Stalin and Tsar Nicholas II neck and neck for title of greatest Russian

Times of London ^ | 07/16/08 | Tony Halpin

[TigerLikesRooster]

Stalin and Tsar Nicholas II neck and neck for title of greatest Russian

Tony Halpin

He sent millions to their deaths in the gulag, but that has not deterred Russians from voting en masse for Josef Stalin as the face of their nation.

The Soviet tyrant and Second World War leader is battling Tsar Nicholas II for first place in The Name of Russia, a domestic version of the BBC series Great Britons. Stalin had been well ahead in the online vote until the show's producer appealed to members of a popular Russian social networking site to back Nicholas II.

The Tsar edged in front tonight as communists and monarchists whipped up support for their candidates. Stalin has received almost 263,000 votes so far, against more than 267,000 for Nicholas II.

Lenin, the Tsar's nemesis, was third with nearly 187,000 votes. The top dozen included Peter the Great, Pushkin, Catherine the Great, Yuri Gagarin, Boris Yeltsin and Ivan the Terrible.

Alexander Lyubimov, who produces the historical contest for state-run Rossiya TV, said that he had urged a "flash-mob" from Odnoklassniki.ru, a Russian equivalent of Facebook, to support the Tsar against Stalin.

[TigerLikesRooster]

To many Russians, fear=awe=respect.

Russians want a Khan who make outsiders quaking in their boots at the mere mention of 'Mighty Russia.' It does not matter how many Russians or outsiders get slaughtered because of it.

Mongol Empire had gone long ago, but its ghost still survives in Russia.

[TheZMan]

I’d argue that too much revisionist history over there (cause you KNOW it’s happening) has resulted in nearly the same results seen here.

[Fiji Hill]

I’m surprised Gorby isn’t in the running, given his popularity among liberals.

[mainestategop]

You Gotta be kidding me. Stalin? Is there any one in that nation's history that isn't a butcher they look up too? Like Alexander Nevsky or Tolstoy?

[Fiji Hill]

How about Alexander Nevskii, Lev Tolstoi, Sergei Rakhmaninov, or Pyotr Chaikovskii?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Stalin in 1902

Official Photo(?)

KGB Chief/Soviet Leadr Yuri Andropov

Putin, Andropov's Disciple

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I’d cast a vote for Catherine the Great myself (that lucky horse).

[lesser_satan]

LOL.

[2001convSVT]

It appears as if Russia schools are more into indoctrination than education, of course that can be said about the vast majority of government run school throughout the world.

[litehaus]

Ah,cum on...No Peter/Catherine /????...Hells Bells...how bout Sharansky??(sp?)

[rahbert]

Peter has got to be it.

[hosepipe]

Stalin murderered more of his own people than did others..
He may of out murderered MaoTse Tung..

[wendy1946]

Very small sample. I have to think that most Russians have a set of heros which would include Tsar Peter, Pushkin, Marshall Zhukov, The two Russian great princes who first defeated the golden horde at Kulikovo (Zadonschina), and a few others like that.

[Patrick1]

Russia’s greatest heros died in the gulags.

[Reily]

To all

I would like to point out that Stalin wasn’t Russian !

[Fractal Trader]

FYI

[Tzimisce]

This reminds me of the Obama-McCain match up, both are giant losers....

[IronJack]

Tsar Nicholas wasn't much of a ruler. He pretty much squandered the throne left him by his father, Alexander, and managed to alienate just about everybody when he married a German duchess. His hemophiliac son was seen as a righteous curse for bringing in an "outsider."

Josef Stalin, on the other hand, served as the avuncular figurehead to a nation staggered by war, and kept the torch burning in the Kremlin even during the darkest days.

He also murdered somewhere around 10 million of his subjects.

It is only because Kruschev "de-Stalinized" Russia in the 50s that Uncle Joe isn't more of an icon than Vladimir Ilyich.

[Clemenza]

Russia is NOT, and has NEVER BEEN a WESTERN COUNTRY. George Patton was right when he said that they were just as Asiatic as European, in both blood and culture. A German Empress tried her best to civilize the nation, but, in many respects, failed.

Anyone who tries to view Russia through the same prism of western civilization will never understand it.

[Rosemont]

Why would the Russians select a Georgian over a Slavic Russian?