The Importance of History
We teach our children history because we realize that it is important but we seldom explain why it is important. There is an old adage which goes "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" but that doesn't really explain why we have to learn from history. Historians point out that many wars have been fought over the same grounds and causes by different peoples. Ignorant of the past those peoples failed to plan for a future conflict when they would find themselves facing another people in search of the same resources.
History teaches us the futility of war but it also shows us that sometimes it is necessary to defend what we have against aggression. In today's world too many people confuse the futility of war with a preference for peace. War is futile because it rarely if ever leads to the desired outcome (for the nation that starts the war). But many nations have successfully defended themselves against unprovoked (or overzealous) aggression.
Some historians suggest that NAZI Germany might not have arisen had the western nations not imposed such a harsh reparations burden upon Germany after the First World War. The Great Depression of 1929 destroyed an already fragile German economy, allowing the NAZI party to rise to power on the hopes and fears of a greatly dispirited German population. The false promises of the NAZI party were temporarily given credence by their re-armament campaign, which created many thousands of jobs and helped put the German population back to work.
In the wake of the Second World War the United States contributed billions of dollars toward rebuilding the economies of many nations in Europe and Asia. The world economy had literally been reduced to ashes, and the United States needed to ensure that its new allies and neighbors could take care of themselves. Unfortunately, after the success of the Marshall Plan the United States gave up on the idea of "nation building". Instead the US government pursued policies of irresponsible interference in other nations' sovereignty.
After starting or supporting revolutions in Nicaragua, Panama, and other Latin American nations the United States began to find itself at odds with emerging Latin American dictatorships. Now it is easy for wicked leaders such as Hugo Chavez to castigate the United States because of its cruel foreign policies. Even though the United States distributes more foreign aid than most other nations combined, the United States is still perceived as a threat because of its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, two nations where US diplomats have been reluctant to engage in "nation building".
It would appear that American leaders are doomed to repeat history because they are laying the foundation for future wars and enmities by sidestepping their responsibilities to help rebuild the nations they have destroyed. Nation building is extremely important because it helps ensure a powerful friendship between the United States and other countries. We should have rebuilt Somalia but instead we abandoned it to terrorists and pirates.
Recent history shows us that truly "those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."