Question

Explain the following statement with reasons.

Leopold Von Ranke criticized the imaginative narration of history.

Answer 1

1. Historiography of the nineteenth century was greatly influenced by the thoughts of Leopold Von Ranke of Berlin University.
2. He spoke about the critical method of historical research. He emphasized the utmost importance of information gathered through original documents.
3. He also stated that all types of documents associated with a historical event need to be examined with the greatest care.
4. He believed that with this method it was possible to reach the historical truth. He thus criticized the imaginative narration of history.
5. A collection of his articles is published in two books, entitled 'The Theory and Practice of History' and 'The Secret of World History'.