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Does history progress? Is an elephant really "better" than a mammoth? Is modern life "always" better than it was in the past? Haven't there been massive genocides in every century?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that progress, as a verb, means a forward movement or a gradual betterment. History does progress as a forward movement but necessarily as a gradual betterment. History as chronological events moves forward. For example, from year 1 C.E. to year 2011 C.E., history has moved forward. History does not always improve as time goes on. Events such as the United States relationship with the Middle East show that history does not progress. An elephant is different than a mammoth. “Better” does not describe the relationship. The elephant has only evolved from the mammoth. In some cases it has progressed because the elephant has evolved to meet the requirements of its environment. In an extreme condition, such as severe cold, a mammoth would be better because it could survive. Modern life is not “always” better than in the past, but the majority of the time it seems to be, because as a population, we have learned to survive with what we have. With technology, like a computer or a cell phone, the majority of the human population would not be able to function without the technology. There are problems though, with conditions like obesity. If people were not glued to the television every day, there may not be as many conditions of diabetes. Modern life is not always better it other situations because of the massive genocides in every century. There have been genocides in every century. From the persecution of the Christians by the Romans to the Nazi’s to the former Yugoslavia, genocides have been a problem for many countries for many centuries. History does progress as events but it does not always progress as an improvement on society and culture.