The British State and its Historiography

This paper identifies a number of constituent elements within British historiography of the state over the past two centuries and comments on their origin and relationship. It then proceeds to consider the content of each and the function of this genre as a whole in advancing or retarding other styles of historical writing in England. It concludes that British experience proved distinctive within Europe in establishing a national historiographical focus that impeded the development of an effective understanding of social and cultural history in Britain until after the Second World War.Bentley Michael. The British State and its Historiography. In: Visions sur le développement des États européens. Théories et historiographies de l'État moderne. Actes du colloque de Rome (18-31 mars 1990) Rome : École Française de Rome, 1993. pp. 153-168. (Publications de l'École française de Rome, 171