History series offers enlightenment to Longboat Key Club members

History has a way of coming alive through passionate speakers, and the most recent lecturer to engage Longboat Key audiences led a talk on American and French revolutions at the Longboat Key Club on March 11. 

Frank and Mary Jo Spinola have attended all three talks led by the history club this season, and they found them all enlightening.

"They were very informative," Frank said, explaining that the talk on the contentious presidential race between Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey was his favorite.

"The similarities between that and last November's election were interesting," he said. "We've had a great time and really enjoyed them."

The Spinolas said they appreciate artistic representations from the French revolution, like the broadway smash "Les Misérables," but they looked forward to learning more from an expert.

Photo by Dana Kampa

Stephanie Kaelin-Bare, the club's member events manager, announced all three events had sold out completely. She said, based on feedback, members appreciated of the series.

In the recent lecture, David Harvey, professor of history at the New College of Florida and dean of the Center for the Study of Western Civilization, focused on the similarities between two of history's most notable uprisings and how our knowledge of them can inform current debates.

"It's looking at both of these revolutions as part of a broader process, which historians have called The Age of Democratic Revolutions, that helped usher in the modern age," he said.

Harvey's lecture also delved into the results of these two revolts, which had vastly different outcomes despite being based on similar principles.

"The American Revolution led to a stable, new democratic order," he said. "The French Revolution spiraled into radicalization and chaos."

Courtesy image

One overarching result was the end of the age of dominance by elites and aristocrats, replaced by more egalitarian politics, he said.

Harvey said this lecture came about when he worked previously with members of the International Churchill Society, which facilitated another series on the college campus.

Attendees focused many of their questions on how these insights translate to modern times.

"It was interesting, because in the Q&A, a lot of the questions people asked were seeking some sort of reassurance about where we are headed as a country," he added. "I can offer my opinions, but as I explained, historians' job is to study the past. But I did make the point that we've been through a number of crises before in our history, and we've muddled through."

Harvey said providing opportunities for community members to engage with history outside the classroom is incredibly valuable, especially when it sparks further interest.

"Occasions like this show me there is a real, broader interest out there among the public for serious talks about important issues," he said. "It's a chance for us as faculty to reach a wider audience outside our classrooms."

He encourages history buffs to keep up with the college's online events calendar for more free history lectures available to the public. 

Those looking to keep up with Harvey's work can also check out his newly published book, "Tropical Despotisms: Enlightened Reform in the French Caribbean."