How is Hegel's phenomenology of spirit related to history?

To Hegel history represents the record of the process of the evolution of the Spirit as it is related to Man. This evolution of the Spirit includes the recognition of the freedom of man as well as the recognition of the potential of the spirit. His history is not just the collection of events but is more concerned with the evolution of man toward the recognition of our freedom and our potential as a whole. "History in general is therefore the development of Spirit in Time." (19th Century Philosophy, Gardiner. Pg. 81)

Hegel's history begins with the Greeks. In the Greeks he sees that Man recognize that some men can be free but not all. In the Greek world he sees man developing out of the idea of the individual into the consciousness of the State. Unlike the world of the orient where freedom rests with one individual he sees the Greek society as developing into recognizing a greater force outside of the individuals desires and needs. But there is still the conflict of the freedom of men. In Greek society some men were free while others where slaves.

After the Greek age the Spirit took the consciousness that man had developed and moved on to try and solve the problem of freedom. In the Roman world he sees the struggle of men fighting for freedom. This struggle eventually leads to a unification of man. The only problem is that man is still divided because of his particular desires. Hegel sees these events as being part of the philosophical history of the Spirit. Over time the Spirit changes and grows toward a self-realization that involves the recognition of human freedom as well as the unity of human desires.

As this history progresses we see a growth of the Spirit. Hegel sees the spirit progress from self-consciousness to the freedom of the mind. He connects the events of history into this growth of the human mind. From the progression out of the master-slave relationship into the development of the self conscious to the development of the states to the unification of the states he sees a relation to world history.

He believes that the Spirit is near its full realization. He thinks history shows that the Spirit is now aware and free because all men share the same desires. Through his history he shows a progression of the mind into realizing its potential. It is a part of his history only if it connects to the growth of the Spirit. History to Hegel is the story of the events that have led up to the development of mind. It is also something that can only be examined in retrospect. He thinks that the Spirit is about to become fulfilled in his life or in the near future and that is why he can talk about his present state as being the flowering of the Spirit. History is the record of the growth of this Spirit.