Introduction A number of historical texts have been written down the ages that have had a great influence on how different cultures and civilizations behaved. The paper would discuss some of the texts written by Marco Polo, Racchus Babeuf, Karl Marx and Frederick Engel, Dennis O’Neil, Eviatar Zerubavel and the text The Peloponnesian War. Gracchus Babeuf – The Manifesto of the Equals, 1796 The text by Gracchus (1776) shows the revolutionary notions of liberté, egalité and fraternité that he expanded beyond the political, social and legal realm into the cultural and economic. True equality, Babeuf argued would mean common property as well as a common government. The text shows one of the ways in which ideas of freedom have broadened since 1789 and is a good example of the most radical thinking to emerge from the French Revolution, Conspiracy for Equality. The document was written when the French Revolution was nearing its end. Before the term began, I had the feeling that in the French Revolution, the aristocracy was overthrown and the common man was in power. But the text shows that this is not true and Gracchus has claimed that while the old aristocracy was overthrown, it had been replaced by another elite who were as bad as the previous ones. The following passage from the text shows what I mean “ The French Revolution is but the forerunner of another revolution far grander, far more solemn, and which will be the last. The people have marched over dead bodies against the kings and priests coalesced against it; it will do the same against the new tyrants — against the new political Tartuffes who have usurped the places of the old ”. Gracchus believed that the new order that had been forced on the common citizens had not brought equality to the masses. The masses still struggled as before and the very sense of equality was distorted. The people still worked as hard as before but for different masters who treated them equally cruelly. So true quality had never been attained and in its place, there was a new form of slavery. This sentiment is best expressed in the following paragraph “ What do we want,” you ask, “more than equality of rights?” We want that equality not merely written in the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen;” we want it in the midst of us — under the roofs of our houses. We consent to everything for it — to become as pliable wax, in order to have its characters engraved upon us. Perish, if needs be, all the arts, provided real equality abides with us !” The author has thoroughly criticized the manner in which the land was distributed and there was no equality in the distribution since the majority of the land had been allotted to a few tribes, soldiers or businessmen who favoured the new regime. It must be noted that while the majority of issues that the author has raised are true, he does not speak of the manner in which equality can be distributed. His claims that education should be given to all and equal food for all does not speak of how this could be achieved and more importantly, who would provide them. In a way, the anguish that the author speaks of can be seen in every state and country whether a new president is elected or a new dictator c