(DOWNLOAD) "Factors of Change in Modern Europe: A Practical Way to Teach Contemporary History." by Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table ~ Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Factors of Change in Modern Europe: A Practical Way to Teach Contemporary History.
- Author : Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table
- Release Date : January 22, 2007
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 302 KB
Description
A Note on the Problem of 'Contemporary History' The Concise OED informs us that 'history' is "the study of past events; a continuous ... record of past events or trends." and reminds us that it originates from the Greek for 'learned, wise man.' The same dictionary defines 'chaos' as "the property of a complex system whose behavior is so unpredictable as to appear random, owing to great sensitivity to small changes in conditions." Looking at the behavior of a geographic region that is still in the process of change, such as Europe from 1945 to the present, it is hard to avoid the thought that the second definition fits better than the first. It is only after an historic transformation has occurred (or failed to occur) that an historian is able to sift through the complexities of the system (discarding all the ideas not adopted, the revolutionary changes which failed to secure a place, the popular leaders who lost their popularity, and 99.9% of known events) and construct a continuous record of the past--a history. For participants, or even current observers, events present a chaotic appearance.
 "Factors of Change in Modern Europe: A Practical Way to Teach Contemporary History." by Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table ~ Book PDF Kindle ePub Free){kind=link}