Remembering History Accurately

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the minimization of the horrors of the twentieth century. The paper explains that this has not only led to a disrespectful attitude regarding some of these horrors and their survivors, but has also increased the risk that similar events will occur in the twenty-first century. The paper examines three instances of historical revisionism; one that has lasted almost 70 years, (Holocaust denial) and resulted in an increase in anti-Semitism and two that are just beginning to effect social and political concerns, (the war in Iraq and the crises in Darfur.) The paper shows how accurate historical memories are absolutely essential to the future of the world.

From the Paper:

"One of the problems that have consistently plagued historians who are seeking to teach history in a manner aimed at solving social problems is the concept of revisionist history. There are a myriad of definitions of revisionist history, many of them tailored to address specific issues that arise as a result of specific historical events. For example, for many years history textbooks in the American south continued to teach about slavery from a context of benevolent paternalism. One problem with historical revisionism is that by minimizing the horrors of the past, one renders oneself powerless to address the very real problems that exist in the present-day as a result of those horrors."

Sample of Sources Used:

• BBC. "Q&A: Sudan's Darfur Conflict." BBC. 2007. BBC. 1 Feb. 2007<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3496731.stm>.
• CNN. "Iran Plans Holocaust Conference." CNN. 2006. Cable News Network LP, LLP. 1 Feb.2007 <http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/15/iran.holocaust/>.
• Holocaust-history.org. "Questions and Answers on 'Revisionism' and the Holocaust."
• Holocaust-history.org. 2006. www.holocaust-history.org. 1 Feb. 2007 <http://www.holocaust-history.org/denial/revisionism-qa.shtml>.
• Tychostup, Lorna. "Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq? U.N. Expert Disputes U.S." War

More papers on Remembering History Accurately:

• Research Paper # 107779 : "Oral History and Historiography"
• Term Paper # 100999 : "Walter Benjamin's "Theses on the Philosophy of History"
• Essay # 32435 : " Discovering History in China"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: