In brief description, the Guy Fawkes mask dates back to the 1605 by a man named Guy Fawkes, a member of the failed Gunpowder Plot. Fawkes and several other Catholics made an attempt to destroy the house of Lords and assassinate King James 1 in order to put an end to the persecution of Catholics. The failed attempt occurred on November 5th, 1605, which is also the day when Moore's character V destroys the parliament in commemoration of Fawkes. After reading the graphic Novel, one can conclude that V is the successor of Fawkes, creating an alternative ending of Fawkes attempt to destroy the English Government.
On September 17, 2011, Americans united in New York to create a movement to represent the workers who lost their jobs and homes because of bankers and broker's lack of regulation and oversight by federal agencies. Similar to V for Vendetta, the protesters' motive was to unite as one, without having a leader. The crowd of protesters can be seen with the Guy Fawkes mask and a quote from the 2005 adaptation film and graphic novel that says,“People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” Many of the protesters believe that mask shows one "can seize hold of it for any political purpose you want." 
One group in particular that shows a reflection of the series' inspiration is the "We Are Anonymous" network. Describing themselves as an "internet gathering," the group is known for various hacking activities that expose the political corruption of the world, such as the hacking of a Fox News interview. The group widely believes in wearing the Guy Fawkes mask to represent the anonymity of the leaderless concept of the organization, as well as the allowance to freely speak against political issues without consequences. Two years after the premiere of the Vendetta movie, Anonymous used the mask to protest against the Church of Scientology; the group later influenced movements such as Wikileaks and Occupy Wall Street to use the mask. 
Though the mask reflects the life of Guy Fawkes, Alan Moore's innovative graphic novel and film allowed many people across the globe to recognize the works of Fawkes through V. The novel allows the legacy of Fawkes to be symbol of pride, rather than a symbol of failure by allowing the mask to unite humans as one. The 2005 film has a stronger meaning when applying the philosophies of V to political environment of America. We are all looking for something that'd allow us to unify and speak freely of the political issues throughout the world, and the Guy Fawkes masks supports that freedom.
