Page:An outline of modern European history (IA outlineofmoderne0000hosk).pdf/9



should be more to the student than a mere succession of personages and events; it should have meaning, it should enlighten, as well, Although the whole truth of historical data can not often be arrived at, a course of historical study should afford as much interpretation of facts as modern historical criticism can offer. "The roots of the present lie deep in the past"; and unless history shows causation, unless it at least partially explains the significance of events, it has little practical value. Much of the meaning of history must be obtained from thoughtful reading, and it is the function of a study outline to guide such reading and to suggest its interpretation by means of both organization and terminology. The topics of the accompanying outline, therefore, have been arranged with a view to provoking thought and inquiry rather than to providing a complete synopsis of subject matter.

Furthermore, topics otherwise interesting but which would seem to bear no direct relation to the main theme of the present outline have been omitted. This has made possible the construction of a logical and consistent outline, which begins with a brief review of ancient times, introduces more detail as the subject progresses, and continues with constant crescendo to the present day. Very recent events, while often of great importance, are still so difficult of evaluation, that a more extended examination of them than that indicated in the outline would scarcely be profitable.

The topical material included in this study outline has therefore been selected with the object of showing origins, transitions, and movements—in a word, the lines of development of human institutions. To this end, it has not been practicable to adhere strictly to chronological treatment of the subject matter, but instead a topical method has been largely used, care being taken to preserve a feeling of historical continuity to the greatest possible degree. Thus, the main topics are arranged to show a general time sequence, while within these the unit topics are arranged in logical rather than in chronological fashion.

The author is fully sensible of the limitations of this or any other