Do revisionist historiographies come closer to "unbiased truth"?
Upvote:3
"Revisionist" is typically an insulting term applied to attempts to change the way things are viewed, regardless of where the evidence may actually be leading. So by definition, no its not any closer to the truth. But what is "revisionist" depends on who you ask, so that's not really a useful scientific distinction.
However, its quite true that the generally-accepted view of large parts of history changes as new information comes in, and certainly we've gotten a lot of new information since the 1960's.
Also, the popular literature on History (and here I'm particularly including grade school textbooks), is heavily weighted towards what society wants to believe happened. That also changes over time, and of course has changed greatly since the 1960's.
One prime example of this: I'm nearly your age, and my public school had really old textbooks, so its probably fair to say that the American History texts both of us read in school were similar. Mine were heavily influenced by the Dunning School view of Reconstruction. This view was one of the prime targets of what has often been called Historical Revisionism. And well targeted too. It was not only flat out wrong, but conveniently wrong in a way that lent support to segregation (and the terrorist tactics that upheld it).
More post
- 📝 How did Vasco da Gama know about the Southern Cross?
- 📝 What was Hitler like in private?
- 📝 Why did Napoleon divide his army during the retreat from Smolensk?
- 📝 Submarine record from WW2
- 📝 Is there a reason beyond the simple textbook explanation as to why the Allied forces chose to fight the Axis powers in North Africa during WWII?
- 📝 Why did Argentina seize South Georgia immediately prior to the Falklands invasion?
- 📝 How did Qing China keep in contact with other places?
- 📝 What was the estimated population living in Egypt around 1446 BC?
- 📝 Did anyone in Spain support the return of Alfonso XIII?
- 📝 What happened to the burial sites of Edward I's children?
- 📝 Did any British working class men have the vote before 1918?
- 📝 Why did Filipinos form the guards of the Ever Victorious Army?
- 📝 What type of warship is this (likely WW2)?
- 📝 What factors contributed to the U.S economy flourishing during the early cold war period?
- 📝 Was mortality higher on French slave ships and if so, why?
- 📝 Which was the last pitched battle fought by Western powers?
- 📝 How big was the Golden Horde?
- 📝 What was Nazi doctrine towards pro-Nazi Jews?
- 📝 Did German soldiers receive pay after the Allied invasion?
- 📝 Was the mortality rate among Irish emigrants to Canada really ten times those to America? If so, why?
- 📝 Do revisionist historiographies come closer to "unbiased truth"?
- 📝 Is there any first-hand evidence of intentional spreading of disease among natives in the Pacific Northwest?
- 📝 Why did Al Smith win six "Dixiecrat" states, and very little else?
- 📝 What was going to be Hitler's next plan after taking Russia?
- 📝 Why is it called the "Ottoman" Empire in English language?
- 📝 If Hitler did not create a Second Front, could the war in the East have developed very differently?
- 📝 What is the main reason for Germany's strong economy?
- 📝 What is Revolutionary Monotheism?
- 📝 How did Hussars change from heavy cavalry into light cavalry?
- 📝 How was the ceremonial mace presented to unruly members of the US House of Representatives?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Do revisionist historiographies come closer to "unbiased truth"?
- 📝 When did worshipping of ancient Greek gods come to an end?
- 📝 Where did Medieval Europe's gold come from?
- 📝 When and why did the use of the lifespans of royalty to limit clauses in contracts come about?
- 📝 How did gold come to symbolize lower ranks than silver in the United States Air Force?
- 📝 Where did the “vikings wear helmets with horn” stereotype come from and why?
- 📝 Where does the name 'D-Day' come from?
- 📝 Where does the name of the country "Belarus" come from?
- 📝 When did the term "Nationality" first come into use? How did ancient civilizations refer to themselves? By ethnicity?
- 📝 Where did the archived discussions in Google Groups come from?
- 📝 How come every culture on the planet has a different calendar, yet follow the same system for a week?
- 📝 Where did the term "Middle Ages" come from?
- 📝 When and how did classic "Italian" cuisine come to be?
- 📝 Did the US and Soviet navies really come close to blows in the Indian Ocean in 1971?
- 📝 How come all the major WW1 rifles were bolt action?
- 📝 Colonisation of India: Which regions of the United Kingdom did colonial personnel come from?
- 📝 Where did Southern Fried Chicken come from?
- 📝 How did pagination come to be used?
- 📝 How close did the US come to removing the Electoral College in 1970?
- 📝 How did Azerbaijan come to be allied with Turkey and Israel?
- 📝 How come Incas believed that the Spanish were the incarnation of their “thunder god”?
- 📝 Where did the money come from to build the Colosseum?
- 📝 Where did the design of the US Colonel insignia come from?
- 📝 Why did the British "Indian" army come disproportionately from particular regions?
- 📝 How did Magnus IV of Sweden come of age at 15?
- 📝 When did people understand where children come from?
- 📝 Which car was the first to come with a cigarette lighter receptacle?
- 📝 Where does Akbar the Great's "Great" come from?
- 📝 Did Radio Free Europe say that the Allies would come to the rescue during the Hungarian Revolution?
- 📝 Did anything come from Sparta, besides fitness and war?