Most Influential Historical Leader

[Antiochus of Seleucia]

Why is Mao Zedong on there? That guy was an idiot. He is in Encyclopedia Idiotica for only killing 20 - 40 million people of famine because he moved most of the farmers off their land to try to start an industrial revolution that could not be sustained. So much for a great leap foreward!

 

Ok, I'm done.

 

Edit: Way to go me for bringing back some old topic! Hehe. I should pay more attention to dates.

Edited July 29, 2006 by Antiochus of Seleucia

[Ginevra]

Alexander the Great.

 

Maybe he really was son of Zeus

[Gaius Octavius]

Ghandi, Karl Marx, Tom Paine, Shakespeare, Jesus, Mohammed?

Edited August 2, 2006 by Gaius Octavius

[Ginevra]

Mmmm what about Benito Mussolini?

[The Augusta]

I choose Constantine the great because he Gave christianity its break and allowed it to become one of the largest and most influential religions of the world..

 

Yes, he has an awful lot to answer for.

[M. Porcius Cato]

I choose Constantine the great because he Gave christianity its break and allowed it to become one of the largest and most influential religions of the world..

 

Yes, he has an awful lot to answer for.

So true.

[DecimusCaesar]

Sargon of Akkad, I'm only saying that as he was the earliest recorded warlord or leader in history. Personally I'm not sure...perhaps the person who invented fire?

[mcpon]

I voted for Shi Huang Ti because he was the first to unify China (although Sui Wen Ti would reunify it because Huang Ti had such incompetent successors) and standardized the language (among other things) that would last for such a long time. And he built the great wall. Second, I would put Constantine. He gave the church such power, elongated the longevity of the Roman empire (in the east), and established the feudal system (so people couldn't move up on the economic ladder).

[M. Porcius Cato]

I voted for George Washington--but mostly out of prognostication rather than historical record. Without GW, there would be no United States of America, and I think the strong historical influence of the US on the 20th century (the defeat of totalitarianism and the triumph of capitalism, science, and technology) will be replicated in the 21st century with the defeat of the Islamic fundamentalists and neo-communists (aka "international populists") and with yet another technological explosion (in robotics and medicine) that will dwarf all previous ones in improving the quality of life on this planet. If the US manages to last for another 200 years after that (i.e., from 1776 to 2276), it will go down in history as another massive success for republican government, and George Washington will be seen as the American Junius Brutus. All of this is sheer speculation, but I don't think it's too early to begin celebrating Washington right now.

[ASCLEPIADES]

Which one leader had the biggest impact on history and our world today, and why? Which leader is the greatest in terms of accomplishments and influence?

 

I know it's hard to choose, but if you had to choose one person to research and write about, who would be your favorite to fit the two above questions.

 

The criteria I used was based on the following:

 

1. The person must have held the highest position of power recognized.

2. This person cannot only be a Scientist, Religous figure, Philospher etc. He must hold a powerful leadership position.

3. The person must have used this platform of power to accomplish the unthinkable.

4. The person must represent a powerful civilization, for example Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Imperial China, Persia, Britian, the U.S. etc.

5. The persons actions must have had a big impact on our world today for better or worse.

 

 

P.S. If I'm missing some important names, please mention them

Salve, Amici.

 

First of all, I think that generally speaking, the transcendence of leaders has been highly overrated (and conversely, that of the peoples severely underrated).

 

Secondly, based on the five aforementioned criteria, I consider religious leadership has had far more long lasting consequences than the pure political one.

 

Thirdly, if we apply the fifth criterion up to date, Christian religion has had the biggest impact (for better or for worse).

 

And finally, I concluded that Constantine I is the most significant isolated historical figure responsible for the present state of the Christian religion (for better or for worse).

Edited October 24, 2007 by ASCLEPIADES

[The Augusta]

Returning to this thread, I am going to go (somewhat controversially) for Adolf Hitler. If you think about a leader who has had the most profound effect on the world today, then he has to be in with the biggest shout. I think it is in no small measure due to Hitler that we have become more politically correct and anti-racist in our current generation. No doubt the other candidates in the poll have left great legacies too, but I do believe that along with the great socialist thinkers of the 19th century, Hitler (against all his intentions) has had a huge effect on making us a more egalitarian and tolerant society.

 

It's just a thought.

[caldrail]

Can we please have a "none of the above" choice?

 

It is a completely impossible question.

 

For one thing the list is utterly random and euro-centric in approach (I assume that in this context the US is western).

 

There are no African figures, few Russian, and no South Mezo- or Latin American. Where is Cortez or Pizarro, even if you don't know or cannot spell Aztec or Mayan names? Mohammed is missing as is the Buddha, what of Mahatma Ghandi?

 

Some of these figures were influential in their culture but not in wider historical terms. Some have been admired (Lincoln) but their deeds did not necessarily have much wider impact except by extrapolation.

 

For instance, did the US come to the aid of the old world in WWI and WWII because washington was first President, or Lincoln held the Union together? What of Jefferson? or Franklin?

 

Can you indeed tell me what the scientific basis of your selection was i.e. the criteria for choice? Or was it just those that came into mind as you decided to post?

 

Phil

 

Phil, I've argued over your opnions at times but this time I agree completely. Its all a case of perspective isn't it? But perhaps the original post wasn't concerned with scientific appraisal as not everyone approaches history from that viewpoint.

 

However, I put forward Alfred the Great of Wessex. He restored his kingdom, united England, settled peace with the Vikings (after whipping their backsides!), and encouraged learning at the end of the 'dark age'. At least he was a positive leader unlike Hitler or Stalin.

Edited October 25, 2007 by caldrail

[ASCLEPIADES]

Can we please have a "none of the above" choice?

 

It is a completely impossible question.

 

For one thing the list is utterly random and euro-centric in approach (I assume that in this context the US is western).

 

There are no African figures, few Russian, and no South Mezo- or Latin American. Where is Cortez or Pizarro, even if you don't know or cannot spell Aztec or Mayan names? Mohammed is missing as is the Buddha, what of Mahatma Ghandi?

 

Some of these figures were influential in their culture but not in wider historical terms. Some have been admired (Lincoln) but their deeds did not necessarily have much wider impact except by extrapolation.

 

For instance, did the US come to the aid of the old world in WWI and WWII because washington was first President, or Lincoln held the Union together? What of Jefferson? or Franklin?

 

Can you indeed tell me what the scientific basis of your selection was i.e. the criteria for choice? Or was it just those that came into mind as you decided to post?

 

Phil

 

Phil, I've argued over your opnions at times but this time I agree completely. Its all a case of perspective isn't it? But perhaps the original post wasn't concerned with scientific appraisal as not everyone approaches history from that viewpoint.

 

However, I put forward Alfred the Great of Wessex. He restored his kingdom, united England, settled peace with the Vikings (after whipping their backsides!), and encouraged learning at the end of the 'dark age'. At least he was a positive leader unlike Hitler or Stalin.

Salve, Amici.

 

I also completely agree with Phil.

 

And I also think your solution may be right for him too; the selection of a character that is actually out of the list and the explanation of your criteria.

 

My previous selection (Constantine I) was based on the given list. In a totally open way, I would have selected Paul of Tarsus, for mostly the same reasons.

 

Actually, I think the peoples are much more influential in wider historical terms than their leaders

[Antiochus III]

I think people are voting wihtout really thinking. It is important to think about what would have been different had the person not done what they did. Also, is the modern scientific/political world affected by their actions? For example, do we use a language that they helped become more infuential? Does our culture/religion have roots in their civililzation? Based on this, I decided that Scipio Africanus and William the Conquerer were good choices, though they have no votes. Scipio may not seem like he shouldn't be among the others at first, but think about it: wihtout him, Hannibal would have beaten Rome. Think about the consequences of that. Without Africanus there would be no Caesar, or Augustus. Carthage was the one and only equal (relatively) enemy that Rome fought against for hundreds of years. With Carthage as a victor in the Second Punic War, not only would our language be different, but it is possible that Christianity may not have been founded/spread like it did. Carthage was a Semitic civilization, and though we know little about the intricate aspects of it, it is obviously that its military system, language, and such were very different from Rome. What would have happened if it had become the dominant power in Europe? The whole world was changed by the Europeans, so indirectly everybody has been influenced by the Romans, so why wouldn't Carthage have had that same effect?

Obviously, without a William the Conquerer there wouldn't have been an England as we know it. And isn't most of the world affected by England, the USA, and the English Language? Think of what would be different if the Anglo-Saxons drove away William the Conquerer.

 

Antiochus III

 

P.S. Want to read a good book? Check out The Battle that Stopped Rome

[Antiochus III]

What about Theodosius?

 

Antiochus III