Don't Mention The War

Jonathan Steele thinks Britain's continuing obsession with Hitler is unhealthy.

But what do you expect if, as he says, "an astonishing 60% of pupils who take history at GSCE level choose Hitler and the Nazis". That's because it has for years been almost the only course offered. GCSE history is almost totally 20th-century. Why ?

Because in our brave new educational world history is only studied in order to teach pupils what will happen "when someone makes a racist joke or homophobic comment".

It's difficult to extract any right-on moral lessons from the Duke of Marlborough or the Luddites. Only the Nazis will do.