To give it those qualities, the protagonists must represent well- entrenched forces (typically social classes), and the issues must have profound meaning to them.
Such a struggle is likely to begin as the result of the emergence of a new elite that arouses a depressed and previously leaderless social group into concerted action.
Yet the particular social composition of the contending forces, both leaders and followers, and the specific nature of the issues will vary widely from one country to the next and in the same country from period to period.