Historians through the ages have argued how the Great War began. Several countries have been blamed and it has been called both inevitable and avoidable. This ‘historiography’ generally reflects the political climate of the time. The current state of the European Union, for example, could influence the opinions of historians. Two historians are mentioned in the article below: Niall Ferguson and Max Hastings. Although both British, they have different viewpoints. The grade 9 students may find it useful for when the topic is studied in March.
Archive for February, 2014
Should a country pay compensation for ‘errors’ in history?
Posted: February 17, 2014 in UncategorizedFirst of all, what are ‘errors’? Only with hindsight can we judge events. From today’s point of view, the Atlantic Slave Trade was indeed immoral, but it wasn’t for two centuries or more. So, in the following story, should Britain pay compensation to the Caribbean islanders? Their relatives were victims of the slave trade so do they have a case. The country made the equivalent of billions of pounds today from the Caribbean colonies and made it difficult for long-term growth when they left. However, why should a government today pay for ‘errors’ that somebody else made and, if governments do decide to pay, how far back do they go in time?
An event which has repercussions even for today’s political climate.
Seoul International School 