In his book “A Preface to History,” Carl G. Gustavson uses the historical approach to study history. He feels to effectively study history it is necessary to develop a sense of historical mindedness. By developing this sense the student of history is able to look beyond the historical event itself and begin to see forces, patterns, causes and continuity which both lead up to any particular event and cause that event to become a force for future events. In other words history is not the unfolding of events as a result of “an autonomous process with its own laws and logic,” (Will, p. xiii) instead it is a continuity of events building on the ones before.
History is not dead but dynamic. It is not simply a study of the past, but a study of those forces that form our lives, the life of a nation, and the direction the world takes as we continue to go on through history. It is very apparent then that history is not made up of an infinite list of unrelated events. Each event, to some degree, has been influenced by a number of events preceding it, and will probably influence at least as many events long after the event itself has become a part of the past. Added to the fact that each event influences other events is the idea that there are social forces that both promote certain events, and in effect dictate the course of some or all of history.
Therefore, it is quickly discovered by the historical minded that no one person or cause resulted in a specific historical event. Rather, the event is but one point on a continuum; each having an effect and being effected by other points on the continuum. History is a continuity of events that, by its study, can enable a person or society to determine the likely outcome of certain actions. Gustavson, however, makes it clear that the study of history will not give one the ability to accurately predict; only to give likely possibilities. This give credence to the old saying that history tends to repeat itself; or, more importantly, that those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.
The lesson learned here is that we do have some control over our future if we are willing to learn from our past. However, if we allow the lessons of the past to be distorted by the revision of history we are virtually unable to apply what we’ve learned to what we are experiencing at present.
So this adds another crucial element to the study of history. History should be approached from more than just a superficial touching only the surface of any one historical event of the past. To effectively study and understand history one must get below the surface and discover what actions, profiles and contours shaped an historical event. Since a society is in general dynamic it should be obvious to the student of history that no event just fell upon the scene. An historical event’s birth is in reality more of an evolution caused by the dynamics and forces of a society.
Nothing about history is either dead or static. Rather history is a product of the continuity of a society which is at the same time in perpetual change. We often see changes as specific historical events, but it is the continuity of the society that actually leads it to a particular spot in history. The person who is not historically minded will likely believe that an historical event is the result of a specific situation or circumstance, such as one man’s appearance on the scene, when in reality many social forces have been building up for some time; long before the actual “event” occurs.
For the historically minded, Germany’s involvement in World War II was the result of many factors reaching even beyond the First World War. The novice historian, on the other hand, may conclude that, if not for Adolph Hitler, Germany may never have precipitated the war. A more contemporary example would be the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump. The historically minded realizes that many factors led to the current trend of many to turn away from the traditional values of the United States, while the person who does not respect the lessons of history will believe that the decaying of our American culture is a direct cause of the election of a supposedly immoral man to the presidency.
The novice has touched on a frame of reference and stops there, while the historically minded uses the frame of reference as the beginning point of his or her reflection on the historical event. So it is very apparent that this should be the approach when looking at history. There can be no real understanding of current or past events without understanding what forces led to those events. If one reason to study history is to learn from it, then the study must go to the causal factors. We cannot say we have learned from an historical event if we only look at the surface manifestations of that event.
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