A Little History Of The World Chapter Summary

Starting from 3100 BC until the late 1940’s, “A Little History of The World” by E.H. Gombrich has numerous amounts of historical accounts. Between talking about different religions and philosophy to world wars, Gombrich has written it all to suit young readers. In “On The Teaching and Writing of History” by Bernard Bailyn, Bailyn has made what he thinks good history is very clear. While Gombrich provides “A Little History of The World” with a clear understanding of his own opinions, it also effectively teaches children how the world has changed.

“A Little History of The World” teaches readers facts about general events, dates, and the emotional turmoil of history while staying equivocal. Short, seven-page chapters can not thoroughly explain

“The army lacked everything. France was destitute and in chaos. In 1796, at the outset of the campaign, General Napoleon spoke briefly to his troops: ’Soldiers! You are almost naked and ill-fed… But I will lead you into the most fertile plain in the world.’” (Gombrich, 229) Small snippets like these help a reader to understand the time period of occurrence and personalities of historical figures. By describing how Napoleon led great armies and then also abandoned them when their future looked bleak can attest to his complex personality. This book’s details can explain the overall context without going into every detail about political speeches or wars. The mindset during seemingly endless battles, how different social classes were treated, and overall influences behind major revolutions can have a reader understand a time period better without a need for extreme detail. In Bernard Bailyn’s book “On The Teaching and Writing of History”, Bernard responded to a question about teaching history at a high-school level. He said that students should know about “large-scale historical narratives” so that they can “get the grid lines of large areas of history, within which later details can be fitted.” (Bailyn, 17) This was what