The Whig History

Question 1

Whig History’s general beliefs

Answer 1

Believed a history of progress, a history of the struggle between defenders of constitutional liberty & of a strong monarchy. It ended in constitutional monarchy (weak monarchy) which whigs wanted.

Question 2

Cons of Whig History

Answer 2

Drew clear links between past and present - misleading and oversimplifying history.
Historians overconfident.
Perfection is subjective.

Question 3

Thomas Macaulay’s style

Answer 3

Wrote about the different opinions towards monarchy’s power, said liberty won but admits with some barriers (analytical)

Question 4

Thomas Caryle’s style

Answer 4

Wrote Great Men history, saw great men shaping history (discounting other groups like women), came up with different hero types:
hero as divinity,
hero as poet
hero as king
hero as priest

Question 5

Lewis Namier - a critic

Answer 5

wanted more structure in history - scientific
wanted evidence to be used,
interested in groups than individuals,
believed whigs were just self-interested and were looking at past with present eyes

Question 6

Herbert Butterfield - a critic

Answer 6

disagreed how whigs didn’t look at motives/actions and simplified history, he believed past was complex and dissimilarity between past and present should be emphasises, disliked how whigs saw themselves as dispensers of moral judgement, believed himself that past men are a stranger and whigs an obstruction to historical understanding