A Study Of Macaulay’s Idea Of History

Thomas Babington Macaulay is a famous historian in middle of the nineteenth century. He is the representative of whig historians and the literary historians. This article studies the idea of history of Macaulay.The preface introduces the life and books of Macaulay, the basis and the content of the topic, the research status at home and abroad, and the originality and defect of the article.The chaper one explains the historical context and ideological background. Macaulay growed in the early days of the nineteenth centuary, at which Laissez-faire capitalism developes quickly, the reform of parliamentary was eded, and the colonial policy of British Empire was changing. Macaulay has taken part in the reform of parliamentary and the Empire’s sovereighn unpon india. In the ideological level he inherited view of progress of the Scotland enlightenment thinkers. He believed Burke’s Whiggism, respecting traditions also paying attention to reform, he was in favor of Bentham philosophy of utilitarianism, but against Mill’s deductive method.The second chapter explains the idea of Macaulay’s Whig historiography, which is the focus of study. He is the best represent in the British Whig historians, and has played a role of connecting in the historiography of UK. He inherited the study of Whig history of Makintosh and Hallam, and breaked through it. This article analyzed the connotation of Macaulay’s Whig history from three aspects of the constitutional view of history, view of progress and outlook of revolution. His idea of constitutional history affirms the supremacy of Parliament’s position, praising of the British freedom, emphasizing the need for reform in respect of constitutional traditions at the same time. Macaulay’s view of progress is the combination of view of continuous and gradual progress with the view of nonlinear development. He believed that the UK had made significant progress in the material and moral realm, but in the poetic imagination, speech and theological field, people’s ability were in degradation. Macaulay was fear and opposition to violent revolution and advocated a peaceful revolution and gradual reform. He criticized the misunderstanding of the ancient Whig interpretation of history in theory, but his historical works still with the characteristics. Macaulay’s beyond the Whig historiography lies in the weakening of the partisan in his historical writings.The third chapter inspects the Macaulay;s conception of social history. His research on social history had been inspired by Hume, the famous third chapter in History of England embodies the study of social history. Macaulay discussed British city, economic, the common people and the public attitude. His research on social and economic history services to narration of the political and military history. Macaulay’s social history embodies idea of class compromise, reflecting the position of the middle class.The fourth chapter studies Macaulay’s concept of Empire and analyzes the way of constructing of the England national identity. Macaulay established system of grade of Empire which England and Britain are in the center, Ireland and India are in the marginal. He is the advocates and practicer of British liberal imperialism in the first half of the nineteenth Century. He advocated individual freedom and trade freedom, criticized the evil of slavery, against the corn laws and trade monopoly, and argued enlightened autarchy policy in India. He put forward memorandum of education in India, drafted the India Penal Code. These legislative measures had a profound impact on India society, but the effect of the cultural assimilation policy is limited. The racial prejudice was hidden in the imperial discourse, of which there also existed the contradiction between freedom, democracy and autocracy, Macaulay attempted to resolve this contradiction through the view of progress and pragmatism. He thinked the British progress provide source of legitimacy for its colonial rule. Through his widely-influenced history, essays and poems the English famous historian Thomas Macaulay had in fact contributed to the construction of national identity of England. The article interpreted Macaulay’s idea about the Englishness in his history books and essays. It proposes that in order to construct the national identity of England, Macaulay used the methods of secularization and de-moralization for characterization, the national historical narrative basing on Anglo-Saxon centre and the metaphor of national epic. Finally this article analyzes the positive effect of Macaulay’s construction of national identity of England and his limitation on the methods.The fifth chapter explores the Macaulay’s idea of Utilitarianism historiography Macaulay taked the knowledges and lessons of history and the enjoyment of readers as the goal of historical study. As a philosophical historian, Macaulay tried to summarize historical experience and lessons from history. William is a politician Macaulay worshipped and set as an model of politician. Through the description of his political life history and glorious revolutionary, Macaulay outlined three point of political teaching, namely, a cautious attitude, timely compromise and the use of public opinion. Scott’s historical novels has great influence on Macaulay. Macaulay argued that history is a combination of poetry and philosophy, also of reason and imagination. The pursuit of artistry of history and the stress on imagination is an outstanding character of the idea of romantic historiography of Macaulay. To make his historical work vivid, he applied the ways of literary to write history. He payed attention to the description of historical details and backgrounds, used the method of melodrama and romance to represent history, and charactered historical figure with personal feelings including the moral estimations and certain partial prejudices. Macaulay’s historical imagination had based on historical facts.The artistry of Macaulay’s work determines its long value. The idea of romantic historiography of Macaulay has a profound effect on the later historian in England.The sixth chapter expounds the historical influence of Macaulay. The Oxford school of history had been influenced by Macaulay’in different extent. Macaulay’s legacy of Whig historiography is mainly his constitutionalism thought, the pursuit of continuous and historical compromise. Macaulay’s style of writing was imitated by later historian. The characteristics of his syle is simple, clear, vivid and fluent. Macaulay did not form a unified style, and his history work is a mixture of different types of style of speech, prudent and drama. The formation of his style had an connection with the atmosphere of religion and community activities in Clapham community in his childhood He was good at absorbing nutrition from classical literature and modern writers’ works, forming his own romantic and rational style. Macaulay has contributed to the popularization of English history. His History of England has a large readership, covering all sectors of society and age, also winning welcomes of European and American countries. The History of England can be counted as a representative of public history. Its success is attributed to the demand of the historical knowledge of readers, also to the Macaulay’s individual talent, ambition and hard work. Macaulay’s style of popular history had an impact on the British professional historians. Freeman, Green and Trevelyan in the content and style of research have been inspired by Macaulay. Plumb are trying to continue Macaulay "literary" tradition of historiography.The conclusion part points out the classical features of Macaulay’s history, and his idea of harmonizing and librelism in his historiography.