Great Man Theory

The Great Man theory is a 19th-century idea according to which history can be largely explained by the
impact of "great men", or heroes; highly influential individuals who, due to either their personal
charisma, intelligence, wisdom, or political skill utilized their power in a way that had a decisive historical
impact. The theory was popularized in the 1840s by Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle. But in 1860 Herbert
Spencer formulated a counter-argument that has remained influential throughout the 20th century to the
present: Spencer said that such great men are the products of their societies, and that their actions
would be impossible without the social conditions built before their lifetimes.

Overview
Carlyle stated that "The history of the world is but the biography of great men", reflecting his belief that
heroes shape history through both their personal attributes and divine inspiration. In his book On
Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History, Carlyle set out how he saw history as having turned on
the decisions of "heroes", giving detailed analysis of the influence of several such men (including
Muhammad, Shakespeare, Luther, Rousseau, Pericles, and Napoleon). Carlyle also felt that the study
of great men was "profitable" to one's own heroic side; that by examining the lives led by such heroes,
one could not help but uncover something about one's true nature.

Along with Carlyle the Great Man theory was supported by American scholar Frederick Adams Woods.
In his work The Influence of Monarchs: Steps in a New Science of History Woods investigated 386
rulers in Western Europe from the 12th century till the French revolution in the late 18th century and
their influence on the course of historical events.

This theory is usually contrasted with a theory that talks about events occurring in the fullness of time, or
when an overwhelming wave of smaller events causes certain developments to occur. The Great Man
approach to history was most fashionable with professional historians in the 19th century; a popular
work of this school is the Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911) which contains lengthy and
detailed biographies about the great men of history, but very few general or social histories. For
example, all information on the post-Roman "Migrations Period" of European History is compiled under
the biography of Attila the Hun. This heroic view of history was also strongly endorsed by some
philosophical figures such as Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Spengler, but it fell out of favor after
World War II.[citation needed]

In Untimely Meditations, Nietzsche writes that: "...the goal of humanity lies in its highest specimens".

In Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard writes that: "...to be able to fall down in such a way that the same
second it looks as if one were standing and walking, to transform the leap of life into a walk, absolutely
to express the sublime and the pedestrian that only these knights of faith can do this is the one
and only prodigy."

Hegel, proceeding from providentialist theory, argued that what is real is reasonable and WorldHistorical individuals are World-Spirit's agents. Hegel opined: "Such are great historical menwhose
own particular aims involve those large issues which are the will of the World-Spirit." Thus, according to
Hegel, a great man does not create historical reality himself but only uncovers the inevitable future.

Criticism
One of the most forceful critics of Carlyle's formulation of the Great Man theory was Herbert Spencer,
who believed that attributing historical events to the decisions of individuals was a hopelessly primitive,
childish, and unscientific position. He believed that the men Carlyle called "great men" were merely
products of their social environment.

"[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."

Herbert Spencer, The Study of Sociology

Tolstoy's War and Peace features criticism of Great Man Theories as a recurring theme in the
philosophical digressions. According to Tolstoy, the significance of great individuals is imaginary; as a
matter of fact they are only history's slaves realizing the decree of Providence.

William James in his lecture 'Great Men and Their Environment' underlined the importance of the Great
Man's congruence with the surroundings (in the broad sense), though his ultimate point was that
environments and individuals shape each other reciprocally, just as environments and individual
members of animal species do according to Darwinian Theory.

Among modern critics of the theory of Great Man, one, Sidney Hook, is supportive of the idea; he gives
credit to those who shape events through their actions, and his book The Hero in History is devoted to
the role of the hero and in history and influence of the outstanding persons.

Leonid Grinin defines a historical figure (a Great Man) thus:

"Owing to his personal features, or to a chance, or to his social standing, or to the peculiarity of the
epoch, an individual by the very fact of his existence, by his ideas or actions (or inaction) directly or
indirectly, during his lifetime or after his death may have such an influence upon his own or another
society which can be recognized significant as he left a noticeable mark (positive, negative or
unambiguous) in history and in the further development of society."

So, he concludes that the role of Great Man depends on a number of factors, not none at all.

Name: Great Man Theory

Author: Popularized by Thomas Carlyle
Classification:Great Man Theory
Year: 1840's

Pro's
Starting point for the understanding of which human traits make great leaders
Con's
Leadership is a restricted community
No scientific validity
Overview
You may have heard people saying, "Great leaders are God-gifted, not man-made"? This quote reflects
the results conveyed by a very popular theory known as Great Man Theory of Leadership, which relates
to the fact that leadership traits are inbuilt. In other words, there is a binary answer to the question of
knowing whether you are a leader or not, meaning that you were either born as a great leader or not!
Factors such as your up-bringing, education, experiences are only modeling your leadership abilities;
they aren't responsible for making you a leader.

The History of Great Man Leadership Theory

During the 19th century, the Great Man Theory of Leadership became very popular. The theory was
formulated mainly by analyzing the behaviors of mainly military figures of the time. In the 1800s,
authoritative positions were held solely by men and were typically passed on from father to son. Thus,
it's not a coincidence that the theory was named "Great Man Theory" as there weren't any women that
were given the opportunity to rise when the occasion presented itself.

The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle was deeply involved with this Great Man Theory of Leadership
and had even stated that the history of this world was basically the combined biographies of these great
men. Mr. Thomas Carlyle believed that effective leaders were a package of Godly motivation and the
right personality.

Some Arguments against Great Man Theory

Herbert Spencer (1820 - 1903), famous sociologist said that great leaders were only products of the
atmosphere and society they worked and lived in. In other words, society was shaping these great men
as oppose to them shaping society!

Great Man Theory: Is it a myth?

The Great Man Theory is so engraved in our souls that we almost instantly connect authoritative figures
has having leadership qualities that should be replicated to become successful!

For example: Think of your favorite President or Prime Minister, depending where you live. Now, think of
the leadership attributes that you believe makes him or her worthy of the leadership label. Lastly, make
sure you seriously consider this before continuing on. Okay, the big realization: are these traits
emanating from his being or are they the fruits of all of the great leaders that are guiding him or her
behind the scene and who are never or almost never given the appropriate credit!

Yes, this simple exercise really demonstrates the fact that these "Great Man" subscribers aren't alone
nor are they the results of their "Godly motivation and personalities", as stated by Mr. Thomas Carlyle.
I'm not saying that they aren't great leaders, they certainly can be. However, we need to realize that
these "great man" weren't born great leaders, they had the potential of being a great leader just as the
rest of us, and their leadership abilities have, just like us, evolved from their education, experiences and
personalities combined with the social context in which they lived.

At last
There is no doubt that the Great Man Theory has no real credibility in terms of explaining how we can
become a great leader other than being born a leader. However, the writings of Thomas Carlyle were
definitely responsible for getting many great people thinking about leadership!

Assumptions
Leaders are born and not made.

Great leaders will arise when there is a great need.

Description
Early research on leadership was based on the the study of people who were already great leaders.
These people were often from the aristocracy, as few from lower classes had the opportunity to lead.
This contributed to the notion that leadership had something to do with breeding.

The idea of the Great Man also strayed into the mythic domain, with notions that in times of need, a
Great Man would arise, almost by magic. This was easy to verify, by pointing to people such as

Eisenhower and Churchill, let alone those further back along the timeline, even to Jesus, Moses,
Mohammed and the Buddah.

Discussion
The 'great man' theory was originally proposed by Thomas Carlyle.

Gender issues were not on the table when the 'Great Man' theory was proposed. Most leaders were
male and the thought of a Great Woman was generally in areas other than leadership. Most researchers
were also male, and concerns about androcentric bias were a long way from being realized.

It has been said that history is nothing but stories of great men. Certainly, much has this bias, although
there is of course also much about peoples and broader life.