When I mention historians what thoughts come to your mind? Boring learned folks? University and College types who cannot relate to you and your daily grind?
Well there are all sorts of historians, many employed by schools of higher learning, national governments, corporations and foundations. Yes, those who employ them often have a say in what yarns the historian is writing about. Such influence often manipulates the writer with undue influence.
Say a historian is to study and write about the Canadian Conservative Party. The history can be plain, rooted in facts, dates and events. It could be spiced up to inspire a reader’s enthusiasm too.
A corporation can employ a historian to tell its story and usually that story will not damage the corporation’s reputation but edify it.
The personal opinions and attitudes of historians can flavour and shape the stories of an event, movement or national goal.
The most effective propagandists were in fact historians, shaping a story that will fit the language of the political party, nation or ideology. We can look at how current society can shape how we experience history.
In the movie “Gladiator” Russel Crowe and other actors appeared to be ripped with muscles, almost athletic. An Archeologist presents the true gladiator as slightly overweight, extremely well fed with a life expectancy much longer than the film portraits.
Gladiators were trained in schools vigorously and fed sagina, barley, bean and ash soup. The ash strengthens their bones, and the other nutrients gave them energy. They gained weight to their owners’ delight.
Those who owned Gladiators wished to protect their investment. When cut in battle, the wounds usually were superficial and not lethal. Many gladiators lived storied lengthy lives.
Another example showing how myth, societal fear and doctrine shaped a story for the public happened during World War Two – the Allied Public believed the Nazi Navy massacred many of the survivors of ships torpedoed by U Boats.
The Allied Governments were creating an atmosphere of hate directed towards their enemies the Axis. The Nazi Public also was fed such propaganda about Allied Atrocities.
Indeed, there were a few incidents where Boat Captains ordered the machine gunning of survivors in the water but historically there is little proof that the Nazi Navy carried out mass executions of survivors on the sea.
One such incident U Boat U852 sank a merchant marine ship. Realizing there were survivors the captain had them machine gunned. Only three survivors lived to tell the tale.
The allies had their own incident (1943) carried out by a US Boat named USS Wahoo that torpedoed a Japanese troopship carrying 500 POW’s (mostly Indian Army) and Japanese troops.
The US Captain ordered his men to massacre these survivors. Both German and Allied Sailors were carrying out commonsensical actions (their boats were very small).
The myth has either navy brutalising and killing their opponents without mercy when in fact history shows such incidents on the sea were limited.
Society was responding in fear as the world faced a “Total War” scenario. Germany’s Naval Doctrine was in fact more Christian than the other war time departments.
Hitler described his Armed Forces as a Nazi Airforce, Bavarian Army and Christian Navy. When total war was the motto and feeling of the day, the historian is the only one to be able to tell the true story.
For example there are limited incidents recorded because those involved may have been killed, so no witnesses.
Oddly the mass media can be seen as a group of historians, seeking stories, confirming their validity and personally presenting these stories to the public.
Concern about the undue influence of corporate and governmental elements upon the media validates the fear that our history is being molded and shaped by the powers-to-be.
Historians are essential even today as scribes of the present, which soon enough becomes the history of the past.
Acknowledging the truth through investigation and years of study can allow us to understand why we think, act and react in a circular fashion. History has a tendency to be circular, repeating itself.
You can be a historian too of your family, community or particular industry. Dedication and effort is all you need.
Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario