Konrad Adenauer

[Brian Ellis]

Have just heard on the radio news that Konrad Adenauer has been named as the greatest German of all time, according to a TV station. They did not give details of what the criteria of judgement were. (maybe some of our German friends, here, can fill us in with more details??)

Adenauer certainly did a wonderful job at a very difficult time but I'm not sure that Willy Brandt was at least equally good, personally.

[Dr Mordrid]

And what of Albert Einstein?

Max Planck?

Heinrich Hertz?

Mozart?

Beethoven?

Methinks most of these people had more of an effect on humanity in general than either Brandt or Adenauer.

Dr. Mordrid

[KvHagedorn]

The criterion were popular votes, which imho, discredits just about any such poll. Adenauer doesn't even make the top ten, as far as I'm concerned.

If the current common fad was not to hate Christianity as if it were some sort of vile evil plague, Martin Luther might have won.

My updated list:

1) Hermann (Arminius)
2) Martin Luther
3) Frederick the Great
4) Johann Sebastian Bach
5) Johann Guttenberg
6) Albert Einstein
7) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
8) Ludwig van Beethoven
9) Otto von Bismarck
10) Wehrner von Braun

Anyone wanna argue about those? Before your knees all jerk and you start screaming about #10, without him we would not have acheived what is perhaps man's greatest accomplishment, which was landing a man on the moon, so bury your damned politics.

[az]

Yes, it was popular votes. But really, I don't think there could be one "greatest german" - they've all lived at different times and worked in so different fields that you just can't compare them against each other. You could MAYBE compare Konrad Adenauer and Willy Brandt against one another (Brandt would get my vote here, though I admit I never took great interest in history class), or Beethoven and Bach, but still very much is left to taste.

I haven't followed this show, I just zapped into the finale. It's a stupid concept, IMHO, and its only use would be to give us some form of "we" feeling, some kind of patriotism (which we really don't have anymore since the war - I guess we're afraid of it. And rightly so, there's a fine line between patriotism and nationalism, as you can see in the US. Still I wish we had a little more self esteem - both as individuals and as a nation.), but it failed (of course).

AZ

[KvHagedorn]

It's really rather amazing that my #1 wasn't even among their nominees. This is the guy that annihilated the Roman Legions and prevented the dissolution of Germany's very identity into the corrupt mess of the Roman Empire. I suppose they were not counting anyone before Otto I.

[Umfriend]

Some of them were top-10 alright. I wonder why a car-rentee would be that high though?

[Brian Ellis]

Originally posted by Dr Mordrid
And what of Albert Einstein?

Max Planck?

Heinrich Hertz?

Mozart?

Beethoven?

Methinks most of these people had more of an effect on humanity in general than either Brandt or Adenauer.

Dr. Mordrid

Einstein renounced German citizenship when he became Swiss in 1901 (aged 22) and again in USA in 1940.

Mozart was Austrian, through and through.

Beethoven (of Dutch parentage, although born in Bonn) left Germany for Austria in 1787 for lessons from Mozart and then left Germany for Austria for good in 1792 (aged 22), so could hardly qualify.

[GuchiGuh]

Greatest German Man ever: My father

[GuchiGuh]

Regarding Az Post:

I am damn proud to be german. I am damn proud, that after getting totally wooped during the two World Wars, we were able to rebuild this nation and now it is riding ontop of the economic powers of the EU, is part of G8 and is leader in certain technological fields. I am proud of that. I am proud that we build better cars then the Americans, I am proud that we are famous for an engineering nation. I am not afraid to say I am German (well...half at least ), I am not afraid to say that I love my Vaterland and I am not afraid to say that I like BMW!

[Dr Mordrid]

THAT'S the one I was trying to think of last night but couldn't remember for the life of me: Arminius, the commander who won the Battle of the Teutoburg.

Dr. Mordrid

[UtwigMU]

I recall similar poll in UK about a year ago, where princess Diana made it into the ranks of William Shakespeare and similar.

Such polls are pure nonsense.

As for Germans:

As far as kanzlers are concerned, Bismarkc by far margin.

[Rakido]

the complete top10-results were:

1. Konrad Adenauer
2. Martin Luther
3. Karl Marx
4. Hans and Sophie Scholl
5. Willy Brandt
6. Johann Sebastian Bach
7. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
8. Johannes Gutenberg
9. Otto von Bismarck
10. Albert Einstein

and for some others:

Mozart was on #20
Arminius is #174
Claudia Schiffer is #200



Rakido

[The PIT]

According to teletext the most popular person wasn't allowed to be voted for. You can have one guess who that was.

[Wulfman]

he does not count, he was austrian.

mfg
wulfman

[KvHagedorn]

Originally posted by Rakido
the complete top10-results were:

1. Konrad Adenauer
2. Martin Luther
3. Karl Marx
4. Hans and Sophie Scholl
5. Willy Brandt
6. Johann Sebastian Bach
7. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
8. Johannes Gutenberg
9. Otto von Bismarck
10. Albert Einstein

and for some others:

Mozart was on #20
Arminius is #174
Claudia Schiffer is #200

Rakido

>Karl Marx? hahahahaha no.
>Hans and Sophie Scholl? um, no.
>Willy Brandt and Konrad Adenauer were too recent.. their acheivements will almost vanish in 100 years, especially Brandt's.. they are about as important as the Prussian reformers of the Napoleonic era, just more recent.

When I looked at that, I didn't notice Arminius on there at all..