What is it makes history, history? Do you know? Because I for sure did not know the answer to this question before this unit. The textbook definition of history is “the study of past events, particularly in human affairs”. Which yes is true but that is a very broad answer. To really breakdown what makes history, history we need to look at 6 key ideas; historical significance, evidence and interpretation, continuity and change, cause and consequence, historical perspective, and ethical judgement.
Historical Significance- What and who should be remembered in history?
Evidence and Interpretation- Is the evidence adequate to support the conclusions reached?
Continuity and Change- How are the lives and conditions alike over time and how have they changed?
Cause and Consequence- What are the range of factors that contributed to the event? Which of the causes are most influential?
Historical Perspective- Are we using our knowledge of the values and belief existing at the time to interpret the people, events and practices of the past? Are the interpretations representative of the beliefs, values and practices of the time or have important differences been overlooked?
Ethical Judgement- Is what happened right and fair?
For this mini project/ unit thingy we were split into groups and each assigned one of these key ideas. In that we had to create a 15 minute presentation to share our knowledge on the topic and also create a way we can test the classes understanding. I worked with Marley, Nolan, and Teva. First we made a script and a keynote for our presentation…
And then a question sheet to test the classes understanding…
For the individual portion of this project were had to find an event that had historical significance and fit into each of the 6 key ideas. For mine I decided to do the Holocaust. I am going to break it down and explain how it fits into each part and then we were assigned to create a visual to tie everything together. Anyways you will see as you read.
Holocaust Encyclopedia Definition of the Holocaust
“The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. Holocaust is a word of Greek origin meaning “sacrifice by fire.” The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were “racially superior” and that the Jews, deemed “inferior,” were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community.”
Okay now onto the breaking down part on why the Holocaust is such a historically significant event.
Historical Significance-
How notable was the event at this time? Incredible notable, the killing of 6 million people, trying to wipe out an entire race. How widespread and lasting were the consequences? This mass murder effects not only the 6 million killed but all their families and people close to them. Also effected the Jewish community as a whole. People don’t just forget when something this tragic happens, they are stuck living the rest of their life through flashbacks of the horror.
Evidence and Interpretation-
Can we trust this information? There is many different sources of evidence of the holocaust including physical (clothing from people killed, killing camps), oral history from the people that were there or had family that was killed. For the majority we can trust most of these sources if it is first or second hand sources. Do the sources provide reverent information? A lot of the books written about the Holocaust revealed peoples personal stories, revealing information we wouldn’t have gotten from viewing or learning about this from the outside. Does the evidence support the interpretation offered? Yes I would say so. It not only supports it but adds to it.
Continuity and Change-
How have things stayed the same? There is still anti-Semitism in our world today, and there is still things like this happening in our world today, just not to the same extent. For example the Rohingya crisis or the Darfur Genocide. How have things changed? Since this event has happened there had been a greater understanding of different races and people, allowing people to become more accepting of peoples different views on the world. Were the continuities and changes positive or negative? I would say that they were positive because now the world has this awareness of all the different groups, that wasn’t as strong back then. How rapid or slow were the changes? They weren’t extremely speedy because it is only pretty resent that people are now taking time to fully understand the different groups of the world and their beliefs. Did any of the changed mark turning points in the course of history? It changed the course of history majorly for the jewish people because they have been much more prevalent in moderns times because now they necessarily don’t need to hide.
Cause and Consequence-
Although this event is completely unimaginable it was not something was began out of the blue. In this time a hatred for Jews had already developed where Jews were seen as were already seen as “specific problem to society, a problem that needed solving if a nation where to survive”. (History of the Holocaust) Hitler tried to “solve” his problem of the Jews by voluntary immigration, forced immigration, and several different plans for deportation. All these plans eventually fell through, ultimately leading to the mass murder of 6 million Jews. Hitler wanted to create this utopian race and there was no jews in his vision of that.
Historical Perspective-
I believe that it is impossible to fully put yourself back in time and try understand their position without have some influence on your perspective. Saying this though, even in this time period it was considered an atrocity, to the point where the rest of the world had to step in and defeat Germany.
Ethical Judgement-
What happened in the Holocaust was not even close to what is considered today or even in the past to be right or fair. The Germans tried to wipe out an entire race and by doing so killed 6 million Jews. This act is no way was right, all the Germans were acting on their belief that they were “racially superior” rather then having some greater reason. This then caused the largest genocide in history.
Conclusion (only wrote that so its clear, didn’t want you thinking it was still part of ethical judgement)
It is not only the amount of people who died that makes this event historical significant, it is also the consequences of it: people with no families, no riches, no hope, no one to talk to, nowhere to stay; also, the psychological damage made in the people who escaped and to people who regret have done it. There are a billion things that make a historical significance of the Holocaust, but the what people should think is the significance is that it is meant to be remembered and avoided, and not forgotten and meant to happen again.