(Part I – including a background to this series; Part II)
Part the Third: Great Men & Whigs
Universal History, the history of what man has accomplished in this world, is at bottom the History of the Great Men who have worked here.
Thomas Carlyle
The history of the world is none other than the progress of the consciousness of freedom.
Friedrich Hegel
The history of our country during the last hundred and sixty years is eminently the history, of physical, of moral, and of intellectual improvement.
Lord Macaulay
It is part and parcel of the Whig interpretation of history that it studies the past with reference to the present.
Herbert Butterfield
Much of the history which emerged in Europe after about 350 C.E. was the story of kings, popes, and battles. To some extent this made a great deal of sense. History, as a discipline, generally holds written records to be the most important. And the most easily accessible written records were court records, accounts of battles, memoirs and so forth. In addition, a lot of histories were commissioned by rulers in order to celebrate their accomplishments. The idea that history could best be told through the lens of political and – to a lesser extent – religious rulers continued through the middle ages, the early modern period and into the nineteenth century.
While the nineteenth-century Enlightenment did encourage scholars to try and separate truth from myth (I’ll have more to say about the concept of “objective” history in a future essay), it did little to disabuse historians of the idea that history could best be told through the stories of “great men.” This idea probably reached its apotheosis in the arguments of Thomas Carlyle expressed in the quote above. Carlyle practiced what he preached in such works as Frederick the Great. He also adopted many of the racial views of the day. Carlyle himself fell into significant posthumous disrepute after World War II when it emerged that Joseph Goebbels had been a fan and had read excerpts of Carlyle’s work to Hitler.
Carlyle: a great man (?) who wrote about great men
Great Man history persisted as a dominant approach to history well into the twentieth century and is still widely read. That said, although Great Man history is biography, not all biography is necessarily Great Man history. Jumping into the twentieth century briefly, modern scholars have worked diligently to recover the stories of more obscure lives in order to provide a sharply different perspective on events. Two excellent examples of this are Allen Greer’s highly regarded account of the seventeenth-century Mohawk saint Kateri Tekakwitha and Peter Mancall’s superb story of the anti-Puritan Thomas Morton.
Somewhat related to Great Man theory is Whig history. Defining Whig history is a little like Justice Stewart defining pornography. Perhaps the best, brief, definition is the final quote above by the late English historian Herbert Butterfield.
Butterfield’s short 1931 work The Whig Interpretation of History was written for the express purpose of criticizing Whig history. The slipperiness of the term was highlighted by E.H. Carr in his 1961 What is History? Although commending Butterfield’s work in many ways, Carr noted that Butterfield “did not… name a single Whig except Fox, who was no historian, or a single historian save Acton, who was no whig”.
Other historians have since argued that, by the time Butterfield wrote Whig Interpretation, Whig history had “died at the Somme, Passenchendale, and the myriad slaughter-houses of World War I, along with the youth of Europe.” In other words, the sunny view of human progress noted by Macaulay (above) did not survive the trenches.
So, having said all that, what was Whig history and why should we care? Let me take a shot at the former then make a couple of observations about the latter.
Whig history, like providential history (and Marxist history for that matter) is history with a trajectory. That is, history is moving along some kind of, essentially, predestined pathway. While Judeo-Christian authors saw history unfolding according to God’s plans, the Whigs saw history being moved by a pursuit of liberty (variously defined). Thus, Whig history is progressive in the non-political sense of the word. The great Whig historian Thomas Macaulay (& others) emphasized the triumph of Protestantism over Catholicism, of Britain over France, of parliamentary rule over monarchy, of (Anglo-American) civilization over (Native American and Highland Scots’) savagery (manifest destiny fits in here).
Whig history also tends toward grand, sweeping narratives that are beautifully written (more than one modern historian, while decrying the Whig approach, has lamented the loss of style). If modern histories are like driving from New Jersey to California using only local streets and state highways, Whigs make the trip on I80.
Of course, like any approach to history rooted in a narrow interpretation, Whig history had to ignore a lot of events and actors. In American Whig history, Native Americans are glossed over as savages removed by the inevitable progress of history. The British slave trade and American slavery are often completely absent from Whig accounts. In part, obviously, this was because it was hard to square the idea of liberty with the practice of slavery. But it was also because, to many Whigs, slavery was a blip, something that didn’t fit in the narrative structure.
Probably the quintessential Whig history is Macaulay’s History of England. In America, Francis Parkman (particularly in the multi-volume France and England in North America) and George Bancroft (especially his seven-volume History of the United States) are usually considered to be Whig historians.
While Whig history is long gone from the academy, it does tend to live on, in part, in our national conversations. Americans do tend to hold on to this idea of liberty (and/or justice) as being the animating factors in history. To some extent, this idea was behind American misadventures in the middle east in the last 25 years. And, until recently, it was rhetorically embraced by the two main groups in American politics.
Enough for now. Up next…umm, I’m not sure exactly (I have more to write, just not sure what order it will be in).
Ill stick with Gibbon and Caesars commentaries, old school for the fun of it. Right now Im reading yet another hostory of the Anglo Saxons
What is History?
Baby don’t hurt me.
History= war+ blood
All war and ‘combat,’ human and other organisms alike, occur for one of three reasons: Territory, resources, mates.
These often overlap.
“It’s just one fuckin’ thing after another.”
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464049/quotes
If you cant bear to clean up then go fight, those are your choices
I really do recommend this movie. Might not be for everyone.
Here, let me.
Silly man,
Good tune
Thank you. That’s what I thought but I was expecting Ted’S to drop a tune from the 30s.
“If modern histories are like driving from New Jersey to California using only local streets and state highways, Whigs make the trip on I80.”
Winner. I’m going to have to remember that. Sometimes you want exit and explore, but if you don’t take the interstate it’s going to take a so long you’re not going to remember what happened in the towns a month ago.
Most of the state and US routes divert around the interesting stuff anyway. I’d probably commit seppuku after a few hundred miles in any event.
After graduate school before real employment I drove coast to coast starting from Washington to NJ.
Long before GPS. All paper maps and AAA triptiks.
Fucking hoot, but don’t feel compelled to ever do it again.
I went from northern Idaho to central Arizona like that. Nowhere near as far but did a fair bit of gravel roads and a couple we weren’t sure my 2wd pickup was going to make it. Especially when it got slippery somewhere in Nevada on a Forest service grade.
The Army used to love to PCS me coast to coast or bottom to top. Benning to Lewis, then back to Benning. California to Bragg. Arizona to Montana. Montana to SoCal. Pennsylvania to Missouri via a one-year detour in Iraq. Missouri to NYC. NYC to California.
NYC to Cali was interesting because I drove I-80 from end to end and had a chance to see many sights from McPhee’s geology study of North America via an I-80 transect.
Lewis to Benning was not as much fun. Two babies in a VW van with a late December run.
I would have killed for the army to PCS me, just once. I would have gone ANYWHERE to get away from fort Campbell.
I called branch so often they would pick up the phone laughing knowing it was me.
Whigs make the trip on I80
And even that is a long trip.
Probably the quintessential Whig history is Macaulay’s History of England.
I had a copy of that. I tried reading it. I never finished it. And I finished “War and Peace” and “The Wealth of Nations” and the unabridged “Count of Monte Christo”.
Fun thoughts. I’ve never read any of ’em, perhaps to my detriment. I’m fairly historically versed, for my age and formally untrained, but my reservoir was built over a long time, only little bits at a time.
I’ve heard Churchill’s A History of the English-Speaking Peoples is spectacular, both for its historical content and especially for its style. Of all things Churchill was, and he was quite a few, ‘good with words’ is more than modestly mild.
Oooh, and my memory was correct! “The first known use of “OMG” was in a September 9, 1917, letter from British Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher to Winston Churchill. Fisher used the abbreviation “O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)” Hilarious he added the full acronym.
First learned that on QI, absolutely the best non-fiction show I’ve ever seen. Much, much love for Fry.
*Meant to add the perhaps obvious: Thoughts on Churchill’s historical works?
Hey Evan: I’ve not actually read any Churchill. I have the full set of the Second World War which I picked up probably twenty years ago but have not yet read.
Most of my history reading tends toward stuff that I think might add nuance or niche interest to my teaching. Lots of fascinating stuff, but I don’t have much time to get to “classics” like Churchill.
I have the full edition of Churchill’s History of the English Speaking Peoples and I haven’t gotten past the first volume. He was a good writer, not so much a good historian.
Mention of the Whig Interpretation of History reminded me of this, which some people here might find interesting:
https://youtu.be/yln5fsEXA2M
It’s the guy who does the Little Platoon channel talking about Dune vs. Asimov’s Foundation.
tldw: Foundation is Whig History, Dune rejects Whig History.
Experts can correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like if you had two agencies with infinite budgets, one dedicated to developing interstellar space travel and the other dedicated to giving a young child all of the magical abilities of Harry Potter, the latter would get to the finish line first. Both would be tasked with bending the laws of physics in equally unlikely ways, but the second one wouldn’t have to also keep dozens of humans alive indefinitely in a frozen radioactive vacuum that is relentlessly trying to murder them every single second of the day.
https://open.substack.com/pub/jasonpargin/p/interstellar-space-travel-will-never?r=d0r3d&utm_medium=ios
I’m not an expert but I suspect he is wrong.
Too pessimistic for me. He assumes the worst case at every point. And most of the comments are just like that.
Sad to see no optimism.
Even after nuking enemies, the whole world became more prosperous, shockingly quickly. Same with Black Death. (Eventually.)
“But THIS time will be the TRUE end of us all! WON’T SOMEONE PLEAAASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!” <– On repeat refrain for all human history. Sometimes, rarely correct. But not for long.
I remember reading something about a form of “space travel” that would involve stretching the space behind you while squishing the space in front of you.
I think it involved gravity generators and the blood of a virgin, collected in the light of a new moon.
Sounds like something that Jack McDevitt wrote.
Immediately wrong here, unless he actually means faster than light travel.
I agree that FTL travel is unlikely, but it is in the realm of relativistic and quantum physics, which we don’t yet fully understand.
Making shit levitate or change form by waving a stick and speaking Latin seems more in the realm of classical physics and chemistry, which we do understand.
This seems like a solvable problem, given that there are currently several billion humans alive in this state.
Technology advances at an exponential rate so I find this whole argument tedious and stupid.
Anybody like lemonheads candy growing up?
Try freeze dried, killer good!
https://www.glibertarians.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20251118_185856-scaled.jpg
I saw these recently. I do not recommend.
We have Sour Skittles, which are sour crack. DAMN. And I don’t like Skittles. So we got freeze-dried Sour Skittles. I’m all over that shit. Freeze Dried Ice Cream and other NASA shit was my jam growing up. For nostalgic fun, some was sent to me in care/ comfort packages back when. I’m all over this shit.
But it detracted from the quality of the original. Coupled with the added expense? I have not repurchased.
Now Lemonheads, I never cared for, but have become a beloved pocket-breakfast /snack while roaming the aisles. I can see why folk’d get ’em freeze dried. They don’t have the sour coating issue to be freeze-driven from ’em.
I rather recommend you try and report back. I doubt they’ll have the issues my (now dwindling supply of) SourSkis.
Freeze dried strawberries bar in the old MREs were the best. Made in Zwakville, too.
https://www.mreinfo.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11577&start=10
I’ve never heard of “freeze-dried” candy of any kind but ugh – I try to pass on the artificial flavors even though I still have a soft spot for Skittles…
But I loved Lemonheads when I was little. I would suck on them to loosen up the coating and then suck on the pellet inside.
Ten cents a box LOL.
I will admit that when I road trip, sour gummi’s and beef jerky are my go-to’s.
When not road tripping, don’t really go to them.
Since someone requested 30s music up above, Ten Cents
Someone has their thumb on the scale:
https://platedlizard.blogspot.com/2025/09/ygbsm.html
Still funny though.
Is all of history just speculation based on what sources have survived and which explanations have prospered? Look at any period of history you may have an extraordinary interest in and you soon realize there are many interpretations of the meanings of, say, letters, official documents, news accounts. Why is R.E. Lee considered by most as one of the world’s greatest generals while a minority view him, with good reason, as a flawed general whose strategy may have cost the Confederacy the war? What will be the “mainstream” view of the Covid 19 pandemic in 100 years? Of President Obama or Trump? Of radical Muslim terrorism?
Modern history has skewed even further from reality than the progressive/great men view of history ever did.
Ambrose Bierce:
‘History is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools.’
THAT’S the quote I was looking for.
Any history that has a trajectory isn’t history, it is dogma.
History is written by the victors. It ALL has a trajectory.
History is written by the college professors.
They generally hate the victors.
https://youtu.be/R4GLAKEjU4w
Hard to hold onto that Whig view…
I imagine prior wars were just as barbaric and harsh, if not more so. Just no cameras or a sense of “it can’t happen here”.
Ancient wars were particularly brutal affairs for the side that lost. But more romantic visions of war had developed in Europe in the centuries prior to WW1. Most people were excited at the prospects of WW1 and thought it would be a rather quick affair because people are stupid.
No lessons learned from the Battle of Bull Run picnicking.
Oh…lessons were learned. But the people who learned, primarily people in the American south (plus south-central PA) were not the right sort of people to Europeans and too long (49 years) before the archduke and his wife met their fates.
Even with the internet added to history books 9/11 seems like distant history to most people.
You would think the English would have learned a thing or two from the Crimea, but noooooo….
(And both the French and Germans, as they had a dust up not too long after that.)
Given timing…bets on pocket veto? Trump would be stupid to attempt..but timing fits with Tgiving recess…
Ah nevermind…both houses can be pro forma during that time..
Epstein? Isn’t Trump for it now?
I was looking more at the political posturing since Senate didnt actually vote per se, more unanimous consent. Force the yea/nay from senators.
https://www.mreinfo.com/mres/mre-menus/mre-menus-1995/
https://www.mreinfo.com/mre-menus-2021/
I’d eat 8 out of 12 in 1995 menu and part/all of the other 4. That current menu… is that what appeals to to Pvt GenZ?
Fucking insane
https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/TroopSupport/Subsistence/Rations/CCAR/CCAR_Menus_24.pdf
Spaghetti, stew, or burrito bowl as on the go?
Cold Weather Rations were better than MREs at the time.
Main also made by Oregon Freeze Dry, maker of the fd strawberry bar.
Ugh, ham slice again.
Saw an interesting proposal, that SNAP could only be used to buy MREs. Seemed to address a number of various people’s problems with the SNAP all in one motion.
Ot – eldest grand-lad left a carton of ciggies on my desk while I was sleeping. We let him stay here after his accident and I’d chuck him a deck of smokes from time to time. *insert Jerimiah Johnson gif*
https://youtu.be/xffOCZYX6F8
Hows it old man, festus is it!
Not much good happening personally but most everyone that I know is doing well. Festus is sanguine.
“Mustn’t grumble”?
I’m sorry I had nothing specific to contribute re Whigs. I remember in school liking the sound of them.
It’s a Whig!
Bonjour Glibs !
🥐☺️🌤️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJC8zeu3MHk
🎶🎶
I am awake under protest.
I was kept awake waiting for something which did not happen to the point where I was too tired to fall asleep, and was thus stuck laying awake trying to not be so that when that alarm did come, I’d have gotten something resembling rest, which I have not.
But I have work today, so I cannot keep trying to sleep.
Maybe that’s where I am because I tossed and turned all night and now I have a chore and then somehow supposed to work all day.
Good luck.
I’ve made it to the office, so I’ll persist. I can’t fall asleep at my desk – that’s something they can fire me for.
Happy midweek, all.
Good morning, Sean, Ted’S., U, rhy, Roat, homey, Sensei, and Stinky!
How goes?
So far so good. I’m taking today off work and would have liked to sleep in a little later, but I woke up and wasn’t particularly comfortable in bed, so here I am. I reserve the right to take a nap later even though I have to work tomorrow.
How are you?
I’m in the office where people from other units insist on talking and laughing too loud so that I can’t focus on my work. What is the point of RTO when it just leads to people going postal?
The cat didn’t wake you up?
Hoping to reduce headcount without having to take responsibility for it? “Wow! We had no idea he would snap like that!” 🙄
The cats aren’t allowed in the bedroom at night. Fortunately, Needy Ninja Cat hasn’t taken to scratching at the door and meowing. Yet.
I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. I have noise cancelling headphones.
🎧
Morning!
suh’ fam
whats goody
People get dismembered in embassy basements all the time.
“
Trump claims slain journalist Khashoggi was ‘extremely controversial,’ defends Saudi crown prince
Now if the media would care about non-journalists getting persecuted for thoughtcrime….
The next time Mark Carney visits the White House someone should ambush him with questions about the treatment of protesting truckers.
The squealing from the traditional media would be epic.
So the price for an indulgence for carving up a guy is just a few hundred billion bucks? Good to know if you’re Middle Eastern royalty I suppose.
“Some people, did some things…”
What I’ve noticed is that Khashoggi is consistently referred to as a “Washington Post journalist” or somesuch, as if (a) that was his full-time job his whole life and (b) I’m supposed to be extra super-duper outraged that a journalist got greased.
Australian murderer sues for right to eat Vegemite behind bars
Prison is supposed to be punishment. Request denied.
Vegemite is punishment, the man’s obviously a masochist.
Even if the request were made because of masochistic tendencies, that is still something the prisoner finds preferrable and the denial shall stand.
So Israel took a page out of TX and FL and sent Palestinians to “sanctuary countries”.
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/inside-the-israeli-linked-flights-carrying-palestinians-out-of-gaza-4ddd6ed0?st=6rXprt&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Funny how they were not pleased.