From an early age Putin learned to never show weakness. He became a bully to stop being bullied in school. Later in life, he had to protect the KGB Dresden office before being sacked by the mob. With a calm voice he announced to the people gather outside he and his colleagues will machine gun eve...

... as long as you give people reasons to believe you. Sure he:

• faked terrorist attacks so he can justify a strong military response
• took control of the media and killed his opponents.

But his popularity soared non-the-less. Because the average Russian wanted to bel...

At age 43 Putin was an ex-KGB employee, with no career prospects. 4 years later he was the ruler of Russia. He had humble beginnings:

• He grew up in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, in a poor family living in one room in a shared apartment.
• He was a poor student, bullied by his ...