Why Historiography Should Become a Science−A Discussion with Yi Jianping on“Factual and Value Judgments in Historiography”

CHENG Yinong（4）

In the article “Factual and Value Judgments in historiography”, Professor Yi Jianping argued that historiography, as a science, should try to exclude the influence of “value judgments” in historiographical research. However, his article failed to fully demonstrate how historiography had become a science in terms of research objects and methods, and also failed to fully discuss on the methods and possibilities for identifying and dividing “value judgments” and “factual judgments”; more importantly, Professor Yi did not explore why historiography should become a “science”. Nevertheless, the various analysis of the origin of historiography in this article may enable the Chinese historiographical community, which lacks feasible research methods and in-depth research, to seriously consider theoretical and methodological issues. After all, “seeking the truth” is the power that shapes the present and influences the future of historiographical research, and every effort to build historiography into a science is precious.

The Origin of the State Pension Model in Britain

ZHAO Xiurong（15）

Underthe Elizabeth Poor Law, the elderly poor mainly relied on caring at home and maintained their livelihoods through odd jobs, children support, and parish relief. After the promulgation ofthe Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, more elderly poor had to go to the workhouse for care, but these institutions were not established for the elderly and were far from an ideal place for elderly caring. At the end of the 19th century, the British government began to systematically cope with the problem of elderly caring for the poor. In 1908, the Parliament passedthe Old Age Pensions Act, which provided pensions from the state revenue and greatly improved the living conditions of the elderly poor. From then on, the British government began to take on the responsibility of caring for the elderly poor. This was not only the starting point for the construction of the welfare state in Britain, but also promoted the process of social civilization.

Doctrines of Taxation and Parliamentarism in the Fourteenth Century England

HUANG Jiaxin（32）

In the fourteenth century, the finance of the kingdom of England expanded from feudal revenues to tax revenues and the Parliamentary monarchy gradually took shape. In the Parliament convoked by the King, the representatives of commoners increasingly wielded influence over taxation. After the outbreak of the Hundred Years’ War, the financial pressure surged and the House of Commons used taxation as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the King. A statute enacted in 1340 officially established “the common consent of Parliament” as the primary prerequisite for taxation. Thereafter, the Commons frequently invoked the doctrine of consent to limit excessive taxation, but the urgent necessity of war prompted the Commons to provide financial support for the fate of the kingdom. After the truce between England and France, the King sought to extend the doctrine of necessity to encompass the living expenses of himself and the royal families as legitimate use of taxation during peacetime. The Commons, in turn, repeatedly invoked doctrine of necessity and doctrine of common interest to limit the use of tax revenues. The long-term tax game between the House of Commons and the King throughout the fourteenth century promoted the development of parliamentarism.

From “Passetemps” to “Loisirs”: The Evolution of the Concept of Leisure in Modern France

TANG Yunguan（48）

“Free time” is the core element that defines the concept of leisure. There was no strict opposition between working hours and “free time” in traditional agricultural societies, and therefore there was no universally applicable concept of leisure. During the 15th to the 17th centuries, the concept of “passetemps” with the aim of killing off the obvious surplus of “free time” appeared in the French court. This kind of “passetemps” was the privilege of the nobility, and many games, along with literature and art, have a “passetemps” nature together. The court nobles looked down upon creativity and valued the ability of cultural appreciation, forming a culture of “passetemps” that was difficult for the bourgeoisie to emulate. In the 18th and 19th centuries, industrialization brought about modern precision timing, and festivals and Sundays gradually lost their religious significance and became secular and institutionalized resting time. With the clear distinction between working hours and leisure time, a popular and modern “leisure” took shape.

The Economic and Social Significance of the Dowry in Athens of Classical Age

SUN Renpeng（64）

The dowry was an important component of marriage in Athens of Classical Age. It was not entirely belonging to the bride or the groom, but rather focused on the interests of the legitimate offspring and had a dual nature of “gift” and “guarantee”. It was not only a gift given to the legitimate offspring, but also a property transferred from generation to generation with the guarantee of having children. This unique attribute not only helped women marriage husbands of equal status, demonstrated the prestige and status of the bride’s family, improved their status after marriage, but also encouraged the birth of legitimate heirs, ensured the orderly property inheritance by integrating the bride’s heirs into their mother family’s inheritance system. Therefore, the dowry was not just a “gift” for the bride’s family to marry daughters, but also a means of ensuring the reproduction of offspring and the inheritance of private property, which was conducive to the economic sustainability and social stability of the polis.

The Social Identity of Modern British Retail Industry

LI Jing（77）

After the age of Exploration, the overall status of British merchants continued to rise, with the social status of middle and upper class merchants being particularly prominent, while small wholesalers and retailers were still be regarded as the “the lower-class” and seemed to be of no benefit to the accumulation of national wealth. After a long development in early modern history, retailers and the retail industry gradually gained social recognition. With the growing recognition of the retail industry, people believed that it had significant economic value both in production and consumption. The development of the retail industry had met the increasingly demand for product exchange in British society, further stimulated the expansion of the consumer market, satisfied the needs of early industrialization and urbanization, helped Britain stay ahead of its European counterparts, and started the process of modernization.

Proudhon’s Attitude Towards Louis Bonaparte and His Transformation

LIN Jianfeng（95）

Proudhon had long been criticized for his ambivalent stance toward Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. Critics believed that Proudhon aimed to realize social revolution through Bonaparte’s authoritarian regime. In reality, like many leftist social democrats, Proudhon initially held some hope for Bonaparte. Afterwards, in the conflicts between the Constituent Assembly and the Party of Order, Proudhon exposed Bonaparte, who had largely maneuvered behind the scenes, to the public, making him the focus of the struggle. During his imprisonment, Proudhon’s anarchist principles clashed with the Montagnards’ nationalism, which briefly eased his relationship with Bonaparte. Ultimately, with Bonaparte’s coup d’état, Proudhon’s attitude towards him completely changed; yet he still placed his hopes for social revolution on Bonaparte, believing that Bonaparte was an involuntary tool for achieving revolution. Analyzing Proudhon’s attitude toward Bonaparte provides a key historical reference for understanding Bonapartism.

Border Tribute Envoys and Tribute Standards−The Evolution of Tribute Regulations in the Ming Dynasty

CHEN Wuqiang（106）

In the Ming Dynasty, the government actively advocated for ethnic minorities in the border areas to pay tribute to the emperor, and consistently implemented it as an important measure for border governance. Therefore, there were a large number of tribute envoys traveling between the capital and the border areas, with a wide scale and frequent tribute activities. In order to bring the tribute activities of ethnic minorities in the border areas under the control of the imperial court, the central government of the Ming Dynasty formulated many tribute regulations, which legally constrained the tribute routes, periods, handover, reception of tribute envoys and rewards, standardized the tribute behaviors of all parties, and ensured that tribute activities were conducted according to the law. Although the tribute regulations were formulated based on the tribute activities of ethnic minorities in the border areas, they had been revised and improved according to the time, place and situation, having the characteristics of authority, flexibility, and adaptability. Its promulgation played a significant role in the governance of border areas in the Ming Dynasty.