I (often?) complained that the history that's taught in schools is history of politics and of military. I've realized that the history of military isn't really taught outside of its intersection with history of politics: the influence of technology on military was very spottily covered (I remember hearing about effects of the invention of crossbows, firearms in general, and sailing ships (as opposed to oar-powered ones), but nothing about observation balloons -- even in the context of Napoleon, I can't recall a single discussion of use of new ways to communicate, nothing about Haber process (!), nor about improvements to aiming, guidance, and explosion timing for various weapons).
Why is history, as taught, so devoid of talking about effects of inventions, even in areas that it sort-of covers? My experience is from Polish schools, is it different in other places?
> most schooling covers some parts
But not the important ones even! I'm sure that Haber process (which made blockading South America not an effective strategy to deny one's opponent access to explosives and made both explosives production and agriculture much more prolific) was not even a footnote in my historical education.
> the human aspects or effects are not really part of it perhaps because of the less-factual speculation involved from opinions and ethics (...)
But the inventions themselves are also absent. I'd expect them to be mentioned _because_ of their effects, which are the effects that are apparent in what is described. I'm not even talking about trying to figure out whether an invention was generally helpful for people (which IMO isn't called for when teaching history: speculation on how the world would look like without it, and speculation on why it appeared when it did is, but ascribing value to outcomes is IMO out of its scope).
@robryk Could summarise it as a combination
- Pick and Choose (by those at the top / decision makers in education)
- Too much to mention
- Mentioning too much get people really learning! (it's unwanted perhaps overall)
- It's hard for people bnot to be political, historians or those pretending to distribute education
Sorry if I wasn't on point with what you said - I also re-read thing again to try catch in a different light
@robryk
I think most schooling covers some parts - perhaps easier / favourites / symbolic parts like Zeppelins and like you said firearm but not all the details or range, cannons perhaps etc... other technical things maybe not needed or wanted by history lesson. Keep thing separate somewhat is safe for them and avoid overlap though that was the best one one subject helped with the other! Go figure (compartmentalisation)
To answer 2nd paragraph, the human aspects or effects are not really part of it perhaps because of the less-factual speculation involved from opinions and ethics that probably school, subject and whole bunches want to avoid, keeping history as object rather than a continual mentality or anthropology because the same system of war certainly still exists, only transferred into softer ways.
More about my thoughts but above answers your question somewhat I hope.
So all those that have the leader above aboth leader is a type of army (hierarchy and orders) so it's not surprising schools etc also come under than, so if you believe the basic setup and that the old mentality didn't just go away when war 'stopped' it just found moer software was or covers for the same thing... forcing people and getting economical benefit out of them.
It's here to stay and all those grandfathers (very low women) just found other less obvious way to war (tech and STEM being one of them and *nothing* funded avoids this political aspect, not even science and tech.).
So just think who funded it and why (I have similar thought to the same points about the race of weapons, colonial monopoly / pirates) and then how it's al used to force people NEVER let them have it for free or lose your grip...that's their job to help keep those people in power. Don't teach too much the kids might know the truth / realise more than the pictures and text and see it's really happening!