Historiography, Intelligence, Wisdom, Machiavellianism - Essay Example

This theory is commonly associated with the main events of the 20th century, in which both world wars occurred, the nuclear bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, millions of Jewish people and other ethnic and social groups were brutally killed during the Holocaust, and many atrocities took place and challenged human conception about people, humanity and mankind in general.

Trying to connect atrocities and brutal, ferocious events such as conquests and annihilation of peoples with the theory is a bit problematic, though. When thinking of men like Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador that has invaded America and eventually slaughtered the Native Americans extremely viciously, or like Hitler, which ascended to power in Germany in 1933 and was responsible for the most horrific murders of over 6,000,000 people, there's a difficulty in attributing the word "great" to them.

Let's take the case of Cortes, for example. He had arrived in North America and at first befriended the Native Americans, accepting their gifts, enjoying their hospitality, and planning some kind of cooperation with them. However, as time went on, major differences started to be evident between the Spanish army that mingled with the Native Americans. For example, the Spanish had a hard time understanding the religious customs and traditions the latter had. They saw some of their rituals as barbaric and primitive since they involved human sacrifice and body mutilation. In time, tensions grew between the two groups until they reached a boiling point.

From that point on, what happened was debatably inevitable. But was it? Cortes was singlehandedly responsible for the brutal killing of many Indians, and what had previously started as an amicable friendship turned into a most gruesome bloodbath. Cortes refused to back down and was relentless in his quest to vanquish the Native Americans. His motive was to eradicate the natives and become a governor for this newly discovered land, gain respect, status, and wealth, and use the local resources to establish a thriving Spanish colony in this new land. In other words, he was driven by greed, a hunger for power, and self-motivation.

Let's take another example, one from a recent time. Hitler ascended to power through democratic elections but quickly began changing the reality of Germany in the 1930s. Motivated by his intense and unyielding hatred of foreigners and especially Jewish people, he began carrying out his plan to make their lives in Germany impossible, starting to implement and carry out undemocratic laws that severely hurt their way of life. Basic freedoms were denied of them, as preparation for a more horrible future. Eventually, Hitler declared war on neighboring countries and eventually on all of Europe, alienating Russia which was his ally at the beginning. Germany gained power and defeated nearly all the major countries in Europe. He even invaded North Africa. Meanwhile, labor camps and death camps were raised to systematically and most horribly murder innocent people.

It is clear that both men, along with others, had a strong charisma, and could appeal to the masses and convince them that their way is right. They used their cunning and manipulation skills to carry out their plans. However, we must notice that other factors were also important in this regard. Cortes was faced with a more primitive people, and though his men were outnumbered, they possessed supreme military superiority, and their guns and horses scared and brought fear into the hearts of the natives. This, and Cortes' cooperation with other native tribes, gave Cortes a victory over his native enemies.

In the case of Hitler, there were major circumstances in Germany that allowed him to take over it and wash it over with his Nazism and Fascism, filling the country with hatred and death. Germany was beaten down, and miserable, feeling resentment, shame, anger, and frustration at their condition after World War I. In their submission treaty after the war had ended, embarrassing compromises were demanded of the Germans, and the subsequent years of their lives were filled with an increasing level of frustration and humiliation in their situation. Things got so bad that the price of bread rose dramatically and people had to take a mortgage to pay for it! There were serious socio-economic, political, and other conditions that were a firm ground upon which Hitler could establish his rule. The "great man" theory cannot explain their feats by merely saying they did it on their own and due to their personality