what problems are raised by regarding history as the plaything of individual figures?

Answer 1

Such an approach, popular during the nineteenth century, ignores the role of broad social movements and trends in shaping individuals; it disregards the reality, that most people act in ways that are determined by their circumstances and their upbringing. Thus, it tends to overestimate the amount of influence one person's personality can have on the course of history. Hitler would not have been Hitler without millions of willing followers.