Portrait of Ferdinand Marcos
From history

Ferdinand Marcos

President of the Philippines, 1965 to 1986

Declared martial law in 1972 and ruled as a dictator for two decades, plundering billions, before the 1986 People Power Revolution drove him out.

Ferdinand Marcos sits in the right-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: slightly free market and strongly authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly authoritarian on liberty and authority, strongly nationalist on nation and leaning traditional on culture.

Read more about Ferdinand Marcos on Wikipedia →

Where Ferdinand Marcos sits on eight dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this leader's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomySlightly free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityStrongly authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureLeaning traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationStrongly nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentLeaning growth-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsSlightly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional

Leaders most like Ferdinand Marcos

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi President of Egypt, 2014 to present87%Aleksandar Vučić President of Serbia, 2017 to 202687%Suharto President of Indonesia, 1967 to 199886%Anwar Sadat President of Egypt, 1970 to 198184%Chiang Kai-shek Leader of the Republic of China, 1928 to 197582%Augustus First Roman Emperor, 27 BCE to 14 CE82%

Leaders furthest from Ferdinand Marcos

Mahatma Gandhi Leader of the Indian independence movement7%José Mujica President of Uruguay, 2010 to 201511%Olof Palme Prime Minister of Sweden, 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 198617%

Political views closest to Ferdinand Marcos

MilitarismTreats military strength and martial values as central to national life.80%FalangismA Spanish fascist-inspired movement stressing nation, Catholicism and corporatist unity.79%State capitalismUses a strong state to steer a market economy toward rapid growth, often limiting…78%

Percentages show how close two profiles are across all eight dimensions. Including a person here is for historical study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Malacañang Press, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.