The term rings a bell, but no more than that.....what is it?

It's a belief that History can be seen as an ever upward "progression" from "primitive" societies towards a "modern" government, usually considered to be semi-democratic (like Britain's Constitutional Monarchy). Name is based off of the Whig political party in Britain during the 18th century (later became the Liberals). Placed too much emphasis (in my opinion) on the elites and totally dismissed the popular traditions (at least in the more extreme versions of this).

As a cultural history grad student, I came to view this model with contempt, mostly because of how such attitudes have affected negatively how Europeans and bourgeoisie have viewed others different from them. That's why I dislike it as much as I dislike Spencer's Social Darwinist model for political organization.


Dylanfanatic

Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie

OF Blog of the Fallen