Whig interpretation of history
E3422
The Whig interpretation of history is a perspective that portrays the past as a progressive march toward modern liberal democracy, emphasizing inevitable improvement and the triumph of constitutional government and individual liberty.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| The Whig Interpretation of History | 2 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historiographical theory
ⓘ
philosophy of history ⓘ teleological view of history ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
British liberal tradition
ⓘ
Victorian historiography ⓘ Whig Party ⓘ
surface form:
Whig Party (United Kingdom)
constitutional monarchy ⓘ liberalism ⓘ |
| coinedBy | Herbert Butterfield ⓘ |
| coinedInWork |
Whig interpretation of history
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
surface form:
The Whig Interpretation of History
|
| coinedInYear | 1931 ⓘ |
| criticizedBy |
Herbert Butterfield
ⓘ
modern professional historians ⓘ |
| criticizedFor |
anachronism
ⓘ
ignoring contingency and alternative outcomes ⓘ moralizing narrative of winners and losers ⓘ oversimplification of complex historical processes ⓘ presentism ⓘ treating progress as inevitable ⓘ |
| emphasizes |
civil liberties
ⓘ
constitutionalism ⓘ economic modernization ⓘ parliamentary government ⓘ religious toleration ⓘ rule of law ⓘ scientific progress ⓘ |
| fieldOfStudy | historiography ⓘ |
| hasCharacteristic |
Anglocentric in many classic formulations
ⓘ
optimistic about progress ⓘ presentist ⓘ teleological ⓘ |
| hasInfluenceOn | public understanding of national history in liberal democracies ⓘ |
| hasMainIdea |
emphasis on progress and improvement over time
ⓘ
history is a progressive march toward modern liberal democracy ⓘ interprets past events in light of present-day values ⓘ portrays history as a story of increasing freedom and enlightenment ⓘ the past leads inevitably to the present ⓘ treats liberal democracy as the culmination of historical development ⓘ triumph of constitutional government ⓘ triumph of individual liberty ⓘ |
| influenced |
19th-century British political history writing
ⓘ
popular narratives of English constitutional development ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
Enlightenment ideas of progress
ⓘ
liberal political philosophy ⓘ |
| opposes |
cyclical views of history
ⓘ
declinist views of history ⓘ |
| typicalExample |
portrayal of the Glorious Revolution as a decisive step toward modern liberty
ⓘ
portrayal of the Reformation as progress toward religious freedom ⓘ portrayal of the expansion of the franchise as inevitable democratization ⓘ |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
Whig interpretation of history
→
coinedInWork
→
Whig interpretation of history
self-linksurface differs
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this entity surface form:
The Whig Interpretation of History
this entity surface form:
The Whig Interpretation of History