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Genghis
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Topic: Historical Belief of Some of My Fellow Students Posted: 19-Oct-2004 at 19:00 |
I found it quite interesting a few weeks ago in my history class, when we were discussing Otto von Bismarck, that many students admired him. I personally admire him, but I didn't think many other people did. I was surprised to know that one liberal guy in my history class really thinks he's a cool guy, because Bismarck isn't exactly the diplomatic role model for liberals. The girl who sits next to me, who is not very interested in history as far as I can tell, once commented to me that "Bismarck is really cool". I find it wonderful that people are paying enough attention to actually form opinions about history instead of just memorizing it, and I'm absolutely thrilled that they like "Blood & Iron" Bismarck.
Edited by Genghis
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Cywr
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Posted: 20-Oct-2004 at 08:44 |
Its those Prussian uniforms.
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Arrrgh!!"
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Temujin
King
Sirdar Bahadur
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Posted: 20-Oct-2004 at 14:41 |
I think they all don't know too much about him, otherwise they wouldn't think that he was cool...
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Genghis
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Posted: 20-Oct-2004 at 15:54 |
I think he's cool. I think he gets undue blame for precipitating World War One with his alliance system. It was only after Bismarck's system was hijacked and corrupted by the belligerent Kaiser and his Chancellors that war became very likely. Before that, the alliance system was used to preserve peace by keeping all major states except for France allied or amicable with Germany, and Bismarck made sure to not upset the balance of power with such pugnacious statements like demanding Germany's "place in the Sun".
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Tobodai
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Posted: 20-Oct-2004 at 17:13 |
Bismark is a total dipplomatic genious, unintentional effects of his action dont diminish from that. I think perhaps Americans might admire him because he showes infinately more tact and intelligence than modern day American statesmen do.
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"the people are nothing but a great beast...
I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value."
-Alexander Hamilton
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Gubook Janggoon
Sultan
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Posted: 20-Oct-2004 at 18:17 |
I personally hold Bismark in very high esteem. He was, in my
opinion, a diplomatic genius. Bismark did move very close to
becoming "evil" though, as he was the cause of many wars, but what
keeps him from becoming "evil" in my opinion is that he knew where to
stop.
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Temujin
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Sirdar Bahadur
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Posted: 21-Oct-2004 at 12:27 |
...... I've seen that American-made movie about Hitlers rise, and Hindenburg was depicted as Democrat (!!!!)...it seems Americans have absolutely no clue of non-nazi asshole Germans...maybe their own politicians are too close to them, like Abe Lincoln for example...
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Bryan
Shogun
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Posted: 21-Oct-2004 at 12:58 |
Don't tell me your basing that opinion on a movie!
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Genghis
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Posted: 21-Oct-2004 at 20:27 |
Wow, this has gotten really off topic. Has anyone else noticed anything like this? I was incredibly surprised.
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hugoestr
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Posted: 18-Nov-2004 at 00:03 |
To keep the it off topic, where do you go to school, Genghis? My wife taught at a university where the students didn't know who Napoleon was.
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