Dangerous Games
The Uses and Abuses of History
Random House Publishing Group · Print & ebook · July 13, 2010
Acclaimed historian Margaret MacMillan explores here the many ways in which history affects us all.
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- Who it’s for
- A lucid look at how history gets used, misused, and argued over.
- Genres
- Historiography, Political Philosophy, World History
- Published
- Random House Publishing Group, July 13, 2010
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Acclaimed historian Margaret MacMillan explores here the many ways in which history affects us all. She shows how a deeper engagement with history, both as individuals and in the sphere of public debate, can help us understand ourselves and the world better. But she also warns that history can be misused and lead to misunderstanding. History is used to justify religious movements and political campaigns alike.
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Dictators may suppress history because it undermines their ideas, agendas, or claims to absolute authority. Nationalists may tell false, one-sided, or misleading stories about the past. Political leaders might mobilize their people by telling lies. It is imperative that we have an understanding of the past and avoid these and other common traps in thinking to which many fall prey. This brilliantly reasoned work, alive with incident and figures both great and infamous, will compel us to examine history anew—and skillfully illuminates why it is important to treat the past with care.
History in Play
A lucid look at how history gets used, misused, and argued over.
Come here for
- history as a tool, not a museum piece
- clear-eyed framing for class discussion and professional use
Expect
- Specialist, idea-forward nonfiction
- Signals for classroom use and sustained reading
Where it sits
| Historiography | 78% |
|---|---|
| Political Philosophy | 23% |
| World History | 19% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Historiography
- History Resources
- Political History & Ideas
- Authors
- Margaret MacMillan
- Publisher
- Random House Publishing Group
- Published
- July 13, 2010
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Historiography