History
Table of Contents
- 1. What is History?
- 2. Famous Historians
- 3. World History
- 4. Europe and Near East
- 5. Asia
- 6. Oceania
- 7. Americas
- 8. Africa
1. What is History?
Humans are obligate modelers and communicators (see creation_myth). One of the most difficult-to-model and difficult-to-communicate phenomena is human behavior. In a well-honed science, we would use field trials and lab experiments to test hypotheses generated from natural history observations. For human behavior we often cannot (and should not) arrange these tests ("Let's bomb another city and see if the survivors react the same way").
We depend instead on examination of past events. This requires access to the raw data (e.g., original source writings, archaeological digs, and tree-ring analyses), and it requires intellectual integrity to address inconvenient facts.
Unfortunately, intellectual rigor gets in the way of a good story. Therefore our best approach (so far) is to maintain a rigorous academic tradition of factual investigation, and then let story tellers use these facts in mnemonically effective ways. It is a judgment call as to whether or not the author has fairly selected and represented the facts.
In my experience, there are several useful forms of history. Taken independently, they can convey a false impression. Taken together, they give a fair reading of the factual events, the motivations, and the larger implications.
- Archaeological and anthropological investigations. Any history
must account for these facts. Of course archaeology can get things
wrong (e.g., disturbed sites and mistaken carbon dating), as can
anthropology (misunderstood myths and customs), but they are orders of
magnitude more repeatable than traditional histories.
- "Nonhistorical" written materials. The assumption is that there
is less incentive to bend the written record to match preconceived
views. Thus a laundry list is more trustworthy than a formal report
that the locals cheered when new taxes were announced.
- First person accounts, or as near as we can get. Here the
reporter was a participant or has spoken to participants. A reporter
may get the facts wrong out of ignorance, and of course be suspected
of bending the presentation even when the facts are known. It is
usually necessary to get reports from many people, especially people
with different perspectives.
- The classic one-volume treatise on a given subject. There is a
good reason these are classics. The author knows the material, has
earned a reputation for presenting it fairly, and is a darn good story
teller.
- The rebuttal to the classic. The classic is almost sure to
ignore or downplay some events and/or motives. An author with another
perspective can fill in the gaps. It is imperative to find and use
these materials to gain perspective.
2. Famous Historians
Some historians and their texts are famous in themselves, irrespective of current scholarly value.
2.1. Herodotus
Herodotus. "The Histories", trans by Aubrey De Selincourt. Penguin Classics, 1954.
Herodotus is known as the inventor of history as a conscientious effort to collect and understand data on past events. He traveled and interviewed widely. It reads fresh and thoughtful today.
Background and causes of the Greek vs Persian wars.
2.2. Thucydides
Thucydides. "The Peloponnesian Wars", trans by Benjamin Jowett. The Great Histories Series, Washington Square Press, 1963. Orig puslbished 400 BC.
Greek civil war, Athens vs Sparta and the destruction of the golden age.
2.3. Aristotle (2007-09-28)
Aristotle. "The Athenian Constitution". Penguin Classics, 1984.
Probably done by a student, under guidance by Aristotle. History of the Athenian Constitution through its various forms. Most of the insights are relevant today, e.g. the shift from Solon's laws into tyranny:
Pisistratus seemed most inclined to democracy, and won high distinction in the war against Megara. He wounded himself, and persuaded the people that this was done by his opponents and he should be given a bodyguard; the proposal was made by Ariston. Pisistratus took the men called club-bearers, and with their aid rose against the people and seized the Acropolis, in the thrity-second year after the enactment of the laws, the archonship of Comeas.
It is said that when he asked for a bodyguard Solon spoke against it, and claimed to be wiser than some and braver than others -- that is, wiser than those who failed to realize that Pisistratus was aiming at tyranny, and braver than those who realized but kept quiet about it. When what he said failed to persuade the Athenians, he displayed his arms in front of his door, and said that he had helped his country as far as he could (by then he was a very old man) and called on the others to do likewise. [pg 56]
2.4. Polybius
Polybius. (histories), trans by Mortimer Chambers. The Great Histories Series, Washington Square Press, 1966.
Written c. 100BC, about Philip of Macedon in c. 300 BC.
2.5. Tacitus
Tacitus. "The Annals", trans by Donald R. Dudley. Mentor Books, 1966.
With his Agricola and Histories, covers Roman events 14 AD - 96 AD.
His style (in Latin) is crisp to the point of being terse -- thus "taciturn".
2.6. Procopius
Procopius. "History of Wars. Buildings. Secret History", trans by Averil Cameron. The Great Histories Series, Washington Square Press, 1967.
The story of Justinian, c. 550 AD. Beginning of Byzantine history.
2.7. Eusebius
Eusebius. "The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine",trans by G. A. Williamson. Penguin, 1965.
2.8. Bede
Bede. "The Ecclesiastical History of the English People", ed by James Campbell. The Great Histories Series, Washington Square Press, 1968.
History of the church in England; heavy on miracles.
2.9. Gibbon
Edward Gibbon. "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", ed and abridged by Hugh Trevor-Roper. The Great Histories Series, Washington Square Press, 1963.
I've also read the unabridged and I'd say this abridgement is the better way to approach the work.
2.10. Macauley
Macauley. "The History of England", ed and abridged by Hugh Tevor-Roper. The Great Histories Series, Washington Square Press, 1968.
Well, it is certainly famous in English history. But you should read G. M. Trevelyan's History of England -- it is a better read. (The M. in G.M. is Macauley).
3. World History
There have been attempts (e.g., Columbia University), but I haven't met any which were good stories.
Jared Diamond. "Guns, Germs, and Steel". W. W. Norton, 1997. ISBN
0-393-31755-2.
UCLA Geography professor spans all history, with the general theme
"geography is destiny." I coudn't find reference to Montesquieu, who
had the same insight a while back.
The material is interesting and at times informative, but not
academically footnoted. More like a well-informed personal opinion
piece. The writing is a bit rambling -- I had a sense it could have
been edited down to 300 instead of 400 pages.
Still, it is worth the price for this section in Ch 14, "From
Egaliarianism to Kleptocracy":
At best they [centrally governed, non-egalitarian societies] do good
by providing expensive services impossible to contract for on an
individual basis. At worst, they function unabashedly as
kleptocracies, transferring wealth from commoners to upper class....
Kleptocrats throughout the ages have resorted to a mixture of four
solutions:
1. Disarm the populace, and arm the elite....
2. Make the masses happy by redistributing much of the tribute
received, in popular ways...
3. Use the monopoly of force to promote happiness, by maintaining
public order and curbing violence....
4. ...construct an ideology or religion justifying
kleptocracy....
Besides justifying the transfer of wealth to kleptocrats,
institutionalized religion brings two other importnat benefits to
centralized societies. First, shared ideology or religion helps solve
the problem of how unrelated individuals are to live together without
killing each other -- by providing a bond not based on kinship.
Second, it gives people a motive, other than genetic self-interest,
for sacrificing their lives on the behalf of others. At the cost of a
few society members who die in battle as soldiers, the whole society
becomes much more effective at conquering other societies or resisting
attacks. [pp 276-278]
Nicholas Ostler. "Empires of the Word: A Language History of the
World". Harper Perennial, 2005. ISBN-10: 0-06-093572-3.
Linguist with broad experience, in a rebuttal to Nebrija "always
language was the companion of empire, and followed it in such a way
that jointly they began, grew, flourished; and afterwards joint was
the fall of both" (Gramatica de la lengua cxastellana, 1492).
Ostler generally leaves the technical linguistics analyses in the
footnotes and focuses on the historical events in the main text.
Given that framework, the book is a solid intro to the history of
major languages, based on the written record.
General findings on why languages grew outside their initial
homelands:
Ostler finds that if the language doesn't have one of these drivers,
the language's reign will be short-lived after regime change. Dutch
in Indonesia. Japanese in Korea and Taiwan. Portugese in India.
He also sees impact of learnability: If the new language has the same
structure as the old one, then it is easier to shift over. It is
easier to replace an Indo-European langauge with another Indo-European
language. He cites Basque as an example.
Nels M. Bailkey. "Readings in Ancient History. Thought and Experience
from Gilgamesh to St. Augustine", 5th ed. D.C. Heath and Co,
Lexington, 1996. ISBN 0-669-39766-0
This is a compendium of ancient writings from the Middle East and
Europe. Any such compendium would probably do.
If you have the time, it is valuable to read the full text, not just
these excepts. For example, the Epic of Gilgamesh is essentially the
story of a man of nature who is seduced and corrupted by civilization,
and eventually dies cursing it. Interesting point of view, coming
from 2700 B.C.
Norman Davies. "Europe: A History". Oxford University Press, New
York, 1996. ISBN 0-06-097468-0.
This is a gripping story, as well as solid factual material. I gave
this to my father for Christmas when it came out. He returned it with
copious highlights and margin notes. I then read it from both his and
my perspectives. I in turn noted specific items.
Relevant to today (April 2004):
pp 604-605 "The science of economics...In Smith's hands it was a
branch of speculative philosophy; and its greatest practitioners have
recognized the frailty of their conclusions. In the popular mind,
however, economics has greater pretensions. It has moved into the
void left by decline of religion and the moral consensus; and it is
seen increasingly as the main preoccupation of public policy. .... it
threatens to become an end in itself".
pp 859-860 "'Many, too many, are born,' spake Nietzsche's Zarathustra,
'and their hang on their branches much too long.' In 'The Will to
Power', Nietzshe called for a war by higher men on the masses...The
great majority of men have no right to existence'."
Investor class, trickle down, welfare reform.
pp 945-948 (regarding identifying characteristics of totalitarianism).
Read the list and draw your own conclusions.
pg 967 "In September 1930, in the interests of democracy, one minority
Chancellor persuaded President Hindenburg to activate Article 48 of
the Weimar Constitution. Henceforth, the german president could 'use
armed forces to restore order and safety' and suspend 'the fundamental
rights of the citizen.' It was an instrument which others could
exploit to overthrow democracy."
Can you say "Patriot Act"?
pg 971 "The German armaments sector, which had been artificially
constrained, could recover very quickly; Krupps turnover began to
improve dramatically from 1933. But rearmament also healed Germany's
wounded pride; and it won over the army, which in 1935-6 was able to
reintroduce conscription.. Hitler had no precise plans for using his
rearmed forces. But it was convenient to let people know that the gun
under his coat was loaded."
Reagan post-peace-dividend buildup.
pg 1021 "In Copenhagen, where King Christian rode out into the streets
in sympathy wearing as Star of David armband..."
I've seen this described as an urban myth, but I'm inclined to trust
Norman Davies's rendition. At any rate, the message is to use the
Bill of Rights. Attend meetings, speak out, use libraries, profess
non-Christian religions, buy and learn to use guns, insist on due
process when harassed by police, etc.
pp 1050-1051 "In Moscow, the trial of Polish underground leaders had
taken place in June; public opinion in the West was not fully aware
that the defendants in this case were neither fascists nor
collaborators, but heroic allies whose only crime had been to fight
for their country's independence. Western governments had preferred
to press privately for lenient sentences rather than protest
publicly."
pg 1059 "One study of American policy in 1945-6 has claimed that
German prisoners held in Europe were administratively reclassified in
order to bypass the Geneva Convention, and that a significant
proportion may have died from neglect."
These days we call them "enemy combatants".
pg 1095 "The scale and organization of the Soviet security forces
bore little resemblance to counterparts elsewhere. To call them the
'secret police' was a travesty. The KGB was the equivalent of the
CIA, the FBI, and the U.S. Coast Guard rolled into one, with many
other functions to boot. Apart from foreign intelligence, its various
directorates ran the Gulag, the Glavpolit, the civilian militia, and
the system of censorship. It's principle mission, however, was to
keep itself informed of everything and everyone, and to root out
'unreliable elements' by all means available."
Dept of Homeland Security. Un-inspectable prisons such as Guantanemo
Bay. Total Information Awareness. Cameras in the streets. RFID chips
in our cars, cell-phones, clothes, and bodies.
pg 1096 "The industrial workers were told that they had inherited the
earth; they toiled in expectation of the im,proved housing, wages, and
safety which never materialized. The intelligentsia -- which in the
official definition represented a professional stratum of 'brain
workers' -- enjoyed high prestige but low incomes."
pg 1097 "Unknown to the public or the outside world, the privileged
military and nuclear sector was consuming over 30 percent of the
Soviet GNP -- at least five times more than was officially admitted."
pg 1117 "on 28 May 1987, 19-year-old Matthias Rust piloted a tiny
private monoplane up the Baltic from Hamburg, crossed the Soviet
frontier in Latvia, flew at treetop under the most concentrated air
defenses in the world, and landed on the cobblestones near Moscow's
Red Square. Single-handed, he made the whole Cold War look
ridiculous."
15 years later, the Bush administration would claim that no one had
thought of using a plane as a weapon, after planes (or something)
rammed the WTC and the Pentagon.
Mark Kurlansky. "The Basque History of the World". Walker
Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-14-02-9851-7.
An alternative view of Eurpoean history, from an "indigenous peoples"
perspective. I suspect Kurlansky's "Salt" led to salted cod and thus
his "Cod" which in turn led to Basque cod fishermen and thus to this
text. No matter how he got there, he ends up angered by Spanish and
French treatment of the Basque, from Inquisition through attempts to
stamp out the language, to modern media-control identifying Basques
with terrorism. As an historian, he tries to remain neutral and
objective, but the juxtaposition of facts leaves little doubt of the
message. US Native Americans in AIM would recognize the plotline all
too well.
The section on witch hunts resonates with modern US "christian"
fanaticism. The section on facist attacks on civilian populations
resonates with US treatment of peace activists.
Stringfellow Barr. "The Will of Zeus`". Delta, 1961.
This is a gloriously good story. Worth rereading (I have several
times).
G. M. Trevelyan. "A Shortened History of England". Penguin Books,
1959.
This abridged version reads very well. Some day I may try to find the
full text.
W. H. McNeill and Marilyn Robinson Waldman, eds. "The Islamic World".
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1973. ISBN 0-226-56155-0.
A compendium of literature and historically significant works.
Albert Hourani. "A History of the Arab Peoples". MJF Books, 1991.
ISBN 1-56731-216-0.
A per the reviews, very clear writing. I was struck repeatedly by the
parallels in statecraft of the Islamic empires and current neo-cons.
Sandra MacKey. "The Iranians". Plume, 1996. ISBN 0-452-27563-6.
Recommended by a family friend who spent many years in Afghanistan and
Iran as a history professor and tour guide.
George Vernadsky. "A History of Russia", 6th ed. Yale University
Press, 1969. ISBN 0-300-00247-5.
"6th ed" suggests respected scholarship, and the blurbs say "readable",
but this is a hard slog for me. Maybe I'm just not inspired by the
climate and culture.
WM Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom. "Sources of Chinese Tradition",
vol1, 2nd ed. Columbia University Press, New York, 1999. ISBN
0-231-10938-5 (vol 1).
A compendium of historical documents and philosophical works,
translated to English.
I. C. Y. Hsu. "The Rise of Modern China" 3rd ed. Oxford University
Press, 1983. ISBN 0-19-503218-7.
From 1600 to c. 1980. Thus covers the opening up of China via Western
military force (e.g., Opium Wars), attacks by Russia and Japan,
Communist Revolution, and the beginnings of Taiwan's "Economic
Miracle". Does not cover mainland China's complete dominance of the
US economy post 2000, nor its likely world dominance as it absorbs
Middle East oil resources in the next decade or so.
Good at the "kings and battles", economic, and governmental aspects of
history. Not much on life of the common people.
R. H. P. Mason, J. G. Caiger. "A History of Japan" Revised ed.
Tuttle Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0-8048-2097-X.
I appreciated the authors' choices of what to include and what to
exclude. Good on "kings and battles" and economics, but also good on
cultural life.
Ki-baik Lee. "A new History of Korea". Translated by E. J. Shultz.
Edward, W. Wagner, 1984. ISBN 0-674-61576-X.
A famous Korean text covering prehistory to 1960. Both the raw facts
and the author's attention focus on the struggles to survive
oppression in the form of a) native hereditary (and predatory)
aristocracies and b) foreign conquerors. In both cases the parallels
to the US are striking. For example,
3.1. Guns, Germs, and Steel
3.2. Empires of the Word
4. Europe and Near East
4.1. Readings in Ancient History
4.2. Europe: A History
4.3. The Basque History of the World
4.4. The Will of Zeus
4.5. A Shortened History of England
4.6. The Islamic World
4.7. The Arabs
4.8. The Iranians
4.9. A History of Russia
5. Asia
5.1. Sources of Chinese Tradition
5.2. The Rise of Modern China
5.3. A History of Japan
5.4. A New History of Korea
| Korea | US |
| "true bone" | European nobility and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) |
| yangban | Ivy League, with "legacies" |
| Chinese and Japanese govt influence via highly placed ministers | Multinational corporation govt influence via highly placed lobbiests. |
| Japanese ownership of the press | US corporate ownership of the press |
The author clearly sides with the Korean populace, but has few illusions about what works and what doesn't. After describing the "March 1st" 1919 peaceful declaration of independence from Japan, he reports, "Those peaceful demonstrations were crushed by military force," and provides the official numbers of those arrested, injured, and killed. He reports repeated failures to obtain international assistance, or to play one would-be conqueror against another. Only home-grown industry and a "buy Korean" ethos has worked.
5.5. India
See India
6. Oceania
The Polynesians apparently kept accurate oral histories as chants and hulas. Unfortunately, they were overrun by Europeans who had no interest in maintaining that culture (whalers) and by bigots who wanted to systematically eradicate it (missionaries). A few explorers and early writers captured some of the oral tradition, and in places the old cultures held on until more enlightened conquerors arrived.
In the swarm of GI's passing through the islands in WWII were literary-minded people willing to pull these stories together. This gives us two useful books: A source collection, and a wonderful story.
6.1. A Hawaiian Reader
A. Grove Day and Carl Sroven. "A Hawaiian Reader". Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1959.
Source materials for the European/American contact, from James Cook through US statehood. Includes some Hawaiian oral traditon as well.
6.2. Hawaii
James A. Michener. "Hawaii". Fawcett Books, reissue 1994 (orig 1959).
While fictional, it is true to the basic historical ebb and flow of culture, power, and skullduggery. You will be outraged, uplifted, and amused. As a bonus, you wiil understand context for the current independence movement, e.g., http://www.hawaii-nation.org/
6.3. The Fatal Shore
Robert Hughes. "The Fatal Shore: The epic of Australia's founding". First Vintage, 1988. ISBN 0-394-75366-6.
I haven't finished it, but it looks like a good story as well as respected scholarship.
7. Americas
This is basically the story of "Native Americans" and their slaughter by European, and then the story of the Europeans.
7.1. The Oxford History of the American People
Samuel Eliot Morison. "The Oxford History of the American People". Oxford University Press, New York, 1965.
You might call this the "official" history.
7.2. A People's History of the United States
Howard Zinn. "A People's History of the United States: 1492-present". HarperCollins, 1999
This is "the rest of the story". Quite a revelation for anyone who just learned the official version.
7.3. The Indian Heritage of America
Alvin M. Josephy Jr. "The Indian Heritage of America". Bantam Books, 1968.
Solid coverage; anthropological flavor. Dated by now but the basics don't change.
7.4. Bury My Heart as Wounded Knee
Dee Brown. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". Bantam Books, 1971.
American history from the Indians perspective. Read this and then "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse". Then think about
a) US policies in Latin America and in the Middle East.
b) The role of Christians, the US military, and the FBI in exterminating a continent's worth of cultures and peoples.
7.5. US Constitution
See US Constitution
7.6. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Walter Isaacson. "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life". Simon & Schuster, 2003.
Franklin has been called the essential American, the first American, the founding Yuppie, the original Babbit, etc. By whatever name, he embodies intellectual enthusiasm, practical invention, self improvement, community building, faith in democracy, distrust of power and specifically inherited power, and religious/cultural tolerance.
US citizens should read this book for several reasons:
- As an antidote to simplistic renditions of Franklin we learn in school
- To better understand the issues and events leading to the founding of our nation (Franklin had a hand in nearly everything).
- To watch a confirmed royalist eventually became a radical patriot. This is crucial today (2004) when corporations have taken the role of the British crown and the Penn Proprietors -- and have convinced many non-wealthy citizens to go along with their rule.
7.7. Theodore Roosevelt (2007-09-28)
Mario R. DiNunzio, ed. "Theodore Roosevelt: An American Mind - Selected Writings". Penguin Books, 1994. ISBN 0-14-02.4520-0.
TR was a complex person who learned from his experiences -- and he had a lot of them. You can probably find a quote to support any position in current affairs. An aggressive America booster, willing to build and use military force to make a place in the world. But also a man outraged by robber barons, backroom deals, and mis-treatment of the common folk. He was for Irish immigration (when that was not popular) but only if they assimilated.
7.8. Latin America (2007-09-28)
Edwin Williamson. "The Penguin History of Latin America". Penguin Books, 1992.
Detailed, well-done. Rather dry going. You could call this an "official history", though it doesn't pull any punches with regards to how the Europeans treated the Native Americans.
8. Africa
8.1. Africa: A Biography of the Continent
John Reader. "Africa: A Biography of the Continent". Vintage Books, 1999. ISBN 0-679-73869-X.
The reviews use terms like "awesome", and "astounding", and I have to agree. From geology to paleobiology to archeology to linguistics to history it carries the story with power and clarity. Incidentally, the parallels to the US treatment of Native Americans, and to the colonialization of the US economy by the globally wealthy is startling (though Reader makes no attempt to draw those parallels).
Creator: Harry George
Updated/Created: 2016-12-31