The Long Run

Tony Benn discusses the individuals and influences that underpin his belief in the importance of developing a historical perspective.

Tony Benn speaking at the Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival and Rally 2012. Photo by Rwendland, published under under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licenseMy interest in history began at home when I was very young as my parents were both, in quite different ways, always talking about the past and its relevance to today.

My mother was a Bible scholar who could read the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. Consequently I was brought up on the Bible as the source of our own history, full of stories that explained the human condition. From those early days I understood the conflict between the Prophets who preached righteousness and Kings who exercised power.

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