Historians should reconstruct a moment when several outcomes still seemed possible. At Salamis, that means allowing for a Persian victory. During the coup of Brumaire, it means considering the possibility that Bonaparte could be repulsed. Knowledge of the eventual result should not erase the alternatives facing people at the time.
Notable Point · 3:01:22-3:01:43
Reading history before the outcome is known
Salamis and Brumaire illustrate the need to recover past uncertainty when explaining decisions.