The evilest person who committed the most horrendous deeds, propagated the worst ideas, or was responsible for other moustache-twirling affairs.

Anyone who is currently alive does not count.

  • rumschlumpel@feddit.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    64
    ·
    edit-2
    19 hours ago

    Genghis Khan is up there. His conquests killed millions, I see estimates of up to 40 million, a significant percentage of the world’s population (possibly double-digits). It’s even theorized that so many people died that global temperature dropped as a result. You could go and argue that a large unified empire would prevent many future wars and thus could be a net positive even if establishing it is very bloody (see Pax Romana), and Genghis’ rule was reportedly relatively progressive compared to his contemporaries. But then, you need to make it so that the emprie doesn’t immediately break apart after its ruler dies, which he failed at.

    Though you can always argue that he wasn’t really more evil than other rulers, just more successful. Which still makes him a “great villain”, but there are more directly evil deeds than conquest, such as genocide.

      • rumschlumpel@feddit.org
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        5 hours ago

        I hear Hitler treated his dog very well.

        IMO, people generally aren’t pure good or evil. But that doesn’t mean that people like Hitler or Genghis Khan aren’t giant assholes.

    • rozodru@piefed.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      16 hours ago

      bingo. the Mongol Empire lasted less than 90 years. A flash in the pan in terms of world history. Yeah he was great at conquering a massive amount of land mass but they sure as fuck were unable to hold it. and the 4 Khans after Genghis ruled for like a handful of years each. One of which only lasted a couple years.

    • Asofon@discuss.online
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      edit-2
      14 hours ago

      Yeah I’m inclined to agree with this if we define “evil” by destructive power at least (and always worth remembering that we merely have general agreements on what “evil” is, usually based on what is and isn’t considered advantageous for human well-being. Absolute good and evil are religious myths.). But GK was also kinda interesting in that his conquests etc. were “honest”. He wasn’t trying to build some ideal society, he just lived in accordance to “Might Makes Right” and surprisingly indiscriminately applied that into his domain as well. Whatever one could claim for themselves, was theirs so long as they could defend it. Regardless of gender, religion, further cultural details etc.

      I feel like he represents the logical conclusion of non-conservative right-wing ideals taken to the extreme. Individual power (however that manifests - raw strength, charisma) trumps everything else, so in a way, libertarian… but everything was of course to be absolutely subject to the Mongol Empire rule so, authoritarian.

      If we go by ideology + destructiveness as a metric of “evil”, probably Hitler.