Memory Of Historical Events Research Articles

International Relations and the Relevance of History

It has become a commonplace that those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are destined to repeat them. Yet the problem of what lessons of the past apply to current situations remains a thorny one. In his book, The Bitter Heritage, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. has pointed out that the statesman's memory of historical events may entrap as well as enlighten him. In certain situations the memory of recent historical events may cause a man to draw false analogies and thereby institute policies that lead to disaster. Occasionally a lack of historical memory may be a positive benefit in making policy decisions. The difficulty and danger of using historical analogies as aids in making policy is illustrated in a quotation that Schlesinger uses from the writings of Mark Twain.