I'm a fan of historian Michael Wood! One of my favorite items from him was the BBC documentary series, "In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great."
The quote you mention from Wood comes from his historical researches regarding India. (You could also look for his BBC documentary series, "The Story of India.") The "rejection of a whole way of understanding history" was the way that Wood described the actions of Asoka (or Ashoka -- you'll see both spellings). Asoka was ruler from 268 to 232 BC of lands that would later become known as India. Asoka was a great conqueror but also someone who found enlightenment through Buddhism. After conquering the Kalinga region in eastern India, rather than feeling some great rush of pride or accomplishment because of their victory, Asoka felt guilty. So he worked hard to improve the lives of the Kalinga people that he had conquered. This was what Wood was referring to when he said Asoka's attitude/approach "was a rejection of a whole way of understanding history." Conquest was not something to be celebrated triumphantly. Rather, the conquerors had an obligation to those whom they had conquered.
Answer:
If unemployment is high, the amount of money the government collects in taxes goes down.
Explanation:
Government is financed mainly through taxes that it collects both from citizens and businesses. When there is full employment or a low percentage of unemployment, there is higher income (with which higher tax burdens) and higher consumption (that is, higher taxes paid by companies). On the contrary, when there are high unemployment rates both the income of the citizenship and the sales of the companies decrease, so that the government collects less money.
Barbarian incursion
Ostrogoths
Visigoths
Franks
Rebels
Gepids
Huns
etc....