Status Updates From Mickey Mouse History and Ot...

I love the line from the books that talks about history being a human production: it's all conducted, collected, interpreted, and evaluated according to personal agendas. This chapter about politics just really proves how much of history is interpretation and there is no such thing as a historical "truth."

Nothing good lasts forever apparently when it comes to historic preservation. The good times of the 80's passed and when the preservationists couldn't explain the 'why' behind saving the past, money and capitalists interests took over. This book does a nice job of explaining why there was such a shift in interest, and why at such a national level.

If reading about the politics of historic preservation is this tedious and overwhelming, then I certainly cannot imagine how it is in real life. There are so many conflicting interests between individuals, social groups, politicians and government money. The debate between promoting business and keeping the pat in the present will be never ending.

It's interesting to see how the idea of preserving historical places went from an altruistic stance to a business and money making stance. Preservation was also affected by World War II and the everyday use of he automobile by Americans. As more people traveled, history became an interest point to stop at and a way for businesses to make money.