the great unwashed vs people

the great unwashed and people both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
the great unwashed	Yes	No	No	No
people	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, the great unwashed and people are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of the great unwashed include hoi polloi, mass, masses, multitude.

the great unwashed (noun)	people (noun)
the common people generally	(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
	the body of citizens of a state or country
	members of a family line
	the common people generally

the great unwashed (verb)	people (verb)
	fill with people
	furnish with people