Who is the most influential man in history?

Answer 1

Arguments can be made for Abraham, Moses, Jesus of Nazareth and Mohammed, being behind the three "Great Religions" and thus still influencing societies across the whole world.

The more expansionist Roman emperors could also be counted, as could Charlemagne, progenitor of the Enlightenment in Europe.

After that, the influence becomes more regionalised - Christopher Columbus in North America, Simon de Bolivar in South America, Peter the Great in Russia.

In the 19th Century, to drift from the question slightly, Queen Victoria of Great Britain was very influential - although the idea of her rather than the woman herself was more powerful.

In the 20th Century, the most influential people have probably been Lenin, Hitler and Stalin - creators of ideological systems; of these three, Hitler and Stalin were more influential, because we still today live in a world created by them. Hitler's war and defeat created the situation where the USA became the world's policeman; Stalin gave them someone to be fearful of and a system that perpetuated itself very well for 50 years.

Of these two, Hitler is the more noticeably influential today because of his evil persecution of the Jewish population in Europe being directly responsible for the creation of Israel and the difficulties in the whole region that Israel's justifiable existence causes.

From another point of view, Ronald MacDonald could be seen as the most influential. The surplus of calories and the lifestyle he represents was, in the end, more attractive than comprehensive healthcare and full employment in the communist countries; the poor developing countries of the world now wish to be rich, not to have healthcare and lower infant mortality, but to have the lifestyle the MacDonald's symbolises.

But for straight marks, you'd probably go for Abraham - much more than half of the world believe in his teachings, and even those that don't largely live in countries with legal systems based upon Abrahamic religion.