There are thousands of small men behind Great Men. One man could only change that much after all.

>>1031040
It's good if you like bedtime stories for autistic children.

>theory

>>1031040
I think that maybe 0.1% of the population ate capable of "great men" feats (meaning there are millions at any given time) but that it takes considerable historical fortune to do something like Caesar or Napolean.

You have to be in the right place, at the right time, and have led a life that made you capable and willing to take advantage when opportunity present itself. Imagine if Sulla had simply killed Caesar during his purges like he wanted to; we would have scarcely heard of the man.

There was only one great. Alexander the Great. Don't compare lesser plebs like Ceasar or Napoleon to him.

History does rely on the actions of single men. But they're not especially great, they were just carried by the historical waters.

Still, if Napoléon had decided to finish Spain before starting Russia, the world would be a different place.

100% true. People don't get anywhere without a competent leader. Just look at Singapore if you want one of the most blatant examples of this.

>>1031171
>Still, if Napoléon had decided to finish Spain before starting Russia, the world would be a different place.

Not it wouldnt
Spain was irrelevant, Napoleon would have had his armies detroyed in Russia regardless
Now if he had pushed toward Petersburg instead of sitting in Moscow until winter...

>>1031171
My advice: ignore Spain and Russia and completely conquer Austria instead, then split it on many puppet states. Even if Russia and Prussia intervened the war would take place on the ground convenient for Napoleon.

>>1031926
>completely conquer Austria instead, then split it on many puppet states.
THats what happened in the First, Second, Third and Fifth Coalition Wars

>>1031148
A Drunkard who failed to build anything lasting.

>>1031951
Nope
Nappy conquered Austria plenty of times, but he never annexed/dismantled it
Each time he made them sign some peace and gave them their soveignty back (which is pretty dumb cause they would always end up attacking France again some times after)

>>1031040
There is some merit to the idea, but the way most people imagine it is much too simplistic

>>1031040
'great men' are catalysts in the chemical reactions that make up historical change

History wouldn't look anything alike without each individual king making his own decisions, or each individual warlord taking power. I believe in the great man theory 100%

Sometimes it applies, sometimes it doesn't

"[Y]ou must admit that the genesis of a great man depends on the long series of complex influences which has produced the race in which he appears, and the social state into which that race has slowly grown.... Before he can remake his society, his society must make him."

This thread is disappointing

>sage chat

Hey, guys. Sage when posting in this off topic chat space. The mods will never know. Teehee!