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As early as World War I, American historians offered themselves to President Woodrow Wilson to carry out a task they called 'historical engineering,' by which they meant designing the facts of history so that they would serve state policy. In this instance, the U.S. government wanted to silence opposition to the war. This represents a version of Orwell's 1984, even before Orwell was writing.

Noam Chomsky#48

PoliticsPowerHistoryPropagandaTruth

About this quote

What does it mean?
Historians once actively shaped historical facts to support government policies and silence opposition before Orwell wrote.
In plain terms
American historians changed historical facts to help the government win wars and stop critics.
What can you take from it?
History can be manipulated to serve state interests rather than truth.

Where it applies

  • academic writing
  • political propaganda
  • government relations

Putting it to work

  • historical verification
  • source analysis
  • policy critique

Questions to consider

  • How is history used to support policy?
  • What responsibility do historians have to truth?

Another view

Not all historical work is political; many historians strive for objectivity.

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