Is History Important?

[mushroom25]

history should be compulsory at GCSE, says Antony Beevor

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11116561/Antony-Beevor-history-should-be-compulsory-at-GCSE.html

is it relevant to today's students?

(btw how many of you didn't get 100% in the quiz?)

[Peter Pedant]

Oh and the quiz didnt have any sizzlers like

who was the only man to be on Time cover and be shot for treason in 1945 ?

A. I bet you all knew - Pierre Laval

When did Russia declare war on Japan ? Aug 2 1945 or thereabouts....

[Old_Geezer]

That is the trouble, we don't. And history says scenario 'A' is right or wrong depending on how you choose to interpret it, so is of limit value.

[Old_Geezer]

limited
as I typed !

[Zacs-Master]

Bit like a geography quiz where the question was 'where is Lindos'.

[Svejk]

///Can the 'Italy didn't switch sides' brigade come back and debate a little more/// 5,000 men rising to 22,000. If that's the criteria then Germany must have switched sides as well.

[ichkeria]

Didn't the Soviet Union declare war on Japan to give them an excuse to annexe the Kuril islands?

[sevenOP]

History is vital, but it should also be honest/accurate as possible.....

//have you ever used that knowledge in every day life....//

probably not "used", but everyone familiar with it will be aware that a fringe party with a nut job leader and an extreme line in rhetoric gained control of a civilised society, because a disillusioned electorate were prepared to listen when times were hard. > mushroom25

Hitler carried out a social revolution in resurrecting a dead economy and so most German people were living a lot better, with his large scale state expenditures the economy was booming, but Hitler's rise was enabled with the support of the highest levels of German capital ie Hindenburg, Papen et al that thought it could control him, and his popularity was enforced by propaganda and terror............. such as we are subjected to and controlled by today.

[Peter Pedant]

yes that is exactly what happened Itchie

Russia annexed the Kuriles and kept them thereafter

[Zacs-Master]

Yes, and Thailand declared war on the British and the Us ( but only because they'd been invaded by Japan).

[stuey]

And most British people, when asked the start of WWII. will answer September 3rd, 1939. Wrong answer.

[ludwig]

This is why good history teaching is vitally important. At the moment nobody can agree on when World war 2 started or which side Italy were on.

[-Talbot-]

So the lefties at the BBC made the timeline then, svejk?

[naomi24]

^Haaa!

[Old_Geezer]

No, I reckon most will answer, "Before my time", stuey.

[naomi24]

^That was to Ludwig.

[-Talbot-]

add 'up' ^

[stuey]

OG, you're probably right on that one:)

[ichkeria]

"yes that is exactly what happened Itchie

Russia annexed the Kuriles and kept them thereafter "

Cheers for that. Your earlier remark rang a bell somewhere ...

[stuey]

There, you see, history is important: it's received almost 100 responses:)

[-Talbot-]

Mushroom may have received 100 response but nobody will remember this thread next week.