Political history

Political history or political history is a kind of historiography, which represents the state and the politically active people in the center of planning.

In the historicist historiography of the 19th century this kind of conception of history was predominant. Developments in society and culture are usually summarized into account only secondary. Actions of statesmen and governments, diplomacy and international relations, wars and battles are thus the basic themes of political history, which is closely connected with the history of events.

An exception was the first emanating from Karl Lamprecht conception of cultural history. Lamprecht's conception of a universal history, with its periodization according to the culture ages, is combated the end of the 19th century decided by the important German historians. In addition to methodological objections, as found in the so-called dispute over methods of historical science be made by Georg von Below, Max Lenz and Felix Rachfahl, it is the priority of the " Neorankeanern " favored view that the political or States history to culture, economic and social history should have the primacy.

In the 20th century, various currents made ​​the classic political history of pre-eminence in dispute, including the French Annales school since the 1930s, the West German structural history of the 1950s, the historical social science since the 1970s and the new cultural history ( New Cultural History) since the 1990s. In the political history of various aspects of this criticism directions have been received and have caused aspirations to a "new political history ".

Political history can also be politically motivated, see the so-called politics of history. Historian ( the political history or other subjects ) are part of society, not a few have been active politically.