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Year 8

How historians' views differ regarding the Glorious Revolution

I can describe how Whig and Revisionist interpretations of the Glorious Revolution differ.

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Year 8

How historians' views differ regarding the Glorious Revolution

I can describe how Whig and Revisionist interpretations of the Glorious Revolution differ.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Whig and revisionist historians have different interpretations of how revolutionary the Glorious Revolution was.
  2. Whigs focus on the passing of the Bill of Rights and the growth in power of Parliament at the expense of the monarchy.
  3. Some revisionists argue that little changed, others say it was a very significant event that caused profound change.
  4. Whig and revisionist historians focus on different aspects of the Glorious Revolution in order to make their case.

Keywords

  • Whig - in history, a term used to describe an historian who believes that societies make progress over time

  • Revisionist - a revisionist historian tries to look at historical events or developments in a new way

Common misconception

The past never changes.

Our understanding of the past changes frequently, which causes us to look at events in different ways. As such, how we view the past is constantly changing.


To help you plan your year 8 history lesson on: How historians' views differ regarding the Glorious Revolution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Have students look at and analyse extracts by revisionist and Whig historians on this topic and decide which interpretation they agree with the most.
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  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:revisionist,this type of historian tries to look at historical events in a new way
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this type of historian tries to look at historical events in a new way

Correct Answer:Whig ,this type of historian believes that societies make progress over time
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this type of historian believes that societies make progress over time

Correct Answer:revolutionary ,involving or causing a complete and dramatic change
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involving or causing a complete and dramatic change

Correct Answer:monarch ,a sovereign head of state, such as a king, queen or emperor
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a sovereign head of state, such as a king, queen or emperor

Q2.
Why did the Whig interpretation of the Glorious Revolution fall out of favour?
it has not fallen out of favour
Correct answer: new evidence has been discovered
Correct answer: existing evidence has been thought about differently
Correct answer: the beliefs and values of historians have changed over the years
all historians have been told they must have a revisionist view point
Q3.
Which revolution did Edmund Burke compare the Glorious Revolution to?
Correct Answer: French Revolution, French revolution, french revolution, French, french
Q4.
Complete the sentence: Some revisionist historians argue that the Glorious Revolution was and was less significant.
Correct Answer: unrevolutionary
Q5.
Why does revisionist historian William Speck argue that the 1688 revolution created immediate and profound change, specifically in English politics?
Correct answer: Parliament became a regular feature of life
Parliament did not became a regular feature of life
Correct answer: Parliament now affected large parts of the population
Parliament continued to not affect large parts of the population
Q6.
Which historian(s) looked at the Glorious Revolution through an economic lens and concluded that the increased importance of Parliament was beneficial to the economy?
Edmund Burke
Christopher Hill
Correct answer: Douglas North and Barry Weingast

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What do Whig historians see the Glorious Revolution to be one of the key building blocks of?
World War One
the American Revolution
the invention of the car
Correct answer: the British Empire
Q2.
Who do Whig historians see as the hero of the 1688 Revolution?
James II
Correct answer: William of Orange
the Jacobites
Q3.
Complete the sentence: Whigs focus on the passing of the of Rights and the growth in power of Parliament at the expense of the monarchy.
Correct Answer: Bill
Q4.
Complete the sentence: Some revisionist historians consider the of England to be evidence that the Glorious Revolution was a revolutionary event.
Correct Answer: Bank
Q5.
Why would an Irish Catholic historian likely have a very different interpretation of the Glorious Revolution compared to an English Whig historian?
they will consider the Irish and Protestant perspectives of the event
they will consider the Scottish and Protestant perspectives of the event
they will consider the Irish and Catholic perspectives of the event
Q6.
Why did the Whig interpretation dominate historiography for 300 years?
England was a devout Catholic country up until the late 20th century
Correct answer: England was a devout Anglican country up until the late 20th century
Correct answer: the Whigs dominated the British political scene for a century afterwards
the Tories dominated the British political scene for a century afterwards

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