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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    Give or take a few years....In other words, what 1 person is responsible for the changing the world as it was then known for better or for worse?

    Go...
     
  2. Bengal B

    Bengal B Founding Member

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    Henry Ford and Bill Gates come to mind. There have been lots of people who have made world changing innovations or inventions.

    We can change the world
    Re-arrange the world
    It's dying ... to get better

    Graham Nash
     
  3. LaSalleAve

    LaSalleAve when in doubt, mumble

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    What about a guy like Gavrilo Princip? He is the Serb that killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which sparked WWI. Austria Hungary's Archduke is assassinated and they want to quell this Serb insurrection, they get Germany on their side who was arguably the strongest nation in Europe. The Serbs reach out to the Russians who ally with France. Germany has enemies on both sides.

    Would this war have taken place anyway? What happens if Germany doesn't invade Belgium? Does Britian get involved? In my opinion WWI forever changed the way war was fought, and really forever changed the world.
     
  4. Tiger Exile

    Tiger Exile Long time lurker

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    WWI was coming, the assassination was just an excuse.
     
  5. Bengal B

    Bengal B Founding Member

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    Tensions between the European nations would have made war inevitable no matter what. The way war was fought changed in WWI because of the technology available. Was the first war where airplanes were used. In previous wars there was no mustard gas nor the means to disperse it. Mankind is constantly improving the methods of infliction megadeath.
     
  6. Bengal B

    Bengal B Founding Member

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    Some people are going to say Adolf Hitler but Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo did more to change the world. He ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into the war. We declared war on Germany the next day and came off the bench as a full fledged participant in WWII. The sleeping giant of America's industrial might was ramped up and we became a superpower. FDR had tried to remain neutral but it was probably inevitable that we became involved. If we hadn't, Germany might have conquered Europe and I don't believe we would have let that happen.
     
  7. LaSalleAve

    LaSalleAve when in doubt, mumble

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    Yes but how would the sides have panned out had it not went down like it did. Remember Kaiser Wilhelm was the either the nephew or Grandson of Queen Victoria and I want to say Tsar Nicholas was also related to both Wilhelm and The Queen of England. We are basically talking about a family war.
     
  8. LaSalleAve

    LaSalleAve when in doubt, mumble

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    I agree, Tojo made a huge error and his decision ultimately lead to the destruction of his own people.
     
  9. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

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    Einstein, the pre-eminent scientist in a century dominated by science, advanced it further than anyone since Darwin and Newton.
    Roosevelt created a world Superpower, the likes of which had never been seen.
    Ghandi advanced non-violent change on a a massive scale. He proved that the powerless had power and that force of arms could not forever prevail against force of spirit.

    One of those three, pick one.
     
  10. LaSalleAve

    LaSalleAve when in doubt, mumble

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    FDR is my 2nd favorite President of all time. I think he is someone even older conservatives even recognize as a great leader but younger conservatives vilify because of social security etc.

    So those 3 changed the world for the better, who would be your guy that changed the world for the worse? Hitler? Bin Laden? Reagan? Hehe had to throw that last one in I just couldn't help myself.
     

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