Anyone who studies history learns about the successes and failures of leaders, economic systems, forms of government, perspectives on culture and technology. Historians also explore recurring themes in human society such as war, famine, poverty, revolution and peace. In a more practical sense, however, studying history can help students develop skills for solving problems in the present and for future generations. A student of history learns how to identify causes and effects, analyze and compare information, use evidence to support conclusions and develop an understanding of the complexities of social change.
There are many different definitions of what makes an event historical, and how important it is to the study of history. Some historians, for example, consider a single event significant if it had an impact on their lives or the lives of those close to them. Other historians, however, may consider an event to be significant if it changed the course of human events. Christine Counsell explains that a major event may be considered significant if it has a direct effect on the current state of humanity.
For some people, studying history is simply a means of knowing oneself and understanding the human condition. This can be accomplished by exploring family histories, for example, to understand how one’s ancestors lived and what role they played in larger historical changes. Students may also benefit from studying world history, which gives them a better understanding of the world’s many cultures and ways of life that are different from their own.
Other historians take a more thematic approach to historical change, with an emphasis on factors that influence historical events and conditions. These ‘winds of change’ can be influenced by and even create powerful ideas and movements, although they often develop in response to the conditions uppermost in a given age. Historians may also consider how these ‘winds of change’ interact with each other in order to produce the changes that occur in a society.
Some historians also consider the concept of cyclical history, in which historical events are repeated and re-occur, as well as providential history in which God supposedly oversees human events and progress toward a divine goal. These interpretations are, of course, controversial, and many historians reject them as inadequate.
Other scholars, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, argue that history is a dialectical process whereby the Absolute Spirit unfolds itself, with each phase of the process being a struggle between good and evil. While Hegel’s philosophy of history is now largely rejected, the notion that history is an ever-evolving progression can still be seen in the way that most historians view human events. This is sometimes referred to as the material dialectic. This concept is based on the idea that classes struggle and push to improve their economic conditions, resulting in societal changes. Each generation then interprets these historical events as progress in the direction of or away from the divine plan. This is a very complex concept of history that requires sophisticated thought.