For individuals and collectives, the timeless adage persists: those who fail to learn from history are bound to relive it. I am always shocked at how the human experience repeats itself. Every couple of centuries, the same cycles play out: timeless empires collapsing, new forms of science disproving universally accepted truths, or democracies turning into dictatorships.
Repeating mistakes is part of the human condition and can be forgivable, but at the very least, people should study history. Learning about the past is necessary to change the future. Moreover, history is a crucial prerequisite for understanding almost any subject: politics, economics, sociology, religion, anthropology, and more.
What particularly saddens me is that social movements rarely learn. So many activists have fought similar battles and faced identical defeats. Yet, after each failure, a new generation comes up to make the same mistakes over again. While there are many valid reasons why social movements continually fail, I wonder if one contributing factor is the absence of cross-generational links in some movements.
Would Occupy Wall Street have successfully changed the American political settlement in 2012 if it had modelled more tactics on the successes of labour movements of the 1910s? We will never know for sure, but it is certainly worth considering.
Accordingly, my advice is that everyone, member of a social movement or not, studies history, particularly for the following reasons:
the past is more similar than it appears
It is easy to ignore history because it seems irrelevant to the modern world. People tend to believe their generation is special, facing unique problems. While it is true that the material world is in flux, so long as humans remain human, the key themes will stay the same. The world is different now than at other points in time, but identifying key historical patterns that are likely to repeat once more is worthwhile.
Ignoring history disrespects previous generations
Failing to study history is a disservice to those who learned valuable lessons worth passing on. Each generation runs headfirst into the same problems without asking if previous generations have found solutions. Some people, particularly elders in society, are itching to tell their stories, and ignoring them increases the likelihood that the same problems will repeat.
Understanding history helps people resist propaganda
George Orwell once wrote that someone who “controls the past controls the future,” and he could not have been more right. Special interests across the globe are constantly rewriting history in the hope of gaining control over respective populations. The more people lose touch with their roots, the easier it is to reshape ideas and philosophies. Accordingly, studying history is a social responsibility because it helps keep the truth alive, regardless of what others may want society to believe.
History is fascinating
The education system has discouraged people from studying history by overemphasizing European pedagogies, the memorization of dates, and dry, un-personal stories. True history is much broader; humanity is tens of thousands of years old and full of the most awe-inspiring stories. Each person can find something that speaks to their life experiences or interests. History is fascinating; the key to unlocking it is simply to find an area of interest.
History is a worthwhile subject and deserves special consideration. It is easy to assume that the past is somehow different and, therefore, not worth studying. The reality is that history is full of some of the most exciting and important lessons, particularly for those who are a part of social movements or organizations. Learning about history is crucial for changing the future and preserving cross-generational links, ensuring that humanity does not perpetually repeat the same mistakes.
Dakota McGovern 