Interpretations of History

Interpretations of History

There are different ways of "seeing" history - or putting together the facts to create the story of what happened

The main interpretations that try to create one version of history:

1. The Great Man Theory
- history is the result of the actions of great men
- eg Nelson Mandela is responsible for the end of apartheid in South Africa

2. Marxist Theory
- history is the result of the struggle between the classes
- there is always a power struggle between the ruling and the working class
- eg the civil rights movement is the result of the oppressed lower classes rising up against the upper ruling class to change to status quo

3. Radical School of History
- history is written by the victors and for those in power
- history is biased by omitting the weakness of those in power and making those who lost seem evil
- eg WWII waas won because the Germans were evil and racist

4. Progressive Theory
- history is not a random series of actions but is constantly moving towards making society better
- goes hand to hand with the idea that all of history works in a cause and effect way
- eg the Reformation caused people to read the Bible for themselves which caused increased literacy which led to increased philosophy. People then questioned the system of government, democracy was started, and led to increased human rights, etc

The main interpretations that accept variations in history:

5. Post-modern Theory
- there cannot be one true story because there is no such thing as objectivity
- power is found in language and history is shaped by the language we use to tell it
- therefore, history is open to interpretation and changes according to who is telling it

6. Feminist Theory
- history has been written by men, leaving out women's place in the world
- because of this, history has focused on politics and economics, ignoring social history
- feminist historians often focus on the struggle between men and women to gain power and recognition

7. Post-colonial Theory
- history has been written by the West, leacing out the voices of the colonized
- post-colonial historians write about the experience of those in the margins, especially during the colonial period
- most post-colonial historians focus on how the colonized were oppressed, how their culture was changed, and the legacy of colonization on the world