Greatest Russian Ever Poll--Tsar #1

[Bud Struggle]

Nicholas II beats, Staling and Lenin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ninety years after Bolshevik revolutionaries shot dead the last tsar, Russians are fighting over who to lionise: Tsar Nicholas II or Josef Stalin.
They are vying for first place in an online poll organised by Russian television to choose the greatest hero in the country's history. Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin is third.
By Friday lunchtime, the last tsar led the survey with 419,476 votes, followed by Stalin with 381,361 and Lenin with 201,285. Some 2.8 million votes had been registered.

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-34578720080718

This is going to break BOGOVICH'S heart. :(

[Kwisatz Haderach]

Except that Lenin + Stalin together beat the tsar hands down. And this in an internet poll, which has a selection bias in favour of the wealthier and more Westernized members of society.

[Demogorgon]

Oh well, it isn't as bad as what happened when South Africa tried to run a similar poll.

That being said how could Nicholas II possibly be considered the greatest Russian? Other than hold his country back industrially, crack down brutally on opposition, drag Russia into an appalling war, run a hideously incompetent Government and manage to lose his crown, what did he do?

[Die Neue Zeit]

^^^ Peter Romanov - Peter the Great - should be held in much higher regard than the buffoon who was Nicholas II (for all the MAINSTREAM reasons Demogorgon mentioned above). Methinks the poll was voted on mostly by folks who think Nicholas II was some sort of saint. If that's the case, why vote for Nicholas II and not Rasputin? [Putin and Rasputin - get it?]


And this in an internet poll, which has a selection bias in favour of the wealthier and more Westernized members of society.

Edric, I think you're wrong here. The wealthy wouldn't care much, and the Westernized members of society would sure as hell NOT vote for that buffoon over Peter Romanov or, better yet, that Voltaire-admiring "enlightened despot" known as Catherine the Great (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_II_of_Russia).

[Bud Struggle]

Except that Lenin + Stalin together beat the tsar hands down. And this in an internet poll, which has a selection bias in favour of the wealthier and more Westernized members of society.

True--but it's the freakin' TSAR!


Methinks the poll was voted on mostly by folks who think Nicholas II was some sort of saint.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/07LE57h8jegB3/340x.jpg :D

So which is it--the wealthy Borgeoise or the Orthodox faithful? ;)

[Die Neue Zeit]

^^^ The latter, for reasons mentioned above.

[Bud Struggle]

Catherine the Great

FWIW: one of the greatest movies of all times The Scarlet Empress.

Marlene Deterich and directed by Joseph von Sternburg

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025746/

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/5984/thescarletempressmarlenedietri.jpg

Really interesting---!

[Lost In Translation]

I dunno, maybe the Russians are doing this to mock and "praise" him for his "advancement of the Russian people". I do believe that some small American towns or paper plants renamed themselves Hooverville during the Great Depression as a sign of mockery. Maybe the Russian people are all conspiring to do something similar :D.

[lvl100]

. And this in an internet poll, which has a selection bias in favour of the wealthier and more Westernized members of society.

Its not about only westernized, but about commercial and politically correct.
Often they introduce celebrities for making the poll more intersting or politically correct.

That reminds me about a poll in Romania about its greatest men.

Becouse within first places was chosed Antonescu ( blamed for his nazi views and actions and in the same time praised for his ability to keep the country in one piece during WW2) those who made the poll felt compelled to insert a jew in the poll.

Well , that wouldnt be a wrong thing, but the absolute hilarious thingie is that they inserted a completley anonymus guy.
After the results were revelead, a whole country was asking who the fuck is that guy and why is on the most popular of the Romanians list becouse noone never heard of him.
TV`s stations interviewed ordinary people, history teachears, respected members of Academy , the future minister of culture, and so on, and nobody knew who the guy was ( altough in theory he was voted by the majority of population) :laugh::laugh::laugh:

That was the moment when i stopped believing in those kind of polls...

[Bud Struggle]

That was the moment when i stopped believing in those kind of polls...

Funny how Communists don't believe in free democratic elections either. :)

[lvl100]

Funny how Communists don't believe in free democratic elections either. :)

Neah, such kind of polls are just for commercial use, they dont have nothing to do with democracy.

[Bud Struggle]

Neah, such kind of polls are just for commercial use, they dont have nothing to do with democracy.

And to be honest, there's nothing scientific about them.

But, NICHOLAS II :bored: What are those people thinking?:lol:

[Publius]

Nicholas II, caricatured in Soviet times as the face of imperial Russia and symbol of its social inequalities, has become for many Russians a martyr and symbol of lost glory.

How sad that THIS is Russia's idea of "lost glory."

I've read my Dostoevksy; Russia sucked back during the Tsars, and if they regard THAT as their glory period then fuck, it must be bad to live there now.

[Trystan]

Were they not both tyrants? Both leaders of their own cults? The Russian people have some serious masochistic issues.

Well, my top three are:

Dostoevsky
Tchaikovsky
Lenin

[lvl100]

How sad that THIS is Russia's idea of "lost glory."

I've read my Dostoevksy; Russia sucked back during the Tsars, and if they regard THAT as their glory period then fuck, it must be bad to live there now.

Maybe it sucked in the social aspect. But Russia was still a powerful empire.
When life is hard, people tend to hook on those things. Its good for morale.

[Lost In Translation]

Well, my top three are:

Dostoevsky
Tchaikovsky
Lenin
Tchaikovsky??? I could think of a lot more great Russian composers than Tchaikovsky...

[Killfacer]

i swear that old russian peasant woman wouldnt have the internet and would not be voting on a poll?

[Annie K.]

Maybe it sucked in the social aspect. But Russia was still a powerful empire.Not really. In 1905 the empire lost its war against japan, and parts of its army in 1916 was not even armed.

[Jazzratt]

Except that Lenin + Stalin together beat the tsar hands down.

This is very telling. Considering the massive majority that Stalin & Lenin got it's likely that Tsar Nicky II got the top vote because he votes of those that hate him was split. Never mind whether or not the voters were "westernized" the majority still preferred the brutal repression of the Leninists to the unbelievably brutal oppression of the Tsars. That says a lot. Even when communism fucks up it's better than what comes before or after.

[Chapter 24]

Tchaikovsky??? I could think of a lot more great Russian composers than Tchaikovsky...

Hey now, Tchaikovsky is the man. Ever listen to March Slave? I think his pieces are exceptionally powerful in the classical music world.

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

I reamber reading in my bbc history magazine that 36% of Russians said they would vote for Stalin in a election

[Bud Struggle]

Hey now, Tchaikovsky is the man. Ever listen to March Slave? I think his pieces are exceptionally powerful in the classical music world.

:thumbup:

[lvl100]

Hey now, Tchaikovsky is the man. Ever listen to March Slave? I think his pieces are exceptionally powerful in the classical music world.

Neah, the Swan Lake made him famous and indeed i think it was one of his best piece,

[Bud Struggle]

His Piano Concertos! :)

[lvl100]

His Piano Concertos! :)

Dont tell me, you convinced your daughter to take piano lessons becouse of him :laugh::laugh::laugh:

[Random Precision]

Hey now, Tchaikovsky is the man. Ever listen to March Slave? I think his pieces are exceptionally powerful in the classical music world.

Meh. The point he was making was that the music of other Russian composers is a lot more powerful. Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachaturian etc. Tchaikovsky is vastly overrated.

[lvl100]

Meh. The point he was making was that the music of other Russian composers is a lot more powerful. Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachaturian etc. Tchaikovsky is vastly overrated.

I know what your talking about and yes, Tchaikovsky proabbaly was the most commercial between those above.
But, the real power of an artist is to bring culture to the masses.

Like Vivaldi with his Four Seasons. Its easy to understand and catchy. Its the Britney Spears of classical music.

But in the same time he ( like Swan Lake of Tchaikovsky too) had the quality to draw masses to this kind of music.

[Chapter 24]

I'm not a huge classical fan - more of a metal guy - I just play trombone in a symphony orchestra. As expected, we have played pieces by him - and I liked them. So in the "Russian classical composer" department he's pretty much the only one I know.

[RGacky3]

When it comes to having horrible tyrants, Russia is near to top of the list, so taking a poll of the greatest russian leader is like giving people a choice between getting kicked in the balls of the shin or the head.

[Lost In Translation]

Meh. The point he was making was that the music of other Russian composers is a lot more powerful. Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachaturian etc. Tchaikovsky is vastly overrated.
THANK YOU Random Precision. Someone who appreciates the other Russian Composers as well.

[Trystan]

Tchaikovsky??? I could think of a lot more great Russian composers than Tchaikovsky...

Such as?

Edit: oh, they've been listed. Well, I don't think that he is "overrated" at all. He's clearly one of the greats.

[Lost In Translation]

Such as?

Edit: oh, they've been listed. Well, I don't think that he is "overrated" at all. He's clearly one of the greats.
Yes, he is one of the greats, but he's overrated in the sense that when everybody thinks of Russian composers, he's the only one mentioned, when in reality, Rachmaninoff and the like were just as good, if not better than he was.

[Comrade Rage]

Greatest Russian leaders ever: Stalin and Lenin.

[Bud Struggle]

Greatest Russian leaders ever: Stalin and Lenin.

I can't wait for an Albanian poll:

King Zog--#1 :lol:

[Comrade Rage]

I can't wait for an Albanian poll:

King Zog--#1 :lol:

*Groan* *Shakes head*:lol:

[Led Zeppelin]

Why would anyone take these stupid polls seriously?

Only 2.8 million out of the 141 million people in Russia voted, not that the vote itself isn't meaningless.

[Bud Struggle]

*Groan* *Shakes head*:lol:

Honestly, who's cuter?

http://anamnesis.info/resources/zog1_albania.jpg

http://web.quipo.it/juljan/Enver_Hoxha.JPG:lol::lol::lol:

[Die Neue Zeit]

I think the site software is faulty (having voted for somebody in the link THREE TIMES).