# Whose biographies define the 20th Century? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 18, 2010, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545 "2010-10-18T10:51:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/21 "2010-10-18T17:59:53Z")
Roosevelt. FDR did some fundamental changes to America that took the Repubs a long time to undo. Bush started 2 wars and bankrupted America. His inroads into the middle east are going to hurt our country and change the world order for generations. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/22 "2010-10-18T18:03:03Z")
Is it possible to do one of those Time Magazine cop-outs and have a biography of the Personal Computer as one of those included? It was the Person of the Year in 1982, after all… I’d probably say Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, Gorbachev, and Deng Xiaoping if I had to limit it to five actual people. My case for Deng over Mao is that Deng has all the insight into the Chinese Revolution, but also is much more responsible for the rise of China from the 1980s to today than anyone else. Also, I think adding more than five biographies to the list makes it less challenging of an exercise. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/23 "2010-10-18T18:03:17Z")
> [@villa](#): > > This is laughable. To claim rightwing / left wing has nothing to do with it, then list a series of right wing talking points about how wonderful Maggie was… > > Maggie’s incompetence led to the Falkland’s war in the first place. Her assault on the unions and the working class in general is a stain on British history (as is Churchill’s). And her and Ronnie prolonged the Cold War and the survival of the Societ Union by providing them with the necessary external enemy. I agree. The Falklands War was about as inconsequential a conflict as the 20th century has produced. This business about Maggie and Ronnie bringing down the USSR is just right wing fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/24 "2010-10-18T18:06:00Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Is it possible to do one of those Time Magazine cop-outs and have a biography of the Personal Computer as one of those included? It was the Person of the Year in 1982, after all… > > I’d probably say Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, Gorbachev, and Deng Xiaoping if I had to limit it to five actual people. > > My case for Deng over Mao is that Deng has all the insight into the Chinese Revolution, but also is much more responsible for the rise of China from the 1980s to today than anyone else. > > Also, I think adding more than five biographies to the list makes it less challenging of an exercise. I’d take Roosevelt over Hitler; there may be a better idea for an American than Roosevelt (Richard Nixon perhaps, or Lyndon Johnson, or maybe Robert McNamara). World War II is adequately covered by Churchill and Stalin, and leaving America out entirely except as covered in others’ biographies seems wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/25 "2010-10-18T18:07:48Z")
Other than the obvious WW2 personalities, I’d add William Randolph Hearst (though his early importance was in the 1890s) as a man who drove and defined the role of infotainment reporting and the merging of newspapers and film to change opinions (both right and wrong). Rosa Parks is a fascinating bio since she lived as a working class black woman for almost the entire century and thus encompasses Jim Crow, the Civil Rights movement, religion, the role of women (which she had strong opinions about- she felt she’d been largely pushed aside and used as an icon but figurehead due to her gender), the black diaspora to Detroit and other points north, and many other defining facets of 20th century black life. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/26 "2010-10-18T18:08:22Z")
No love for Nehru as a covering the move from Empire to Independence as being a central part of the 20th century? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/27 "2010-10-18T18:09:43Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I’d take Roosevelt over Hitler; there may be a better idea for an American than Roosevelt (Richard Nixon perhaps, or Lyndon Johnson). World War II is adequately covered by Churchill and Stalin, and leaving America out entirely except as covered in others’ biographies seems wrong. Yeah, I really wanted to have FDR in there… in fact, didn’t even realize I left all Americans out until after I hit submit. If forced, I might trade Churchill for FDR. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/28 "2010-10-19T20:23:00Z")
I wouldn’t count Lenin out, as he was the start of the USSR. No, he wasn’t in power long enough, but would there have been a Stalin had there not been a Lenin first? ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/29 "2010-10-19T20:24:10Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > You can’t “define the 20th Century” without including Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, and several other non-politicians. Stravinsky was certainly a representative and significant composer of 20th century music, but in the realm of music, I’d have to go with the Beatles (or, if we need a lone representative, John Lennon), since they not only influenced the much wider world of popular music, but also influenced a cultural paradigm shift with regard to the youth in Western Civilization. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/30 "2010-10-19T21:16:15Z")
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Joseph Stalin Muhamed Ali Audie Murphy Mohandas Gandhi Martin Luther King Jr. Queen Elizabeth II Yasser Arafat/Golda Meir Fidel Castro/Che Guevera Ronald Reagan/Mikhail Gorbachev Truman Pope John Paul John Lennon Michael Jackson Mao Tse Tung Oppenheimer Robert Jackson Elvis Presley Michael Milliken Alan Greenspan Bill Gates/Steve Jobs ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/31 "2010-10-19T22:56:22Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Covered by Mrs Thatcher. The OP doesn’t make the precise qualifications clear, but logically, if you need someone who covers Margaret Thatcher’s years, why not replace her with Ronald Reagan? He covers essentially the same time period, has, frankly, a more interesting biography, and led a more important country. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/32 "2010-10-19T22:58:43Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The OP doesn’t make the precise qualifications clear, but logically, if you need someone who covers Margaret Thatcher’s years, why not replace her with Ronald Reagan? He covers essentially the same time period, has, frankly, a more interesting biography, and led a more important country. Thatcher continues to be influential; Reagan doesn’t. Thatcher was on the world stage considerably longer than Reagan too. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/33 "2010-10-19T23:00:11Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > My case for Deng over Mao is that Deng has all the insight into the Chinese Revolution, but also is much more responsible for the rise of China from the 1980s to today than anyone else. Ooh! That’s a very good oint. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > I agree. The Falklands War was about as inconsequential a conflict as the 20th century has produced. This business about Maggie and Ronnie bringing down the USSR is just right wing fantasy. I beg to differ on both counts. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/34 "2010-10-19T23:12:39Z")
Isn’t the Right’s lionization of Ronnie a marketing gimmick? They need someone to hold up to unrealistic standards (standards that Ron himself mostly doesn’t meet) and pretend that nostalgia for the perfect eighties is something more than political maneuvering. He had a hand in, but is far removed from the end of the Soviet Union. Giving him credit is like giving the key grip credit for Star Wars. Necessary, helpful, but responsible? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/35 "2010-10-19T23:12:49Z")
Time’s man of the century was Albert Einstein. followed by FDR. FDR, and you know who I’m talking about. Put it this way. Plug Einstein into google and you get way more hits than any other person of the 20th century. The man’s legacy is enormous. Prove me wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/36 "2010-10-19T23:45:15Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > Time’s man of the century was Albert Einstein. followed by FDR. FDR, and you know who I’m talking about. > > Put it this way. Plug Einstein into google and you get way more hits than any other person of the 20th century. > > The man’s legacy is enormous. > > Prove me wrong. It’s all relative. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/37 "2010-10-20T01:15:26Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > Put it this way. Plug Einstein into google and you get way more hits than any other person of the 20th century. > > The man’s legacy is enormous. > > Prove me wrong. Michael Jackson gets about 179 million references. Albert Einstein gets 11.9 million The results will vary by location, and past search history ( if you use a google account) . Try it. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/38 "2010-10-20T01:18:08Z")
On Google, Erwin Schrödinger may be just as influential. Or he may not be. I haven’t checked. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/39 "2010-10-20T01:21:22Z")
Elvis Presley and John Lennon also comfortably beat Albert Einstein. Don’t use google search results to try and win an argument, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545/40 "2010-10-20T01:24:52Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I suggest JFK be added to that list. Kennedy was involved in civil rights, space exploration and to some extend Viet Nam. His death was part of a trifecta of tragedies in the 1960s. He was a profilgarte, corrupt, and only supported civil rights because it was politically expedient. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-biographies-define-the-20th-century/557545.md?page=3)