History is useful when it is used properly, to understand why we think and react in certain ways. But it is also susceptible to manipulation and distortion. Nationalists tell false or one-sided stories about the past, whilst dictators supress history because it undermines their claims to omniscience and authority. Political leaders mobilise their publics by telling lies: Hitler lied about Germany's defeat in the First World War and about the role of the Jews. Taking lessons from the past can also be problematic - there are too many lessons, enough to suit every need.

Margaret MacMillan is concerned that the history profession appears to be turning inwards, retreating from the big issues at a time when it is urgently needed to increase our understanding of the past. The Uses and Abises of History is a powerful and vital argument for the importance of history and historians.