Policymakers and history: learning from the past in Whitehall 1950-1976

20世纪50年代末，内阁大臣诺曼·布鲁克爵士发起了一项倡议，旨在将正式的历史维度引入英国政府的日常活动中。其目的是为政策制定者提供关于当前问题和未来可能性的明智的历史观点，特别是从过去的经验中学习的有效方法。布鲁克预计，利用历史不仅会改善政策和方法，而且利用历史的理论好处，表明了将历史作为政策制定过程的正式组成部分的实际困难。

During the late 1950s Sir Norman Brook, the Cabinet Secretary, launched an initiative designed to introduce a formal historical dimension into everyday activities of British government. The aim was to offer policymakers an informed historical perspective upon current problems and future possibilities, and particularly an effective way of learning from past experience. Using history, Brook anticipated, would not only improve policies and methods but theoretical benefits of using history, demonstrated the practical difficulties of making history a formal part of the policymaking process.