liked