“When we go to the past, we go to a different planet. But we do not have the tools to even breathe the air.” On Monday, 14th of June, the MGB students of the ACT program had the chance to listen to Reinhold Wagnleitner, an author and Modern History professor at the University of Salzburg. Professor Wagnleitner gave an introduction into Austrian history titled “A hitchhiker’s guide to Austrian History”. The students received an insight into Austria’s recent past, including the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg monarchy and Austria’s role in WWII. Current developments in Austrian politics were also discussed.
History can be tricky. When only looking at a specific time span, a country could have done great. However, one has to look at the full picture and also include difficult times. He encouraged our students to reflect on and think critically about the past. By sharing personal stories and adding different angles to past events, he managed to make students re-evaluate their perceptions and question their knowledge. We thank him for another interesting and entertaining talk for the MGB program.