Doomed to Repeat

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” was Winston Churchill’s paraphrase of a quote initially attributed to the philosopher George Santayana. The quote is thrown around quite often these days, especially in the media.  But what does it really mean in today’s context? Is there substance to the quote or is it just filler for the talking heads?

“Learn from history” could imply formal learning, perhaps in an academic environment. “History” could mean a lot of things but for the sake of today’s blog I’ll define it as major decisions or events from the past that had consequences.

Using this understanding, leads to a larger question. When was the last time any of us truly made an attempt to study history? I’d argue that watching a documentary doesn’t count! I think the answer for the majority of us is probably high school or maybe college since our last formal history education. No wonder we forget the lessons!

I’d assert there is one segment of the population that not only studies history routinely, but also truly endeavors to never forget the lessons. Of course if you’ve followed this blog for more than a minute, you know who I am talking about, the United States military.

At the core of Professional Military Education, at every level from pre-commissioning to Senior Service College, is a study of history. Staff rides, battle analysis, professional forums and pages upon pages of reflecting on historical events, the military leader is inundated with the study of history from day one.

Those of us who have served probably became numb to it, one may even call it history exhaustion. But as I’ve listened to the pundits repeating the quote and reflect back on my time in service, I really do think our military tries to get it right and not forget history’s lessons.

I feel very fortunate to have received an immersion in history throughout my military career. It certainly helps now as a civilian to keep perspective on current events. As I was reviewing some of the academic assignments I completed during my career, I came across a paper I wrote as a young Major while attending the Command and General Staff College (CGSC).

There was, of course, a couple of History classes as part of the CGSC curriculum. One of the first assignments was to examine the topic, “Given the changes in warfare over the past 150 years, is the study of Frederick the Great, Napoleon, Ulysses Grant, or other “great captains” still valid for a current military professional?”

Of course I said yes! The following excerpt was one of my conclusions about Clausewitz, the famed Prussian military theorist of the Napoleonic era and a favorite of the military history student:

Most notably Clausewitz uses his observations from the Napoleonic era to develop strategic theory that attempts to describe the very nature of war. His conclusions are still evident in national policy today.  His most oft quoted and applied theorem is that “war is merely the continuation of policy by other means” or in its entirety:

We see, therefore, that war is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, carried on with other means…The political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and means can never be considered in isolation from their purpose. 

While Clausewitz was undoubtedly developing this theory as reasoning for why Napoleon sought war with Europe to accomplish his political objectives, he simultaneously developed the principles by which U.S. political and military leaders develop national military strategy and policy today. 

Pretty interesting to consider that Clausewitz, in the early 1800’s, was referring to ways, means and ends which is essentially the methodology used today. At any rate, rule one when writing about military history is always include a Clausewitz quote!

So is my point that veterans are supremely enlightened because they study a lot of history throughout their professional career? Not at all. Also, I’m certainly not advocating that citizens should be required to take additional history classes beyond high school or college!

But what I would offer is that the quote I opened with, which I think has probably become hollow due to over usage, is in fact a truth. Our military members know this and try their best not to forget. Perhaps there is something our society, pundits and leaders can learn from our military’s example.   

Next week is Veteran’s Day! I’ll offer some reflections on serving and how our nation does a great job of honoring those who serve in our all-volunteer military.

The views, opinions and biases expressed in this blog are the authors and do not reflect those of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense.

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