only 33Percent of millenials know who Lenin is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you asked me who Lenin WAS, I'd ask you Vladimir or John? But if you asked me who Lenin IS, I'd assume you were talking about some current figure and not be able to answer.

-- not a millennial

Perhaps if the person asking spelled "Lenin", you would not think John. I'm guessing you did not graduate in the top 99% at Trump University.

Perhaps if you "asked" me, and "you were talking", it might have been a verbal conversation. Do you normally go around spelling words when engaged in oral conversation?

[Anonymous]

I've got you beat OP. I went back to school for a career change and I overheard one of my 25 year old classmates say: Who is this Ruth Bader Ginsburg?

Yup. And she's still kickin (thank God!)

[Anonymous]

I think this says as much about our education system as anything else. History is simply not a priority anymore, particularly world history. It's unfortunate.

[Anonymous]

but I'm sure they know how to LEAN IN, though.

[Anonymous]

Gen Xer. Born in 1976. Dont know much about Lenin other than he was a world leader, not American, his name is used in the context of being a not-good person. I would have guessed something Nazi/Hitler related if forced to explain who he is and why he is important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gen Xer. Born in 1976. Dont know much about Lenin other than he was a world leader, not American, his name is used in the context of being a not-good person. I would have guessed something Nazi/Hitler related if forced to explain who he is and why he is important.

That would be Stalin. Stalin and Hitler were frenemies before they were just enemies. Lenin was dead by the time Hitler rose to power.

I actually just read a really interesting book- it was focused on the Russian composer Shostakovich and the siege of Leningrad during WWII but also provided a lot of context on the years leading up to that time (including the Russians an Revolution). It's marketed as a YA ((young adult) book but I think many adults would find it enlightening as well:

https://www.amazon.com/Symphony-City-Dead-Shostakovich-Leningrad/dp/0763668184

[Anonymous]

Now I have two great book recommendations from this thread, especially the one about Shostakovich! As a cellist and pianist, Russian composers are some of my favorites. I wonder if the emphasis on math/science over humanities is why younger poeple don't know much about history. Not knowing Lenin, Stalin or Marshall is pretty scary. Did you know you can visit the George Marshall house in Leesburg?It's a nice day trip from DC. I wish we had statesmen like Marshall in these crazy times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just thought this was pathetically sad and embarrassing and speaks volumes about our country. I read that 33 percent of millenials do not know who Lenin is. I mean he is a rather important figure in history and really changed the course of world events.

The same article mentioned that many millenials also think that Bush was responsible for more deaths than Stalin,

These people should be ashamed. They should have learned this stuff in high school. Do we have a nation of idiots?

Seriously, they would need to ask EVERY millennial out there for this to be accurate, I doubt this is the case. Look at the study and the poll, cmon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just thought this was pathetically sad and embarrassing and speaks volumes about our country. I read that 33 percent of millenials do not know who Lenin is. I mean he is a rather important figure in history and really changed the course of world events.

The same article mentioned that many millenials also think that Bush was responsible for more deaths than Stalin,

These people should be ashamed. They should have learned this stuff in high school. Do we have a nation of idiots?

No link? I googled this and ONLY this thread popped up. So this is just your basic opinion and not a fact?

https://www.google.com/search?q=millennials+and+lenin&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQ6qT12t7VAhVJ5YMKHXG4BqgQvwUIIygA&biw=1866&bih=1048

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now I have two great book recommendations from this thread, especially the one about Shostakovich! As a cellist and pianist, Russian composers are some of my favorites. I wonder if the emphasis on math/science over humanities is why younger poeple don't know much about history. Not knowing Lenin, Stalin or Marshall is pretty scary. Did you know you can visit the George Marshall house in Leesburg?It's a nice day trip from DC. I wish we had statesmen like Marshall in these crazy times.

I'm the PP who recommended the Shostakovich book- I have a thing for Russian composers too! I member playing his Festive Overture in high school band, it was always one of my favorites.

I read another book recently called Secondhand Time:The Last of the Soviets, that I also learned a lot from. It was a collection of interviews/narratives in post-Soviet Russia that the author had collected over a couple decades. It is rather long and it took me a little while to get into it, but overall it was really interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now I have two great book recommendations from this thread, especially the one about Shostakovich! As a cellist and pianist, Russian composers are some of my favorites. I wonder if the emphasis on math/science over humanities is why younger poeple don't know much about history. Not knowing Lenin, Stalin or Marshall is pretty scary. Did you know you can visit the George Marshall house in Leesburg?It's a nice day trip from DC. I wish we had statesmen like Marshall in these crazy times.

I'm the PP who recommended the Shostakovich book- I have a thing for Russian composers too! I member playing his Festive Overture in high school band, it was always one of my favorites.

I read another book recently called Secondhand Time:The Last of the Soviets, that I also learned a lot from. It was a collection of interviews/narratives in post-Soviet Russia that the author had collected over a couple decades. It is rather long and it took me a little while to get into it, but overall it was really interesting.

Thank you very much for another recommendation. Russians composers are the best.

[Anonymous]

I'm shocked that anyone in this country knows anything. I would have guessed 80 percent for this figure.

[Anonymous]

My education on communism, socialism, and associated leaders was heavily propagandized. I have a general idea that Stalin and Lenin led governments with violent solutions for everything that got in their way, but I couldn't tell you much beyond that.

I still find it shocking that we spend so much time white-washing American history, while telling kids the terrible evils of Communism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My education on communism, socialism, and associated leaders was heavily propagandized. I have a general idea that Stalin and Lenin led governments with violent solutions for everything that got in their way, but I couldn't tell you much beyond that.

I still find it shocking that we spend so much time white-washing American history, while telling kids the terrible evils of Communism.

So true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My education on communism, socialism, and associated leaders was heavily propagandized. I have a general idea that Stalin and Lenin led governments with violent solutions for everything that got in their way, but I couldn't tell you much beyond that.

I still find it shocking that we spend so much time white-washing American history, while telling kids the terrible evils of Communism.

So true

Successful systems tend to look down on abject failures. Even China is dependent on capitalism principles to reach 1/5 of the well being of each citizen that the US achieves with ease. The United States is horrible. Unfortunately all other countries are worse by a huge margin.