How Events Can Change a Culture & Its History

On day’s like today, memories make the weight and power of history more tangible. We are reminded of very personal experiences with ways that events can change a culture. A history. So it seems like an appropriate day to talk about it.

Events That Changed History & How

There are many different kinds of events that affect our cultures and our history. The ones that we think of first tend to be the loudest – the most sudden and most shocking. So I’ll start with them.

Sudden Attacks

Those Who Saw It Happen

In the U.S.A., 09/11 is to my generation what Kennedy’s assassination was to our parents’ generation. What Pearl Harbor was to their parents’ generation. They were the first sudden and dramatic action of violence that sent shock waves through the nation to the extent that even children became aware of the situation as it was happening.

Other events like the Columbine shooting reached children eventually, but those outside of that region were still somewhat sheltered. And the news did not reach the children as the massacre was happening.

When the towers fell, school stopped. In middle schools and high schools, they stopped class and turned on the television. In my school, a special assembly was called to inform and pray. Regular life came to a temporary halt.

From the response of the students and staff to the news casts to the very clear importance given by the change in the schedule, the event had a lasting impact on the minds and memories of the people who experienced it from a distance – and even more so for those who experienced it first hand.

This creates a culture change in those people: a respect and seriousness for the situation that is shared between them and will never go away. Whenever the subject comes up, those feelings and thoughts return with the memories.

Those Who Came Later

People who were too young to experience those moments lack that strong response. If they learned about it from their families or schools, they have the kind of respect and reverence that is taught rather than felt. And they may not even know about it at all. Or not remember it quickly when the name is said. The event is more distant to them.

This shows that the immediate, visceral effect is lasting only to those who experienced it. It is difficult, if not impossible, to pass on as strongly.

The aspects that affect later generations most are the changes in policy and procedure that occur as the result of the action. Like increased…

• airline security,
• antagonistic reporting of politicians,
• attention to military defense, and
• military involvement in international affairs.

The reactions in policy end up being much longer lasting and influential.

Long Periods of Strife

Whether it’s a war, a depression, or a drought, long periods of emotional and physical suffering cause dramatic changes in the outlook of a culture. Some of the most influential on U.S. history are the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution (for the workers, especially), the Great Depression / the Dust Bowl, racial segregation, the Vietnam War, etc.

If you know anything about these examples, you know that each one spurred or accelerated dramatic social change as the people pushed to their limits grew in number. Until their numbers finally gave them enough power to push back.

Technology

Changes in technology often trend toward the quieter and slower side of social and historical change. The invention of the printing press, for example, was not that immediately felt or announced across Europe. As pamphlets began to be distributed, and literacy and the concept of individual power began to spread, however, the effect of that invention became louder and louder (eventually resulting in war… hmmm).

The invention of the cotton gin was another powerful instrument of change along with other advances in technology that decreased the need for laborers and changed the power balance between owner and worker.

Notice how these changes seem coupled with wars and/or social movements?

Since changes in technology can powerfully affect how the economy of a country works as well as how information is dispensed or stopped (which all directly affect the quality of living of the people), big changes in technology seem to put a culture out of balance, resulting in a period of better living for some and worse living for others.

Sometimes, another new technology or a social change rebalances a society enough for it to continue. At other times, it grows more and more imbalanced until the masses rebel. Then, the process starts all over again.

Interesting cycle to keep in mind when writing, right?

Changes in Nature

From climate change to floods to invasive animals or plants – a change in the world we rely on can greatly change how our culture operates.

For example,

• earthquakes change the water table of a city so that fresh drinking water can no longer be accessed through existing systems
• a forest fire / tornado / hurricane / earthquake / flood destroys the city outright
• pollutants poison the water or kill off an important creature (like a pollinator)
• an invasive insect or disease kills off all the trees
• a meteor strike destroys everything in its path

These sorts of scenarios alter the kinds of food, water, and shelter available. That’s enough to redesign how people live their everyday lives as well as less frequent events like holidays, funeral rituals, etc.

They’re also favorites of writers since a particularly powerful act of nature can have immediate and dramatic effects that create instant conflict and growth opportunities for characters.

In fact, the more immediate side of each of these concepts tends to be more popular as a writing tool since a sudden event is easier to make realistic than a slow evolution. When the slower form is created successfully, however, it can be even more powerful thanks to its rareness.

Of course, making any of it powerful relies on the attention to detail and realism. You like history, right? And research? (You had better.)

-Em