<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Great_Man_theory" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Great_Man_theory</a><p><pre><code>  &gt; The theory was popularized in the 1840s by Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle.
  &gt; But in 1860 Herbert Spencer formulated a counter-argument that has remained
  &gt; influential throughout the 20th century to the present; Spencer said that
  &gt; such great men are the products of their societies, and that their actions
  &gt; would be impossible without the social conditions built before their
  &gt; lifetimes.</code></pre>