What It's Like...

Eyewitness accounts from the frontlines of history.

What’s it like to walk in another person’s historical shoes? Canada’s History Editor in Chief Mark Reid asked that question as he wrote “What It’s Like” in the August-September issue of Canada’s History magazine.

The article points out that technology and social media allow us to know more about more people in more places than at any other point in human history. And we can find ourselves easily immersed in and moved by news events affecting people we don’t know on the other side of the world.

But when it comes to historical events that happened in our own country, it’s more difficult for us to make a connection. Fortunately, before the time of electronic messaging, people wrote letters and journals. By reading their own words, we can get a feel for the time they lived in.

In “What It’s Like,” Reid explores a series of first-hand accounts from the front lines of history.

For instance, what was it like for William Lyon Mackenzie King to meet German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in 1937? As it turns out, King’s diaries show he was quite charmed by the Nazi dictator. Like many politicians of his time, King did not realize Hitler’s actions would eventually lead to a devastating world war and the slaughter of millions of people.

For a perspective on King’s diary entries from his pre-war visit to Berlin, see this item at Library and Archives Canada.