Who's the Biggest Traitor in History?

[The Old Lady Hertha]

I say Major Quisling of Norway, who suppressed almost all resistance in Norway to the invading Wehrmacht in 1940.

[NoodlesMacintosh]

Yeah, it's not often that someone's name becomes a term for treason. Sure, for Americans there's Benedict Arnold, who's rightly remembered as a jerk, but he ultimately failed. Quisling didn't.

[JBigjake]

nominees?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_convicted_of_treason
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425191850/104-5488511-4554335?v=glance&n=283155

I'd go with Julius Rosenberg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_and_Julius_Rosenberg

[Toon³]

Anton Mussert

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/Anton_Mussert.jpg

He was the leader of the puppet government under the Nazi's in WW2, a murdering bastard.

[bungadiri]

Rosenberg? Even with the recent KGB confirmation of his treachery, he seems like small potatoes to me. With respect Cold War traitors, Kim Philby (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/philby_harold.shtml) has to be among the leaders, if not the main guy. But, without excusing the Philby's and lesser double agents of the world, the actions of Mussert, Quisling, some of the leaders of Vichy France, etc.--who deliberately aided their country's defeat during a war and in many cases facilitated or participated in the deaths of large numbers of their fellow citizens--seems much worse to me.

[JBigjake]

Rosenberg?
23 minutes

[nicephoras]

Rosenberg? Even with the recent KGB confirmation of his treachery, he seems like small potatoes to me. With respect Cold War traitors, Kim Philby (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/philby_harold.shtml) has to be among the leaders, if not the main guy. But, without excusing the Philby's and lesser double agents of the world, the actions of Mussert, Quisling, some of the leaders of Vichy France, etc.--who deliberately aided their country's defeat during a war and in many cases facilitated or participated in the deaths of large numbers of their fellow citizens--seems much worse to me.

Yes Philby was considerably worse - multiple agents were killed due to the information he provided to the other side.
My personal favorite are the actions of Andronicas Ducas and then Michael Psellos as to Romanos II Diogenes.
When Psellos had Romanos blinded, after Andronicus's defection at the battle of Manzikert allowed his nephew to come to the throne and left Romanos captured, he told Romanos that he could now "see on a higher plane". Um, yeah. That takes betrayal (Psellos was an imperial chancellor of sorts) to a unique level.

Other candidates? The infamous traitor who showed the Persians the Aeonopaea (sp), Brutus, Cassius and especially Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus. Judas, obviously. :)

[argentine soccer fan]

How about Dr. Wellington Yueh?

[Nanbawan]

Nicolas Sarkozy...Jacques Chirac's protégé for years only to stab him in the back in 1995 with his support for his rival candidate : Balladur. How he survived that to remain a contender in next year's election is still a mystery to me...


:rolleyes:

Otherwise, the French nationalists and some communists who disrupted the country's war preparation.

[nicephoras]

Nicolas Sarkozy...Jacques Chirac's protégé for years only to stab him in the back in 1995 with his support for his rival candidate : Balladur. How he survived that to remain a contender in next year's election is still a mystery to me...

Because he's the only remotely popular figure that party has left, especially since he's the (seemingly) wronged party in the Clearstream imbroglio.

[Nanbawan]

Because he's the only remotely popular figure that party has left, especially since he's the (seemingly) wronged party in the Clearstream imbroglio.

Yeah, that's the situation NOW, but the fact that he politically survived after such a treason... He learnt from the master.... Have to recognise that he's a talented political animal. The kind who doesn't fear to lie or contradict themself.

[billreeves]

Hulk Hogan. I will never forgive him for the 1996 Bash at the Beach. Never. :mad:

[Crimen y Castigo]

How about Dr. Wellington Yueh?

He was blackmailed into treason, so he gets a pass.

[nicephoras]

Hulk Hogan. I will never forgive him for the 1996 Bash at the Beach. Never. :mad:

Oh come on - that was the culmination of such a great angle.

[Mountainia]

23 minutes
I don't understand your remark. To what does this refer?

[eu sou eu]

The USA.

[Nanbawan]

You're entitled to your opinion but you can also explain it, there's no need to do some sibillyne flame baiting here. Out of WR, customs are a little bit different. ;)

Hmm, lemme guess...Iraq after the Gulf War ?

[Anthony]

In US history, I actually view Hansan as being a bigger traitor than Rosenberg.

As for the biggest, I would go with the leadership of the Confederacy, especially Robert E Lee who was a serving officer at the time, and whose defection probably did more to harm the Union cause in early 1861 than all the other defections combined.

Also Jefferson Davis, who was serving in the Senate when he resigned to head the Confederacy.

And one who is not well known, but who did lots of damage was John Floyd. He was the Secretary of War in the Buchanan administration. As the Civil War loomed, he transfered arms and supplies from northern arsenals to southern ones, and blocked attempts to resupply or evacuate army garrisons in the south. This caused many army garrisons to surrender, weakening the army at a time when every available soldier was needed.

[eu sou eu]

You're entitled to your opinion but you can also explain it, there's no need to do some sibillyne flame baiting here. Out of WR, customs are a little bit different. ;)

Hmm, lemme guess...Iraq after the Gulf War ?
Kurds.

[Anthony]

I have a question for the French posters. I would imagine that Petain is considered your greatest traitor (though I would argue Laval was worse).

How is Talleyrand treated in your history books?