Who is your country's greatest person?

We had a Greatest Britain poll here a few years ago and Churchill was voted the Greatest Britain by the public, closely followed by Brunel.


Who's your countries' greatest person? Dead or alive. The criteria for greatness can be your own. Whether you judge them on moral grounds or achievements or simply the person who you think best represents your country.

As there's only a few nations on this forum, you can nominate for other countries too.

For me, for Britain I think I might nominate Darwin. Incredibly tough though.

Greece - Aristotle, Socrates or Plato? If I had to pick one it'd probably be Aristotle.

Germany? Karl Marx?


Nominations?

Paul Keating
Thomas Keneally

Churchill was the only man who could have lost WW2 to the Nazis had he made different decisions so he scores a few brownie points. He certainly needed them to counter his peace time behaviour.

His literature Nobel prize for his history of the Second World War was well deserved. A magnificent work that is compulsory reading for anyone trying to understand that extraordinary time.

As you can only come from one country.

Shouldn't it be your country's greatest person?
.

Yes. It should. Is Schinder's Ark worth reading if you've already seen the film, Ponts? What else has he written that's good?


Tya - Is he your British nomination then? What exactly are you referring to when you say "his peace time behaviour". Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I remember reading that before the war, Churchill proposed a bill in parliament that recommended segregating certain "undesirable" parts of the British public "In order to preserve the British race" or words to that effect. I think it was in a book about fascism that I read during my A-Levels. I've never been able to find the book again. Do you know if it's true?

Pfft, tough one. There's Gandhi in recent history.

Churchill wouldn't be the most popular Briton in India though.

Gary Kirsten

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Yes. It should. Is Schinder's Ark worth reading if you've already seen the film, Ponts? What else has he written that's good?

it goes far deeper into the complexities of the man.

bliksem wrote:Gary Kirsten

That is the Indian nomination?

bliksem wrote:Gary Kirsten

Seriously though - Mandela? Or is that too obvious?

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Yes. It should. Is Schinder's Ark worth reading if you've already seen the film, Ponts? What else has he written that's good?


Tya - Is he your British nomination then? What exactly are you referring to when you say "his peace time behaviour". Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I remember reading that before the war, Churchill proposed a bill in parliament that recommended segregating certain "undesirable" parts of the British public "In order to preserve the British race" or words to that effect. I think it was in a book about fascism that I read during my A-Levels. I've never been able to find the book again. Do you know if it's true?

He was definitely racist. His attitude to the Aus, Kiwi, Canadian and SAF governments were in stark contrast to the rest of the empire. He was also an unashamed elitist and an admirer of Italian Fascism (before they joined in the war that is). His involvement in anti-union activity in the 1920s included a recommendation that striking miners should be shot. He also had a disastrous term as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Against all this is the debt that the whole world owes to him for the outcome of WW2. I wil need to think on this question a lot more before i could say who my nomination is. Artists and Scientists seem so much more attractive than soldiers and politicians.

No, I wouldn't say Mandela, primarily because he helped found the ANC's military arm, which doesn't have a proud record. He's since taken responsibility for certain unsavoury deeds, but they still happened.

I would actually say FW de Klerk, who took the difficult step to give up power for the good of the nation, something that I've never seen another politician do, ever. Mandela may be the more PC option, but FW is my choice.

Cheers tya and bliks.

Has Mandela not expressed regret over his early flirtations with terrorism? If the criteria is that they must be whiter than white, then there will be very few candidates that have never made mistakes in judgement or action.

How about America. They have a lot to choose from too. Lincoln, Dr. King, Muhammad Ali, JFK, Rudy Giuliani....

Martin Luther King would probably take my vote.

Would Einstein count as German or American?

Tough one. American probably.

Would Schrodinger be the greatest Austrian?

ten years after wrote:Would Einstein count as German or American?

He did his best work when living in Switzerland.

German probably. I've been suspicious of Einstein ever since I read that he worked in a patents office when he came up with all of his most famous papers and theories.

Is Arnold Schwarzenegger considered Austrian or American?

What about Charlie Chaplin as greatest Briton?

Surely Hitler is the greatest Austrian in that he had the most significant impact on the world.

Australian is a tough one - I'd like to say The Don but realistically is probably someone like Howard Florey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Walter_Florey


For the Poms - I would have gone for Shakespear.

That's Shakespeare to you JGK....

Does the greatest person have to be a man then?

eowyn wrote:That's Shakespeare to you JGK....

Does the greatest person have to be a man then?

Yes. Obviously.

JGK wrote:Surely Hitler is the greatest Austrian in that he had the most significant impact on the world.

Australian is a tough one - I'd like to say The Don but realistically is probably someone like Howard Florey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Walter_Florey


For the Poms - I would have gone for Shakespear.

Bill or Isaac . . . a tough choice.