A Questionable Look at History From the Victors’ Lens

^{Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash}

“History is written by the victors, but its victims write the memoirs.”

My entire life, I’ve always thought about having a questionable look at history from the eyes of victors. However, it also makes me wonder, “What about those who lost the war?”

Growing up, we didn’t know any better, so what we knew before was entirely different from what we know now. This raises the question, “Is history really written by the victors?”

Let’s find out.

How Victims Took a Questionable Look at History

Individual experiences, sufferings, and personal stories of survival told from victims’ perspectives vary significantly from the glorious tales of war to those who claimed victory over it. Such facts bring to light the historical accounts written from the biases of those in power. Additionally, those who have achieved victory have it easier than the overlooked victims left with scars.

Remember that when studying history, it’s important to be willing and open to any additional information that we stumble upon. We don’t have to take sides or deny what happened. As long as we collectively acknowledge the importance of looking back at the past, we can better move forward in the future.

Rewriting History and How It Affects Our Perspective

Since history is often written by the victors, they shape our understanding of the past through their lens of power and influence. However, critical thinking is required to understand and question the narratives harrowed down to us.

The victors, with their power, defined how people understood their past. But there’s a strong truth to that, even today. It’s easier to rewrite what happened and double down on things rather than admit the sick truth about how we got here. The Roman Empire, for instance, glorified its conquests and depicted its enemies as evil and vicious. In turn, a biased understanding of the ancient world overall was established.

Furthermore, the dominance of victors in shaping history suppresses the other side of the story. The fear of those alternate realities challenges what has already been established. Moreover, these minorities and oppressed groups have historically been silenced and purposefully excluded from past records. This erasure perpetuates power imbalances and social injustices.

Selective Memory and Omissions

Driven by their interests, the victors often have selective memory. At the same time, they cherry-pick events that align with their own narrative. At the same time, they disregard and downplay opposing viewpoints that might dismantle the image they built. Furthermore, this deliberate omission will result in a distortion of historical accounts.

An example is the colonization era and how they taught it in history books. We don’t have to flip every page to know how inaccurate it is at some point. Especially when we now have minorities and other parts of the world demanding reparations for the pillaging of their lands, culture, and human rights. It’s the role of every global superpower to control the historical discourse to solidify their legitimacy. Moreover, it’s a way for them to justify their actions and continually insist on their dominance even to this day.

Another danger we must watch out for is historical revisionism. The reinterpretation of recorded history is a highly contested, self-serving act that can benefit or harm those directly and indirectly involved.

Now, Is History Written by The Victors?

The answer is yes and no because many people write their own accounts. Since history is documented by different individuals, there’s a wider option, such as referring to inscriptions on pillars or ancient texts. And if they say something similar, experts can confidently infer that the event occurred.

If we want to take a questionable look at history in a way that preserves its integrity, we need to shed the limits of a victor-centric history. Because of the way our past is riddled with inaccuracies and biases, the distortions could be more apparent. However, scrutinizing the sources and taking a questionable look at history.

This is what we need to ponder about today

History shapes our collective memory and dramatically impacts our identity and place in this world. What happened influences who we are, where we come from, and where we’re all going.