Macrohistory

Macrohistory seeks out large, long-term trends in world history, searching for ultimate patterns through a comparison of proximate details. For example, a macro-historical study might examine Japanese feudalism and European feudalism in order to decide whether feudal structures are an inevitable outcome given certain conditions. Macro-historical studies often "assume that macro-historical processes repeat themselves in explainable and understandable ways".^[1]

History

Examples of macro-historical analysis include Oswald Spengler's assertion that the lifespan of civilizations is limited and ultimately they decay, and Arnold J. Toynbee's historical synthesis in explaining the rise and fall of civilizations. The Battle of Ain Jalut is considered by many historians to be of great macro-historical importance, as it marked the high water point of Mongol conquests, and the first time they had ever been decisively defeated.

Yuval Noah Harari is a recent example of a Macro-historian. His book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is his famous Macro-historical work.

See also

References