Nov 30 2023 59 mins 8
On this week's episode of History Reconsidered, Sumantra Maitra and Jarrett Stepman discuss "Great Man Theory" in the second episode of a three part series on the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The so-called Great Man Theory of history, most famously described by historian Thomas Carlyle in the 19th century, has fallen out of favor in the academy. More frequently, history is thought to be shaped by vast unseen social forces rather than individuals. But is that true? Does the life of Napoleon prove that Great Man Theory still has merit or was he merely the product of the time in which he lived?
Maitra and Stepman talk about Napoleon in his prime when he not only proved to be one of the great geniuses of military history, but an able statesman, lawgiver, and diplomat too.
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