Statues and History

The really cool thing about history is that a proper understanding of it makes confusing current events less intimidating. Take the business of people tearing down statues, or if you prefer, the dismantling of history. It’s been going on for a very, very long time. It goes something like this. A government or some other organization wielding power decides to erect a monument celebrating some such thing that they feel worthy of celebration. Years and years later, the government changes, the once powerful organization has lost its power and influence, and the next thing you know...BAMM!! That sucker comes down. Here are just a few examples...

Here’s a New Your City mob back in 1776 yanking down a statue of King George. This particular giant lead piece of history was melted down to make musket balls for rebel soldiers.

It took this band of exultant Hungarians in Budapest about ten minutes to dismantle this giant statue of Joseph Stalin once their rebellion began against the Soviet occupation in 1956. They ripped it to shreds and the parts were paraded all over the city. The Soviets eventually sent in the tanks to restore order, but the point was made valiantly by the Hungarian people...Thus always to tyrants.

What a grand time they had!!

Remember this? Wasn’t that long ago. April of 2003 in Baghdad. American soldiers pulled down a huge statue of Saddam Hussein and then the locals, yet another mob, went wild.

I had forgotten all about this beauty. May, 1991 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, literally two days after Communist strong man Mengistu Mariam left town, the locals were taking pick axes to the adoring statue of Vladimir Lenin.

One of the lessons of these paintings and photographs should be that...to the victor go the spoils. Generally speaking throughout history it is a rare thing for statues to go up celebrating the losing side of a great conflict. Another lesson from these paintings and photographs is that when statues do come down it is seldom during a picnic with dignitaries dressed in their finest, listening to speeches and cutting ribbons. It is normally a hot business with violence and gleeful vengeance in the hearts of the participants. 

I am not making a moral equivalence argument here, I am simply pointing out that A. Statues are erected only to eventually be either torn down or replaced, and B. Mobs are always present when it happens. History tells me so. Although I would rather be in the business of building statues than destroying them, at the end of the day you can’t have one without the other.