Another skill is the proficiency to help you learn from not only mistakes, but also ‘right’ decisions composed in the past, which is something that is not gifted enough credit. Too many historians focus on the correct but too narrow-minded view that you can only learn from mistakes made in the past. For example, in an article on the History of Medicine, Virginia Berridge talks of the establishment of the Health Protection Agency ‘the committee reviewed its own documentation to make sure it was being consistent in its decision making, or was not repeating mistakes.’. In this, she makes no indication of any ‘right’ decisions the NHS may have conceived and how that may have influenced policy-making.
Continuing with the crafts history teaches but also exploring it’s impact upon society; people in influential positions owe it to citizens to possess, as Tosh puts it ‘a sound historical understanding’ which ‘is key to the policy making process.’[4]. Tosh believes that being well-versed in history is crucial in making critical decisions about todays world. He uses the example in his book (Why History Matters) of Britain’s occupation of Iraq in the 1930‘s and how modern foreign-policy makers should have used this as a basis for policy making decisions[5]. Would Hitler have invaded Russia in WWII had he meticulously studied Napoleon’s attempt? Had he been better informed (by looking further back at invasions of Russia across centuries) would his decision have differed?
Although, Tosh argues that history is another world[6]. When a comparable problem arises in the present to one in the past, there will undoubtably be a vast void in the cultural, political and economic backgrounds. The decision made then may not necessarily be appropriate for the current situation. He believes everything should be put into context; and things should be contextualised. Tosh maintains decisions should only be looked to in the past for reference and should be used to give ‘another vantage point from which to view our own circumstances’[7] about todays issue. He draws on an example by Lucien Febvre, saying that ‘pre-industrial people spend half their lives in total darkness. “can we really believe that a life of this sort fashioned in men the same mental habits and the same ways of thinking, the same desires, the same actions and reactions as our own life does in us?”’[8] This shows, as Tosh proposes, ‘the otherness of the past’.
Due to the close relationship that these two points share, I have already looked at the impacts upon society; however I would like to consider them in more detail from here on. Firstly; if, for example, a society were not competant in the analytical skills history teaches, they would be at the mercy of the media. Without the ability to analyse the information they provide, and without the crucial understanding that they are there to make money, credulity amongst society would ensue. This would have an adverse effect on the political stability of a country. Due to their capability to sway voters, parties’ would have a tendency to “pander” to these institutions rather than focus on policy making, they would compete to give more attractive tax breaks to them.
History serves other purposes, it is an indicator of our heritage. Knowing where we came from can draw a proud sense of our shared identity, and thereby helping to give us a sense of belonging and purpose. Individuals can feel very lost in a modern ‘multi-cultural’ society and the study of history can uncover their customs, culture and ancestors. Something they can take immense pride in. Drawing upon a local example in the community, there is an Afro-Caribbean community centre in Toxteth, Liverpool. This shows a group of people who have a clear indication of their cultural history and share in a proud display of their national identity with one-another.
Penelope Corfield backs up this thesis with a statement in an article, saying ‘The study of the past is essential for “rooting” people in time. And why should that matter? The answer is that people who feel themselves to be rootless live rootless lives, often causing a lot of damage to themselves and others in the process.’[9] She talks about the impact of ‘others’ and this therefore resonates with the view of how it can impact society.
Studying History also greatly advances our knowledge and understanding of other cultures, which preaches tolerance and empathy. For example, it is just as important for students to be educated that Britain employed concentration camps in the Boer War[10], as it is to be educated that Germany did in 1939-1945. Important because it doesn’t portray Germany to be inhuman and the British always as liberal freedom fighters, it shows we are also capable of atrocities, which dissuades the notion that we are biologically superior to other countries and helps to dismantle fascism.
Continuing with other cultures, Daniel Snowman links the relevance of history to understanding present day issues, saying ‘one can hardly make sense of the present at all without at least some effort to understand how things came to be the way they are.’[11]. By explaining present day issues, (he uses Israelis and Palestinians and Irish Protestants and Catholics) he shows you require an amount of historical knowledge and understanding to even begin to comprehend these problems. He states these groups ‘have appealed to history to help boost their cause, to justify the present or to reinforce the dream of an alternative future.’[12]. In this way, Snowman links present day issues and the future to issues in the past, further adding to why Historical perspective and understanding matter.
History doesn’t just matter because of all the positive things it teaches us, it also matters because of negative events it produces. The first world war is always seen as negative, but no one would say that it doesn’t matter. It is important to remember these events, such as WWI or Mao’s great leap forward, to serve as a reminder of the barbarism of the human species and to further extend our appreciation of the modern liberal age we live in. A point to note would be the 2011 London Riots; if these individuals realized that just c.150 years ago most of them would be living around ‘heaps of garbage and ashes’ and ‘foul liquids emptied before the doors gather in stinking pools’ [13]then they may have been more grateful for the age which they live in. A opportunity for history to show it could matter.
In conclusion, why does History matter? History matters for a number of reasons, the simplest way of comprehending these is dividing them up into two categories and then exploring them and the link between them. In the case of the skills it teaches, it is imperative to be well versed with these skills, otherwise it can above all to being naive. I have shown how being naive can lead to atrocities with my Nazi Germany example (which in turn is part of the category effecting society).
History matters because it encompasses everything, as I have shown it does not only encompass the past but also has an impact on the future. It effects society, culture, economy, politics and more. The reasons previously stated in this essay show some of the reasons why History matters.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Abelard P., Sic et Non, (c.1130)
Secondary Sources
Berger S., History and national identity: why they should remain divorced, (2007) <> [accessed 21 October 2012]
Corfield P., ‘All people are living histories - which is why History matters’ (2008) <> [accessed 21 October 2012]
Engels F., The condition of the working class in England in 1844, (England: The Echo Library, 2009)
Evans R.J., In defence of history, (Britain: Granta Books, 1997)
Morgan K. O., The Oxford illustrated history of Britain, (England: Oxford University Press, 1984),
Snowman D., Historians, (Great Britain: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007)
Tosh J., Why History Matters, (China: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008)
[1]ib S. Berger, History and national identity: why they should remain divorced, (2007) <> [accessed 21 October 2012]
[2] P. Abelard, Sic et Non, (c.1130)
[3] R. J. Evans, In defence of history, (Britain: Granta Books, 1997) pp. 80.
[4] J. Tosh, Why History Matters, (China: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), pp. 25-41.
[5] Ibid., pp.
[6] Ibid., pp.25-41
[7]Ibid.,
[8] Ibid., pp. 27-28.
[9] P. Corfield, ‘All people are living histories - which is why History matters’ (2008) <> [accessed 21 October 2012]
[10] K. O. Morgan, The Oxford illustrated history of Britain, (England: Oxford University Press, 1984), pp. 509
[11] D. Snowman, Historians, (Great Britain: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) pp. 8
[12] ibid. pp.8
[13] F. Engels, The condition of the working class in England in 1844, (England: The Echo Library, 2009) pp. 83