Who is the most important figure in the last 100 years?

Discussion in 'New Roundtable' started by LaSalleAve, Jul 31, 2015.

  1. LaSalleAve

    LaSalleAve when in doubt, mumble

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    I just think the whole Queen Victoria being related to Nicholas and Wilhelm thing fascinating. If Germany doesn't invade Belgium does Britian get involved?
     
  2. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

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    Of course. Britain needed to deny them France. And for the same reason that they needed to deny it to them in 1940. Launching pad for a British invasion and U-bort bases in Atlantic ports.
     
  3. LaSalleAve

    LaSalleAve when in doubt, mumble

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    But France is Britian's oldest enemy at the time. At least the Germans and Brits have the relation and Anglo Saxon thing in common. How do we know Britian doesn't ally up with Germany. Now I don't think they would if they thought Germany would annex France and I guess it's conceivable to think that at this point Britian is starting to get a little paranoid at the Germans industrial ability and the Kaiser's desire to create a superior Navy that could potentially cause trouble for the Brit's shipping lanes to and fro their colonies. It just seems to me that events played out because of little things that happened here and there.
     
  4. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

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    Britain had a lot of old enemies, but at the time, they were allies. Entente Cordiale, they called it. They had a mutual interest in resisting German imperial ambitions.

    Irrelevant. Every nation in Europe has a mixed heritage with each other.

    Treaty obligations.
     
  5. Winston1

    Winston1 Founding Member

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    Britain had changed position thanks to Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales. His behind the scenes diplomacy was one of the last positive actions initiated by an English sovereign. England had an unofficial policy of siding with the 2nd strongest land power in Europe for hundreds of years. They understood the need to prevent the strongest power from gaining hegemony and that was usually France or Spain.

    By the mid 19th century after unification under the Prussian king Germany became the strongest power. It's population and output of steel was greater. It's army was stronger. Edward did much to smooth the bad blood between England and France allowing the politicians to work treaties. In addition the Germans began to challenge England at sea by building a navy that could fight and possibly beat the British. The Navy was Britian's lifeline and the Geman navy was perceived as a mortal threat. Finally as noted the Kaiser was a cousin of Edward who knew how unstable Wilhelmina was.

    So yes England and France had been mortal enemies for hundreds of years. However reality created the need for a change.

    Would the war have happened without the assassination? Yes no doubt and the line were drawn. England & France in the west against Germany. Germany and the Austro Hungarian empire vs Russia in the east. The battle plans had been laid and modified for 40 years (after the Franco Prussian war). The assassination was the precipating event but there was too much instability in Europe and there were trip wires all over. Any one of which would have started the conflagration.
     
  6. Winston1

    Winston1 Founding Member

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    Most important figure of the 20th century. Lenin IMO. He was the bacillus the Germans shipped across Germany in a sealed railroad car to insure the Russian revolution brought down the Tsar and created chaos. The effect on world events caused by the country/society Lenin created pretty much defined the rest of the 20th century.

    The greatest figure in the 20th century. Winston Churchill without peer. He was so much more than the war time leader of England. He was important at every turning point in history from 1900 till his last premiership. He created the modern English navy, he fostered the tank. He held every important ministry when England was the first country in the world (till the middle of WWII). Without his leadership it is very possible if not likely Hitler would have won WWII in Europe and Asia. He help create the UN and the NATO bulwark against the USSR. What he put in place allowed us to not only win WWII, but to carry on as the inheritor of England's status of the premier world power. If you read his History of the English Speaking Peoples, you would see what I mean. BTW he was 1/2 American. His mother Jenny Jerome was from NYC.

    He was a Nobel Prize winning author and the greatest user of the English language since Shakespeare. Needless to say he is one of my 3 greatest people of all time along with Julius Ceasar and George Washington. All thre were protean individuals who made their world different places in ways no other man alive in their time could have.
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2015
  7. Bengal B

    Bengal B Founding Member

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    Lenin and Churchill are good choices but what did Caesar do that would put him on that category? I don't know much about him other than he was assassinated by Brutus and Marc Anthony
     
  8. Bengal B

    Bengal B Founding Member

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    Final Jeopardy Question: Who were Jesus and Mohammed? Neither lived within the last 100 years or so but the daily thoughts, feelings and actions are still greatly inluenced by both even today. Good vs evil, peace vs violence
     
  9. MLUTiger

    MLUTiger Secular Humanist

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    Nikola Tesla
     
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  10. Winston1

    Winston1 Founding Member

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    He was one of the greatest generals ever, conquering Gaul, Egypt, invading Britian which greatly expanded Roman territory. His tactics and strategy were legendary. He was a great legislator who reorganized Roman Law. He outshone all his contemporaries like the sun does the moon. Like Churchill he was one of the leading writers of the late Republic.
     
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