Abstract
Political history is the history of the polis, the res publica, the citizen body; political events are what was done by it, to it, or in its name. Since a citizen body is made up of individuals, the rules which constitute it are the basis of the subject. The first questions should be: who? how? where? when? We need to know the limits of the franchise, the machinery of citizen assembly, the frequency, physical conditions and rules of order of their meetings, the limits of their decision-making powers. The citizen body usually deputes responsibility to a deliberative or advisory council: how were its members chosen? how long did they serve? where, when and how were their meetings held? It must choose executive officers to carry out its decisions and look after the administration of its business: eligibility? means of election? length of service? extent of powers?
The introverted activities of a small élite of governors? The record of institutional development? Narrow administrative history? The most protean of the varieties of history? The study of the organisation and operation of power in past societies? What is political history?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Further Reading
Addison, P., The Road to 1945 (London, 1975);
Bentley, M., Politics without Democracy (London, 1984);
Bloch, M., The Historian’s Craft (Manchester, 1954);
Clarke, P. F., Liberals and Social Democrats (Cambridge, 1978);
Cooke, A. B. and Vincent, J., The Governing Passion (Brighton, 1974);
Cowling, M., Disraeli, Gladstone and Revolution (Cambridge, 1967);
The Impact of Labour (Cambridge, 1971);
Earl, D. C., The Moral and Political Tradition of Rome (London, 1967);
Elton, G. R., Political History: Principles and Practice (New York, 1970);
Foster, R. F., Lord Randolph Churchill: A Political Life (Oxford, 1981);
Hanham, H. J., Elections and Party Management: Politics in the Time of Disraeli and Gladstone (Harlow, 1959);
Hexter, J. H., Doing History (Bloomington, Indiana, 1968);
Hobsbawm, E. J., Labouring Men (London, 1964);
Worlds of Labour (London, 1984);
Jackson, G., Historian’s Quest (New York, 1969);
Lasswell, H., Politics: Who gets What, When, How (New York, 1936);
Lindblom, C., Politics and Markets (New York, 1977);
Millar, F., The Emperor in the Roman World (London, 1977);
Syme, R., The Roman Revolution (Oxford, 1939);
Wirgzubski, C., Libertas as a Political Idea at Rome (Cambridge, 1950);
Wiseman, T. P. (ed.), Roman Political Life 90 BC-AD 69 (Exeter, 1985).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Copyright information
© 1988 Macmillan Publishers Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wiseman, T.P., Elton, G.R., Hutton, R., Foster, R., Turner, J., Morgan, K.O. (1988). What is Political History … ?. In: Gardiner, J. (eds) What is History Today … ?. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19161-1_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19161-1_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-42226-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-19161-1
eBook Packages: Palgrave History Collection