Michael Gove may be of the opinion that World War One should be taught simply as a 'justified' military response to the 'pitiless' and 'aggressive expansionism' of the German Empire, but I still choose to see World War One as an opportunity to learn important lessons from the past.
As Tristram Hunt puts it, "Whether you agree or disagree, after the death of 15 million people during the war, attempting to position 1918 as a simplistic, nationalistic triumph seems equally foolhardy – not least because the very same tensions re-emerged to such deadly effect in 1939."
In terms of Citizenship, "One essential difference between 1914 and 2014 is that we have the EU to ensure that democratic values cannot and will not be undermined," he said. "European integration is the answer to the catastrophe of the first half of the 20th century, where our continent was facing wars, the Shoah [the Holocaust], totalitarianism, poverty and injustice."
Gove holds a very outdated view of the classroom, where students should learn about the might of the British Empire, but in 2014 classrooms are a little more complex - in my recent work with students on World War One, they were asked to create a file on a family member and their role in the war. Even from our pretty mono-cultural backwater in deepest (and beautiful I might add) North Devon, soldiers stories from the UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany and Austro-Hungary came in for my perusal.
I for one won't be apportioning blame for the war on anyone, as it seems obscene to make the Great War a story of 'goodies and baddies' when that was so far from the truth (Mr Gove, it didn't work in the Treaty of Versailles and it won't work now - listen to those of us who actually have a degree in History), but I will focus on the need for European and global co-operation in maintaining peace.
To help with the delivery of World War One during this centenary year, the BBC has created a great archive of resources - licence money well spent on this occasion.
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