Columbus—for initiating the colonization of the Americas which cost tens of millions of lives, and as a result also the transatlantic slave tried which cost millions more.
Mao—for his policies that caused tens of millions to die of hunger, and for creating an enduring totalitarian regime over what is today 1.4 billion people.
Stalin—for similarly killing tens of millions with his policies, some of them directly by murder.
Hitler—for directly and purposefully murdering millions, and for starting the war that killed tens of millions in addition.
Fritz Haber? Responsible for both chemical weapons and synthetic fertilizer. I’m not sure.
The first two are a mix between direct harms and altering the course of history, while the second two are mostly about direct harms. Haber did much direct harm, but the evaluation of the change caused by his synthesis of ammonia is more complicated.
I don’t have time to answer the bonus questions, but am interested in such answers.
I’m not sure how counterfactual the actions of Columbus were. It seems to me there was a strong of push towards colonization from many West European nations?
Some obvious answers include:
Columbus—for initiating the colonization of the Americas which cost tens of millions of lives, and as a result also the transatlantic slave tried which cost millions more.
Mao—for his policies that caused tens of millions to die of hunger, and for creating an enduring totalitarian regime over what is today 1.4 billion people.
Stalin—for similarly killing tens of millions with his policies, some of them directly by murder.
Hitler—for directly and purposefully murdering millions, and for starting the war that killed tens of millions in addition.
Fritz Haber? Responsible for both chemical weapons and synthetic fertilizer. I’m not sure.
The first two are a mix between direct harms and altering the course of history, while the second two are mostly about direct harms. Haber did much direct harm, but the evaluation of the change caused by his synthesis of ammonia is more complicated.
I don’t have time to answer the bonus questions, but am interested in such answers.
I’m not sure how counterfactual the actions of Columbus were. It seems to me there was a strong of push towards colonization from many West European nations?