20世纪终于以悲剧的方式结束了。它提醒人们,如果说地理学给发动战争提供借口,那么历史学的作用则是在战前为战争作舆论准备,而战后则为战争的发生辩解。这个规律,对于拉丁美洲当然适用。拉丁美洲的历史整个儿是征服与战争的记录。然而,不仅学校里讲授拉丁美洲历史,而且许多作家从拉丁美洲历史中获取创作灵感。准确地说,拉丁美洲学校中的历史课除破坏与屠杀、虚张声势 The twentieth century ended in tragedy. It reminds people that if geography provides an excuse for launching a war, the role of history is to prepare for the war before the war and to justify the war after the war. This law, of course, applies to Latin America. The history of Latin America as a whole is a record of conquest and war. However, not only is Latin American history taught in schools, but many writers derive creative inspiration from Latin American history. To be precise, the history classes in Latin American schools were to destroy and slaughter, bluff