Who am I?

  I was born in one country, raised in another.

  My father was born in another country.

  I was not his only child.

  He fathered several children with numerous women..

  I became very close to my mother, as my father showed no

  interest in me.

  My mother died at an early age from cancer.

  Later in life, questions arose over my real name.

  My birth records were sketchy and no one was able to

  produce a legitimate,  reliable birth certificate..

  I grew up practicing one faith but converted to

  Christianity, as it was  widely accepted in my country, but I practiced

  non-traditional beliefs &  didn't follow Christianity, except in the public eye

  under scrutiny.

  I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young

  adult, disguising  myself as someone who really cared about them.

  That was before I decided it was time to get serious about

  my life and I  embarked on a new career.

  I wrote a book about my struggles growing up.

  It was clear to those who read my memoirs that I had

  difficulties accepting  that my father abandoned me as a child.

  I became active in local politics in my 30's then with

  help behind the  scenes, I literally burst onto the scene as a candidate for

  national office

  in my 40s.

  They said I had a golden tongue and could talk anyone into

  anything.

  That reinforced my conceit.

  I had a virtually non-existent resume, little work history,

  and no  experience in leading a single organization.

  Yet I was a powerful speaker and citizens were drawn to me

  as though I were  a magnet and they were small roofing tacks.

  I drew incredibly large crowds during my public

  appearances.

  This bolstered my ego.

  At first, my political campaign focused on my country's

  foreign policy.

  I was very critical of my country in the last war and

  seized every  opportunity to bash my country.

  But what launched my rise to national prominence were my

  views on the  country's economy.

  I pretended to have a really good plan on how we could do

  better and every  poor person would be fed & housed for free.

  I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this

  mess.

  It was the free market, banks & corporations..

  I decided to start making citizens hate them & if they

  were envious of  others who did well, the plan was clinched tight.

  I called mine "A People's Campaign" and that

  sounded good to all people.

  I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside

  the traditional  path of politics & was able to gain widespread popular

  sup port.

  I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope',

  together we could  change our country and the world.

  So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on

  behalf of the  downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted

  minorities"  like the  Jews.

  My true views were not widely known & I needed to keep

  them unknown, until  after I became my nation's leader..

  I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have

  easily found out  what I really believed, if they had simply read my writings

  and examined  those people I associated with.

  I'm glad they didn't.

  Then I became the most powerful man in the world.

  And the world learned the truth.

  Who am I?.

Hint: Those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.