He was just MISUNDERSTOOD. He was only joshin' about some of those things he said. I remember his final words," I never met a Mench I didn't like. " And that thing with WWII? He was having Brunch with his generals and someone asked him if he wanted WAR, Now alot of people don't know this , But Adolf was hard of hearing, He thought they said "do you want MORE' . The rest as they say is history.

A Great German leader, and the also the creator of a new ideology like nationalsocialism. Was he a monster? Of course not,he was just the guy lost the war,wasn't worst or better than the others.
Finally is the guy helped Jews to build their myths , build their country into a stolen place and kill as many Arabs they want.
Oh,also i am happy he lost the war

Well he did plot the actions that led to the "small" occurence known as ........ I don't know? AAAA............ World war II?

If the rubric for "most influential" includes influencing the course of history for both good AND evil, then Hilter would have to rank among the most influential people in world history. His rise to absolute power, and his subsequent complete dominion and control over virtually all of Europe, despite being based on bigotry, hatred, and his bizarre genetic theory of the so-called "master race," thrust the entire world into the cataclysm that was World War II. It has been estimated that approximately 73 Million people were killed during World War II, of which 48 Million were civilian deaths (including famine, disease, and extermination), and 25 Million were military deaths. Hitler, as evil as he was, came within one severe Russian winter of establishing world hegemony by Nazi Germany, and despite his ultimate defeat, the course of world history was irrevocably changed by his actions. As a direct result of his influence, the United States and the Soviet Union became the dominating powers in the world, the cold war commenced, many of the Jewish people not slaughtered in the holocaust established the State of Israel and the concurrent fractious course of history in the Middle East which continues today. Finally, one of the most important things Hitler did from the positive side, was to establish himself and his bizarre and horrific theories, as the quinessential example of how NOT, to be as a leader and as a person. In closing, I would suggest that there should really be two lists of influential people...one for positive influence and one for negative influence. This may solve the ambivalence some people obviously feel on putting this psychotic maniac on the list of most influential people.

Greatness doesn't mean good or bad. It means how great they were in their time. And Hitler was very great. He was a horrible man, but great he was.

HUGE impact on history. Despite the fact he killed 6 million Jews.

A member of the EVIL Top 10. He was most definitely influential during his day of course in a horrific way. He still has a few followers that need to re-evaluate their priorities in life.

No doubt about it when you view from a purely historical basis. Now, if you can read and write, and don't spend all your time wacking off under the sheets, you will agree with me.

The arguement has absolutely nothing to do with greatness, the arguement is over influence. This man was able to motivate a country to do the unthinkable, and no one has forgotten his name. Regardless of his actions everyone has been made aware of the outcomes and is more often than not used in comparison to todays politicians which by the way is unbelievably ridiculous being that todays politicians can come and go without anyone really so much as caring where as the death of this man brought about the end of a world war more or less.

Influential? Sure. So were Nero and Napolean in their own psycho little way...

influential he may have been, but great he certainly was not!  if it were possible i would have given him a minus five, it would have been more fitting.  

as for his speeches, he told his countrymen what they wanted to hear, anyone can get cheers for that.  

adolf hitler was a bigot who brought his country nothing but grief. he caused the deaths of millions of innocent people. how anyone could deem him great is beyond me. the man was a horror.

Hey folks, we're rating him on whether he was influential in the world's history, not whether we think he was a great guy or one of the worst villains in history (which I think he was). Let's keep on topic. He was a huge influence on the world in the 20th century, though his actions were unspeakable.

Influence isn't always a good thing. Hitler is a prime example of that. It'd be a "1" if we're talking about personality; he is probably the most despicable being to ever live, and I hope this world never sees anything worse than this. Unfortunately, Hitler's insanity was multiplied by how much power he had. He managed to convince pretty much an entire country that entire groups of peope had to be killed because they weren't like them. He is the responsible for the murders of millions upon millions of Jewish, Polish, Roman Catholics, Protestants, Romanies, Jehovah's Witnesses, trade unionists, physically handicapped and mentally handicapped people, on top of the people that just didn't like his politics. By the end of the war he created, over 45 million Europeans have died. That's a pretty significant chunk of the human population wiped out just because some guy was a blazing lunatic. Because of the number of people who died, it is impossible to know exactly how much he altered history: he stopped over 45 million people from living their lives and possibly changing the course of history. He could have killed people who would have cured cancer, perfected some type of technology, but there's no way that we can ever know. So, sadly, this is his influence. We'll never know the extent of damage he's done. As Ridge pointed out, genocide was and is a problem all over the world. Their limitation is the amount of power these psychos have. Let's hope that none of these nuts ever get the kind of following Hitler had.

UPDATE:  Wow, it's hard to believe that this psycho still has a fan club out there.  Makes me vomit a little to read the words "he is by far one of the greatest person this world has ever seen" written next to his name.  Greatness isn't defined by what kind of power you have, but what you choose to do with it.

I am not sure what I just read in the previous post.

Want to talk about Hitler?
Well he is by far one of the greatest person this world has ever seen.
Sure he was not correct in murdering Jews but never has there been a man like him that had great leadership as him.
He was stupedous in his oratory skills and by far was one of the greatest military strategists of the last century.
The Nazis would have won World War II if they had more men, but other than that they were by far the most technically advanced country at that time mostly thanks to Hitler.
He dominated all around him but in the end his ambitions led to his downfall.

remember these words

There will one day be a man who will dominate the world as Hitler did.

1=DUMBAZZ HE'S STUPID...HOW COULD PPL LIKE HIM...IM CHRISTIAN N THEY WERE JEWISH...BUT GOD DOESNT LIKE FOR PPL 2 KILL EACHOTHER HE DIED FOR US ALL... N HE WANTS US ALL 2 GET ALONG...N IF U AGREE WITH ADOLF HITLER 2 KILL PPL THAT DID ABSOLUTLEY NUTHIN 2 HIM...I THINK U SHOULD ROT IN HELL...

while Hitler was definetly an evil man ( killed 20 odd millions jews) but what about others like him like mosalini, ect? who killed almost as many people as him? why arent they often braught up in the media? you dont see or hear much about them? umm i sense double standards.

A very disturbed and unscrupulous person.

I'd give him a 4 like most people have said, he is a very recent man. This man did start World War II, and to those who say that his impact was temporary, they are very very wrong. World War II made a huge impact on the future of the world.
WW II started a conflict that would shape the world for the next 40 years. The Cold War was only resolved some 17-18 years ago. And that is only the Cold War with Russia. Democratic nations are still fighting Communism. Not to mention that WW II brought most of the world out of the Great Depression.

The most influential figure in the last 100 years. The man started the biggest war known to man. He ordered the execution of more than 12 million people. A psychotic genius.

One of the most influential men ever, and probably the single most influential in the 20th Century. Possessed of an evil genius, a consumate politician, and he changed the ethnic and cultural fabric of the world in a way no one had done since Tamerlane.

And as a bit of a sidebar: Comparing this guy to Bush, Rove etc., is jingoistic nonsense. I don't have much use for the crew in the White House, but they're way, way short of this murderous bastard. Read a little history.

He certainly influenced history (which is why he gets 4 stars from me), but certainly not for good reasons.

Genius. Arguably, the world would have been better off if the Axis powers would have been victorious. Don't act like our world is so much better off because we won, think about it, he turned Germany around 180 degrees and was just looking after his country, imagine if he was in control, he would have his best intentions for anyone on his side.

Unfortunately,quite influential.He caused so much death and destruction,and brought infamy on his nation for many years for following such a maniac.(take heed of this,folks...)Also,without Hitlers attempted genocide,it is questionable whether Israel would ever have existed.

how can you compare him to Bush or Rove? that is just plain stupid and dumb since both of them are not one bit like Hitler. while hitler is one of the most influential people in history and the 20th century, he was probably the meanest that ever lived during that time as well. he changed the status of Judaism and Jews all over and other religions, races, and denominations (in case you didnt know it included everyone basically but blond-haired blue-eyed Germans). He was influential but under no means good.

It surprises me to see such a relatively recent historical figure rank so high (#2!) on such a all-encompassing list. In my view, he'd likely make the top 50, though the tens of thousands of years which predate him - and the hundreds of highly influential individuals before him - keep him from rising much higher on the list.

alright, well hitler was wat many would call a mad man. but he was an amazing man. how he could get his crowds so rowlled up. u gotta give him props for his power and strength. he just needed a hug

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke, English statesman and political philosopher (1729-1797)

This sociopath was one of the most influential figures of the 20th century (as opposed to all-time) thus I have to take away one star. But his mass murdering and devastation on Europe will leave a tragic lasting impression forever. Oh, kids, stop asking 'why does Hitler outrank Christ'. . .you don't live in a Christian world. . .hate to scare the sh#t out of you but you are in a much larger world with Buddhists, Muslims, and Jews- live with people instead of wondering why they don't think like you.

If you look at whether the world was permanently changed as a result of this man's life, I feel the answer is that it wasn't. I don't want to downplay the magnitude of his sick thoughts and evil actions but in the end he was just another tyrant among many the world has seen.

Why does Hitler outrank Jesus Christ? Odd. Anyway, while his impact was certainly large and wide spread, in a few generations, his name will only be some untangible mention in a history textbook. I'm not understating the horrors and terrible things he employed during his time of power, I'm just saying that his influence was temporary at best. The longest lasting thing we get from Hitler is this; do not underestimate the power of unacceptance and ignorance. It can wreak distruction and havoc. People can die. Be careful to who you give power to.

As of today, Hitler is rated on this site as more influential than Jesus Christ. Sorry, folks, but I don't buy it. The influences of Christ are far more permeating than we can comprehend.

I think a mediocore 3 would piss him off most

Disgusting coward of a man. The only good thing he ever did was take his own life.

He was just misunderstood and needed a hug.

Er ist ein Schlauberger!

Considering that Hitler single-handedly started a prolonged military conflict and cross-cultural genocide that resulted in millions of death, I don't believe that his influence on world history can be disputed.

Hated by millions, but not on RIA. His heinously horrifying reign of power is used as a prop to denigrate the character of legitimate conservative politicians, like George W. Bush and Karl Rove, today.

He's sure influenced 'ol George W. pretty well. Or at least Karl Rove.

Let's just say that next to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, Hitler was the most horrificly influential person in history.

I know he is actually a 5, but I won't even give him the satisfaction of being an influential world leader. The only thing I will say about this evil/vile butcher and despot is to forewarn anyone who ever attempts to complete a phrase that starts, Hitler was good early on or Hitler was good for...so...and...so. He was good for nothing and you brand yourself an IDIOT forever. One SCI-Fi story (Callahan's Crosstime Saloon) rationalized that Hitler did help speed up the Atomic Age for the earth. But I give more credit to Einstein. I once went to an event celebrating someone who did fairly well in a Reality Show (I won't say who). Some reporter asked him if he was interested in politics and he replied something to the effect of, We'd run the country like Hitler. I'm sure he didn't mean what he said, but you could hear and feel the air rushing out of the room. Did he really say that?? I also remember a skit on Kids in the Hall where an actress wins an Oscar and is thanking everyone then blurts out, I also want to thank Hitler. Seconds later they show her being rushed off the stage amid a chorus of boos and the agent screaming at her, You thanked Hitler!!! How could you thank Hitler!!!

Most influential person of the 20th century. No doubt about it. 88!

Let the man rest in peace for Christ's sake!!! What's done is done, that was then, this is now! Can we all please get on with our lives!?

For a dude with one testicle he sure had a lot of balls.

Sadly, Hitler is proof that the most influential people in history can come into two very strong passions: one, the caring, understanding, and dedicated to a benign cause, and the other, being the determined, hateful, but for evil purposes. Though still in the army, Hitler quickly became the new spokesman for the party. His talent for public speaking and the use of the local army's resources to generate publicity drew large audiences to events sponsored by an organization that had only 100 to 200 members. When he presented the party's official program to a gathering on February 24, 1920, there were almost 2000 present. Hitler was discharged from the army the following month, and he soon attained dominance in the Nazi party. He was the partys most effective recruiter and, thanks to paid attendance at his speeches, its most successful fundraiser. When opposed within the party, he found ways to push out rivals and dissenters. Several times he did so by threatening to leave the party himself. Hitler obtained enough support to have himself chosen as Führer (absolute leader) of the party on July 29, 1921. ...Beginning his rise to power. His influence, by far, came from the way Hitler appealed to a wide variety of people by combining an effective and carefully rehearsed speaking style with what looked like absolute sincerity and determination. He found a large audience for his program of national revival, racial pride in Germanic values, hatred for France and of Jews and other non-German races, and disdain for the Weimar Republic. Hitler asserted only a dictatorship could rescue Germany from the depths to which it had fallen. Over time, his audiences continued to grow larger and larger, until he would become Germany's most powerful politician. Racial awareness would come through a process of mobilizing the masses with propaganda that appealed to their feelings, not their reason, and aroused their hatred for all other allegedly inferior races, especially Jews. No class or other distinctions in German society mattered. As a result of the Nazis Holocaust, over 6 million Jews were slaughtered and systematically exterminated. Over 20 Million people died in World War II, but Hitler's mark on the world will last for centuries...as if burned into the Earth itself. There are few people who have lived on this planet that match the sinister, vile nature of this madman. Hitler was proof for the world that when a power vacuum is left open for a madman, global catastrophe is what will result. The only thing that humankind can do to prevent such a tragic moment of history from repeating itself again is to ensure that our children and grandchildren know of the atrocities that were committed, as the greatest weapon of mankind is not in the form of a barrel of a gun, but knowlege. And with Knowlege comes power.

Shame on anyone who would dare to give this man a great rating, lest you be one who respects this man for the atrocities that he committed. If that is the case, you probably need psychological help.

Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer Heil mein Führer

The only issue relevant when arguing about Hitler is whether he has been the worst villian of all time;on this issue he unfortunately has some competition.

A vile person yes, but the key word here is influential and that he unfortunately was.

In my English class we had to write sentences using vocabulary words such as heinous and incarnate. Almost evry sentence for heinous was something like Hitler was a very heinous guy, and the incarnate ones typically involved naming Hitler evil incarnate. So there's two less than complimentary words Hitler seems to be inextractably tied to in the minds of high school students. Apparently he has had some influence.