Well, I studied (ancient) history, an I pretty much think alike most of the guys who posted here. So, if you like to hear it, I will give you my reasons why I studied history: I always been kinda "odd" for other children. While other kids played soccer or whatever during the day, I was the kid with glasses, sitting in the sand, pretending to dig for fossils or ancient cities. I really wanted to become an archeologist. When I started school, I realized that I was gifted in math. But my heart was not into it. Sadly, we didn't have history lessons till like the 7th grade (there was something called "WuK", translated to "World and Culture Science prior to that, which was kind of a mix up between geographie, politics and history). And while I was still interested in the subject, the topics discussed there bored me. Seriously, From the 7th to the 12th class, every year the 2nd World War was a topic. So I choose not to follow it as a career. My parents influenced that too, because they think that there is no money in it. And that might be true, compared to other options. So I started studying IT for a year, but it wasn't for me. I switched to pure math, but quickly realized I was not as talented that I thought I was xD.... So after some year of work, I switched back to history, starting to study it at age 22. The things that we can learn from history are imense. If you take the Peleponnesian War as an example: Perikles, one Strategos of Athens said (loosely quoted): "If Athens were an island, and our fleet were big enough, we could not be defeated!", something that the English proved to be quite right almost 2000 years later. Another example of the same era, is the "Melian Dialogue" from Thcydides "The Peleponnesian War". In short, the dialogue between the Melians, who are besieged by Athens, question the motives of the Atheneans, who don't worry that their actions might lead to theire downfall, because they are "too strong to fail". Something that repeated itself in history multiple times.... Thing that bugs me the most with history in schools, is how outdated the materials used are. Most things written in history books have been discarded by the community of historians for years!
I see what you're getting at in the US we start learning history in 3rd grade, but most of it's just US History. I remember that are text books were pretty up to date. I have one for a history class that goes up to Obama's election in 2008. Now I hope you don't take offence to this, but I always wondered how do they teach about World War II in Germany?
Well, criticing the allies and praising our Fuehrer of course! ... Not really It is hammered into german children from early on that we were the bad guys and stuff. Even if they try to teach it from a strictly historical perspective, they always go back to demonstrate how crazy the Nazis were back in the day. (not demonizing most of the German populace of course) I always wondered why americans only concentrate on american history... I don't think it is even that interesting compared to other periods of time.
We do learn World History, but just not as much as US History. I like US History, but to be honest there are parts in US History that are very uninteresting and I do seem to be more interested in World History over all.
That doesn't sound nice... Hopefully you don't mean in a way which tells them their ancestors are evil and that they should be ashamed of them, right?
As many will know, that is exactly how germans think about there past. While we do know, that not everyone was evil, we do know that we have a mark on our reputatian as a nation. It is getting better though, I think it was the World Cup (football, or soccer ) in 2006, when there were German flags all over the the country. Something that was unthinkable of in the generations before that. If you ask my dad (who turned 52 recently), guys who openly displayed German flags back when he was young, got a hell of a beating from their neighbours.
It is coming back a little bit. Only culturally though, politically it is a minor factor in the "new" states (former East Germany), but not overall. EDIT: I want to add, that i think it is a pity that the whole history of Germany is really downgraded to that period of time. Germany has a rich history, dating back thousands of years to the proud germanic tribes who beat back the Romans. We have had cultural high eras. We were once called the "country of Writers and Thinkers" with the likes of Goethe, Schiller or Lessing. But sadly, the first thing that alwys comes to mind when talking about Germany, is Hitler and Nazis.
@slydessertfox teacher uses sources that date from before 9/11. The funny thing is these sources are meant to educate his class on Israel and terrorism.
It's sad, but true. I find German History to be very interesting and not just the World War II part of it. To me one thing that pisses me off is when people are talking about World War I and call the Germans, Nazis.
I agree, it makes them sound stupid. I also hate it when they call the Central Powers Axis and the Entente Allies.
I also hate it when people say that the tide turned when America entered the war. It didn't. Germany was on the verge of collapse from civil dissent, blockade, mutiny, etc. The US only sped up the process.
I'd say that Germany still looked almost (but not quite) invincible when the US entered the war; I mean Pearl Harbour happened on the same day the Panzers caught sight of the Kremlin. But I agree, I hate that people see the US as so important (although obviously us Brits wouldn't have gotten far without them).
Now I feel incredibly stupid, especially given all the above comments about people referring to the participants of the First World War as Axis and Allies. I'll err, just say it's testament to how ridiculous I find the idea that the US had much bearing on the outcome of WWI.
I pretty much agree with Shisno, I feel that the US just helped speed up the process a little, but really it was you Brits, the French and Russians that won that war.
I do remember watching a large documentary on WWI where it was said that all the US soldiers did was disregard the British and French command and run headlong into German machinegun fire.
Thats because Pershing thought he knew better than the French and British, which in the end would caust more American lives, but I will give are US army some creadit for fighting in these battles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Battles_of_World_War_I_involving_the_United_States
The US really had no outcome on WW1. The Entente had them beat unless they found some way to break through the lines with the fresh troops coming out of the East. I also hate it when people think the world would have been a worse place if Germany won WW1, its not like the Germans in WW1 were evil or anything, they were just like the British, French, and Russians.
