A big point is that many of the black spots we look back on now are with modern eyes. In the mindsets of the times these were generally not "bad" things to do. Not just from a political perspective but consider environmental issues. Consider the mining, industrial pollution, dumping in streams/lakes, sprawl, etc. Now days, with our 'civilized' eyes, we are trying to stop "third world" nations from doing this while they go thru their modernizations. But when US, UK, France, Germany, etc. all went thru this initially the billowing smoke, ravaged forests, oil well fields and massive strip mines were all seen as signs of progress. I’m sure there are things being done by many modern “civilized” nations that will be disgraceful in another 50-200 years.
History is written by EVERYONE to shine the best light for their view on those it's trying to teach. I have had some very interesting conversations with people who lived or worked in Japan regarding how the educational systems deal with the roles played in WWII. I’m not just talking about Pearl Harbor, but the actions in China prior to official outbreak and the battles fought after the start of the war. I have also talked with a few people that have had different things to say about how the German education system covers events since the 1920s. Some of this has been positive, some of it not so. I'm sure history books in post-Soviet countries would be pretty interesting to read as well, going back through Stalin and the full USSR period. And I couldn’t imagine what China’s official education system would have to say about modern times.
In our modern world where so many sources of global information are so easily available I believe a lot more honesty is being forced into the light, but we're talking about just a single generation perhaps, and formal education is probably going to lag for another decade or more in many areas. Until then people will continue to learn history with rose-tinted glasses.
On a related note though, I have a bit of a "get over it" feeling when it comes to a lot of this. Not necessarily for things within the last 50 or perhaps 100 years because those communities, people or their direct decedents may still be around and impacted. Even there though there are places to draw lines. Going back more than that though? No. Do residents of the UK still hate Scandinavians just because Vikings used to terrorize their coasts? Do the French still hold a grudge against Britain for the defeat of their Napoleonic empire (ok…maybe)? I know some people back around my home in Florida that seem to think the American Civil War just ended (or is perhaps on hold). I know someone that I think still blames modern Japan for the attack on Pearl Harbor. And I have known people that still have feelings of entitlement that they are “owed” for something done “to them” a couple hundred years ago. Get over it.
_________________ Wait ye the finish! The fight is not yours.Beowulfhttp://TacticsInMiniature.com
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