Historical revisionism

Historical revisionism is the reexamination of the accepted "facts" and interpretations of history, with an eye towards updating it with newly discovered, more accurate, and less biased information. Broadly, it is a skeptical approach, that history as it has been traditionally told may not be entirely accurate, and that perhaps an accurate history is as unobtainable as a dispassionate autobiography.

Examples

These are examples of historical revisionist ideas that have resulted in a fundamental change in perspective on historical concepts.

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The "Dark Ages"

As non-Latin texts such as Welsh, Gaelic and the Sagas have been analysed and added to the canon of knowledge about the period and a lot more archaeological evidence has come to light, the period traditionally known as the Dark Ages has narrowed to the point where many historians no longer believe that such a term is useful.

Related Topics:
Welsh - Gaelic - Sagas - Dark Ages

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"Feudalism"

The concept of feudalism has undergone a number of revisions. Recently some revisionist thinking has rejected the term and concept completely saying it is invalid and should not be used at all.

Related Topics:
Feudalism - Saying it is invalid

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New World "discovery"

History books of the past rarely mentioned, if at all, the relationship the European explorers, colonists, and later the United States had with the Native American population (who were referred to as American Indians or Red Indians). In the past, outside of Native American populations and Scandinavians, very few would dispute the assertion that Christopher Columbus "discovered" America. However, most of the recent scholarship having to do with Columbus — and contradicting the image of Columbus as a heroic figure — can be considered revisionist. Some, too, is revisionist in the ideological sense of the word.

Related Topics:
Native American - Scandinavians - Christopher Columbus

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Slavery

During historical periods of slavery, slaves have not been considered equal to their masters, something that's been reflected in the accepted histories of the time. In the study of the Reconstruction era of the American South, the revisionist interpretation of events has completely replaced the Dunning School interpretation.

Related Topics:
Reconstruction - American South - Dunning School

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Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt was for centuries believed to be an engagment in which the English army, though overwhelmingly outnumbered (supposedly 4 to 1) by the French army, pulled off a stunning victory. However, as professor Anne Curry discovered from original enrollment records, the French only outnumbered the English and Welsh 12,000 to 8,000. The numbers had been exaggerated for patriotic reasons by the English.

Related Topics:
Battle of Agincourt - French

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