Today: Consider different theories of history and evaluate causes of important historical events.

AOK: History

WHAT IS THE FACTOR THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?!?!?!??!?!

“The human universe is so enormously complicated that to speak of the cause of any event is an absurdity.”

H.A.L. Fisher

Theories of history?

General factors that may contribute to significant events in history:

Geographical conditionsSocial and economic conditionsIndividual motivesChance occurrences

Casual Factors…

Think about some of the different countries in our world. To what extent do you think that a country’s history has been influenced by its geography?

United States?Canada?Italy?Sweden?Mexico?_______________?

?

The course of history is mainly determined by great individuals

“The history of modern Europe can be written in terms of three titans: Napoleon, Bismarck, and Lenin.” –A.J.P. Taylor

Implication: If these individuals had not existed, history would be very different

“Great Person” Theory

If you could travel back in time and interview ONE character from history, who would it be?

What are at least three questions you would ask him?

?

Hitler seeks a job as a stage designer. Too afraid to knock.

“If Hitler has been taken up by Roller, he would have been very happily engaged as a stage designer. It would have been heaven for him.” –Frederick Spotts

How different do you think 20th century history would have been if Hitler had summoned up the courage to knock on Roller’s door?

?

Empathy?R.G. Collingwood

“all history is the history of thought.”Use empathy to understand history the way an

agent would

CriticismsThere are merits, but it is difficult to empathize

with the mean monsters of history

Great Person Theory: Empathy

Does the great person theory exaggerate the role played by individuals in the process of historical change?

How important are individuals?

History is determined by economic factors (Karl Marx!)

It is not great individuals but rather technological and economic factors that are the engines of historical change. –MarxI can predict history!

Was influential, but now rejected…it is intuitively implausible to predict history from a study of history.

Economic Determinism

What invention do you think has had the most decisive impact on history in the last 2,000 years? Explain.

?

“The history of the world is but the biography of great men.”

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

Agree? Disagree?What does the word “great” mean in this

quote?

Quote

“What is history but a fable agreed upon?”Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

To what extent is this quote true?What are some events in history that you feel

are “fables” and explained inaccurately?

Quote

“No man ever yet tried to write down the entire truth of any action in which he was engaged.”T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935)

Thoughts?Agree?Examples?

Quote