One school of thought holds that it is more important for children to learn about national history than world history. While acknowledging the reason for this thinking, I would argue that learning about world history still plays an indispensable role.
On the one hand, it is understandable why some people believe that gaining an understanding of world history is unnecessary. The primary reason is that national history is more closely connected to real life. National history is not a collection of distant stories, but it forms the foundation of today’s society. What we experience in the present such as the political system, cultural traditions and even social conflicts all have roots in the past. For instance, to understand why a country strongly values independence, one must look back at its struggles for freedom. Besides, by understanding about national history, people not only gain insight into how their country was built and protected but it also fosters pride and unity, which helps a country develop further.
On the other hand, I am convinced that world history still has a crucial role to play. First, it should be noted that national history is deeply interconnected with world history because no country develops in complete isolation, its past is often shaped by interactions with other countries through wars, cultural exchanges, and diplomacy. For example, Vietnam’ history cannot be fully understood without considering global events such as the Cold War or World War Ⅰ and Ⅱ; therefore, learning about world history provides the broader context needed to comprehend a nation’ historical journey. Additionally, while national history helps individuals understand their cultural roots and develop a strong sense of identity, world history raises people’ awareness of a well- rounded worldview. When one learns about how different nations have interacted and influenced each other, they can foster an objective perspective, tolerance and even critical thinking skills when addressing global issues. Last but not least, studying global history allows us to learn from humanity’ shared experience and avoid repeating past mistakes.
To summarize, while there are justifications that national history takes precedence over world history, I would contend that global history is wholly warranted because it is related to national history, fosters global understanding and avoids past mistakes.