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why study history

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those who do not study history are compelled to repeat it

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but this sentence makes very little sense, in fact, it doesn't work like that

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it's good for the historians and advertisements, but beyond that, it has very little value

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the reason is that history does not, in fact, repeat itself

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life is complicated

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every historical event is complicated

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the most important aspect of historical events is not how they are the same, but how they are different

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looking for lessons in history is more likely to lead to trouble

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because we are bound to learn the wrong lessons

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example

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appeasement from 1936-1939

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there is agreement that this was an error

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but this does not mean that every bad historical actor should be resisted

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Stalin was arguably as wicked a human being as Hitler and may have had as many victims for which he was as responsible as Hitler, but they were not alike, they were different.

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they had different goals

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no matter how many horrible things he did to his own people, he didn't have the same aggressive intent in his mind

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so giving concessions to him could have been perfectly good diplomatic policy

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if we say that there are no lessons, then why study history

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what we learn from history is how human beings behaved in certain sets of circumstances

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we learn how some human institutions functions in different historical situations

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we gain a broader understanding of humanity, of who we are

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we understand a broader array of circumstances in which human beings have acted and performed

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and that may, but not necessarily, lead to wisdom

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will we be able to make better decisions as a result of having acquired wisdom

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we hope so

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and we should believe it makes a difference

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Russian Revolution

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changed not only Russia but the Western world

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the Nazis would not have come to power without the Russian Revolution of 1917

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the German people were afraid of the threat of Marxism and Communism

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the attitude of the Western world for making social changes was greatly enhanced by the threat of Russian communism

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in this way, Russia is very much a part of the European world and the Western world

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the greatness of Europe has been that separate national cultures have coexisted and responded to one another over centuries, and Russia has been very much part of this process

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it's difficult to imagine European culture without Russian writers, Russian scientists, and Russian musicians

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and, of course, the Russians were responding to Europe

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Russian history

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shows extreme circumstances

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it shows how human beings behaved in extraordinary circumstances

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Russian revolution was inspired by idealism

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the cost of the idealism

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Stalin is at the dark heart of Soviet history, you have to consider:

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what made it possible

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what live was like under it

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what were its consequences

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how did the economy recover from the destruction and terror caused by it