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And I'm NOT talking about those measurement gadgets. What I'm talking about are leaders of country! For countries like US this means presidents, and for countries like Great Britain it could mean either five best kings or five best prime ministers.
For Finland:
1. Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim - While this is more of lifetime achievement award, there was still one important thing about Mannerheim's two-year-long presidency - it allowed us to distance ourselves from Germany and make peace treaty with SU, thus saving our country from communist tyranny.
2. Juho Kusti Paasikivi - Governed during the Danger Years of late Fourties when it looked possible local Communists might take over, and set course for policy of neutrality that saved us from communist tyranny.
3. Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg - the first president is responsible for much of Constitution, but we shan't forget his contribution to national unity - amnesty for Red soldiers shacked up in concentration camps after the Civil War. If Finland hadn't managed to mostly heal it's wounds by time of Winter War, we would have surely went under the heel of communist tyranny.
4. Pehr Evind Svinhufvud - During the thirties, Finland, like about every other country in Europe, had a fascist movement. Thirties were their heydays, and they actually attempted a coup in 1935?, converging in town of Mäntsälä and making various demands, believing conservative Svinhufvud to be receptive. Svinhufvud, however, told them to disperse in a radio speech, and his authority was enough to make all but most hard-core fanatics disperse. It's doubtful someone with less authority in righty circles would have managed to save us from fascist tyranny.
...which would have most likely led to eventual Soviet conquest and communist tyranny.
5. Urho Kaleva Kekkonen. Kekkonen ruled for 25 years and became almost synonymous with presidency. While his autocracy and want of power were rather uncouth, he still continued the foreign policy line of Paasikivi, thus saving us from communist tyranny. And he was one of the most interesting characters in Finnish history, that's for sure.
For Finland:
1. Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim - While this is more of lifetime achievement award, there was still one important thing about Mannerheim's two-year-long presidency - it allowed us to distance ourselves from Germany and make peace treaty with SU, thus saving our country from communist tyranny.
2. Juho Kusti Paasikivi - Governed during the Danger Years of late Fourties when it looked possible local Communists might take over, and set course for policy of neutrality that saved us from communist tyranny.
3. Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg - the first president is responsible for much of Constitution, but we shan't forget his contribution to national unity - amnesty for Red soldiers shacked up in concentration camps after the Civil War. If Finland hadn't managed to mostly heal it's wounds by time of Winter War, we would have surely went under the heel of communist tyranny.
4. Pehr Evind Svinhufvud - During the thirties, Finland, like about every other country in Europe, had a fascist movement. Thirties were their heydays, and they actually attempted a coup in 1935?, converging in town of Mäntsälä and making various demands, believing conservative Svinhufvud to be receptive. Svinhufvud, however, told them to disperse in a radio speech, and his authority was enough to make all but most hard-core fanatics disperse. It's doubtful someone with less authority in righty circles would have managed to save us from fascist tyranny.
...which would have most likely led to eventual Soviet conquest and communist tyranny.
5. Urho Kaleva Kekkonen. Kekkonen ruled for 25 years and became almost synonymous with presidency. While his autocracy and want of power were rather uncouth, he still continued the foreign policy line of Paasikivi, thus saving us from communist tyranny. And he was one of the most interesting characters in Finnish history, that's for sure.
against Denmark, Austria and then France in order to gain political allies, finally founded the North German alliance and then made the 2nd German Empire possible. Many would consider him a militarist, imperialist and ultra conservatist... and that he most certainly was 
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