Favourite Historical Character

sparkfire

For me it has got to be Winston Churchill for his leadership during the Second World War. He was single minded in his focus to crush Hitler when everyone else on the continent was determined to appease him to avoid another war. What do other people think?

talla10

Winston Churchill only became prime minister after war was declared in 1939 he had no option but to face Hitler and Germany and bear in mind France declared war agsinst Germany the same day as Britain.

Greatest Historical character for me was Michael Collins. His genius was unquestionable in the War of Independence the war he co ordinated the IRB in Dublin and as a Finance Minister he was pretty good as well even managing to draft legimate loans from banks for the War!!Murdered by his former comrades in 1922. RIP

Amtmann

To a great extent a discussion such as this is futile. The figures of the twentieth century can hardly be compared with those of earlier times because the social, cultural and technological contexts in which people live their lives and effect change can change, and do change, remarkably fast. No regime ever killed with such wilful efficiency as the Third Reich; yet, no similarly homicidal regime in prior centuries had at its disposal the train, a simple device, yet one which facilitated the transport of millions of people to death camps in an orderly and efficient way. The megaphone and the microphone, allied with the radio too, were pivotal for twentieth-century ideologists: Without them, the cult of personalities fostered in Soviet Russia, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany would have been far more difficult to create and sustain. Propaganda only reached its zenith because technology enabled it to. One could say the same for the Reformation -- without the printing press, would it have spread as far and as wide, and as rapidly, as it ultimately did? Surely not: the fifteenth-century, too, had its Luther - Jan Hus - but his movement was geographically confined and was stamped out after a dirty, regional war. One could think of numerous other examples.

Now, having said all that I will contradict myself and say that I actually think that Hitler is a remarkable character and, as such, is my favourite historical figure of the past 200 years. Let me qualify that: I also think he and his paladins were some of the greatest villains who ever walked the earth. As such he is to be loathed utterly.

But, in terms of historiography and historians generally, he stands out as a character whose affect on world history poses severe challenges to those who glibly reject the so-called "Great Man Theory" largely on the basis of my first paragraph above. Hitler is one of the very few men about whom you can say that, had he never existed, things would have been extremely different. Even figures such as Martin Luther or Charles V cannot compare to the impact made by this flash-in-the-pan Austrian.

He achieved practically nothing in his life prior to 1914. He was a lie-a-bed, a drop out and a dilettante. He never did an honest days' work in his life. Even as leader of the Reich he did remarkably little except give spell-binding, orgiastic orations from time to time. He had no capacity for sustained, systematic work, though he was capable of remarkable energy over brief periods of time. He oozed a dangerous form of charisma and impressed virtually all who came into contact with him after the resurgence of the Nazi Party's support. Yet he had no true friends. Very few people were on 'du' terms with him; no one really knew him.

He was a true enigma who bestrode the world as a collosus for a few years before he hatefully burnt it all to the ground. We shall probably never see his like again - and a good thing, too!

Darlughda

My favourite historical character is Granuaile.

Of the O' Máille clan, she successfully commanded a number of warriors and ships, okay, she engaged in piracy, but the people of Connemara were not complaining when they had food to eat, fine spanish wine and some fancy threads to wear.
She endured imprisonment with the possiblity of execution at any time, and legendarily, went head to head with her contemporary Elizabeth I, to ensure her children and their lands would be protected.

It is also said that she gave birth to her youngest child, amidst a piracy war on sea with Algerians and that she was a sh1t hot gambler and could drink any man under the table.

She is one of the reasons I am proud to call myself a Connacht woman.:)

patff

sparkfire wrote: »

For me it has got to be Winston Churchill for his leadership during the Second World War. He was single minded in his focus to crush Hitler when everyone else on the continent was determined to appease him to avoid another war. What do other people think?

Churchill was a war criminal. The bombing of Dresden was as bad as any crime that Milosovic or Saddam ever committed.

patff

My favourite historical character...........hmmm, William the Conqueror perhaps. Maybe not a very nice guy, but so much flowed from his invasion of Britian.

uch

Robert Emmet, visionary

goose2005

uch wrote: »

Robert Emmet, visionary

Or a lunatic who led a drunken rabble on a disastrous "rebellion" that achieved nothing...

Hong Xiuquan deserves a mention.