Historical Revisionism (Current Controversies)

178 Pages·2019·3.498 MB·English

by  Barbara Krasner (editor)

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Historical Revisionism
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Historical Revisionism
Barbara Krasner, Book Editor
Published in 2020 by Greenhaven Publishing, LLC
353 3rd Avenue, Suite 255, New York, NY 10010
Copyright © 2020 by Greenhaven Publishing, LLC
First Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
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Articles in Greenhaven Publishing anthologies are often edited for length to meet page
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ensure that Greenhaven Publishing accurately reflects the original intent of the authors.
Every effort has been made to trace the owners of the copyrighted material.
Cover image: Suzanne C. Grim/Shutterstock.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in- Publication Data
Names: Krasner, Barbara, editor.
Title: Historical revisionism / Barbara Krasner, book editor.
Description: New York : Greenhaven Publishing, 2020. | Series: Current
  controversies series | Audience: Grades 9–12. | Includes bibliographical
  references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019000148 | ISBN 9781534505360 (library bound) | ISBN
  9781534505377 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Historiography—Juvenile literature. |
  History—Methodology—Juvenile literature. | History—Study and
  teaching—Juvenile literature. | History—Moral and ethical
  aspects—Juvenile literature.
Classification: LCC D13 .H5514 2020 | DDC 907.2—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019000148
Manufactured in the United States of America
Website: http://greenhavenpublishing.com
Contents
Foreword 11
Introduction 14
Chapter 1: Is Historical Revisionism Useful?
Overview: Historical Thinking Must Address Change, 19
Causality, Context, Complexity, and Contingency
Thomas Andrews and Flannery Burke
The five Cs—change, causality, context, complexity, and
contingency—represent the areas historians and historians-in-
training must embrace to effectively engage in historical thinking.
Yes: Revision Is the Lifeblood of Historical Scholarship
Holocaust Education Retools the Encyclopedia for 27
Today’s Learners
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The museum’s online Holocaust encyclopedia applies new
interactive methodologies to keep pace with today’s technological
users, changing the very nature of Holocaust education to make it
relevant to today’s learners.
Revisionism Effectively Challenges Hegemonic Ideas 31
Harry Targ
Revisionist challenges to international relations theory brought a
new and innovative interdisciplinary approach to the study of the
Cold War.
No: Revision Is Manipulated by Political Interests and Denial
Revisionism Has Negative Connotations 41
James McPherson
While trained historians value historical revisionism, others view
it in a negative light because they equate it with the denial of
historical tragedies and atrocities.
David Irving Crossed the Line from Revisionism 45
to Denial
Roni Stauber
By insisting gas chambers did not exist at Auschwitz, historian
David Irving became the case study for going beyond healthy
revisionism to the extreme version of pure denial.
National Amnesia Results from National Revisionism 59
Ronald Suny
In Japan, Ukraine, and Turkey, governments attempt to revise
their histories in order to erase atrocities, which may result in
nationwide forgetting instead of national memory and apology.
Chapter 2: Does Historical Revisionism
Impact the Study of History?
Overview: The Author’s Purpose Drives the 70
Historical Account
Michael Dunn
If an author’s intent is anything other than to tell the truth, the
historical account becomes biased. The historian must take
evidence and social, cultural, and political changes into account
for revision.
Yes: Historical Revisionism Is an Inextricable
Part of History Scholarship
Revisionism Allows Voices Other than the Victors’ 77
to Be Heard
Historyplex.com
Many believe history is written by the winners, but revisionism
gives voice to those who did not win. Special attention is given to
Stalinist Russia, the Holocaust, and the Napoleonic Wars.
Prizewinning Historical Writing Can Still Be Speculative 82
M. Andrew Holowchak
Holowchak pokes holes in Annette Gordon-Reed’s assertions
about the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and slave
Sally Hemings. Despite being speculative, this new approach
to historical events succeeds in encouraging reconsideration.
Nonetheless, the author argues that certain conditions should be
met in revisionism.
No: Bias Has No Place in History
Citizens Lap Up Fake News and Fake History 87
Natalie Nougayrède
Even today’s democracies spew fake news and distort history.
When people are unable to tell the difference between fake and
actual history, they unknowingly believe what leaders tell them. It
is better not to mess with the historical record.
Leaders in Power Offer Biased Versions of History 91
Nick Sacco
History is written by the victors, as the saying goes, and this is
particularly evident when examining how politicians and leaders
utilize it. Social and governmental leaders influence history with
the victor in mind, but the historical record should take the
“losers” into account as well.
Chapter 3: Is New Evidence Necessary
for Historical Revisionism?
Overview: Facts Don’t Stand Alone: They Need 95
Historians to Interpret Them
Kenneth Andres
Yes: Historical Revisionism Depends on New
Evidence for Fresh Interpretation
Evidence Is the Heart of Discussion Between Historians 100
John Shaw
The selection and interpretation of evidence forms the basis of
historical discourses, making it vital to the historian’s craft.
Historical Writing Without Evidence Can 106
Be Fraudulent
Michael Nelson
Popular historians Joseph Ellis and Edmund Morris fictionalized
facts in their writing and faced serious consequences. These
examples demonstrate the risks of historical revision without a
factual basis.
No: Time and Cultural Change Are
Sufficient for New Interpretations
Princeton University Acknowledges President Wilson’s 113
Racism but Keeps His Name on School Buildings
Scott Jaschik
Princeton University decided to keep President Woodrow Wilson’s
name on the School of Public Policy and a residential college but
puts his legacy of racism in the context of the times.
Removing the Names of Racist Historical Figures 118
from Public Buildings Should Not Erase History
Ben Shapiro
If a university decides to remove a name from a public building,
as Yale University did with Confederate General John C. Calhoun,
that act should not erase that person’s contribution to history.
Correcting the Historical Record Is a Matter for the 121
Textbooks
Grace Russo Bullaro
Monuments of controversial figures, including Christopher
Columbus, should stand to remind us of the past and its context.
Chapter 4: Does Nationalism Drive
Historical Revisionism?
Overview: Today’s Educators Challenge Nationalistic 128
and Patriotic Approaches to Teaching History
Lumen Learning
Although the Enlightenment tried to make history objective, history
remains biased. Still, teachers challenge exceptionalist textbooks to
encourage a more well-rounded view of historical events.
Yes: National Agenda Dictates Changes
in Historical Perspectives
National Narratives Persist Through Holistic Methods 132
Maria Grever and Tina van der Vlies
Using holistic approaches, textbooks can encourage acceptance of
enduring national perspectives when combined with digital tools
and other assets.
Historical Memory Chooses Which Nationalist 137
Narrative to Favor
Andy Yee
Japan has at least two different nationalist historical narratives,
each with its own merits and faults. Which will win out?
A New Polish Nationalist Law Strives to Create a 141
Revisionist Narrative
Geneviève Zubrzycki
Poland has signed a new bill into action that makes it illegal to
accuse Poles of complicity with Nazi atrocities during World War
II, thus outlawing any versions of the historical record that are not
the accepted one.
No: Revisionism Does Not Judge the Past, but
Reevaluates In Light of New Information
National Identity Needs to Break Its Connection with 145
National History
Stefan Berger
Although national identity has long been linked to a country’s
national narrative, it needs to break that link through
transnational and comparative approaches.
History Textbooks Need More Well-Rounded 153
Perspectives
Michael H. Romanowski
An examination of several secondary education high-school
history textbooks reveals minority discrimination that skews
national narratives. Students should be encouraged to challenge
what they read and the nationalist messages textbooks
occasionally promote.
Organizations to Contact 162
Bibliography 167
Index 171