Many assume that the way we taught history in the 20th century was distorted and benighted—but this does little to help us make sense of history at all. How was history actually taught in the early to mid-20th century? Why is it important to look back?

In the latest episode of Right Ideas, Wilfred McClay challenges the tendency of modern people to believe they live in times of ultimate truth.

Wilfred M. McClay holds the Victor Davis Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at Hillsdale College. He is the author of Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story and The Masterless: Self and Society in Modern America