Question: Can the daily actions of average people have a significant impact on the course of history?
The actions of average people not only can have an impact on history but is often the driving force for history. While history is often told as a story of a few great individuals, there is far more power in the masses. Accounts of the French Revolution and the medieval poem Piers Plowman both show the importance of the actions of normal people.
While certain figures like Robespierre often come to mind when thinking about the French Revolution, the revolution was in essence driven by the masses. The two most significant events, the storming of the Bastille and the overthrow of King Louis, were both done by mobs of ordinary people. The Bastille was stormed by local farmers. Likewise, Louis was overthrown when a mob of working women from Paris stormed the Palace of Versailles. Neither effort was led by a single person, and they both dramatically changed the course of French History.
Piers Plowman tells the story of serfs in feudal medieval society. The poem is one of the most characteristic pieces of literature from the time period, and it shows how the common serf upholds society. While the lords and barons are greater than the serfs, it is the serfs who do all of the work to keep society alive. Piers Plowman is one of these serfs, and his daily actions are seen to provide food, alter the economy, and in his efforts to escape serfdom, even change the political landscape of England.
Massive societal upheavals like the French Revolution occur through the efforts of a dissatisfied public. Less revolutionary but still just as important are the masses of normal working people who uphold the very fabric of society. Whether it's through daily or revolutionary actions, average people control the course of history.
Can you please give what score you think this would get and also what I need to improve on?
