Welcome to Litsy!

A short, accessible introduction to the importance of studying history with the vigour it deserves.

The way we view history can affect the way we see ourselves as individuals (thanks, @batsy ) and as nations, and this sense of identity can shape our future actions for good or ill.

Margaret Macmillan has mastered accurate, clear, fascinating history writing. This one was written 10 years ago, so is appropriately dated in some ways.

“Examining the past honestly, whether it is painful for some people or not, is the only way for societies to become mature and to build bridges to others.”

“It can be dangerous to question the stories people tell about themselves because so much of our identity is both shaped by and bound up with our history. That is why dealing with the past, in deciding on which version we want, or on what we want to remember and to forget, can become so politically charged.”

TRUTH.