The premise of the discipline of History is understood to be the packaged and reconstructed historical past and Historiography is understood to be the way in which we study the writings of this historical past and Leopold von Ranke is credited with implementing the processes that changed historiography in the mid-nineteenth century. For context, in assessing some of the contributions made by Leopold von Ranke to the concept of historiography it is necessary to look at the way in which historiography has developed and progressed over various historical time periods. Having discussed the changes and adaptations to historiography over time, it is then possible to analyse, critically, some of the conceptualisations that led to the …show more content…
Renaissance historiography saw the expansion of human enquiry through literary criticism and textual analysis and it was at this time that, through the ‘age of discovery’, humans were seen more as societal beings rather than religious ones. As Gruner summates in his article ‘Ranke’s Historical Theory’, the Rationalists studied history with the view of their own moral standards, whereas Romanticists are seen to have “a higher regard for the sanctity of the past for its own sake and for using a critical approach to sources”. The cyclical view of the classical historiographers was changed by the Renaissance and Reformation historians by focusing on humanity and developing the idea of human progress from one historical time period to the next. From the mid-nineteenth century, the study of History began to be recognised as a discipline in academia, and with this recognition came the development of the processes for the handling of historical materials. The stimulus for these developments were an increase in the information available and textual analysis that was developed in German universities which, as a process, became the study of philology. This process was further developed by Georg Niebuhr (1776-1831) in the fields of literature and theology.
It is from the developments of Georg Niebuhr that Leopold von Ranke conceptualised his processes that are considered the cornerstones of the critical school of History, where facts are
The Renaissance spread from Italy to western and northern Europe. A movement called humanism developed, which praised the beauty and intelligence of the individual. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the Renaissance changed view of the world with the blossoming of art, literature, and science.
This paper deals with ways history can be interpreted and influences different interpretations have on society and individuals. This is explored through
The Renaissance is a period in Europe, from the 14th to the 17th century, considered the bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history. It started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe, marking the beginning of the Early Modern Age. The Renaissance changed the view of man on the world from how man viewed the world during the middle ages. The purpose of this essay is to show how the Renaissance changed the way man viewed the world. The world was changed in the views of Art, Literature, and Science.
(An analysis of how the authors Hughes, Clifton and McElroy and how they use history in their works.)
In the study of military history, historians at times use what is known as the “fog of war” technique with expectations of keeping away from the historians’ fallacy. In this approach, the actions and choices of the historical subject are assessed primarily on the premise of what that individual knew at that time and not on future developments that the individual could not have known. Fischer’s approach is a scientific-like “what and how” only approach and rarely fields the question of “why.” Fischer states that the “why” deals with the metaphysical issues that bring no definitive results. Fischer’s work shows that historiography can only be taken seriously if it is practiced according to strictly empirical procedures and can only be done by asking the correct questions and answering them according to the strict methodology of “historical logic.” The historian’s task is to solve problems, to ask appropriate questions and to seek answers by researching the information based on archival and other methods of research. Interpretation is inevitable, but the interpretation should conform to the
Throughout time, there will continue to be a considerable divorce between academic and popular historians. As Margaret Conrad argues, popular historians have established the tension, by recreating “historical films without the involvement of trained historians”. This underscores the troubling gulf that sometimes separates public academics approaches to the past. Academic historians have been “too long focused” on professionalism, and discarded “generating” a “dialogue” (Conrad) with their contextual audiences. The substantial dissolution between academic and popular historians is evident in a range of sources, essentially from Michelle Arrows to Herodotus and Thucydides to Bury.
In thousands of years of history, people’s view of man changes overtime. One part, in particular, the time of the Renaissance changed man’s view of man. The Renaissance was a time of prosperity which started from 14th to the 17th century. The Renaissance first started in Italy and later spread to Europe over three hundred year course. During 1350 to 1650, the Renaissance changes Italians and Europeans’ view of man from studying previous works of the Greeks and the Romans. The Renaissance changed man’s view of man by astronomy, anatomy, and culture.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the Renaissance changed man’s view of the world. By definition, the term Renaissance means, rebirth. It was a time of big change in European history. Over 300 years, the spread of new ideas and advancements in technology spread across western and northern Europe. The Renaissance changed mans view of the world through art, literature, and science.
In this paper, I will be outlining the costs and benefits of social and technological fixes, and then I will be assessing the use of social and technological fixes of air pollution through the use of automobiles.
In 1961 German historian Fritz Fischer published a controversial book, Germany’s War Aims in the First World War. Fischer argued that the German’s had plans for war right from the start and that the assassination of the Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand was just an excuse for war. He believed that Germany encouraged Austrian war plans. The counter argument to Fischer’s view was presented by another German historian, Gerhard Ritter in his book, Staatskunst und Krieghandwerk: das Problem des ‘Militarism’ in Deutschland. Ritter believed that Germany was mainly motivated by the desire to keep Austria as a great power and to prevent Russian domination in the Balkans. Ritter stated in his book that Germany had no long term war plan and they were dragged into war by Austria. Furthermore, he believed that Germany miscalculated that Britain would not enter the war. Ritter strongly believed that military plans were necessary for Germany with Russia posing as a threat. This shows how two historians with same context use different methodologies in attempting to find ‘historical truth.’ Which leads to the question: To what extent is history discovered or invented? Objectivity is taken away when a historian has to select or identify different themes, causes and effects. The choice of language in which these selections are presented also impacts attempts to maintain objectivity when presenting historical
Fea’s title for his sixth chapter of Why Study History, is “History for a Civil Society”, where he points out that in order to have a more unified society in the present, we should learn from history’s trials and triumphs. Looking at every disagreement in our country, it is based on a cultural difference. For example, gun rights are important to some because they grew up in a household that believed guns represent power, protection, and safety. However, for someone who may have grown up in an area where guns were used violently against them, they will have a very different belief about guns. Fea stands firmly on the belief that “when taught correctly, history will impart the virtues of necessary to end the culture wars, transform our ways
The Landscape of History by John Lewis Gaddis, is an educational series of lectures that effectively advances the theories of famous historiographers. He specifically focuses on historians like E.H. Carr and Marc Bloch and tries to encourage historians and students to not only reevaluate the concepts of Carr and Bloch but to dissect the system that historiographers use. Gaddis, in an indirect approach does contest particular assumptions of postmodernism, mainly the radical interpretation that historiographers remain incapable of creating deductions about the past. Gaddis's flair rests in his handling of the historian's occupation and how he considers them both a science and an art. Through the examination of The Landscape of History, the reader, gets a sense that Gaddis is combining the techniques of an artist and the methods of scientists. He describes throughout the whole book what a historian does and what he must do with a mixture of inundating metaphors.
German history is seen as a ‘painful issue for thousands of Germans and other Europeans’ . However it has interested many historians over the years into inquiring how and why Hitler came to power and how much of this was to do with the failure of parliamentary democracy in Germany. To fully ascertain to what extent these events have in common and what reasons led to the fall of democracy and rise of the Nazis, each have to be looked at individually. Also it seems beneficial, to be able to evaluate these in the relevant context, to look at the situation in Germany was in prior to 1920.
In the literary `movements' of neo-classicism and romanticism, Voltaire's Candide and Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther represent the literary age in which they were written. In the following composition, textual evidence will be provided to demonstrate how each book accurately represents either the neo-classicism age or the romanticism age. Candide and The Sorrows of Young Werther will be examined separately, and then examined together. After, a discussion about how each age seems to view the nature of man and the significance of moral and spiritual values will be presented. Also, a personal interpretation of the conclusion of each book will be given. Lastly, quotes
The definition of history, is a question which has sparked international debate for centuries between the writers, readers, and the makers of history. It is a vital topic which should be relevant in our lives because it?s important to acknowledge past events that have occurred in our world that deeply influences the present. This essay will discuss what history is, and why we study it.