Lesson Summary
Have you ever been in a history class when the teacher says, “Let’s make a timeline of events and see what happened during the 19th Century!”? Most of us probably have! We’ve studied the dates and carefully placed each event in the correct chronological order so we could get an A on the assignment. Did we actually learn anything about the cause and effect or impact of those carefully organized events? Maybe not so much!
This video series does not take that sort of linear approach. Yes, events are grouped in a logical order, and sometimes that will feel like we are learning about history using that same method. But the actual purpose of this video series is to inform you about a different approach developed by two men named William Strauss and Neil Howe. These two professors created a theory back in the 1990s that said there are patterns within history that repeat.
In this video series, you’ll learn about Strauss and Howe’s theory that history occurs as a series of cycles. Each cycle lasts for about 20 years. After four cycles, there is a crisis or large problem that happens. Once that problem is resolved, the cycle resets and begins again with predictable results.
In Video One, we’ll learn about their theories, and in the rest of the videos in this series we’ll examine some cyclical patterns of history as they have occurred in empires and in our nation over time. Your job? To decide whether you prefer a linear or cyclical approach when studying history!
