Marcos gained political success by claiming to have been the "most decorated war hero in the

Philippines",[28] but many of his claims have been found to be false,[29][30][31] with United

States Army documents describing his wartime claims as "fraudulent" and "absurd". [32]
[33] After World War II, he became a lawyer then served in the Philippine House of
Representativesfrom 1949 to 1959 and the Philippine Senate from 1959 to 1965. He was
elected the President of the Philippines in 1965 and presided over an economy that grew
during the beginning of his 20-year rule[34] but would end in the loss of livelihood, extreme
poverty,[35][36] and a crushing debt crisis.[37][36] He pursued an aggressive program of
infrastructure development funded by foreign debt, [38][39] making him popular during his first
term, although it triggered an inflationary crisis which led to social unrest in his second term.
[40][41] Marcos placed the Philippines under martial law on September 23, 1972,[42][43]shortly
before the end of his second term. Martial law was ratified in 1973 through a fraudulent
referendum.[44] The Constitution was revised, media outlets were silenced, [45] and violence
and oppression were used[27]against the political opposition,[46][47] Muslims,[48]suspected
communists,[49][50] and ordinary citizens.[47]

After being elected for a third term in the 1981 Philippine presidential election and
referendum, Marcos's popularity suffered greatly, due to the economic collapse that began in
early 1983 and the public outrage over the assassination of opposition leader Senator Benigno
"Ninoy" Aquino Jr. later that year. This discontent, the resulting resurgence of the opposition
in the 1984 Philippine parliamentary election, and the discovery of documents exposing his
financial accounts and false war records led Marcos to call the snap election of 1986.
Allegations of mass cheating, political turmoil, and human rights abuses led to the People
Power Revolution of February 1986, which removed him from power.[51] To avoid what
could have been a military confrontation in Manila between pro- and anti-Marcos troops,
Marcos was advised by US President Ronald Reagan through Senator Paul Laxalt to "cut and
cut cleanly".[52] Marcos then fled with his family to Hawaii.[53] He was succeeded as
president by Aquino's widow, Corazon "Cory" Aquino.[54][55][56]