History Roundtable
Stories (12/0)
Great Reformers That Don’t
Introduction: the Tsars close their fist. Throughout its life, the Russian Empire found itself needing to liberalize to survive. It would find itself behind in technology, or otherwise at a disadvantage to Europeans, so the tsars began adopting European ideas. military reforms, education reforms, and power structure reforms, all used to keep the tsars in power in the face of the threat of dangerous neighbors. At the same time, the tsarist government was unwilling to liberalize the power structure of Russia, again, to keep the throne in power. Unfortunately, with each reform came ideas of freedom in the heads of the Russian population, noble and peasant alike. These ideas were like a virus spreading and developing, infecting the system with discontent. From the Great Reformers Peter and Catherine, to Alexander and Nicholas, to the architects of the Great Reforms, there was no shortage of Russian tsars enacting reforms that only served to increase their own power, and often this would lead to dissatisfaction with the government. The growing dissatisfaction would eventually boil over into the Decembrist Revolt after the death of Alexander, and then the revolutions of the early 1900s, the last of which finally brought an end to the tsars, and their government.
By History Roundtable5 years ago in The Swamp
'Total War': Great Man History
The Total War video game series by developer Creative Assembly has always had an issue of taking cool, but rare or suspect moments of history and making them gameplay features, whether it be the Pictish stealth catapults in Total War: Rome II, the ninja troops in Total War: Shogun 2, or the flaming pig units all the way back in Rome: Total War (of course, not mentioning the historical issues of the game series being called "Total War" when it has never once portrayed an era where total war existed, the concept having been invented during WWI, significantly later than even the latest entry in the Total War series). However, there has been one thing that the Total War series has always gotten right in their historical games: History is not about individuals. Despite this, something rubbed me the wrong way about their upcoming game, Total War: Three Kingdoms, and the way it portrays history. Three Kingdoms is putting a heavier emphasis on individual people from history than any installment before, bringing to mind the Total War: Warhammer games more so than the previous historical games. The problem is that Warhammer is a franchise that focuses on mythical storytelling, allowing individuals to be more influential than the masses, but this is not how the past happened. The past is a mess of factors that no one person could shift on their own. History is how we talk about or portray the past, and it needs to be as accurate as possible. As far as video games go, of course, accuracy is not a necessity. Getting deep into the details of history can often interfere with gameplay, and there’s no way to program every conceivable historical influence into a game, especially when we don’t know them all. However, the Total War series has existed for 19 years at the time of this writing, and they are only now adding this “great man” history to their game. Not only that, they have added a game mode that turns the great men into legends, allowing them to fight whole units on their own, soak up hundreds of attacks, and turn the tide of a battle by merely winning a duel, an uncommon practice in China during the period of the Three Kingdoms.
By History Roundtable5 years ago in Gamers
The Two-Spirits of Montana
In Montana’s pre-Columbian history, there was a tradition of young boys and girls realizing that they were two-spirit and entering a new style of life which they felt better represented them. The two-spirit are a third gender with a variety of names, two-spirit being a modern pan-Indian term to replace the problematic previous anthropological term berdache, which derives from the Arabic word for eunuch slaves, which obviously carries an offensive connotation to the two-spirit. Two-spirit individuals would be born one gender, and once they realized their true nature, they would take up some or all of the responsibilities of the opposite gender. This meant that two-spirit would inhabit interesting and often important roles within their tribe. Unfortunately, as Western powers encroached on Native lands, they were disgusted by the two-spirit and repressed them, arresting them with little cause, writing poorly of them—often lying—and teaching the children of Native tribes that two-spirit were immoral. This repression caused a decline in two-spirit numbers, and many tribes lost their two-spirit community entirely. However, in the modern era there has been a resurgence of two-spirit individuals who are attempting to do activism in order to gain (or regain) acceptance, both in Native and non-Native communities.
By History Roundtable5 years ago in The Swamp
Under Appreciated Films of History II
In my ongoing quest to bring under appreciated films to light, I've decided to highlight a film that is not as interesting for its merits as a film, but for the way that it can be used to view the era and culture in which it was made. Said film is the 1965 movie The East Is Red, which is actually more of a recording of a stage musical—or “song and dance epic” as they describe it—with a few shots in the beginning of the surrounding city and a large crowd of people coming in to watch the play.
By History Roundtable5 years ago in Geeks
Under Appreciated Films of History I
In the early days of Soviet film there was a great art film boom, led by a large variety of directors. Vsevolod Pudovkin, Sergei Eisenstein, Lev Kuleshov, Dziga Vertov, and many others released film after film that were each wonderful examples of the medium. Unfortunately, a lot of these fantastic films (as well as other great films from around the world) were and remain underappreciated, something that I aim to change. One such film was Lev Kuleshov’s first comedy, The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks, in which Pudovkin wrote, acted, and provided art direction. It was released in 1924, and at only 94 minutes, was a relatively short silent film.
By History Roundtable5 years ago in Geeks
The Tragedy of the Ainu
The Japanese, through the Matsumae family, traded heavily with the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido, the island just north of mainland Japan, during the unification period, a very lucrative time for both sides. However, by the end of the Tokugawa period, this trade had turned into colonization. Over time the Japanese turned trade into political power, undermining the authority of the Ainu chiefs. When the Ainu fought back, the Japanese easily put them down via military action and embargo. By the time the Tokugawa took over Hokkaido, the Japanese were already nearly in control of the Ainu, economically, culturally, and militarily. This slow progression of control is reminiscent of many instances of colonization and imperialism in the West, something that the Japanese were barely experienced with at this point. Developing dependency, unequal treaties, and taking land slowly through minor conflicts make up a style of imperialism that is generally considered a Western approach, and yet the Japan came up with it independently.
By History Roundtable5 years ago in The Swamp
Crimes of the German Soldiers
Today, despite a rise in the popularity and publicity of neo-Nazis, most reasonable people disagree with the basic premise of Nazi ideology, if not all of its tenets. Despite this, there is a large number of reasonable people who have been tricked into believing and parroting the lies of German soldiers and officers, many of which were propagated into popular memory by Nazis and neo-Nazis outside of Germany after the war. One of the most insidious of these lies is the myth of the “Clean Wehrmacht,” spread particularly by Wehrmacht members put on trial in Nuremberg.
By History Roundtable6 years ago in Serve
The Ethics of the Borg
When one attempts to think of the most menacing villains out of any sci-fi stories, the Borg will come to mind fairly soon. First appearing in the Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) episode “Q Who?”, they are an alien race that appears as recurring antagonists in the Star Trek franchise. The Borg are a collection of species that have been turned into cybernetic organisms functioning as drones in a hive mind called the Collective. The Borg use a process called assimilation to force other species into the Collective by violent injection of microscopic machines called nanoprobes. The Borg's ultimate goal is "achieving perfection". To do this they not only use the knowledge they gain from those they have assimilated, but also the technology they salvage from the races they’ve conquered. The Borg are portrayed as juggernauts against which "resistance is futile" and an unstoppable force that mercilessly assimilates and kills for their own good, almost like a zombie plague. Is it truly that simple though? The Borg believe themselves to be in the right. They see the unassimilated as children who cannot make decisions on their own, so in much the same way we would force a child to go to the doctor, they force assimilation on other races for their own good. With these ethics, when it comes to an encounter with the Borg, you can either join or fight. So with these two sides, which option is preferable? We need to know in case we find something like them, and it seems possible that we might, for as Carl Sagan said, “Because terrestrial civilization has only recently achieved radio astronomical capability, it is highly improbable that there are any other communicative civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy so backward as we. It therefore makes considerable sense for us to receive rather than to transmit messages. It also follows that the transmitting civilization is likely to have technological and scientific capabilities immensely in excess of our own.” In that case, should we join this collective? Should we join the Borg?
By History Roundtable6 years ago in Geeks
Why My Lai?
In March 16, 1968, American army units, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade, and the Americal Division killed between 347 to 504 unarmed Vietnamese civilians of all ages and genders. Additionally, there were 20 rapes during the massacre. Mothers, elderly, and children alike were slaughtered by the US military in a massacre that shocked the American people, who were already questioning the Vietnam War. Why did this happen?
By History Roundtable6 years ago in Serve
The Horrors of Scientific Racism
From the White Man’s Burden to the “culture wars,” justifications of prejudice have been used for as long as people have been prejudiced—in other words, forever. Racism is one of the most horrifying prejudices based on the atrocities committed because of it, and has had plenty of justifications in its own right. One such justification, and probably the most resilient, is scientific racism. Scientific racism uses misinterpretations of science and pseudoscience as proof that racism is not only okay, but good for humankind. It evolves alongside society in order to remain socially acceptable, reflecting the changing societal standards and the scientific interest of the time.
By History Roundtable6 years ago in The Swamp
The United Empire of America
The United States likes to think of itself as an alternative to the empires of old, but in the Philippine-American War, America proved itself to just be a new version of that same imperial structure. Additionally, this unnecessary war of conquest was a clear show of the same imperial attitude that pervaded America’s westward expansion. These expansions, both the Philippine-American War and the conquest of the American West, exhibit imperialism in three main ways. One, through the expansion of land owned by the United States, as a key aspect of imperialism is expanding the territory controlled by the nation. Two, through the subjugation of the native people of the land the US took, the subjugation of conquered people being another key aspect. And three, through the attitudes of Americans before and during the conquest, as while the attitudes were different from traditional European thought in some ways, there was virtually no difference in other ways. This American imperialism in the West created a culture of expansion, one that couldn’t simply fade away once the US hit the Pacific coastline, forcing it to set its eyes on the Philippines.
By History Roundtable6 years ago in The Swamp
The War of 1812
The War of 1812, one of many “forgotten wars”, is often ignored despite the part it played in forming the identities of the nations of North America. The United States, which, along with Canada, probably remembers the war best, experienced massive repercussions from the war, some physical—and some mental. The war helped stimulate the creation of the powerful standing army and navy America had never had before and would become known for in later conflicts; it created a new American nationalism based around various triumphs in the war, no matter how small; and it resulted in significant losses for the Native Americans, despite being a stalemate war between England and America. These changes shaped the American people as a whole and laid the groundwork for the nation we know today.
By History Roundtable6 years ago in The Swamp
