A super question, and of course much depends on how you define “great”. The question was asked to Russians recently. The medieval winner Alexander Newski, (shown left), does not impact on our course. What is very interesting however is that the reforming Tsarist Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin came second, and Stalin came third.
What does all this mean ? Why should Stalin finish ahead of Lenin for those with fond or even rose tinted memories of Communism ? Why should Stolypin finish so high ? Have these two very different figures actually got anything in common ?
