Definitions of major schools of historical thought

Political Historyfocusses on great people, great political events (Thomas

Jefferson or the signing of the Declaration of Independence). Can include
foreign policy, memoirs/autobiographies, biographies.
Materialism
1. Marxist Historyfocusses on the relationships between classes (the class
struggle). Examines class in terms of revolution or change; oftentimes
examines in terms of progress. (often includes economic history)
2. Annales Schoolgreat trends over long periods of time. Demographic
changes, economic crises (the 17th-century had a "mini" ice age, consequent
poor harvests and decline in population), the environment. Often uses
geography to set the historical scene
3. Social History/The New Social Historytakes much from both of the 1st
two examples of materialism. Focus is on "history from below" or the history
of everyday life. Special emphasis is given to shared lived experience,
especially in recreating the histories of immigrants, women and minorities.
Cultural Historybuilds on revisionism of the materialist schools that focus on
culture. Often uses language as a historical tool (the so-called 'linguistic
turn'). Borrows from anthropology and linguistics to get at the mentalits
of people in the past.
Intellectual Historyoften termed the history of ideas, this history early on
examined great works, the 'classics.' Intellectual historians read these
classics to understand the past and how people thought about their world
(NB, Hayden White is an intellectual historian).