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Do you think that history is created more by:a) the great individuals that historians write about, those who make the decisions, come up with the brilliant ideas, and lead in conquering, orb) the seas of larger movements that encompass these individuals and make them somewhat secondary to the zeitgeist or ideological shifts that change from time to time?As a corollary, which do you think is more important for history books to teach?
I believe b) is the crux of History, but historians have to be more selective given the limited space they have to publish. So the use of “great men” in History becomes necessary in order to focus things down to a more ascertainable level.
Looking at most of the watershed events in history it appears to me that the great men are more correctly good men that step up when called upon; less that they shape the event… more that they do what they deem best in the situation. In light of the ill-fame of some big names in history, remember, they did what they thought best, from their POV.
