Historiography in the

Twentieth Century
Georg G Iggers

A report by:
Avel Johntonee M Olave
Roadmap
01 02 03
Biography Summary of Each Strengths
Chapters

04 05 06
Weaknesses Key Points Sources
 Whoa!
This can be the part of the
presentation where you introduce
yourself, write your email…
01
Biography
Biography
 Born into a Jewish family in
Hamburg, Germany on 07
December 1926
 Emigrated to the United States in
1938 a few weeks before the
Kristallnacht
 Received his bachelor’s degree
from the University of Richmond in
1944
 Studied a master’s from the
University of Chicago in 1945
 Followed by studies at the New
School for Social Research in
1945–46
 Completed his PhD thesis entitled
“The Social Philosophy of the
Saint-Simonians, 1824–1832,” at
Chicago in 1951
 Taught at the University of Akron
from 1948-1950
 Became an assistant professor at
Philander Smith College in Little
Rock, Arkansas
 Moved on to Dillard University in
New Orleans in 1957 where became
a full professor
Biography
 Joined the Civil Rights Movement
 Chaired the education committee
and the executive committee of the
Little Rock chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People.
 Taught at Chicago’s Roosevelt
University from 1963-1965
 Moved to the history department at
the State University of New York at
Buffalo.
 SUNY Buffalo remained his
academic home, and in 1978 he was
named distinguished professor.
 Served as president of the
Commission for the History of
Historiography of the Comité
international des sciences
historiques, and co-edited the
journal Storia della Storiografia.
 Awarded by the Federal Republic of
Germany the Cross of Merit First
Class in 2007
 Died on November 26, 2017, in
Williamsville, New York, shortly
before his 91st birthday
Biography
 02
Summary
Chapter 1
Classical Historicism as a Model for Historical
Scholarship
 In the early 19th century, German universities transformed history into a professional discipline, focusing
on the learned side and communicating research results to the public.
 Ranke's rigorous history theory emphasized objective research, critical method, and philological criticism,
rejecting positivism and replacing philosophy as the primary source of understanding. He influenced
professionalized historical scholarship.
 After 1848, historical studies professionalized in Europe, the US, Japan, Great Britain, and the
Netherlands, leading to the introduction of Ph.D. programs and the foundation of historicalism.
 Ernst Troeltsch argued that historical studies revealed the relativity of values and meaninglessness, leading
to a crisis of historicism in Germany, and threatening classical culture and Bildung ideals.
Chapter 2
The Crisis of Classical Historicism

 Late 19th century historical studies faced crisis of classical historicism, focusing on society, economy, and
culture, leading to debates over state role, political motives, and expanded subject matter.
 Germany rejected Lamprecht's cultural and social history due to homogeneity in the profession, while
France and America embraced interdisciplinarity and modern democratic society, focusing on rigorous
critical examination.
Chapter 3
Economic and Social History in Germany and
the Beginnings of Historical Sociology
 The Young Historical School of National Economy in Germany, led by Schmoller, aimed to address
industrialization's issues by studying people's values and institutions, leading to the development of human
or cultural sciences.
 Weber and Hintze differed in their views on sociology and history, with Weber promoting a value-free
science and Hintze rejecting the state's morality.
Chapter 4
American Traditions of Social History

 In the early 20th century, American historians shifted focus from political history to broader society
history, focusing on economics, sociology, and psychology, influenced by Cold War ideologies.
 Quantitative methods in historical research, like electoral behavior and demography, strengthened social
sciences as scientific disciplines, examining societal aspects like morality and attitudes.
 In the 1970s, quantitative studies dominated economic history, focusing on unique societies and socially
determined categories. This view gained importance with computer technology and economic
transformation, but faced criticism for reliance on technical language.
Chapter 5
France: The Annales
 The Annales school of historians, based on Annales journal, has significantly influenced history
understanding, emphasizing relativity, multilayering, and integrating entities into a comprehensive culture.
 The Annales, founded by Pierre Febvre and Marc Bloch, was an interdisciplinary journal focusing on the
history of French and English kings in the Middle Ages, examining politics and interpersonal relations in
its works.
 The Annales historians introduced a new concept of historical time, focusing on the longue duree, the
persistence of peasant culture, and regional or supranational historiography, reflecting significant
twentieth-century transformations in historical thinking.
 Braudel's work emphasized external limitations on human ability, paving the way for quantitative history
in the 1960s and 1970s. Annales historians shifted towards consciousness and quantitative history.
 Annales historiography has evolved over time, focusing on historical anthropology and modern political
traditions. Influenced by socialist countries, it offers complex, pluralistic approaches, avoiding scientism.
Chapter 6
Critical Theory and Social History: "Historical
Social Science" in the Federal Republic of Germany
 In the 1960s, German historical studies shifted towards social science models, focusing on culture rather
than economics, due to German intellectual heritage and political instability.
 Fritz Fischer's 1961 book, Germany's War Aims in the First War, challenged German imperialism and
expansionist policies, while younger historians like Hans Ulrich Wehler criticized his "Historical Social
Science" approach.
 Wehler's "Bielefeld School" research focuses on historical social science, examining social, political,
economic, sociocultural, and intellectual phenomena. Critics argue it neglects cultural aspects and daily
life, focusing on narrative political history.
 Jiirgen Kocka's critical social history analysis of the nineteenth century focuses on the emergence of white-
collar employees and the development of the modern working class, contrasting with other German social
historians' anthropological perspectives.
 The social history of labor focuses on individual experiences, reflecting West and socialist trends. Austrian
scholars study social structures, processes, culture, and life patterns, focusing on family, sexuality, and
adolescence.
Chapter 7
Marxist Historical Science from Historical
Materialism to Critical Anthropology
 Marxist historical science, despite losing credibility due to the Soviet collapse, remains influential due to
its ambivalences and two different conceptions of science.
 Marx's dialectic view rejects positivistic notions of the phenomenal world, focusing on conflicting forces
and capital demands, forming the basis for critical theory.
 The Soviet Union's Communist parties' official Marxist-Leninist doctrine, based on dialectic positivism,
emphasized historical development and dialectical materialism, with strict control over historians.
 Marxist theory, despite its rigidity, could challenge social history. Soviet historians studied material
culture, but political history primarily focused on proletariat roles. Western Europe reexamined Marxist
tradition, questioning event-oriented history.
 Thompson challenges Marxist concepts like economic privileging, scientific objectivity, and progress,
rescuing the poor but retaining orthodox Marxism's single working class and gender relations, aiming for a
democratic audience.
Chapter 8
Lawrence Stone and
"The Revival of Narrative
 Lawrence Stone's essay in 1979 influenced a shift in 1970s history, focusing on human existence and
cultural factors, leading to a return to narrative forms and a critical reexamination of scientific rationality.
 Stone challenged the scientific view of history, contrasting it with the older critical research tradition,
which emphasized human and natural sciences, and incorporated social sciences for truthful insights.
Chapter 9
From Macro- to Microhistory: The History of
Everyday Life
 In the 1970s and 1980s, European historians challenged social science history's belief in modernization's
positive effects, arguing that it led to a market economy, advanced technology, and democratic institutions.
 In 1980, a debate in Germany between social science history and everyday history led to Medick's critique
of neo-historicism and the protoindustrialization project, arguing for a more inclusive approach.
 In the 1980s, a protoindustrialization project at the Max Planck Institute for History focused on analyzing
localities over two centuries. Microstoria historians in Germany and Italy, influenced by Marxists and
historical anthropologists, criticized traditional approaches.
 Microstoria is a methodological approach to studying culture, focusing on interpretive studies through
single signs, examining the multiplicity of social representations, and sharing similarities with Foucault
and Geertz.
 Microhistorians like Levi and Gottingen focus on cultural rediscovery and individuality, but critics argue
they romanticize past cultures and struggle with modernization. They address political conflicts and
neglected individuals.
Chapter 10
The "Linguistic Turn": The End of History as a
Scholarly Discipline?
 Postmodern theories challenge historical knowledge and writing, arguing no truth criteria, limited
rhetorical possibilities, and skepticism about scientific inquiry leading to a progressive understanding of
reality.
 Linguistic theory emphasizes knowledge and reality, with linguistic positivism, structuralism, and
deconstructionist methods influencing literary theory. Rhetoric remains crucial in historical writing,
despite criticism.
 Historical thought emphasizes language and textuality in the societal constitution, with French input
influencing literary criticism. Clifford Geertz's semiotic approach to culture rejects positivist methodology,
focusing on objectivity.
 Geertz's semiotic approach to cultural history challenges critical history, leading to methodological
irrationalism and subjectivity. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu emphasizes economic and social context,
while Sahlin and Darnton modify it.
 Reinhart Koselleck, Werner Conze, and Otto Brunner use discourse analysis to reconstruct Germany's
political thought and social structures from 1750-1850. Other scholars emphasize the role of symbols,
Chapter 11
From the Perspective of the 1990’s
 Lawrence Stone criticized social science's historical studies in 1979, citing threats from postmodernism,
linguistics, cultural anthropology, and New Historicism. British historian Patrick Joyce argued history is
discursive.
 Between 1980’s and 1990’s, Soviet and Eastern European revolutions impacted historical thought and
practice, undermining older social sciences and cultural history, leading to a broadening of historical
inquiry methods.
 The Annales, a history journal, changed its title in 1990 to Histoire, Sciences Sociales, reflecting a shift in
political context and addressing contemporary issues like Soviet archives, labor organizations, and the
modernization of societies.
Concluding Remarks

 The Enlightenment secularized history, leading to uncertainty about modern culture, scientific rationality,
and human rights. This led to elitist and antidemocratic historical thought, affecting modern conceptions of
history.
 The twentieth century saw a shift in history, focusing on marginalized groups and microhistory, despite the
lack of a grand narrative and modernization.
 Historical studies focus on existential themes, interpreting meaningful relationships through rational
strategies. Postmodernists argue the Enlightenment's distorted view of reason led to a new myth, losing the
critical perspective.
03
Strengths
Strengths
 Comprehensive coverage

 Contextualization

 Clear and lucid writing style

 Critical analysis

 Influence and legacy

04
Weaknesses
Weaknesses
 Limited coverage of non-Western perspectives

 Simplification of complex ideas

 Limited focus on recent developments

05
Key Points
Key Points
 Historical Context

 Methodological Approaches

 Theoretical Frameworks

 Intellectual Movements

 Critical Reflection

 Global Perspectives

 Legacy and Influence

06
Sources
Sources

Wikipedia. “Georg Iggers,” January 24, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Iggers.

“Georg G. Iggers (1926–2017) | Perspectives on History | AHA,” n.d.

https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/september-
2018/georg-g-iggers-(1926%E2%80%932017).
Thanks!
Does anyone have any questions?
addyouremail@freepik.com | +91 620 421 838 | yourcompany.com

Please keep this slide for attribution

Credits: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including

icons by Flaticon, infographics & images by Freepik