Die Geburt Des Modernen Geschichtsdenkens in Europa

In his study of the birth of modern historical thought in Europe, Andreas Heuer demonstrates how the two main strands of this thought, the conception of world history and historicism, have developed since the 16th century. Specific historical circumstances in Europe paved the way for this thought. These can best be summarized as a shift toward an immanent world, a way of thinking and understanding the world in which humanity and religion are interpreted within a worldly context. The geographical discovery of the world and comparison with other cultures promote the development of a place for this and one's own culture within the horizon of time. From the many histories of different cultures emerges a history of the world, a world history. Historicism, the idea that the world and humanity can only be understood historically, embraces the idea of progress in history, despite seemingly rejecting a philosophical interpretation of world history. The modern ideologies of Marxism and Fascism are understood as offshoots of these interpretations. At the end there are remarks on a new approach to history that demands the recognition of other histories and the dissolution of world history into world-histories.