Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Thomas Carlyle’s Great Man Theory is a controversial historical lens that argues world history is merely the biography of a select few figures. From Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great to Napoleon and Shakespeare, elite figures use creative genius and willpower to shape civilization. Carlyle’s "top-down" history contrasts Herbert Spencer’s social history and Howard Zinn’s "history from below." But Great Man theory is more than just history --Machiavelli and Plutarch believed it could be used to achieve real world success.

01:15 Thomas Carlyle
02:23 What Makes a Hero?
04:38 6 Types of Heroes
05:37 Plutarch
06:20 Machiavelli
07:50 Social History
09:55 What We Learn from Great Men

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