2016-08-05. Interview of the Head of the House of Romanoff on the role of the study of history and the challenges of historical interpretation in Russian history
Interview of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, with the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper Monarchist [Monarkhist], M. N. Kulybin
1. History has long been considered a second-tier Humanities discipline, interesting only to a narrow circle of specialists. But recent events have clearly shown that history, historical interpretation, and, more broadly, the collective national memory all play a vital role in national identity. Your Imperial Highness: what do you think is the role of history in the rebirth of Russia?
Neglecting the study of history always leads to unhappy consequences. After all, the past is not just a collection of facts but a wealth of experiences, both positive and negative. If one doesn’t study the past, one can’t make good decisions about the present or predict with any hope of accuracy the course of events in the future.
Moreover, history is a continuous, on-going process. Our very lives are history, determined by a set of events that took place in the past and which become the reason for actions in the future. Therefore, the connection between the study of history and the spiritual, political, social, economic and any other conditions we experience today—that is, between the study of history and the reality we experience–is undeniable.