[Stipe]

Undergraduate in University - History Major, particularly East European and Slavic Studies

Special interests include:
Kievan and Imperial Russian History
19th Century Balkan Nationalism
Medieval Balkan and Ottoman History

Books: Many

[Der Freiheitsucher]

I agree with some points of Malachi, secondary history doesn't count as history esperience. If you ever do history as a major you'll see the big difference.

[Tigerlily]

Tu aimes le histoire? Chouette... So your a sophmore eh? Hah, I disliked sophmores even when I was a sophmore...

I'm in grade 11. We don't go by "sophmores" or whatever here. I have no idea what that grade is.

And only special people can call me "Chouette".

[Boris]

Tu aimes le histoire? Chouette... So your a sophmore eh? Hah, I disliked sophmores even when I was a sophmore...

Last year (first year in high school, wooo),

I'm in grade 11. We don't go by "sophmores" or whatever here. I have no idea what that grade is.

So if last year was your first year, then this would be your second, thus your sophmore year of the 4 year high school term, 1st year being your freshmen, 2nd your sophmore, 3rd your junior, and 4th your senior. They do that both in High Schools and Colleges. So you have conflicting arguements there. Unless you have an extremly weird school where there is only 3 years or something.

And only special people can call me "Chouette".

Euh, Pardon, je suis desolé.... Mais, pourquoi est-ce que je ne peux pas?

Crap, I just had a lesson of pronoun placement to be able to say "Why can't I?" something about putting moi right in from of the verb or something...

[malachi151]

I agree with some points of Malachi, secondary history doesn't count as history esperience. If you ever do history as a major you'll see the big difference.

Yes I agree that MAJORS in any field in the US teaches "real" information for the most part, quite true. Maybe economics is the worst field in America for how well it covers the truth. Hard for me to say as I am not an economics major, but I'll soon be going for my MBA so I will find out to an extent.

Yes, if someone majors in Russian history I assume they get "real history", other than that, its mostly crap (in America).

[Boris]

He has his BA in Modern History and US History and he has a minor degree in Russian Studies.

I forgot you must live in Redneckville where they don't offer AP and College level classes in high school. I took AP European History, AP US History, and AP Military History. I am taking AP Diplomacy and AP Ancient History next year. By my freshmen year of college I will either have it easy my first year with like english and biology and a take for fun history class, or I will take the sophmore stuff my freshmen year and enjoy an easy last year.

[Der Freiheitsucher]

Boris, you're not the voice of experience here mate. Like I said, in school I also thought I was being taught history. I wasn't. It doesn't get real 'till about 5th semester in University. Not to discredit you or anything, maybe if you study History you'll see it the same way as me.

[malachi151]

All I can say is that in about 10 years Boris, you will agree that the history you are taught in school is crap

[Der Freiheitsucher]

All I can say is that in about 10 years Boris, you will agree that the history you are taught in school is crap

Touché.

[Maxim Litvinov]

Meh.

I had some hope for this thread. That people would actually be interested in what others were studying, they'd ask each other for advice about books and courses.

But, no. It's just become one long "my history experience is better than yours thread."

Well, what's the point of that?

However 'inexperienced' I might have been, some of my most enthusiastic research and most interesting debates came from history classes at school. Your historical knowledge isn't limited by the course or your environment, so much as by how much you are willing to go off and learn for yourself.

So quit dissing other people's knowledge and experience. I deleted my 'resume' just so as to not be involved in some sort of weak comparison with others here.

[Der Freiheitsucher]

I had some hope for this thread. That people would actually be interested in what others were studying, they'd ask each other for advice about books and courses.

I believe us people who have actually studied it feel certain anger towards this because we gave time and dedication to it, to gain the right to call ourselves experts on the subject. But you are absolutely right, nonetheless. I'll try and chip my two cents and reccomend some texts which I consider "must have"'s

The Gathering Storm - Winston Churchill
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William L. Shirer
Their Finest Hour - Winston Churchill
Hitler: A Study in Tyranny - Alan Bullock
The Russian Revolution - B. Williams
The Nazi Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation - Ian Kershaw
The Origins of the Second World War Reconsidered: The AJP Taylor Debate After 25 Years - Gordon Martel

These are just the books I have here on my desk, mostly bought for University. They are in no particular order, nor are they difficult texts to read. You'll have to excuse the redundant topic of the books, but thats what I studied hence thats what I know.

[Crazy Brown Guy]

One of my teachers told me in grade 10 that in a Communist country the government decide who marries and who doesn't. Guess what lots of people in that class believed that as a fact.

[Boris]

Yeah, I personally like Clowboy's if you ask me. And Maxim makes a good point, So I am going to ask the mod to delete this bloody thread. Thanks Malachi151.

[Maxim Litvinov]

Boris - while I'm sorry that this thread hasn't been as helpful as it could have been, I don't think the answer is to delete it - even if that option was open to you.

Many people have posted here, most fulfilling directly your wishes to learn more about them. It would be unfair on them to delete the thread. There has been too much debate about the merits of different people's learning for my liking, but on these threads you must expect debate.

I personally just didn't want my posts to be seen as saying "I believe myself an expert in this and this". I don't. Which is the only reason I deleted my resume.

Whilst I think reading lists are interesting and useful and thank DF for his, I don't agree with Der Freiheitsucher's central notion that people here should be accepted as having the right to call themselves 'experts'. Expertise and respect should be judged and accorded on the basis of the substance of people's threads, and people's threads alone.

It is annoying to have your opinion doubted when you have spent many more hours researching a topic than someone else, but provided your posts illustrate your knowledge and make your points well, your 'expertise' will show itself to those here, without people having to 'pull history rank'.

[Boris]

I heard a lecture by Howard Zinn about experts. You sound simalar in many ways to him.

[clownboy]

Goldstein - point taken, however, I DO find it helpful to "consider the source" when taking in information. You must admit that often times here there are posts that look to be authored by a 15 year old with a High School "expert's" opinion. It's nice to know the radar hasn't jammed.

[liberalist]

I have studied History at University, mainly 20th century history of Russia, Fascism in Italy and National Socialism in Germany, also 19th century France and some others.

My recommendation if you want to study history is to bypass most text books, biographys and generalist works. These are the stuff of high school history. If you really want to know history find primary source materials. These include diaries, notes, speeches etc. I think one of the problems with high school history is that it teaches only big events. Eg. in year X event Y happened. To get an understanding of history you need to read memoirs, letters, diaries of people who were actually there experiencing the event. I am not only talking about primary sources coming from world leaders but also everyday people, who had no effect on history but who saw history in the making and wrote how it effected thier lives. This will give the historian an understanding of how and why things happened and it will also allow the reader to make up their own mind about history, instead of being told what an event means by a text book author.

[Rinty]

I totally agree with liberalist the real history is the social history behind the big events. However, the generalist text books are good as a starting point.

Personally, I left school at 15 developed an interest in political history on the streets and meeting rooms of Brixton, London. Went back to education in my late 20's to do an HND in social science which included history. In Scotland an HND is probably the equivalent of dropping out of a history degree after about 1 and a half years so it's not a great qualification.

However I have read countless books too many to mention here and by far my biggest education in history is the debates, discussions and meetings from my lifelong involvement in politics. Other peoples interpretations and ideas are the best way to evolve and form opinions when analysing events in history.

Irish history was always an easier one to learn for me as it was part of my house and in a way the history of my family and the history of Ireland are one and the same.

Currently I am enjoying investigating the local history where I live.

Overall though I am a wee bit uncomfortable with this thread. What is the point here? Are we trying to establish who is best qualified? Do we think that debates can be won here by saying 'look - I should know, I did Russian History at Cambridge'?

What are we gaining from knowing each others qualifications? EG there are people here who are well edcuated but their list of books read would be a fortnights fun reading for me when I was 19 so who has the best knowledge.

Current Reading

The Sword and The Cross - Richard Holloway
Discovering the Scottish Revolution - Neil Davidson
Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge - Evan Gottesman (fantastic read and topical too with constant parallels with Iraq)
Che Guevera - Bolivian Diaries (like a cross between Morecambe and Wise - dead boring)