The document discusses various perspectives on the nature of history through quotes attributed to historical figures. It then addresses how history is defined, including facts that are agreed upon versus historians' interpretations. The rest of the document covers eyewitness accounts of history, debates around what makes an event historically significant, perspectives on the importance and uses of history, and challenges that historians face in accurately reconstructing and analyzing past events.

1. History

2. “history is more or less
bunk”
Henry Ford (1863-1947)
“history will be kind to
me, for I intend to write it”
Winston Churchill (1874-
1965)
“history is but the register of
human crimes and misfortunes”
Voltaire (1694-1778)
“Anyone can make
history. Only a
great man can
write it”
Oscar Wilde
(1854-1900)
“No man yet tried
to write down the
entire truth of any
action in which he
was engaged”
Oscar Wilde
(1854-1900)
“What is history, but a fable agreed upon?”
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

3. How do we define history?
1. Facts that can’t be disputed, e.g. King
Harold of England died at the Battle of
Hastings in 1066. These facts are fixed
2. Historiography is how historians use the
evidence available to construct a credible
account of the whys, whos and
wherefores. Through this, they try to
explain motivation and consequences
historiography

4. Eyewitness to history
• Can we pick as a class a “momentous”
event that happened in the school over the
last few weeks
1. What were the most important aspects of this event?
2. What are the five most important events that have
happened over the last year in the school?
3. What are the 3 most important things that the year 13s
will have gained from their time in the Edron when they
finally graduate?
4. How could a researcher best gain an idea of the
“culture” and ambience of the Edron in 2016/2017?
5. Who is best qualified to write a history of the Edron: a
graduate, a teacher, a parent, a member of the school
board, a local person, a journalist, or someone else?

5. Eyewitness to History
• How did we decide what the “momentous event”
was? Was there some disagreement?
• What kind of thing do you base your decision of
the five most important events in the last year?
Do we all have very different values?
• What “materials” would be most useful to a
historian looking to write a history of the Edron
Academy in 100 years time?
• What kind of definition would you use to decide
whether an event is “historical” or not?

6. Historical significance
• Rank the historical significance of the following
events, justifying your choices
– The publication of Darwin’s “On the Origin of
Species”, in 1856
– Your previous class
– The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948
– The 1966 World Cup, won by England
– The birth of Carlos Slim in 1940
– The death of Princess Diana in 1997
– The attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001

7. The Importance of history
• History gives a sense of identity
• History is a defense against propaganda
• History allows us to better understand
human nature
• History is objective
What is history?

8. 1. History gives us a sense of identity
• On an individual and societal level, identity
cannot exist without knowledge of the past
– “A country without history is like a person without
a memory” Arthur Schlesinger
• Do you think the conquistadors made an
active effort to destroy Aztec history in
Mexico in order to subdue them? If so, did
they succeed?
Memento

9. 2. History is a defence against
propaganda

10. 3. History allows us to understand
human nature
• This is a commonly held viewpoint, and
often is equated with the idea “we must
stop history repeating itself”
• However, we have to guard against history
becoming “self-realising”
– For example “War is part of human nature,
therefore war is inevitable”

11. 4. History is objective
• Since history is, by definition, in the past it
cannot be changed
– “In a very real sense the study of history is
concerned with a subject matter more objective and
independent than that of the natural sciences. Just
because historical matter is in the past, is gone…
its objective reality is guaranteed; it is beyond being
altered for any purpose whatsoever.”
G.R. Elton, historian (1921 –
94)
“Though God cannot alter the past, historians can.”
Samuel Butler, author (1835 – 1902)

12. Problems facing historians
• Significance (what makes a historic
event?)
• Too little evidence (e.g. our entire
knowledge of the Greco-Persian Wars,
c.485-420 BC, is based on one account by
the Greek historian Herodotus)
• Too much evidence (what would you
include in a book you are writing about the
history of 2016?)

13. Problems facing historians
• Sources
• Which is more reliable – a primary source
or a secondary source?
• All secondary sources must be based on
primary sources

14. Problems facing historians
• Fallible eye witnesses
– Sense perception is untrustworthy. It is shaped by self-
interest, emotion, empathy, culture…
• Bias
– Primary sources may reflect the cognitive biases of the
writer. e.g. in the past only the literate (and perhaps the
most religious) were able to record historical events
• Manipulation
– Primary sources may be changed by governments or other
institutions with special interests