The Whig interpretation of history
In economics, as in other disciplines, one often comes across the term "Whig" or its derivatives. One will find, for example, a particular account being branded as whiggish. Butterfield, who was a historian, introduced the idea of a Whig interpretation of history in 1931. Since then the te...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2000-03-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://sajems.org/index.php/sajems/article/view/2598 |
| Summary: | In economics, as in other disciplines, one often comes across the term "Whig" or its derivatives. One will find, for example, a particular account being branded as whiggish. Butterfield, who was a historian, introduced the idea of a Whig interpretation of history in 1931. Since then the term has usually been used to classify an approach which views the present as the culmination of a march of progress. This paper provides a brief background to the origin of the term and why Butterfield criticised what he called the Whig interpretation of history. |
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| ISSN: | 1015-8812 2222-3436 |