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?)

[vulcan42]

Having just completing the quiz where apparently we all got 100%, have you ever used that knowledge in every day life apart from other quiz's?

[mushroom25]

//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.

[jim360]

Knowledge doesn't have to be "useful". It's nice to know things for their own sake. And indeed an awareness of history, or at least the main points of it, can provide a lot of useful lessons as to what works and what doesn't, etc etc.

[Zacs-Master]

Knowledge is one thing. The use of knowledge is intelligence.

[jennyjoan]

No I don't think History should be compulsory as I believe the past should lie in the past and I have no intention of delving into it.

[youngmafbog]

History is important both to show where and how the UK arrived at today as well as other countries around the world.

The problem is, labour (particularly New labour) wish to change history, and indeed have done so. Just look at the WW1 myths.

I am not sure history should be compulsory up to GCSE, but certainly up to say age 14.

[-Talbot-]

The problem is, labour (particularly New labour)

o' dear.

[Zacs-Master]

Could you give some example YMB?

[youngmafbog]

Plenty of examples of the lefties putting their slant on it including their luvvies entertainment - take Black adder.

I like this though

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/8789777/The-Left-is-rewriting-Britains-immigration-history.html

[-Talbot-]

I hate repeating myself

O' dear.

[jim360]

"The left" might well try to put their own twist on history. But then so do "the right". That's what people do. Both sides are as guilty of it as the other.

[Zacs-Master]

Oh dear YMB thinks Blackadder is a documentary. I would reming him that were discussing history here. The altering of immigration figures hardly falls into that category.

[jno]

Blackadder a lefty? Atkinson seems to have spent much of his career railing against Labour. Are you sure you're on the right track here?

[-Talbot-]

Ah I apologise YMB.
I now see what you mean I just googled WW1 myths.
Apparently Tony Blair won the Victoria Cross

A top WW1 historian (although admittedly a lefty yogurt knitting, muesli eating, beardy weirdy historian) said of Blair

"He risked his life continually and was the life and soul of the defence"

[jno]

oh, just to answer the OP: I got 100% but then I was born quite close in time to WW2 and have had years to learn about it (the war wasn't taught in school in my day; it wasn't really history then).

This may also be true of may other ABers who got 100%. I'd be interested to know how younger ones do. It wouldn't necessarily be badly, since I believe it is taught at school nowadays, along with the Tudors.

[mccfluff]

100%, history is important & i believe it should be compulsory. i find it fascinating

[-Talbot-]

I'd be interested to know how younger ones do.



Read back to see how I did, jno ;0)

I will let you know later how my kids get on with the test (they haven't done WW1 at school btw)

[Prudie]

I did get 100% but learnt none of it at school which focussed only on Tudors and Stuarts with a bit of Vasco da Gama thrown in.

[ludwig]

I'd say it's very important, and should be compulsory.

[DTCwordfan]

100 per cent here - and yes it is important to understand precedent, both in politics, business and justice.....

As to RE/Divinity, I am not the person to ask. I got the Middle School prize in it and the dubious distinction of failing the O level. At age 14, I had Advanced Maths and Divinity on the same day and I decided that the former was the priority as I wasn't going to be a bishop, unlike one of my schoolmates.

The O-level was in cramming of chunks of the Bible, the prize, à la Naomi, on comparative religion and far more interesting.