Applied History Project

Article of the Week 

“A New World Order Is Coming. We Aren’t Ready” by Margaret MacMillan (Emeritus Professor of History, University of Toronto; Emeritus Professor of International History, Oxford University) in The New York Times 

MacMillan observes, “There is no single pattern for revolutionary change, but those at the summit of a regime often fail to recognize how brittle it is.” She cites the French Revolution, 1917 Russian Revolution, and Hitler’s rise to power. But she also highlights one case in which an established government successfully adapted to change instead of stubbornly refusing to recognize it: in 1832, the British elite passed the Great Reform Act to accommodate the expanding middle classes. Given the major geopolitical changes underway—a “new age of disorder,” she proposes—and the track record of governments’ responses, MacMillan warns: “A world war is not inevitable, but the threat of a catastrophic conflict between big and well-armed powers is closer than it was for decades.” 

The mission of Harvard’s Applied History Project is to revitalize applied history by promoting the production and use of historical reasoning to clarify public and private challenges and choices. Founded by Professors Graham Allison and Niall Ferguson in 2016, the Applied History Project builds upon the foundation laid by Professors Ernest May and Richard Neustadt in the 1980s, reflected in their book Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers. 

Advancing its mission, the Project sponsors the Applied History Working Group of faculty members across Harvard University to organize discussions with scholars and practitioners; supports historians and policymakers in producing Applied History; develops courses in Applied History; funds the Ernest May Fellowships in History and Policy for pre- and post-doctoral students; and holds Applied History Events open to the Harvard Community and the public. Harvard’s project is one of the leaders among a rapidly expanding network of universities and think tanks that are furthering the discipline of Applied History by clarifying predicaments and choices to inform better decisions.

The Project gratefully acknowledges the Stanton Foundation's generous support for its Applied History endeavors.