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Great man or Great event theory?
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What do you guys think?
Is history affected more by the great man theory?
eg: Rome would not have emerged as a fledging empire without Julius Ceaser
Napolean is the reason why France achieved such greta military and social success in the early 1800's
Hitler is the sole reason for the emergence of national socialism in Germany after the failing of the Weimar Republuc
OR
is it affected by the great event theory
Rome was destined to be an empire due to the inevitability of the Republic's established social/ political greatness and the vastness of its infrastructure.
France as a newfound Republic was destined to be Europes next great power regardless of whoever would've led it. Any French general at the time was capable.
With such a deep fermented hatred for the restrictions of the treaty of Versailles in Germany, the nation would have erupted even had Hitler not been the front runner
Lemme know what you think!
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I think that is a combo of both. WIthout one, the other would not have happened to that extreme.
With Rome, they were already a war-geared nation, and Ceaser took it to the next level
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I am of the great man theory. Such events can never occur without the minds of human beings driving the force. The ability make fire did not just happen, somebody had to figure out how to create and control it. It's arguable that Gutenberg's printing press would not have been and inevitable invention. What if Hitler never existed, and his events to never shape the way modern people think and act?
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Ill agree with the first post. Its a combination of both. Yes the great man serves as the driving force behind the spearhead of all great historical moments but the influence of great men are always driven by the situation at hand. Hitler was an evil but brilliant mind. Had the treaty of Versailles been more forgiving and had Germany been allocated aid and redevelopment instead of reperations and restrictions, the popular sentiment would not have been there for Hitler to build on.
Similarly had the French directorate of 1785-89 consolidated mroe control over the country and not given in to corruption there likely would not have been nearly the amount of will to see a general (who ahd just failed miserably in Egypt) take the reigns of the three party consulate.
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