History is nothing but biographies of great men?

Question

Elucidate?

Answer 1

This is a pretty standard definition of history. However, it has recently come under dispute. Basically, it says that history is shaped by the deads of heroic and influential people. For example, American history could be read as a lineage of important people starting with George Washington and hitting on Lincoln, FDR, Nixon and so on.

This idea has come under attack as it is not seen as a negation or shifting to the periphery the experiences of common people, women, and minorities. Hence the resurgence in the study of slave narratives to document the Civil War as opposed to just looking at the addresses of Lincoln. In a broad sense, history is now being defined as a layering of the collective artifacts of everyday experience rather than the product of a select elite's actions.

Answer 2

This is a personal view of history, sometimes called idealistic. Basically it states that it is individuals of special ability (and luck) -- these "great men" of yours -- that shape history.
There is another, competing view, often called materialistic, and it stresses social pressures (often class struggle, since this view was first developed by Marx) rather then personal talents/shortcomings of leaders.
Which one is correct is an eternal question of historiographical debate, and most scholars usually present a mixture of the two, so that statement of yours is probably slightly too extreme in its nature.

Answer 3

Define great. If you mean great as in they did good things, your way off the mark. History is told through the eyes of men and women, therefore you could argue history is subjective.

Answer 4

No not really...History is also the biography of the world itself...With all its great tragedies, and great achievements
The biographies of the great men are just anecdotes along the way...

Answer 5

great is interior the eyes of the beholder, familiar Custard may be seen a great guy by many, yet others see the particularly great men as Sitting Bull and loopy horse . history has been written by the victor and the vanquished, no count how noble their reason became into lost to history.

Answer 6

Not true, Hitler & others who desired to spread hatred & genocide were not great men. History is the account of events past tense.
I hope this helps...

Answer 7

I totally disagree. History is an ACTION word. Without change, there would be no history. Humans are simple facilitators.

Answer 8

I'm guessing a woman didn't say that.