SCHOOLS OF HISTORY

Marxist SchoolSchool of “Annales”American Schools of History

Progressive SchoolConsensus SchoolThe “New Left” SchoolSchool of Social History

PlutarchHegel

Marxist School

Max Weber (1864-1920), Professor of Economics at Freiburg in the 1890s.Stages of history: antique, feudal and modern bourgeois.Emphasized on economic structure and economic conditions in each stage.The change and development is driven by class struggle within the society.

Marxist School

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle”.The result of the class struggle is ‘social revolution’.E.g. there was a ‘social revolution’ when feudalism was replaced by capitalism.The influence of Marxism on the development of the discipline of history was not great.

Marxist School

However, Marxism made important contributions in drawing attentions to:The importance of economic, of social classes, of technology, of work and workplace.The possible relationships between art, literature, ideas, and politics and economics.

School of “Annales”

“Annales”, a journal founded in France in 1929.Marc Bloc, Lucien Febvre and Fernand Braudel.Promoted the history of society, of all society “total society”.The used method – ‘inter-displinary’, bringing together history, geography, economics, psychology and anthropology.

School of “Annales”

Also beyond the restrictions of periodization and geographical boundaries.Rejected the narrative history of states, of politics and of events.Nevertheless, it was intensely French – served people interested in French identity and French social history.“Annales” have a strong influence in France – received government backing.

School of “Annales”

Although the “Annales” is against limitations, it mainly deals with early modern history and to some extent medieval history.Very little on the 19th century and nothing on the 20th century.Also left the history of Germany and United States well alone.

American Schools of History

Progressive SchoolConsensus SchoolThe “New Left” SchoolSchool of Social History

Progressive School

Dominated professional thought and writing during the first half of the 20th century.“The past as conflict between various groups”.Influenced by the reform movement which began in the 19th century.

Progressive School

Interpreted the past as a history of conflict but were optimistic about the future.

Consensus School

Emerged after World War II.Sometimes known as “neo-conservative”.Disagreed with the progressive school – did not see American history as a story of conflict.Class conflict or other major divisions did not exist.The areas of agreement in the American past were much more significant than the areas of disagreement.

The “New Left School”

Emerged in the 1960s.Study the past with an emphasis on finding conflict in American history.They disagreed with the consensus school – found struggle/conflict in the American past.Took pessimistic view of the future.

School of Social History

The most recent school of history.“history from the bottom up”.Believed that we has relied too long on studying the actions and ideas of the elite.So, now it is the time to study about ordinary Americans.

School of Social History

Unfortunately, ordinary citizens did not leave abundant records like the elites. Social historians gave important new information.Criticisms – making obscure people representative of larger society without convincing evidence.

Plutarch

Mestrius Plutarchus (46-127 A.D) - a Greek historian and biographer.He was not concerned writing histories, as such, but in exploring the influence of character – good or bad – on the lives and destinies of famous men.

Plutarch

His thesis is that “the very character of men changes history’. Major works; ‘Parallel Lives’ (a series of biographies of famous Greeks and Romans). ‘Life of Alexander’, ‘Moralia ’.

Plutarch

His writings had enormous influence on English and French literature, and also on the interpretation of history.

Plutarch

Hegel

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) – a German philosopher.The founder of “Hegelianism” – a new form of thinking and logic.Had a rationalistic view of human society and history.

Hegel

He explained that change happens in history as a result of “the clash of opposing ideas / forces” - (Dialectic theory). Hegel was also known as a cultural/intellectual historian.

Hegel

His attempts to explain world history using concepts like “mind’, “spirit”, “culture” and the idea of “freedom”.

Hegel