Is the USSR the most evil empire to have existed? (war, Romans)

[Robenie]

I realize that "technically" the USSR wasn't an empire, but considering what kind of actions it took and ended up resulting in up to 100 million deaths is it not applicable to say that the USSR has been the most evil empire ever?

[njkate]

Nope, imo The Roman empire and the Huns were far more evil

[Ruth4Truth]

We just had a thread on this topic last fall sometime, or so.

[Bane Harper]

The modern reflection of the brutality is easily seen in North Korea

[Grandstander]

The Soviet empire was no more or less evil than any other. The atrocities committed were with the intention of eventually producing a better world. Radical change demands that some be victims.

Is the USA an evil empire? It was built on the twin pillars of native displacement and slave labor. Exploitation of immigrant labor was another key element. As with the USSR, it was done with the intention of creating something better. And it was not brought about without victims.

Rather than posing the question as you have, would it not have been better to start a thread which asks "What is evil?" when applied to nation building. We would begin by coming up with a definition of evil, and then search for any empires which seem to fit the description. My guess in advance would be that we could not find any examples of an empire which was constructed without victims.

Balzac wrote "Behind every great fortune there is a crime." I believe that this applies to nations and empires as well.

[mensaguy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

We just had a thread on this topic last fall sometime, or so.

Actually, this thread was last updated 22 days ago. Yes, the forum Search function does still work.

//www.city-data.com/forum/histo...y-been-so.html

[davidt1]

Originally Posted by Bane Harper

The modern reflection of the brutality is easily seen in North Korea

I have never been to North Korea. So far any news I get is from anti-North Korea sources. I guess I have to believe what I am told.

[C24L]

I am not for sure if the Soviet Union was the worst ever....I heard that Mao killed more people than Stalin.I know China is not a empire either.However, the Romans were very brutal but there was less people back then to brutalize.

[Phil75230]

At least in the modern world, if you simply go by strict percentage of people killed in the country and/or occupied territories alone (a simplistic way, but still fairly straight forward).

The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia (i.e. The Killing Fields) - late 1970s

[JohnJohnsGhost]

Be careful of what some may push as reality. The government will always push their view on the masses that Russia is an evil empire in order for the justification to build a war machines....or a $600.00 hammers and/or $1000.00 toilet seats.