Santayana’s
famous quote is a particularly dark statement at the moment.
Even more ominous is the following: what is the fate of
those who never learned about the past in the first place?
The study of history in school has become a relic, lost
in the curricula of practical courses needed for the job
market. Millennials are in real trouble here. There are
many reports that can be quoted (i.e. Chicago Tribune).
“History departments are downsizing drastically because
of lower enrollment . . . the University of Wisconsin (
Stevens) is shutting down its history department.”
Inside Higher Ed reports on the “Vanishing
History Major” . . . there are dozens of analogous
alarms.
Another particularly
insidious development is the politicalization of teaching
history. CAP analyzes “Book Banning, Curriculum Restrictions,
and the Polticalizations of U.S. Schools.” It notes,
for example, that in Texas 713 books have been banned from
public schools.
Add to these
developments the popularity of dubious media figures who
utilize references to “alternate facts,” “fake
news” claims of election fraud, and lies about documented
Congressional revelations to gain ratings and you have the
virtual disappearance of historical truth. In October, a
Gallup survey found that just 34 percent of Americans trusted
respected media to report the news fully, accurately and
fairly with much of the remainder relying on preposterous,
inane, and often slanderous social media to obtain ‘reliable’
information.
What then are
populations to do to obtain deeper knowledge, meaningful
insight and increased wisdom in their lives? Eons ago, Aristotle
questioned even accurate history as a means capable of revealing
total awareness of difficult societal problems, and mysteries
of human behaviour. Even super-accurate history could not
account for the total psychological, imaginative, sensual,
and spiritual elements of human behaviour. But all was not
lost.
In his Poetica,
the legendary philosopher showed that great art from geniuses
could communicate huge depth and insight into the aforementioned
societal and human behavioural enigmas. And he was lucky
because he could turn to the titanic achievements of Greek
dramatists -- Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes
-- to illustrate his argument. Ever since, we have turned
to the great artists of the world -- Dante, Shakespeare,
Da Vinci, Mozart, and many others -- to learn about ourselves
and have enjoyed doing it.
In our own time
we have an art form that can communicate in the most dramatic
way -- film.
Often, talented filmmakers will use their medium to deepen
and sometimes correct significant historical accounts of
human events.
A current example
of how a film artist can look back at history and reveal
truth is a movie about WW l. Because of the sketchy history
courses in schools that I spoke about above, few young and
even middle aged people have any significant knowledge of
events surrounding that horrific war. Few understand that
feuds among ancient European families were responsible for
escalating argument into violent carnage. Many ironies abound
here. Historical study reveals that Germany could have easily
fought alongside England in opposing France and last minute
posturing among the ruling families was responsible for
setting up the axis vs. allies structure of England, France,
Italy, Russia and eventually America against Germany, Austria-
Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire. Less understood
is the introduction of chemical weaponry to wreak unimaginable
havoc on both sides who, incredibly, fought most of the
war in trenches so that neither side advanced and tens of
millions of soldiers died for nothing. When an armistice
was put forth to end the conflict at 11 o’clock on
November 11th, generals on both sides (including U.S. general
Pershing) 
could
not resist last minute glory, ordered their armies to battle
and 10,000 soldiers died on that last day.
Even though
both sides bore responsibility for causing the war, the
Allies led by the French, exacted cruel unjust punishment
on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles. They carved up Germany
and created new countries ( Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia)
on territory populated largely by Germans. (When Hitler
invaded the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia decades later
his action was nervously tolerated by the English who realized
he was essentially taking back part of his country). Among
other items in the Treaty was the ordering of Germany to
pay France 33 billions in reparation (some of this money
is still being paid today 100 years after the Treaty) and
give up all its overseas colonies.
A
decade after the war German novelist Erich Maria Remarque
captured some of the horror and injustice in All Quiet
on the Western Front but despite initial notoriety,
all was forgotten with the rise of Hitler. The book was
made into a movie in 1930, and again into a TV film in 1979
but, predictably, much of the history of the war eventually
disappeared from the front pages and became forgotten.
Last year, however,
the story was again filmed, this time by a German director
Edward Berger. This latest film has received many plaudits
during the present award season. Berger advertises his film
as “based on the literary masterpiece” ( Remarque’s
novel) indicating that the whole story of the war still
hasn’t been told, and much of the action of his film
revivifies the suffering of Germany and amplifies insight
into historical fact.
In addition
to scenes depicting the horror and insanity of the trench
battlefield, Berger includes the cruel madness of the 10,000
soldiers dying on the last day, and also inserts a scene
in a railroad car where the French uncompromisingly dictate
and humiliate the German armistice negotiators. Years later
Hitler exacted revenge, in the same railroad car, by forcing
the French to unconditional surrender after his invasion
in 1940.
Thus Berger’s
creation, as Aristotle predicated long ago, deepens the
old historical accounts which, of course, have been long
forgotten.
Another work
of art that challenges the ‘lies’ of history
is a poem by Wilfred Owen entitled "Dulce et Decorum
est." This Latin phrase, loosely translated, is a slogan
adopted by the proud glory-seeking soldiers of the conquering
Roman armies who wished only to bravely die in battle and
totally shunned the human sacrifice and the misery that
all war brings.
Owen is a British
soldier suffering in a trench alongside comrades who are
victims of the ‘mustard’ chlorine gas introduced
in WW l . . . and he writes:
