Another proud member of the irony-based community.
In 1917 European history, in the old sense, came to an end. World history began. It was the year of Lenin and Woodrow Wilson, both of whom repudiated the traditional standards of political behaviour. Both preached Utopia, Heaven on Earth. It was the moment of birth for our contemporary world; the dramatic moment of modern man's existence.-- A.J.P. Taylor, The First World War, at 165.
"Mysterious Jackson area lawyer's blog about history, literature, and whatever irks him." -- NMC
"Just a hypersensitive pantywaist probably of Gallic descent who still suffers nightmares over what Gaius Julius did to your people 2,000 years ago." -- Kingfish
And therefore, reader, I myself am the subject of my book; it is not reasonable that you should employ your leisure on a topic so frivolous and so vain.
-- Montaigne, Essays, "To the Reader.""I shall see myself, I shall read myself, I shall go into ecstacies, and I shall ask -- Is it possible that I have so much ésprit?"
-- Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols.... the torturer has become – like the pirate and slave trader before him – hostis humani generis, an enemy of all mankind.
-- Filártiga v. Peña-Irala, 630 F.2d 876, 890 (2d Cir. 1980)
Didn't world history begin when various cultures started interacting on a world-wide basis? A lot before 1917?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure 1917 seems as clear a break now as it might have seemed to Taylor when he was writing. But then he knew a lot more about this than I ever will.
I suppose Taylor meant that (Old) Europe ceased to be in the driver's seat.
ReplyDeleteBut really, I think the main goal he had was to treat Lenin and Wilson as equivalents, however briefly. Taylor's rhetoric is what makes him enjoyable and, sometimes, unreliable.
... Regardless, WW1 *was* I think the watershed moment; the 20th century began in 1914, and ended either in 1991 when the Soviets fell, or on 9/11/2001.
European history, in the old sense, ended with the calling of the Estates General in 1789. World War I was just the final battle in that upheaval.
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea, Rebelyell, tho if that's the case, then I might pick 1945 as the terminal date. Or are you thinking about the disappearance of empires from Europe?
ReplyDeleteI'm really thinking about the disappearance of empires. No doubt WWII came about because of the mess left behind from WWI, but WWI and the Russian Revolution put an end to the age of noble states.
ReplyDeleteMy son asked me some years ago what caused WWII and since we were on a long car trip my wife and I started with the breakdown of the Ancien Regime. It certainly helps children develop a long view of things.
Your son, then, has already learned more history than most high school graduates have. Good work!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid if you asked him about the Schlieffen Plan or any of the rest of it today, you'd get a blank stare. But hopefully there is a layer of memory down there somewhere.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I both love history and social studies. Both of our children (10 and 11) hate it, at least as they have been taught it. I don't know whether it is because of political correctness in that maybe they are being taught about cultures they simply don't identify with; all I know is they don't like it. So sad.
I wouldn't blame PC right away, tho it's not always a good thing. History teachers have a wonderful way of failing to make history interesting; I think it needs to be presented as a narrative.
ReplyDeleteThe pomos more than the PC's may be to blame; skepticism about Grand Narratives ("the rise of the West") makes narrative more challenging. I say teach the narrative *and* encourage the more aware students to challenge it.
Depends on who you ask, I guess. I know some archaeologists that invoke the idea of "world systems" a lot earlier than historians would care to permit.
ReplyDeleteAs for "the dramatic moment of modern man's existence," I'd say it either began or ended on Aug, 6, 1945.
Next up: when did sexual intercourse begin? 1963, or earlier?
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