英国辉格史学派先驱者论略

通常,学界仅将哈兰、林加德和麦考莱视作英国辉格史学派的先驱或奠基人,这显得有些偏颇.若将麦考莱当作该学派横坐标的原点,往前还可以追溯到约翰·罗素、麦金托什和福克斯,其中福克斯和麦金托什可被视为遭受质疑的先驱者,而罗素又是被遗忘的先驱者.他们史学著作的共同点,是关注本国早期宪政发展,并相继在自由主义的立场上,对社会政治变革采取了相当谨慎的评判.在领略和适当接受20世纪末年英国学界相关新观点的基础上,揭示福克斯、麦金托什、罗素和麦考莱等人的史学成就和思想,他们各自与辉格一自由党的亲疏不等的关系,以及他们在构建辉格早期史学派时的实际功用,这对于较完整地研究英国辉格史学派先驱者的行列及其作用,是很有裨益的.

A Short Recitation on the Forerunners of English Whig Historiography

Usually,it is Hallam,Lingard and Macaulay who have been recognized,in the English and Chinese academic circle, as the forerunners or founders of the Whig Historical School,but it is injustice.If putting Macaulay at the origin of the coordinate of the Whig Historiography,we can also cast back the headstream of the Whig Historiography to Sir James Mackintosh and Lord John Russell,or even Charles James Fox.Based on theirs common ground of historical facts,We're paying close attention to the evolution of the early English modern constitutional history,and always giving conservative evaluation to the political reforms,at their liberal standpoint.On basis of realizing and taking up partly in the relative views of the British academic circle in 1990s,this essay tries to reveal their achievement and ideology on history studies,their either close or distant relationships separately with the Whig-liberal party,as well as the actual function to the incorporation of the early Whig Historical School.