Laws of History

Part of both my undergrad and graduate work as a future historian and history teacher included conversations about the laws of history. The basic discovery? Many have tried to write them and most have failed. How do you create a list of truisms that covers everything over time and place?

Of course, being disrespectful grad students, we found and edited our own list. During a recent spring cleaning period, I ran across the list. And so with tongue at least partially in cheek, I present my own Laws of History:

1. Peasants always get screwed
2. What makes you strong usually kills you in the end
3. Superior firepower is key
4. People are consistently stupid
5. To understand someone, look in their checkbook
6. People are sheep
7. Organized religion is the root of all evil
8. Geography matters
9. American democracy is an aberration
10. Progress isn’t always what it is cracked up to be
11. Patriarchy sucks
12. 1950 law: Never get involved in a land war in Asia
    2008 corollary: Never get involved in a land war in Iraq
13. Everybody wants to be part of a tribe
14. Socialism is a disaster
15. Capitalism is getting close
16. You won’t get rich being a historian
17. You won’t get rich being a history teacher
18. Knowing just a little history is a dangerous thing
19. Custer probably deserved it
20. The Germans are always wrong
21. The Republicans are always wrong
22. The Democrats are always wrong
23. It’s always easiest to kick a man when he’s down
24. There’s no such thing as a peaceful revolution
25. See number four

Changes? Additions?