Mistakes In History

History can be found written from 3500 BC in Egypt but dates back from much farther back in time. It has been around since the beginning of mankind, in the beginning many scientists and theologist argue about. Whether a person believes humans came from evolution or a God, everyone knows there was a first. A first human whom taught his mistakes, lessons, and culture onto the next which would become history.

Mistakes are made in history from today to thousands of years ago, but globally, humans have learned from their mistakes. Homo sapiens learned what the non-lethal berries were and the toxic ones, they learned that fire would crisp their skin, and they learned that the seasons would change as time went by. Humans from all over have collected
information from lives of others and their own lives, from the scolding their mothers gave them and actual eyewitness accounts. This is what has sustained mankind, our ability to learn, especially from our mistakes. Though, some mistakes are inevitable, some could be avoided only if one looked back in time. Napoleon Bonaparte made the fatal mistake of invading Russia in the wintertime, it was a turning point in the war and would ultimately be his downfall. He had a pact with Russia, but decided to break it nevertheless. Russians enacted a scorched-earth policy and drew his unprepared troops deeper into their massive entity of a motherland as the season changed into a freezing winter. His reign would end two short years later, surrendering to European forces. His legacy would be written in history as one of the greatest military leaders to have lived, but also his catastrophic error. If only Adolf Hitler read history books instead of burning them, then he wouldn’t follow in Napoleon’s very steps just a hundred years later. Hitler would go onto to break a pact he made with Joseph Stalin, the Russian leader at the time, and invade Russia. Ironically, the same time Napoleon did just a century before. German troops were stopped at Moscow, in the icy December time. Many soldiers fell victim to disease and illness, much like the French leader’s troops before Hitler. The Battle of Stalingrad would occur, Russian forces would annihilate the Germans and become a paramount turning point in World War II as the tide now turned against the Reich. Maybe if Adolf Hitler had picked up a history book, he would have learned from Napoleon Bonaparte’s condemnatory mistake and not have followed in his steps. But then again, the world would be a very different place today.

History teaches us important lessons.
It showed rulers that they can oppress people, but eventually the people will rise in defiance. This can be shown throughout the course of existence. American rebels bravely fought the Revolutionary War against Britain for independence, freedom was worth all the lives and money put into the war. Rebels were fighting their own blood at times, many of them still considered themselves British citizens. It all began with the high taxes the King was imposing on his thirteen colonies, but would not allow them representation in Parliament. Tensions would continue to grow and the Continental Congress was born, composed of many of the Founding Fathers. Eight tedious years of bloodshed was fought between the greatest superpower in the world at the time and thirteen small colonies in the eastern hemisphere. Americans showed the world was it was like have courage and fight, no matter how big the opponent. Countries like France and Haiti would follow suit, with their own successful Revolutionary Wars. Revolution can also be found in the church. Sixteenth century, the Catholic church was insanely corrupt. The first reformer was Martin Luther, a priest that hailed from Germany who published his grievances against the church, his 95 theses. He exposed the unethical sale of indulgences and his dislike for sacraments. His revolt diffused as he spread his word across Northern Europe, but oddly enough it was the country of England to follow in his brave
steps. Henry VII had simply wanted a divorce, but the Catholic faith was strictly against it, therefore he found it necessary to denounce the church and divorce his wife to remarry another. The movement gained traction and the Reformation continued to spread, creating new branches of Christianity.