Why History Matters

History is an incredibly powerful tool for understanding our own world. It tells us how we got to where we are now, and that the world doesn't have to be as it is. The sovereign state rose out of messy politics of the later Middle Ages to vanquish its opposition. Wars increased in duration and intensity, while armies changed from temporary feudal levies into standing armies with firearms and cannon. beginnings of capitalistic economic logic can be found here, too, in financial markets and accounting practices such as double-entry bookkeeping.