Starting with an examination of how historians work, this "Very Short Introduction" aims to explore history in a general, pithy, and accessible manner, rather than to delve into specific periods.
Leopold von Ranke endeavoured to understand political order within its own historical context. To understand the nature of historical phenomena, such as an institution or an idea, one had to consider its historical development and the changes it underwent over a period of time. Historical epochs, Ranke argued, should not be judged according to predetermined contemporary values or ideas. Rather, they had to be understood on their own terms by empirically establishing history ‘as things really were.’ Ranke’s influence on History as a modern discipline is thus evident, and this is the first volume in English to chart his life and works for a hundred years.
Historical Mechanisms argues that scientific method can provide key new insights about events that took place long ago. Taking a fresh approach to historical method and theory, this book contends that there is enough data to show that under certain circumstances societies have behaved, and will continue to behave, in similar ways throughout history. In this book, Andreas D. Boldt discusses the possibility of utilizing natural scientific theories in order to explain historical processes, focusing on the question of how nations and empires rise, succeed, fail and then assume another form in which they begin the cycle again. Scientific methods are utilized metaphorically as a means of establishing connections between events and trends throughout history, and this book argues that these methods can explain historical patterns such as chaos and stability, the relationship between power centres and power vacuums, the necessary conditions for the expansion of empires and the influence of natural and man-made borders. Exploring the ways in which concepts from science can be employed to shed new light on the analysis of historical data, Historical Mechanisms is valuable reading for all scholars of the theory and method of history.
Treating the practice of history not as an isolated pursuit but as an aspect of human society and an essential part of the culture of the West, John Burrow magnificently brings to life and explains the distinctive qualities found in the work of historians from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to the present. With a light step and graceful narrative, he gathers together over 2,500 years of the moments and decisions that have helped create Western identity. This unique approach is an incredible lens with which to view the past. Standing alone in its ambition, scale and fascination, Burrow's history of history is certain to stand the test of time.
This historical work explores the history of the Romanic and Germanic peoples from 1494-1535, focusing on political, cultural, and religious developments in Europe during this time. With meticulous attention to detail and a keen analytical eye, Leopold von Ranke offers a fascinating window into a pivotal period in European history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
This collection of the writings of Leopold von Ranke was first published in 1973 and remains the leading collection of Ranke’s writings in the English language. Now updated with the needs of current students in mind, this edition includes previously untranslated materials, as well as a new introduction by Georg G. Iggers.