World History
Ten historians give 10 different interpretations on who started WWI in this BBC story.
Sir Max Hastings - military historian, argues that Germany was most responsible. "It alone had power to halt the descent to disaster at any time in July 1914 by withdrawing its "blank cheque..."
Another historian, Sir Richard J Evans -Regius professor of history, University of Cambridge, argues that Serbia was most responsible. "Serbian nationalism and expansionism were profoundly disruptive forces and Serbian backing for the Black Hand terrorists was extraordinarily irresponsible."
And a number of historians like John Rohl - emeritus professor of history, University of Sussexe, put the blame on Austria Hungary and Germany. He argues that "the war broke out as the result of a conspiracy between the governments of imperial Germany and Austria-Hungary to bring about war."
These short arguments might be an interesting assignment for students. They could read the ten arguments and make their own assessment of who or what started the war.
Students will also see that historians do not always agree on causes and outcomes of historical events.
- Encyclopedia Of 1848 Revolutions
Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions. Articles about the people and ideas motivating the 1848 European revolutions. Most articles have bibliographies. From the site: The 1848 Revolutions challenge the maxim that winners write history. But the very concept...
- Dramatic History Or Historical Drama?
Dramatic History or Historical Drama? This is a thought provoking article which argues that historians should more active in shaping plays that deal with history. From the site: This article is meant to illustrate the difficulty that historians...
- If Wwi Was A Bar Fight
"Germany, Austria and Italy are standing together in the middle of a pub when Serbia bumps into Austria and spills Austria's pint. Austria demands Serbia buy it a complete new suit because there are splashes on its trouser leg. Germany expresses...
- Historians Debate Origins Of Wwi On Twitter
Who started World War I? Three respected historians, Simon Schama, Tom Holland, and Gary Sheffield tweet their views. It all started earlier this month when British Education Secretary, Michel Gove, argued that the...
- British Education Secretary: Wwi Was Noble And Just Cause
Understanding diverse interpretations of history is what makes the subject interesting. Often there are no clear answers. But Michael Gove, Secretary of Education in Britain and pictured above, believes that World war 1 is an exception....
World History
Who Started WWI? 10 Historians Weigh in
Sir Max Hastings - military historian, argues that Germany was most responsible. "It alone had power to halt the descent to disaster at any time in July 1914 by withdrawing its "blank cheque..."
Another historian, Sir Richard J Evans -Regius professor of history, University of Cambridge, argues that Serbia was most responsible. "Serbian nationalism and expansionism were profoundly disruptive forces and Serbian backing for the Black Hand terrorists was extraordinarily irresponsible."
And a number of historians like John Rohl - emeritus professor of history, University of Sussexe, put the blame on Austria Hungary and Germany. He argues that "the war broke out as the result of a conspiracy between the governments of imperial Germany and Austria-Hungary to bring about war."
These short arguments might be an interesting assignment for students. They could read the ten arguments and make their own assessment of who or what started the war.
Students will also see that historians do not always agree on causes and outcomes of historical events.
- Encyclopedia Of 1848 Revolutions
Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions. Articles about the people and ideas motivating the 1848 European revolutions. Most articles have bibliographies. From the site: The 1848 Revolutions challenge the maxim that winners write history. But the very concept...
- Dramatic History Or Historical Drama?
Dramatic History or Historical Drama? This is a thought provoking article which argues that historians should more active in shaping plays that deal with history. From the site: This article is meant to illustrate the difficulty that historians...
- If Wwi Was A Bar Fight
"Germany, Austria and Italy are standing together in the middle of a pub when Serbia bumps into Austria and spills Austria's pint. Austria demands Serbia buy it a complete new suit because there are splashes on its trouser leg. Germany expresses...
- Historians Debate Origins Of Wwi On Twitter
Who started World War I? Three respected historians, Simon Schama, Tom Holland, and Gary Sheffield tweet their views. It all started earlier this month when British Education Secretary, Michel Gove, argued that the...
- British Education Secretary: Wwi Was Noble And Just Cause
Understanding diverse interpretations of history is what makes the subject interesting. Often there are no clear answers. But Michael Gove, Secretary of Education in Britain and pictured above, believes that World war 1 is an exception....