10 Assassinations That Changed the World Forever

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at ten assassinations that had ripple effects that changed the course of history forever.

Yitzhak Rabin

Seen as a figure who preferred a peaceful resolution to Israel’s conflicts with Palestine, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin made waves by signing the Oslo Accords with the aim of beginning a peace process. However, in 1995, Yigal Amir, a right-wing extremist, gunned Rabin down, firing three shots, two of which hit their mark. He died shortly after. This was seen as a turning point in Israel’s history. For Amir, his goal was to stifle attempts to bring peace to a long and bloody conflict. The effects of his actions have been felt ever since.

Mahatma Gandhi

No list of iconic figures of the twentieth century would be complete without mentioning Mahatma Gandhi. For most of his life in the public eye, Gandhi campaigned for peace, equality, and a better India that was free from oppression. However, his beliefs and his tolerance of other religions outside of Hinduism were seen as a form of weakness by some, and in 1948, he was shot in the chest three times by the militant Hindu nationalist, Nathuram Godse. Gandhi died at the age of 78. His death deepened religious tensions in the Indian nation. However, his attitudes towards civil rights are still seen as inspirational to this day.

Martin Luther King Jr.

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. was a major turning point in the fight for African-American civil rights. As the head of the movement, King was a major advocate for non-violent protest and spoke publicly with the type of passion that inspired millions. Take his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, a moment in American history that played a major part in the end of legalised racism. However, there were those who did not share his views, rather strongly, in fact. On April 4, 1968, King was shot and killed while standing on his balcony. The assassin? James Earl Ray. There are multiple theories surrounding his motive—ranging from racism and hatred on his part, to grander conspiracies involving the government and even the mafia.

Malcolm X

While Martin Luther King Jr. suggested a non-violent approach to the fight for civil rights, Malcolm X didn’t quite share that viewpoint. His own status as a hero to many was solidified long before his eventual assassination. It was his relationship to the Nation of Islam that ended up being his undoing. First, he was an ally, before splitting off on his own due to differing opinions and disillusionment with its leader, Elijah Mohammed. Tensions eventually rose between both sides, and Malcolm was shot and killed by three members of the Nation of Islam during a public address. His death was a huge blow to the Civil rights movement, but his martyrdom inspired generations.

Abraham Lincoln

These days, the former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln is revered as one of the most important figures in American history and a civil rights icon for his abolition of the practice of slavery. He played a pivotal role in the defeat of the Confederacy during the Civil War. However, five days after their surrender, Lincoln was attending a play in Washington, D.C. when he was shot and killed by Confederate sympathiser John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln’s efforts in the fight for equality in the United States have made him one of the most popular presidents of all time, but his death slowed down the integration of freed slaves.

Indira Gandhi

Religious turmoil was rampant in India during the 1980s, and a particularly harrowing collision with Sikh separatists threatened to totally disrupt the government. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi gave the go-ahead for a military operation that killed hundreds of Sikhs in their sacred Golden Temple in June of 1984. The desecration of this temple caused outrage in the Sikh community, and a few months later, Gandhi was murdered by two of her own bodyguards who were Sikh. In other words, it was a revenge killing, and one that began a string of anti-Sikh riots across the nation. Thousands perished and tensions escalated further.

Tsar Alexander II

To say that Tsar Alexander II was a force for change in Russia in the nineteenth century would be putting it lightly. You don’t get a nickname like “The Liberator” for nothing! Liberal reforms in wide-ranging areas were a major part of his work. He emancipated peasant labourers, abolished corporal punishment, and fiercely contested the privileges of the nobility. Of course, these changes were not to everyone’s liking, and when he was murdered by members of the group “The People’s Will,” his death slowed momentum. His successor, Alexander III, brought a far more conservative and oppressive approach. Perhaps the fear of meeting a similar fate was in play, but Tsar Alexander II’s death sent a tremor through the Russian leadership.

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy’s potential ties to another famously assassinated figure, Ngo Dinh Diem, should be highlighted. However, it’s impossible to overstate how much of an effect the death of the 35th U.S. president had on the country. Serving at the height of the Cold War and during a period of major change and upheaval in America, Kennedy was involved in several tense relationships with communist enemy states. Despite this, he was a colourful public figure and a strong speaker. On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was assassinated by an, at the time, unknown gunman. Lee Harvey Oswald was eventually arrested for the crime, but he was publicly gunned down by Jack Ruby just two days later.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was the head of the Roman State at a time when it was still technically a republic. Though his role was that of a dictator, he was quite popular with the general population. He was a capable leader in many ways, creating jobs for the poor and showing military prowess. On top of it all, he was regarded as a charming public speaker. However, after fearing that Caesar might eventually gain ultimate power as a de facto king over Rome, a number of his senators, led by Brutus and Cassius, murdered him. His death inevitably caused major infighting before the eventual creation of one all-powerful Roman Empire.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Out of all of the major assassinations in human history, it could be said that no single death ended with as much bloodshed as the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, seen as a figure who was capable of enacting change on many different levels. However, when Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, murdered him and his wife Sophie in 1914, it set in motion a chain of events that would lead to World War I. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Their respective allies declared war on each other… and the rest, as they say, is history.

What historical assassination sticks out to you when it comes to its overall impact? Let us know in the comments below.