One day, while studying in high school, I witnessed an interesting scene in the classroom.On that day, history teacher asked the class a question: "Why do we study history?" It was all of that breed of teachers who like to put their own students to a standstill, seemingly simple question.Now it seems ridiculous, but then we are five minutes graduates already have very extensive knowledge base, trained quite succinctly express their thoughts and failed to articulate clearly answer why we study history.Really, why?We learn foreign languages, as it is an added bonus to our training in the future work, we have studied mathematics and physics because of their applied nature for all engineering, and why do we study history?No, intuitively we all knew that the memory of national and world history is essential, but the wording of the answer to the question of why we study history in particular, has remained vague and uncertain.
Who controls the past ...
Later, I for myself built quite logical and correct explanation, but it was too lengthy and awkward, until a couple of years I have not read the famous dystopia Englishman George Orwell's "1984", which drew a picture of a totalitarianthe future of the planet.It was formulated by the brilliant phrase: "Who controls the past controls the future;who controls the present controls the past. "Extremely capacious and at the same time illuminating the whole explanation, responsible, why do we study history.After all, our whole civilization, by its global features to the smallest details, is the sum of all historical development and a direct result of the recent and very remote events.
And do not even need to go back in time to change history.Suffice it now to present his distorted version of negligent descendants, and will inevitably change the face of society.It is enough to retouch the crimes of the past century, and the greatest criminals present in bright colors benefactors.And now a new mood is literally in front of a changing society.What yesterday was shameful, now it becomes a matter of pride.He who yesterday was subjected to censure, now owns the world.And it is not as important as it happened in reality.
In actual fact any historical investigation inevitably doomed to impose modern judgments of motivation and morality to the actions of the past and establish the truth in the absolute impossible by definition.The important thing is how we presented today a distant event.Let it can not change the past, but it may change now.That is why it is so important in the historical memory of the policy of any social force.That is why politicians are fighting each other for their own vision of history as a victory in 1939, 1917, 1709 meters gives them no victory yesterday and today.And today gives power over the world.And for those who managed to find the answer to the question of why we study history, and learned the lessons of the past, it is often easier to understand the intricacies of today.
