Most important person of the 20th century

[Dane_in_LA]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

But if Serbia ( The Government) started the war, Russias and France's pacts were null and void, similar to Italy's situation with being in the Triple alliance.

Interesting hypothetical, but Serbia was much the weaker power and not in a position to start anything.

[NJGOAT]

Originally Posted by Grandstander

Most important person...let's think about this...

Probably be the one who won the most impressive military victory, the one which mostly won WW II and was the most important battle of western civilization, unless it was the most Pyrric victory by the worst English king whose misrule caused Britain to briefly be the most atrocious nation.

...don't forget that they also need to be Italian...

[NJGOAT]

Originally Posted by ciceropolo

Snowball7 must have recently read Mark Twain

"It takes a thousand men to invent a telegraph, or a steam engine, or a phonograph, or a photograph, or a telephone or any other important thing—and the last man gets the credit and we forget the others. He added his little mite — that is all he did. These object lessons should teach us that ninety-nine parts of all things that proceed from the intellect are plagiarisms, pure and simple; and the lesson ought to make us modest. But nothing can do that.” – Mark Twain

No, I'm pretty sure he's just crazy.

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by Dane_in_LA

Interesting hypothetical, but Serbia was much the weaker power and not in a position to start anything.

Ok, if the War started later, Russia would have either fell out of the war faster due to Revolution, or Lenin would have played little role in the Revolution if it has happened 2 or 3 years later. Maybe leading to a German Victory in the end, or a very different Soviet Union.

[jtur88]

It is entirely possible that we will never know, because the most important man might have circumvented a disastrous historical event. As a hypothetical illustration, John F Kennedy instigated the Vietnam war, perhaps the most horrible of modern times, and came within a hair of precipitating a nuclear exchange over Cuba. Given that, one could argue that he was potentially the most hell-bent dangerous man ever elected to the presidency, and the most important man of the century was Lee Harvey Oswald, who ended the Kennedy administration before any harm could be done.

If somebody had done something to stop Hitler in 1938, how would we know today how important that deed was?


China has not yet played out. I think if you were to step out of a time machine in the year 3013, people would say to you "Tell us about Mao". China will have a place in future history that will put Mao at the forefront of 20-th century personages.

Think of the huge importance of the transition of a World Without America to the World With America. We are now living through the transition of a World Without China to a World With China, and the emergence of China will historically define an entire era..

[markg91359]

I have trouble choosing between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Either one could easily be the most important person of the twentieth century.

[Clark Park]

Dr. Alfred Kinsey

[2nd trick op]

Ayn Rand, Barry Goldwater and William F. Buckley, who focused the spirit and values that destroyed the last and foulest of the totalitarians, and Ronald Reagan, who finished the job.

[Wadym]

Originally Posted by 2nd trick op

Ronald Reagan, who finished the job.

But nevertheless totalitarianism has not ended, and was shattered into fine parts that has not reduced its danger.

I consider a little underestimated Yeltzin figure, and overestimated - а Gorbachev, in fact Yeltzin, instead of Gorbachev has put a final point in disorder of the USSR.

Itself has given a thought on the most important figure and I can not enter into Stalin, Hitler, Churchill or Мао - they have not left a heritage, all of them undertakings are destroyed by history, there is no USSR, no Reich, British Empire and Communist China. Probably in the USA there are some undertakings of Roosevelt, which still operate. Flr blacks it is Martin Luther King and Mandela, but for all others they not heroes, more likely to the contrary.

[Dane_in_LA]

Originally Posted by 2nd trick op

Ronald Reagan, who finished the job.

Correction: Ronald Reagan, who was in power when the Soviets collapsed and didn't f.ck it up.

People like Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel, Yeltsin and Gorbachev did way more, with much less, and at a much higher personal risk.