Political history is the narrative and analysis of political events, ideas, movements, and leaders. 1 It is usually structured around the nation state. It is distinct from, but related to, other fields of history such as social history, economic history, and military history.
Generally, political history focuses on events relating to nation-states and the formal political process. According to Hegel, Political History "is an idea of the state with a moral and spiritual force beyond the material interests of its subjects: it followed that the state was the main agent of historical change" Tosh This contrasts with, for instance, social history, which focuses predominantly on the actions and lifestyles of ordinary people, 2 or people's history, which is historical work from the perspective of common people.
- political history - Description
- Diplomatic history , sometimes referred to as " Rankian History " Burke in honor of Leopold von Ranke, focuses on politics, politicians and other high rulers and views them as being the driving force of continuity and change in history. This type of political history is the study of the conduct of international relations between states or across state boundaries over time. This is the most common form of history and is often the classical and popular belief of what history should be.
- political history - Aspects of political history
- The first "scientific" political history was written by Leopold von Ranke in Germany in the 19th century. His methodologies profoundly affected the way historians critically examine sources; see historiography for a more complete analysis of the methodology of various approaches to history. An important aspect of political history is the study of ideology as a force for historical change. One author asserts that "political history as a whole cannot exist without the study of ideological differences and their implications." 3 Studies of political history typically centre around a single nation and its political change and development. Some historians identify the growing trend towards narrow specialisation in political history during recent decades: "while a college professor in the 1940s sought to identify himself as a "historian", by the 1950s "American historian" was the designation." Richard J. Jensen
- political history - Major works of political history
- Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, published in four volumes between 1776 and 1781, was one of the earliest comprehensive works of political history. Gibbon has been described as "the first modern historian of ancient Rome." David Potter Leopold von Ranke, often considered the founder of the modern source-based approach to political history, published a number of pioneering works during his lifetime, including History of the Reformation in Germany (published 1881) _ Deutsche Geschichte im Zeitalter der Reformation
( History of the Reformation in Germany _ .
- Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, published in four volumes between 1776 and 1781, was one of the earliest comprehensive works of political history. Gibbon has been described as "the first modern historian of ancient Rome." David Potter Leopold von Ranke, often considered the founder of the modern source-based approach to political history, published a number of pioneering works during his lifetime, including History of the Reformation in Germany (published 1881) _ Deutsche Geschichte im Zeitalter der Reformation
- political history - See also
- ;General:Historiography, People's history, International history, International relations, United States diplomatic history, Timeline of United States diplomatic history
- political history - Further reading
- political history - References
- political history - External links
- political history - References
- political history - Related topics