Rebecca Stanborough - 25 Women Who Ruled

Women rulers are heroic. They have led nations, fought for freedom, created great works of art, built companies, smashed records, opened doors of opportunity, and inspired millions of people. Some were born into powerful families and inherited great wealth. Some knew what it was like to be hungry or homeless. Every one of them worked hard to achieve her dreams. Every one of them changed the world.

Women rulers throughout history have changed the world.

Few people can imagine what it is like to be responsible for the welfare of an entire country. These women didnt have to imagine it. They ruled nations. They appointed cabinets, negotiated with foreign diplomats, started and ended wars, and made daily decisions that changed the lives of millions. These women rocked the world.

Queen Elizabeth II, 2012

Princess Elizabeth was awake in the early morning hours. She stood at the window of the treehouse, watching the elephants at the watering hole below.

Theyre pink, she said.

The elephants had been rolling in Kenyas colorful dust. At that moment, watching elephants in the moonlight, the young woman had no idea she had become queen of England.

She would assume the tremendous responsibility the next day, when she learned that her beloved father, King George VI, had died. In the 65 years since then, Queen Elizabeth II has steadied the nation in an era of great change. During her reign, more than 40 colonies gained independence to form new nations. She has worked with 13 different prime ministers and countless other politicians with widely varying political views. She has taken 271 trips to 128 nations across the globe.

What has remained constant throughout her reign is her commitment to duty and service. She begins nearly every day with a review of her renowned red boxes, which contain reports on the actions of , important letters, and governmental documents.

I must go do my boxes, she has told friends. If I missed one once, I would never get it straight again.

Her schedule remains challenging. She meets with people from all over the world almost every day. She lends her support to charities and attends countless events of all sorts. And while some of these duties may seem merely her participation in the life of the nation unifies an increasing population. As Britains longest-reigning monarch, she has received her share of criticism. But she is almost universally admired for her dedication to serving people with intelligence and wit.

Angela Merkel at a press conference after a meeting with the NATO Secretary General in the Federal Chancellery in Berlin, June 2016

Angela Merkel grew up in a divided nation surrounded by walls. West Germany was a free, society. But in East Germany, where Angela Merkel and her family lived, a strict communist government controlled jobs, housing, and education. Those who disagreed with the government found themselves out of a job, cut off from schooling, or imprisoned.

Angela Merkels father was a Lutheran pastor in an atheist nation, and her family was under constant surveillance. A 103-mile (165-kilometer) concrete wall through Berlin separated east from west Germany. In the walls 28-year history, nearly 200 people were killed trying to escape. Germany was reunited as a democratic nation in 1990. But growing up in a family whose values clashed with the government may have given Merkel a lasting gift. She developed an ability to cautiously consider all solutions to a problem before deciding what to do. Or maybe being analytical was simply her nature: She was trained as a mathematician and physicist.

Angela Merkel was elected the first female chancellor of Germany in 2005. She is still chancellor today. She has guided Germany through two serious crises. The first was the economic crash that struck Europe in 2008. Merkels carefully considered policies made Germany the strongest economy in Europe at a time when other nations buckled.

In 2015 and 2016, disasters in Syria and Libya caused millions to flee their homelands in the largest human migration in modern history. Under Merkels leadership, Germany opened its doors to the refugees. Speaking of these refugees, Merkel said, [I]t is not masses that arrive but individuals. For every human being has the dignity which is given to him by God.

Countless Berliners greeted Indira Gandhi during her visit to East Berlin in 1976.

Indira Gandhi grew up in a family of daring activists. During Indias quest for independence from British rule, her family members were jailed many times. She was so accustomed to hearing about protests that she made them part of her childhood games. She would set up two groups of dolls, freedom fighters and police, and enact confrontations between them. Later, her imaginative play became reality. She was jailed for speaking out against the British Raj, the British rulers of India, when she was 24 years old.

India gained independence in 1947. Gandhis father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected prime minister. She shadowed him as he met with world leaders and made decisions about Indias future. It was excellent training. In 1966 Gandhi was elected the first female prime minister of India, the largest democracy in the world.

In the years that followed, the people of India alternately adored and hated Gandhi. They loved her for skillfully executing a 14-day war to free neighboring Bangladesh from Pakistani rule. She was compared to Durga, a powerful and protective Hindu goddess. But later she was hated with equal strength.

Gandhis government was accused of corruption. Some officials took huge bribes for favors. Drought brought hunger, and people felt she didnt do enough to help. When a court ruled that Gandhi had rigged an election, she declared a state of emergency instead of leaving office. She had her opponents arrested. She suspended rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press. When she finally allowed another election, she lost.

Years later she was elected prime minister again. The people of India forgave Gandhis earlier failures. But there was one group of citizens she deeply offended. Indias Punjab state was home to many people in the Sikh religion. Some Sikhs wanted to separate and form their own nation. Gandhi wanted India to remain united. She had the army raid their temple. The soldiers killed hundreds of people and nearly destroyed the holy place.

In revenge, two of Gandhis Sikh bodyguards her in 1984. She was mourned by millions, and is remembered for the heights and depths she reached as a leader.