Pericles was an ancient Greek statesman and general, who led Athens during its golden age of democracy, culture, and arts, and championed the ideals of freedom, equality, and participation in public affairs.
John Locke was a 17th-century English philosopher and political thinker, who developed the concept of natural rights, social contract, and limited government, and influenced the emergence of liberal democracy and the American and French revolutions.
Mikhail Gorbachev was a former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who initiated the reforms of glasnost and perestroika, which led to the end of the Cold War, the collapse of communism, and the rise of democracy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Nelson Mandela was a former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who fought against the apartheid regime, spent 27 years in prison, and led the transition to a multiracial democracy and national reconciliation in South Africa.
Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who led the pro-democracy movement and the opposition party in Myanmar, spent 15 years under house arrest, and became the de facto leader of the civilian government, before being ousted by a military coup in 2021.