Friday, April 27, 2012

History is the record of humanity's wars


History is the record of humanity's wars

“History should not repeat itself”, is a common slogan used in today’s world. History is the study of the past that helps humans analyze specific incidents and why they occurred. These incidents can be for the advancement of the human race or for the destruction of humanity. History can be  a record of wars for the human race since it has been a reoccurring theme shown by World War II, Cold War, and Indian Independence movement. War has been a common solution to many problems in society. Each war has a purpose or reason behind it. For example, the Cold War was a race between the Soviets and Americans to see who would be on top technologically and scientifically. Even though, no bombs or weapons were used this can still be considered a war when two countries are in conflict. Both Russians and Americans had an equally matched space race that was very fierce in competition. World War II, was a war that was aimed to stop the Axis of Evil from taking over the world by enslaving innocent civilians in concentration camps in Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union.  Next, the Indian independence movement against the British imperial rule could be considered a war because Indians were oppressed by the British in many ways. For example, many unjust bills were passed by the Viceroy of India that would take unfair advantage of Indian resources. Locals had to pay taxes for goods produced in their own country by their fellow citizens. However, revolutionaries such as Gandhi and Bhaghat Singh tried to end this suffering by starting their own independence movements aimed to unite all Indians to  end British imperial rule. So war can be defined in many ways depending on the context of the conflict. Since history has been shown to be a record of conflicts it can be a record of humanity’s wars.

On the other hand, history can also be a record of human accomplishments. These accomplishments can range from elaborate civilizations, enhancements in technology, and architectural wonders. As human kind progressed from the primitive Neanderthals to establishing civilizations many changes occurred. One of the most notable civilizations are the Egyptians. Although both civilizations had different geographical boundaries, they both flourished. Egypt has been known for its impressive architecture and tremendous wealth. The pyramids, namely the Sphinx, have been a major attraction for tourists and archaeologists. Everyone, marvels at these colossal structures due to its complexity that was built from hard labor and no machines like in the modern world of today. Egypt flourished as a successful river side civilization in terms of technology and plenty of resources. In addition to great feats of architecture, human kind has a long history of technological advancements. Some of these advancements include the telephone, computer and internet. Before the telephone, it was very hard to communicate people at long distances and letters took a long time to get around the message. In addition the computer and internet are a common place in today’s society and is becoming a necessity. The computer and internet lets us share information and knowledge with others far more drastically than ever before.

All in all, history can be a record of humanity’s wars or accomplishments. This depends on people’s ability to cooperate with each other and have understandings. If these understandings are broken wars will break out as a result. However, if humanity works together as one it will flourish.

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