From ancient empires to modern democracies, the saga of power is riddled with dramatic reversals. In this roundup of 10 amazing comebacks, we spotlight leaders who fell from grace only to claw their way back to the pinnacle of authority, sometimes for good, sometimes just for a fleeting encore. Some held on to power until their final breath, while others slipped away only to rise again later. Below are ten unforgettable stories of triumphant returns.
10 Richard Nixon Becomes President
Throughout much of the Eisenhower administration, Richard Nixon was seen as the unchallenged heir apparent of the Republican Party. He had cleared every political hurdle and seemed poised to step into the Oval Office. Yet neither the party nor Nixon could have foreseen John F. Kennedy’s meteoric rise. The 1960 presidential contest turned out to be one of the most acrimonious in American history, and when the dust settled, Kennedy emerged victorious. This crushing defeat was a heavy blow for Nixon, who had been regarded as the logical successor to Eisenhower. To make matters worse, he also lost the 1962 California governor’s race.
After the California loss, many declared Nixon’s political career dead. The prevailing sentiment among Republican voters was that no one could rebound from such a double defeat. Even Nixon seemed to accept his fate, famously telling reporters after the loss, “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.” He left California for New York, joining a law firm, and soon authored the bestseller Six Crises.
Nixon then embarked on a meticulously crafted comeback plan. He appeared on The Tonight Show in 1963, even playing the piano to reveal a more personable side. He wisely sat out the 1964 Republican primaries, instead cultivating goodwill through extensive campaigning and foreign‑policy tours. All this groundwork paid off in 1968 when Nixon reclaimed the presidency, though his second term would later be marred by the Watergate scandal.
9 Benjamin Disraeli Regains The Prime Ministry
Benjamin Disraeli is now celebrated as a towering figure of the British Conservative Party. His career reads like a novel—he was a brilliant politician, a gifted writer, and a shrewd statesman. Disraeli first ascended to the premiership in 1868 after the retirement of Edward Stanley‑Smith, the Earl of Derby. However, his first stint was brief; many were skeptical of him because of his political views and his Jewish heritage (though he practiced Anglicanism). He lost the 1868 election to William Gladstone of the Liberal Party.
Undeterred, Disraeli stayed on as leader of the opposition, reshaping the Conservative agenda and crafting a more cohesive platform. He light‑heartedly mocked politics with his 1870 novel Lothair, which some interpreted as a sign of his disengagement. By 1872, Disraeli had transformed into an aggressive, proactive leader. He championed the monarchy and defended the Church—positions the Liberals attacked. Though personal tragedy struck in 1872 with the death of his wife, he pressed on.
In 1873, after Gladstone’s defeat, Disraeli wisely declined the premiership to force a general election, confident that the Conservatives would secure a robust majority. His gamble succeeded, and he returned as prime minister in 1874, steering Britain through a vibrant period before his health declined. He passed away shortly after the Conservatives lost power in 1880.
8 Napoleon Returns To France
In 1814, after a series of defeats, Napoleon was forced to abdicate and was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba, where he was nominally made its emperor—a role many saw as a humiliation. Yet the former French emperor was far from resigned to a quiet life. He kept a modest force of a thousand men and plotted his return to the French throne.
The new monarch, Louis XVIII, proved unpopular. The French, still yearning for the revolutionary reforms and Napoleonic glory, viewed Louis as a step back toward tyranny. Seizing the moment, Napoleon escaped Elba on February 26, 1815, with his loyal troops. The French welcomed him with enthusiasm, and within a month he reclaimed the imperial crown, sparking the famous “Hundred Days.”
Unfortunately, the Seventh Coalition of European powers quickly rallied. Napoleon’s final stand at Waterloo ended in defeat, and he was banished once more—this time to the remote island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821.
7 Ulysses S. Grant Becomes General
Ulysses S. Grant began his career as a standout horseman, topping his West Point class in equestrian skill. After graduation, he entered the infantry rather than the cavalry, serving with distinction during the Mexican‑American War and earning a reputation for bravery. He married Julia and started a family, but a posting to the far‑west territories tore him away from home.
Disappointed with his western assignment, Grant fell into heavy drinking and financial strain, eventually resigning from the army in 1854. He and his wife attempted to run a farm provided by her father, even freeing a slave he had inherited—a decision that further strained their fortunes. Their hardships culminated in pawning a watch to buy Christmas gifts for their children.
When the Civil War erupted in 1860, Grant returned to service, training volunteers despite his tarnished reputation. He rose quickly, becoming a brigadier general and, by 1864, the commanding general of the Union Army, a rank only George Washington had previously held. After the war, Grant was promoted to General of the Armies in 1866 and was elected president in 1868.
6 Charles II Claims The Throne
Charles II narrowly missed his destiny as king after the English Civil War toppled his father, Charles I. The conflict, pitting the Roundheads against royalists, began in 1642 and culminated in the 1649 execution of Charles I. To avoid a similar fate, the young Charles fled to France and then the Netherlands, later accepting the Scottish crown in 1650. His 1651 invasion of England ended in defeat at the Battle of Worcester at the hands of Oliver Cromwell.
Exiled once more, Charles roamed Europe, cultivating alliances and honing his diplomatic acumen. Though numerous conspiracies aimed to restore the monarchy, none succeeded until 1658, when Cromwell’s sudden death left England leaderless and restless. The public, weary of republican rule, clamored for a return to monarchy.
After fifteen years of exile, Charles triumphantly reclaimed the English throne in 1660, earning the nickname “the Merry Monarch.” His reign, however, was not without tragedy—plagues, the Great Fire of London, and political strife marked his years, but his charismatic, lavish lifestyle left a lasting imprint on English history.
5 The Medici Family Reclaims Florence
The Medici dynasty dominated Florence for centuries, leveraging the city’s thriving trade to build a banking empire that eventually translated into political power. After a 1340 economic downturn, the Medici rose to become Florence’s de‑facto rulers. Yet in the 1490s, Piero de’ Medici—dubbed “the Unfortunate”—made disastrous diplomatic choices, aligning with Naples and signing a humiliating treaty with Charles VIII of France, which sparked a popular revolt.
Piero and his family were expelled, and the Medici’s influence waned. Piero’s attempts to regain control ended tragically when he drowned in the Garigliano River in 1503. The family remained in exile until 1512, when Giovanni de’ Medici, later Pope Leo X, persuaded Pope Julius II to back a counter‑revolution. The papal forces marched on Florence, defeating the republican government at the Siege of Prato and restoring Medici rule.
Following the restoration, the Medici reclaimed their wealth and authority, even ordering the exile and torture of those who had governed during their absence. Notably, this purge forced Niccolò Machiavelli into exile, prompting him to write The Prince as a dedication to Lorenzo de’ Medici.
4 Santa Anna’s Many Returns To Power
Antonio López de Santa Anna was a charismatic yet erratic Mexican politician who served a staggering eleven non‑consecutive terms as president, often acting more as a military strongman than a democratic leader. His career saw dramatic swings: after the 1833‑1837 period, he was captured by the United States during the Texas Revolution, only to be released thanks to President Andrew Jackson’s intervention. He swore never to seek office again, retired briefly, then lost a leg fighting the French—an episode that turned him into a national hero.
Santa Anna resurfaced in 1839 as interim president during a liberal uprising, and again in 1841, despite imposing heavy taxes to fund extravagant military displays. Overthrown in 1844, he fled to Veracruz, was captured, and exiled to Cuba in 1845. He later escaped, returned to Mexico, and in December 1846 reclaimed the presidency, leading a disastrous campaign against the United States during the Mexican‑American War. After a series of defeats, he fled to Jamaica and then Venezuela.
By 1853, Mexico was again in chaos, and the public turned back to the familiar face of Santa Anna, who won yet another term. His administration’s extravagance and the unpopular Gadsden Treaty of 1854—selling large swaths of land to the United States—precipitated his final overthrow in 1855. He spent his last years trying to stage another comeback in Europe, eventually returning to Mexico in 1873 as an old man before dying in 1876.
3 Justinian II Becomes Emperor Again
Justinian II ascended the Byzantine throne at the tender age of sixteen in 685, quickly demonstrating military prowess by reclaiming Thrace and Macedonia from Slavic incursions and negotiating a favorable treaty with the Arabs that increased tribute to the empire. However, disagreements with the Arabs and a clash with the Pope eroded his popularity, prompting unrest.
His increasingly harsh policies, including the confiscation of funds from his own officers, ignited a revolt that culminated in a brutal punishment: his nose was sliced off, and he was exiled in 695. Fleeing the threat of arrest by his successor, he sought refuge with the Khazars, marrying the khan’s sister. Learning that the khan had been bribed to kill him, Justinian escaped again, this time finding sanctuary with the Bulgars, where he mustered an army.
In 705, a decade after his deposition, Justinian reclaimed the imperial throne. He reconciled with the Pope but pursued vengeance against his former enemies, instituting mass executions that alienated the populace. A subsequent revolt led to his and his family’s deaths, ending his second reign.
2 Grover Cleveland Is Reelected
Grover Cleveland remains the sole U.S. president to serve two nonconsecutive terms. His first term marked a historic moment as the first Democrat elected after the Civil War. He garnered widespread support, even winning votes from Republicans disenchanted with James G. Blaine. In 1886, Cleveland made history again by becoming the only president to wed inside the White House. Yet his firm stance against government aid—denying veterans’ pensions he deemed fraudulent, seizing 81 million acres of underutilized railroad land, and vetoing a seed‑grain bill for drought‑stricken farmers—earned him criticism.
In the 1888 election, Cleveland narrowly lost the electoral college to Benjamin Harrison despite winning the popular vote. He spent the ensuing four years practicing law. Harrison’s administration, plagued by corruption and overspending, along with the unpopular McKinley Tariff, turned public opinion back toward Cleveland’s fiscally conservative reputation. In 1892, he secured the Democratic nomination and won a decisive victory, receiving 277 electoral votes to Harrison’s 145.
However, his second term was shadowed by the Panic of 1893 and a series of ineffective policies that dampened his legacy, illustrating that even a remarkable comeback can face formidable challenges.
1 Charles De Gaulle Leaves Retirement
Charles de Gaulle is hailed by many French citizens as the greatest Frenchman of all time. He devoted his life to serving France, first as a soldier in World I and later as the leader of the Free French, fighting to liberate his nation from Nazi occupation. Initially, he faced opposition from both sides of the political spectrum: the left rejected his military background and devout Catholicism, while the right opposed his stance against Marshal Pétain. Frustrated, he resigned in 1946, weary of partisan bickering over coalition governments.
Undeterred, de Gaulle founded the Rally of the French People, a mass movement that evolved into a full‑blown political party. The group challenged the new constitution and opposed the rising influence of the French Communist Party, which de Gaulle deemed detrimental. By 1953, disillusioned with his own political creation, he withdrew from public life, retreating to his estate to write memoirs.
In 1958, as France teetered on the brink of chaos—particularly with the Algerian crisis threatening to erupt into revolution—de Gaulle was summoned back to the political arena. Though initially hesitant, President René Coty warned he would resign if de Gaulle was not appointed, prompting the National Assembly to name him prime minister and grant him authority to amend the constitution. In 1959, de Gaulle secured the presidency, frequently appearing at public events to maintain a visible connection with the populace. He negotiated Algerian independence in 1962, bolstered France’s nuclear capabilities, and strengthened the economy, all while positioning himself above partisan politics.
Gordon Gora is a struggling author who is desperately trying to make it. He is working on several projects but until he finishes one, he will write for for his bread and butter. You can write him at [email protected].