Perhaps more than any other American, Abraham Lincoln has become a global figure, one who spoke--and continues to speak--to people across the world. Karl Marx judged Lincoln "the single-minded son of the working class"; Tolstoy reported his fame in the Caucasus; Tomas Masaryk, the first president of Czechoslovakia, drew strength as "the Lincoln of Central Europe"; racially-mixed, republican "Lincoln brigades" fought in the Spanish Civil War; and, more recently, statesmen ranging from Gordon Brown to Pervez Musharraf to Barack Obama have invoked Lincoln in support of their respective agendas.This fascinating volume brings together leading historians from around the world to explore Lincoln's international legacy. The authors examine the meaning and image of Lincoln in many places and across continents, ranging from Germany to Japan, India to Ireland, Africa and Asia to Argentina and the American South. The book reveals that at the heart of Lincoln's global celebrity were his political principles, his record of successful executive leadership in wartime, his role as the "Great Emancipator," and his resolute defense of popular government. Yet the "Global Lincoln" has been a malleable and protean figure, one who is forever being redefined to meet the needs of those who invoke him.The first study of Lincoln's global legacy, this book tells the unknown and remarkable story of the world-wide impact of one of America's great presidents.

Introduction: The Global LincolnLincoln's Horizons: The Nationalist as Universalist- Richard CarwardineAn American Hero in Prints Abroad: The European Image of Lincoln- Harold HolzerAbraham Lincoln in Germany and Italy, 1859-1865- Eugenio F. BiaginiLiberte, Egalite, and Lincoln: French Readings of an American President- Michael VorenbergLincoln, the Civil War, and the British: History and Historiography- Lawrence Goldman"The stuff our dreams are made of": Abraham Lincoln in the English Imagination- Adam I.P. SmithAbraham Lincoln and Wales- Kenneth O. MorganAbraham Lincoln in Irish Political Discourse- Kevin KennyAbraham Lincoln's Image and Reception in Germany, 1871-1989- Jorg NaglerA Man for All Seasons: Lincoln in Spain- Carolyn P. BoydAbraham Lincoln, the Russian Empire, and the American Civil War: People, Events, and Retrospectives- Norman E. SaulImages of Lincoln in Latin America- Nicola MillerLincoln in Africa- Kevin GainesDefining a Legacy: Lincoln in the National Imaginary of India- Vinay LalAbraham Lincoln in East Asia: A Preliminary Historical Review- De-min TaoHating and Loving the "Real" Abe Lincolns: Lincoln and the American South- David W. BlightProjecting Lincoln, Projecting America- Jay SextonAppendix: Foreign Language Biographies of Lincoln- George Scratcherd