Why it is important to study History

'There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.'
—Harry S Truman

This quote by the 33rd President of the United States triggered my interest for the most fascinating subject in school curriculum — History. When I first read this quote, I couldn't comprehend it well, but as I went ahead in my journey with History, new doors in my understanding opened and I could intellectually connect with this quote. History is all about explaining the present (what, why, how, when) through the past. For example, studying about the British rule in India can help us understand the change of education system in India from the conventional one, or learning about the Cold War can help us know the reasons of the prolonged rivalry between Russia and the USA. Events in History help us be a more vigilant global citizen, and truly understand the roots of the society we live in.

The most debated statement in support of History is 'History repeats itself.' I have met many people who do not believe in this statement, and argue against it. But if the events of history are carefully studied one can find stark similarities between them. For example Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia during the winter of 1812 and faced major losses in terms of army. And the exact same event occurred in 1941(World War II) when Adolf Hitler invaded Russia during winter and faced huge losses. Both these great leaders made the same mistake of invading Russia during the unmanageable winters.

Economic history of the USA provides further evidence to this clichéd statement. In 2007, the global stock markets fell and the USA suffered the 'great recession'. A similar stock market crash happened during the 1930s known as the 'Great Depression.' But how are they similar? Both the crashes were preceded by a time of high prosperity. The time before the Great Depression of the 1930s was known as the roaring 20s, which marked the period of ultimate prosperity in the USA's economy. In addition to that, the crash took place when the banks were experimenting new ways of doing business.

Another case that can be observed is the similarity between the assassination of former US Presidents John F Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln. Ironically both presidents were shot on a Friday with a fatal bullet to the head, after being warned not to go out. Their successors were both named Johnson. The assassins were John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Such are the similarities between events in history. There are billions of such cases that can be studied. Thus one must effectively learn from them. Learning from mistakes that have all ready been committed in the past gives us opportunities to work towards better solutions to tackle present conflicts and eventually ensure a better tomorrow.

(The writer is in Class 10 student at SM Shetty International School, Mumbai.)