Geoffrey Barraclough facts for kids

Geoffrey Barraclough (born May 10, 1908 – died December 26, 1984) was an English historian. He was especially known for studying the Middle Ages and the history of Germany. Later in his career, he became interested in global history.

A Life in History

Geoffrey Barraclough went to school at Bootham School and Bradford Grammar School in England. He then studied History at Oriel College, Oxford University from 1926 to 1929. After that, he spent two years studying in Munich and Rome, learning even more about history. He returned to Merton College, Oxford, to continue his research.

During World War II, Barraclough served in the Royal Air Force. After the war, he became a professor. He taught at the University of Liverpool from 1945 to 1956. Later, he was a research professor at the University of London and the University of California. He also taught at Brandeis University in the United States. From 1970 to 1973, he was the Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford University.

How He Studied History

Barraclough started his career by focusing on the Middle Ages. But he soon became interested in how history connects to the modern world. He believed that understanding history was very important for making good decisions today.

To help people understand history better, Barraclough created new ways to study it. He called this "comparative history." This method involved looking at the past and the present at the same time. He would start by studying something from the past. Then, he would also research how that topic connected to today's world.

This way, he could look forward from the past and backward from the present. He wanted to find the "historical threads" that link different times together. He also looked for "discontinuities," which are things that make the past and present different.

In his writings, Barraclough used many different ideas to connect history. He looked at geography, how societies and economies changed over time, and how empires, trade, and tribes played a role. These ideas helped him show how the past leads to the present. Using these methods, he could create a big picture of world history. He showed its important ups, downs, and turning points.

Important Works

Barraclough wrote many books and essays. Two of his first books on how to study history were History in a Changing World and An Introduction to Contemporary History. These books were collections of his ideas.

He was also the editor of The Times Atlas of World History. This is a very famous atlas that is still used today. He also helped edit a popular series of books called "Library of European Civilization."

Works

• Public Notaries and the Papal Curia (1934)
• Papal Provisions: Aspects of Church History Constitutional, Legal and Administrative in the Later Middle Ages (1935)
• Factors in German History (1946)
• The Origins of Modern Germany (1946)
• Mediaeval Germany 911 - 1250 (1948) essays by German historians, translator
• Crown, Community and Parliament in the Later Middle Ages: Studies in English Constitutional History by Gaillard T. Lapsley (1951) editor with Helen M. Cam
• The Earldom and County Palatine of Chester (1953)
• History in a Changing World (1955)
• Survey of International Affairs, 1955-1956 (1960) with Rachel F. Wall
• Social Life in Early England (1960)
• Survey of International Affairs, 1956-1958 (1962)
• European Unity in Thought and Action (1963) Vogelenzang Lecture
• Survey of International Affairs, 1959-1960 (1964)
• An Introduction to Contemporary History (1964)
• The Mediaeval Empire - Idea and Reality (1964)
• The Historical Association, 1906-1966 (1967) Presidential Address
• The Medieval Papacy (1968) from the "Library of European Civilization" series
• Eastern and Western Europe in the Middle Ages (1970) from the "Library of European Civilization" series
• Management in a Changing Economy (1976)
• The Crucible of Europe: The Ninth and Tenth Centuries in European History (1976) later as The Crucible of the Middle Ages
• The Times Atlas of World History (1978)
• Main Trends in History (1978)
• The Turning Points in World History (1979)
• The Christian World: A Social and Cultural History of Christianity (1981)
• The Times Concise Atlas of World History (1982)
• From Agadir to Armageddon: Anatomy of a Crisis (1982)
• Charters of the Anglo-Norman Earls of Chester, c.1071-1237 (1988)
• Atlas of World History (1989) with Norman Stone, and later editions and atlases
• The Times History of the World (2001) with Richard Overy