Government Officials Who Were Forced To Resign
Government Officials Who Were Forced To Resign
You don't have to be a paragon of good behavior to be elected (or not) to lead a country, but your conduct while in office does have to be somewhat in keeping with the standards set by your predecessors. These world leaders were forced to resign for scandalous behavior that destroyed the electorate's trust or for poor governing decisions.
Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom
Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the beginning of the Second World War. He met with Adolf Hitler twice on October 15 and 22, 1939, to avoid a war on the continent. Chamberlain also acquiesced to Hitler's demands to give "the Sudetenland" to Hitler. He would resign following Germany's invasion of Poland amid pressure from the House of Commons and his catastrophic mishandling of the Nazi threat.
John Profumo, Secretary Of State For War
Known as the "Profumo scandal," John Profumo's resignation came on June 5, 1963. He was the British Government's Secretary of State for War under Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Profumo had been having an extramarital affair with a 19-year-old model, Christine Keeler (who reportedly was also involved with a Soviet naval attaché). Profumo's lack of transparency about this to the House of Commons caused an uproar, and he resigned.
Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom
But Profumo's resignation couldn't save Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. The Profumo scandal brought down the government, resulting in Macmillan's resignation on October 18, 1963.
Charles De Gaulle, President Of France
Following defeat in the 1969 constitutional referendum, which sought to remove the French Senate's authority to block laws, President Charles de Gaulle resigned in disgrace.
Office of War Information, Overseas Picture Division, Wikimedia Commons
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