History: Enlightenment or Propaganda?

Historiography means literally "history-writing" and comes from the Latin word historia. Sometimes the word is used straightforwardly as, for example "medieval historiography," meaning "the body of text produced during Middle Ages." The word is also used in a more evolved sense to mean the analysis and criticism of historical texts, and indeed the investigation of the nature of history writing itself.

History is a term from the French historie, which means "relation of incidents," that refers to information about the past. When used as the name of a field of study, history refers to the study and interpretation of the record of human people, families, and societies. Knowledge of history is often said to encompass both knowledge of past events and historical thinking skills.

With these terminologies we are vexed by a semantic problem with the word "history." History, it is said, teaches valuable lessons with regard to past successes and failures of leaders, economic systems, forms of government, and other recurring themes in human development. But are past events "history", or is it the description, or interpertation, of the events that is "history", while the events are merely "the events"?

There is arguably some intrinsic bias in historical studies with national bias perhaps being the most significant, but our understanding of history can also be bias from ideological perspectives. Historians often claim that the study of history teaches valuable lessons with regard to past successes and failures of leaders, economic systems, forms of government, and other recurring themes in the human story. Ideologically, a historian will be biased on his or her interpertation of data and events based on his or her personal beliefs. When Winston Churchill quipped, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it," he was alluding to the fact that "History is written by the victors." In this view, the winners in human conflicts get to put their own spin on historic events.

History has a cause and effect on humanity. What occurred in the past affects our thoughts and beliefs today. What transpires today will affect the thoughts and beliefs of those who follow. History contributes to our moral understandings. Belief in our past affects our contemplation of the future. War in the Middle East is a direct result of conflict of interpretations of beliefs.

Historians have viewpoints and "frames of reference" created by their environments. Every generation of historians rewrites history in the context of their own culture. Some historians see themselves as enlightened interpreters of events. Some write propaganda for pay or influence. Some see themselves as objective voices dealing only with facts. A few may be, but there is probably no objective form of history except the always-unfinished lists of established events and objects and dates - facts, without connection. And facts alone are boring because lists of events and dates don’t "mean" anything.