Universal History and an Hint of Inevitability

Kant's view of Universal History is founded upon Enlightenment ideals and a rationalization of the seeming chaos found all around us in the literal world. By attributing to Nature all of the forces which motivate and move mankind to further exploits and growth, Kant gives an sense of inevitability to the function of History. More simply put, the theses of Kant recognize a goal (or perhaps THE goal) of history to establish a civil society in which all individuals are free enough to reach their potential. To me this gives a finality to the study of history and maintains that at some point the efforts of historians will aid in the creation of the civil society which Nature, or Reason, intends for humanity. I am inclined to agree more with Hegel's criticism of the lofty Natural Law based argument of Kant. Kant seems to maintain that with a liberal enough view of history and a "true" understanding of the function of History mankind will eventually learn enough to result in a highly effective and free civil society. I do not think it is realistic to assume that studying many different actions and contexts will undoubtedly lead to the recognition of universal and natural laws and principles. Hegel is not so optimistic about what can be gleaned from historical record and places more emphasis on Philosophical History as a means of education and improvement. I agree with Hegel because in a metaphysical sense what is "learned" from historical record and study is actually the execution of reason on the part of the historian. This reading leaves me pondering the role of reason as an inherently individualistic act in relation to the creation of broader societal histories referred to by Hegel, Kant, and Renke.