Portrait of David Ben-Gurion
Center-right · Leader · From history

David Ben-Gurion

First Prime Minister of Israel, 1948 to 1954 and 1955 to 1963

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Declared Israel's independence in 1948 and led its early state-building, from the army to the kibbutz movement.

David Ben-Gurion sits in the left-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: leaning state-led and leaning authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly strength-first on war and peace, strongly nationalist on nation and strongly interventionist on interventionism.

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Where David Ben-Gurion sits on ten dimensions

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

💰EconomyLeaning state-led
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityLeaning authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureSlightly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationStrongly nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly nature-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceStrongly strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsLeaning institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionLeaning religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismStrongly interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like David Ben-Gurion

Golda Meir Prime Minister of Israel, 1969 to 197499%Richard Nixon US President, 1969 to 197498%Charles de Gaulle President of France, 1959 to 196997%Harry S. Truman US President, 1945 to 195397%Catherine the Great Empress of Russia, 1762 to 179696%Lyndon B. Johnson US President, 1963 to 196996%Yitzhak Rabin Prime Minister of Israel, 1974 to 1977 and 1992 to 199596%Paul Kagame President of Rwanda, 2000 to present95%

People furthest from David Ben-Gurion

Emma Goldman Russian-born anarchist and writer, 1869 to 19403%Leo Tolstoy Russian novelist and moral thinker, 1828 to 19103%Murray Rothbard American economist, 1926 to 19953%John Lennon British musician and peace activist, 1940 to 19803%

Political views closest to David Ben-Gurion

GaullismA French tradition of national independence, a strong presidency and a leading role for…96%Pan-ArabismSeeks the unity of Arab peoples across state borders and independence from foreign…93%Hawkish realismSees the world as a contest between states, where military strength and alliances secure…93%MilitarismTreats military strength and martial values as central to national life.92%

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Biographies of David Ben-GurionBooks on gaullism

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