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.
The edition of the letters will fit into the growing interest in the Irish in Europe and it will provide new information on the role and influence of educated Irish women; it will also fill an important gap in the area of womenOCOs history by presenting one of the most amazing women in international relationships and an extraordinary ambassador for Anglo-Irish culture in Germany: Clarissa von Ranke (1808-1871). Scholars will have access to eyewitness reports through ClarissaOCOs critical lens of events as diverse as the European Revolution of 1848/49, the wars of German Unification in 1864 and 1866 and the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71. In her letters Clarissa discussed family matters, RankeOCOs historical writing, and European affairs. She built up a social circle, known as the OCySalon RankeOCO where Enlightenment thought met Romanticism. Although the salon was dominated by conservative thought, several OCyrevolutionaryOCO opinions of that time were discussed: the position of women, the role of religion in a changing society, international cultural exchange and nation-building of different states. This salon was well-known for its musical parties, poetry classes, and discussions on literature (especially Shakespeare), politics and history. Clarissa also gave classes in various languages including French, Italian and English.
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.
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