Marc Bloch

Lore & Background

Marc Bloch was born in Lyon to an Alsatian Jewish family and raised in Paris, where his father Gustave Bloch was a classical historian at the Sorbonne. Educated at Parisian lycées and the École Normale Supérieure, he was affected early by the antisemitism of the Dreyfus affair. During the First World War, he served in the French Army and fought at the First Battle of the Marne and the Somme. After the war, he earned his doctorate in 1918 and became a lecturer at the University of Strasbourg, where he formed an intellectual partnership with modern historian Lucien Febvre. Together they founded the Annales School and began publishing the journal Annales d'histoire économique et sociale in 1929. Bloch worked at the University of Strasbourg (1920–1936 and 1940–1941), the University of Paris (1936–1939), and the University of Montpellier (1941–1944).

Reader's Guide

Bloch's significance lies in his role as a founding member of the Annales School, which transformed historical study by advocating for a multidisciplinary approach that integrated geography, sociology, and economics. His work on medieval France and serfdom, as well as his emphasis on broad thematic history, influenced generations of historians. During the Second World War, Bloch volunteered for service, served as a logistician during the Phoney War, and later joined the non-Communist section of the French Resistance, playing a leading role in Lyon. Captured by the Gestapo in 1944, he was murdered in a summary execution after the Allied invasion of Normandy. His posthumously published works, including The Historian's Craft and Strange Defeat, further cemented his legacy. By the end of the 20th century, historians made more critical assessments of his abilities and influence, noting flaws in his approach.

Did You Know?

• Bloch was a founding member of the Annales School of French social history.
• He served in the French Army during both World Wars, fighting at the First Battle of the Marne and the Somme.
• Bloch was captured by the Gestapo in Lyon and murdered in a summary execution in 1944.
• Several of his works, including The Historian's Craft and Strange Defeat, were published posthumously.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"The good historian is like the giant of the fairy tale. He knows that wherever he catches the scent of human flesh, there his quarry lies." — Marc Bloch "Thenceforth they thought that, rationally concluded, doubt could become an instrument of knowledge." — Marc Bloch "But history is neither watchmaking nor cabinet construction. It is an endeavour toward better understanding." — Marc Bloch "There is no true understanding without a certain range of comparison." — Marc Bloch