The idea of the Great Man : selected issues

The paper analyses the importance of an individual in history making. It summarizes both psychological and historical reasons of people’s admiration towards specific individuals who are considered to have enormous influence on history. It presents research in different kinds of scientific fields with the emphasis on political science. The paper compares a number of approaches to the Great Man Theory, stressing the importance of Thomas Carlyle';s and Gieorgij Plechanow's interpretations. It presents counterarguments and theories claiming a decline in the importance of the individual per se and the individual in history making.