Best German
 

And the 'Best German' of All Time Is...
Mon Dec 1, 9:11 AM ET
By Erik Kirschbaum

BERLIN (Reuters) - The Cold War broke out in Germany again on Friday when the formerly communist east voted Karl Marx as the "best German" of all time in a television contest and the west picked post-war chancellor Konrad Adenauer.


In an emotion-packed finale to the three month German television competition, a larger number of ballots cast in the more populous west carried the first West German leader Adenauer to the top overall ahead of Martin Luther, with Marx in third.


Despite massive support for Marx in the formerly communist east and passion-filled arguments from backers, the co-author of the Communist Manifesto could not catch Adenauer, the patriarch who led West Germany out of the Nazi era and post-war gloom.


The 3.3 million votes cast unintentionally exposed a deep rift between the rich west and poor east. Even 13 years after unity, wages and living standards are below western levels and many easterners harbor fond memories of the communist era.


"I never would have dreamt that Karl Marx would make in into the top three of a united Germany," said his patron, a reform communist party (PDS) leader Gregor Gysi.


"Marx is a man known around the world for seeking a freer and fairer society -- and some day in the future his vision will become reality," Gysi said. "In 10 years Marx will be voted second best German and some day after that he'll be number one."


In the contest modeled on a British television show called "Great Britons" that selected war-time leader Winston Churchill, Germans cast votes for the 100 "best Germans" from 1,300 nominations. They were then whittled down to the top 10.


While Marx won more than 40 percent of the vote in the five eastern German states, the 19th century communist philosopher got only about three percent in the west. Adenauer, who led West Germany into NATO (news - web sites) and a close alliance with the West, had very few votes in the east but dominated the west.


"Adenauer put us on track for its happiest and most peaceful era in German history," said Adenauer's patron, historian Guido Knopp. "He led Germany out of the Nazi era into democracy."


The PDS party had urged easterners to vote for Marx with a mass Internet campaign while Adenauer's conservative Christian Democrat party also did their own campaigning.


"I thought Willy Brandt would get more votes in the east," said journalist Friedrich Nowotny, patron of the West German Chancellor famous for policies that relaxed Cold War tensions, who was fifth. "This shows the east is still closer to Marx."


In a country long weighed down by guilt from World War II and wary of idolizing national heroes, the "best German" contest reflects a growing, if still modest, sense of German patriotism.


Others in the top 10 included: Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans (4), Hitler resistance fighters executed by the Nazis; Johann Sebastian Bach (6), printing press inventor Johannes Gutenberg (, 19th century chancellor Otto von Bismarck (9) and physicist Albert Einstein (10).

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I would have voted Marx and Einstein. I don't think Martin Luther should have been in it at all.

Charming. Before anyone asks, I don't thnk Hitler managed to get very high on the list, if at all.

"Neither injustice nor tyranny can justify rebellion. Do not resist the man who wrongs you. The kingdoms of this world cannot function without inequality of conditions. Let everyone who can smite, slay, and stab [the peasants], secretly and openly, remembering that nothing can be more poisonous, hurtful, or devilish than a rebel. Kill rebellious peasants just as one would kill a mad dog."

Christianity does teach to turn the other cheek and obey the laws of the land. He was only being true to his faith.

Of course, that in itself is plenty of reason for me to NOT vote for him.

I would have voted for Bach, though I'm surprised that he was in the top 10 and not Beethoven.

The Puppet Master and/or "Scary German Guy" from Monster Squad are obviously much better choices :(

No David Hasselhoff?

I guess Germans don't love David Hasselhoff.

They have Marx and no Engels?

Which of the two do you think is more recognized? And given the choice between the two, which would most people in Germany vote for? This was not a panel of experts, this was a popular vote.

Engels ruined scientific socialism.

Oh yeah?

I suppose people that wanted Marx to win didn't want to split the vote with Engels.

I also think Engels was originaly from Belarussia or Prussia or something. Maybe. Probably not, actualy.

I really like Beethoven, but I forgot about him..

Prussia is in Germany.

Was it part of germany in 1820?

Was Germany a unified state and not just a geographical region when Luther was alive?

Or Bach.

HMMMM....

no, there is no hmmmm. the answer is no. Prussia guided the creation of Germany in 1871.

Even if germany was just a geographic region it doesn't make luther any less german.

I know. That's why Prussia counts too.

It was. Now it's mostly in Poland (along with Pomerania and Silesia), with a small part comprising the Russian oblast of Kaliningrad.

With regards to the Prussia-Germany issue...Prussians were Germans. Good Germans too, the best of the lot. Certainly better than the bloody Austrians (who, for the record, are also Germans as far as ethnicity and culture go - the distinction is purely political).

I've seen another list similar to it, regarding who the idols of Germans are. "My mother" was most popular, while Hitler came in 198 out of 200, one place behind George W. Bush, and 15 behind Jennifer Lopez.

GO AUSTRIANS!!! W00T!!!

AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS 4EVA!!!

Weiner.

Wiener.

Wiener.

I hope that wasn't addressed at me goat. >:

I hope that was addressed at me perndog. :)

Prussians are better than Austrians. While the former were reading Clausewitz and practicing proper dueling technique, the latter were busy oppressing Hungarians and propogating Hitler's bloodline.

It was addressed to One and Only you narcisistic fuckstick.

don't be so hasty Ror, it seems we may now have another historian on the boards. :love

To the historians of the board:

Jesus was a myth.

The Holocaust didn't happen.

Hitler was gay.

Homer wasn't blind.

The Pilgrims and Indians got along very well.

I'm drunk. Ignore me.

Yeah, but Austria has contributed much more to music and economics, which are generally more important than proper dueling technique these days.