Chance, Choice, & Cause
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Chance, Choice, & Cause
How one frames the stories of history can often be more important than the stories themselves. In many cases, the old adage that, “the medium is the message holds true.” Historical events can often be understood as being driven by some combination of chances, choices, or causes, and whichever is emphasized can have important consequences. The problem with emphasizing chance is that students will come to see history as a random series of events that cannot be controlled. This will make them lose any interest in the subject they may have had. A similar problem ensures from teaching history as an endless sequence of causes and effects; if students come to realize that if everything is predetermined then they will see no role for human agency in the shaping of history, and will lose interest just as quickly. This lack of respect for human effort in bringing about social change turns students off from any potential civic engagement or political action. The mindful history teacher will attempt to stress choice wherever possible, in order to make students realize that choices have consequences, that choices made in the present will constrain choices in the future, and that people can make a difference in history. This is also a good weapon in the ongoing battle of trying to make history come alive as historical choices provide an opportunity to reflect on, evaluate, and re-enact the decision and the decision-making process.
Applied to the Industrial Revolution this idea is difficult to implement. Textbooks often emphasize how one topic of study led directly to the next, which is often not the case. And as demonstrated in the historical connections section above, sometimes too many causes can cloud the real issues (demonstrated by Allen’s intricate causation chart of the Industrial Revolution). The role of chance has been highlighted by many historians, especially in the tradition of Guns, Germs, and Steel. Textbooks strongly emphasize this aspect when dealing with the Industrial Revolution by stressing Britain’s geographical luck in sitting on an island of coal. While this geographical blessing is clearly part of the story, as Allen demonstrates, it is only one part of an intricate web of relationships that still only begins to explain why the Industrial Revolution began in Britain. The choices that are relevant to the Industrial Revolution are the efforts of people to inform the upper classes of the plight of those below them, such as Charles Dickens or any of the people involved in lobbying for factory reform, union legalization, and/ or removal of trade restrictions. Personal choice can also be highlighted in stories of people who made the risky choice of investing in or adopting technology before it was commercially viable. The role of Parliament in encouraging the Industrial Revolution is still debated, but at least provides another chance to highlight the role of human agency in shaping history on a grand scale.
Applied to the Industrial Revolution this idea is difficult to implement. Textbooks often emphasize how one topic of study led directly to the next, which is often not the case. And as demonstrated in the historical connections section above, sometimes too many causes can cloud the real issues (demonstrated by Allen’s intricate causation chart of the Industrial Revolution). The role of chance has been highlighted by many historians, especially in the tradition of Guns, Germs, and Steel. Textbooks strongly emphasize this aspect when dealing with the Industrial Revolution by stressing Britain’s geographical luck in sitting on an island of coal. While this geographical blessing is clearly part of the story, as Allen demonstrates, it is only one part of an intricate web of relationships that still only begins to explain why the Industrial Revolution began in Britain. The choices that are relevant to the Industrial Revolution are the efforts of people to inform the upper classes of the plight of those below them, such as Charles Dickens or any of the people involved in lobbying for factory reform, union legalization, and/ or removal of trade restrictions. Personal choice can also be highlighted in stories of people who made the risky choice of investing in or adopting technology before it was commercially viable. The role of Parliament in encouraging the Industrial Revolution is still debated, but at least provides another chance to highlight the role of human agency in shaping history on a grand scale.