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.

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Generate an image of the Whig interpretation of history (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.)

All labels observed (4)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historiographical theory ⓘ
philosophy of history ⓘ
teleological view of history ⓘ
associatedWith British liberal tradition ⓘ
Victorian historiography ⓘ
Whig Party (United Kingdom) ⓘ
linked to: Whig Party

constitutional monarchy ⓘ
liberalism ⓘ
coinedBy Herbert Butterfield ⓘ
coinedInWork 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 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

A History of the English-Speaking Peoples → influencedBy → Whig interpretation of history ⓘ
Whig interpretation of history → coinedInWork → The Whig Interpretation of History ⓘ
linked to: Whig interpretation of history
Whig Party → associatedWith → Whig interpretation of history ⓘ
Herbert Butterfield → notableWork → The Whig Interpretation of History ⓘ
linked to: Whig interpretation of history
Whig economic policy → relatedTo → Whig interpretation of history ⓘ
Christianity and History → relatedWork → The Whig Interpretation of History ⓘ
linked to: Whig interpretation of history
The Englishman and His History → relatedWork → The Whig Interpretation of History ⓘ
linked to: Whig interpretation of history
History and Human Relations → relatedWork → The Whig Interpretation of History ⓘ
linked to: Whig interpretation of history
Thomas Babington Macaulay → knownFor → Whig interpretation of history ⓘ
George Macaulay Trevelyan → movement → Whig historiography ⓘ
linked to: Whig interpretation of history
History of England from the Peace of Utrecht to the Peace of Versailles 1713–1783 → hasPerspective → British Whig history tradition ⓘ
linked to: Whig interpretation of history