Interesting article that talks about the similarities between now and 1938, and the sort of lessons we can learn from history.

  • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
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    5 months ago

    It seems odd to me how the author compares Ukraine to an alternative reality of 1938 imagined by their favorite historian.

    Flat comparing 2020s to 1930s is already tenuous enough.

      • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        Far from it: history is an account of things that happened. Learning from it requires a solid adherence to what is known about what happened.

        The value of speculating on alternate timelines is not to learn from the theorized history but to illustrate how interwoven it is with the events of the time.

        You can still call that learning from history, but it is a very different avenue of inquiry. I love alternate timelines, and I also respect the limits of their value.