I am currently reading “Eyewitness to History” by John Carey. This book is a compilation of “Civilization’s most momentous events come vibrantly alive in this magnificent collection of over three hundred eyewitness accounts spanning twenty-four turbulent centuries — remarkable recollections of battles, atrocities, disasters, coronations, assassinations and discoveries that shaped the course of history, all related in vivid detail by observers on the scene.“
I remember reading this book many decades ago in high school. I was fascinated then to read about Socrates drinking poison the night of his execution while surrounded by his students. I remember reading about families who were there during the eruption of Pompeii and of explorers who visited ancient Egypt.
When I rediscovered this book by searching the WorldCat at my library nearly 40 years later, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
I’m about halfway through the book. I’ve read the Socrates story, the tragedy when Mt. Vesuvius erupted burying Pompeii and travelogues of European explorers visiting ancient Egypt.
What I didn’t remember were the many stories of war, battles, torture, suffering and violence. There are hundreds of pages detailing humans killing, injuring and abusing each other: witch burning, slavery, piracy, civil wars, government oppression, war, crime, executions and military conquests.
It’s kind of depressing to read story after story of humans treating each other badly.
Many of these occurrences happened in the last 200 years.
Over and over again there are descriptions of military battles where civilians are targeted are killed – including elderly non-combatants, women and children. People are shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, burned alive and starved to death.
If anything, the essays describing military battles show clearly that this is the norm, rather than the exception.
I read history so I can have a better understanding of humanity, society, governments and behavior. It helps me gain more insight about the world today. Much of what happens in the modern world has happened before. Modern societies and humans act in the 2020s in remarkably similar ways that they did in the 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s to similar events.
I saw this when I read about the Black Plague and compared it to the Coivd Pandemic response.
I saw it when I read about economic booms and busts spanning centuries from the Dutch Tulip Bulb bubble through the current Crypto bubble today.
I see it now with the wars in Ukraine, Israel, and throughout Africa.
I now believe that “war crimes”, “civilian casualties” and “unintended collateral damage” are the norms when it comes to military conflicts. I believe that people in battle do horrific things that they would never do under normal circumstances.
It’s upsetting. But I think is realistic.
Yesterday, I finished a different book, “The survivor: how I made it through six concentration camps and became a Nazi hunter” by Josef Lewkowicz.
The author was a happy, middle class Jewish kid in Poland growing up in a loving family when the Germans invaded and destroyed his entire world.
He writes simply and straightforwardly describing his experiences during the war, in the camps and surviving.
He detailed what happened from the moment his town was first occupied by German troops to liberation from the concentration camps to society afterward and rebuilding a life.
I won’t detail all of the atrocities he witnessed and endured. We all know about the camps from history lessons in school, old WWII videos, movies like Schindler’s List, and stories from survivors.
His stories about how friends, neighbors, customers, coworkers, employees, prisoners, guards, strangers – fellow Jews as well as non Jews – hit me hard.
There were some stories about acts of heroic kindness and bravery. There were many more about acquiescence and fear that led average people to treachery and betrayal. Even after the war, there were more stories of people pretending they “didn’t know”, benefiting from stolen property/homes/businesses/money or taking advantage of the Holocaust to enrich themselves.
It was pretty f***ing awful.
I’d like to think I am better than all of these people – from the murderous soldiers in the 1800s to the Nazi SS during the Holocaust to the acquiescent citizens too fearful to stand up to violent autocrats.
I’m not sure I am.
It’s easy for me to think I’m better than that as I sit in my suburban home, surrounded by relative luxury and comfort, with all of basic needs covered and many of my desires filled.
If I was in their positions, at that time in the world, with those pressures and problems (including quite significant ones like death, starvation, abject poverty, violence etc.), would I be any different?
Would you?
*The original post “A History Of Violence” (Part I)” is here.