The main reason people deny historical events is one or both of two things: 1.) Racism 2.) Nationalism.
In some cases it could be a sense of shame; but this is relatively rare.
I've seen this in certain pseudo-historians, such as reenactors- I once had a discussion with a military historian who flat out denied that there was VD in a certain nation's army in a certain conflict, despite sufficient evidence to show otherwise. The man wasn't even from the nation of the army in question. He studied them and obviously admired them to the point of hero-worship, which clouded his judgment.
Of course Neo-Nazis and Anti-Semites will deny the Holocaust. The Turkish government still refuses the acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.
A British-admiring reeanactor once insisted to me that the prison ship deaths of the American Revolution were due not to the British, but to the states of the soldiers who died, because they did not send them food and supplies while in captivity. The guy was a total moron. (This was out of costume and character- he was serious!).
Some Japanese nationalists try to claim the Nanjing (Nanking) Massacres never took place- despite incontrovertible evidence - old Japanese soldiers who participated have even gone on tape to describe it.
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The main reason people deny historical events is one or both of two things: 1.) Racism 2.) Nationalism.
In some cases it could be a sense of shame; but this is relatively rare.
I've seen this in certain pseudo-historians, such as reenactors- I once had a discussion with a military historian who flat out denied that there was VD in a certain nation's army in a certain conflict, despite sufficient evidence to show otherwise. The man wasn't even from the nation of the army in question. He studied them and obviously admired them to the point of hero-worship, which clouded his judgment.
Of course Neo-Nazis and Anti-Semites will deny the Holocaust. The Turkish government still refuses the acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.
A British-admiring reeanactor once insisted to me that the prison ship deaths of the American Revolution were due not to the British, but to the states of the soldiers who died, because they did not send them food and supplies while in captivity. The guy was a total moron. (This was out of costume and character- he was serious!).
Some Japanese nationalists try to claim the Nanjing (Nanking) Massacres never took place- despite incontrovertible evidence - old Japanese soldiers who participated have even gone on tape to describe it.
Because they're biased I guess