Marc Bloch
French historian and co-founder of the Annales School
Marc Bloch was a French historian, born in Lyon on 6 July 1886, who helped create the Annales School, a movement focused on social history. His own work centered on medieval France, and he wrote extensively on the period. Over his career, he taught at the University of Strasbourg (from 1920 to 1936 and again from 1940 to 1941), the University of Paris (1936 to 1939), and the University of Montpellier (1941 to 1944).
Bloch came from an Alsatian Jewish family that was secular and loyal to the French Republic. He grew up in Paris, where his father, Gustave Bloch, taught classical history at the Sorbonne. As a child, Bloch attended several Parisian lycées and later the École Normale Supérieure. The Dreyfus affair, a major antisemitic scandal, left a strong impression on him early in life. During the First World War, he fought in the French Army at the First Battle of the Marne and the Somme. After earning his doctorate in 1918, he began teaching at the University of Strasbourg. There, he formed a close working relationship with the modern historian Lucien Febvre. Together, they launched the Annales School and its journal, *Annales d'histoire économique et sociale*, in 1929. Bloch believed history should draw on other fields like geography, sociology, and economics, and this multidisciplinary approach defined his work. In 1936, he took a position at the University of Paris.
When the Second World War broke out, Bloch volunteered for the French Army, serving as a logistician during the Phoney War. He was involved in the Battle of Dunkirk and spent a short time in Britain, but failed to get passage to the United States. Back in France, new antisemitic laws restricted his work. He managed to obtain one of the few permits allowing Jews to continue teaching in universities, but had to leave Paris. The Nazi authorities looted his apartment and stole his books. At Febvre’s urging, he also stepped down from the editorial board of *Annales*. Bloch worked in Montpellier until November 1942, when Germany occupied Vichy France. He then joined the non-Communist wing of the French Resistance and became a leading figure in its unified regional structures in Lyon. In 1944, the Gestapo captured him in Lyon and executed him summarily after the Allied invasion of Normandy. Several of his works, including *The Historian’s Craft* and *Strange Defeat*, were published after his death.
Bloch’s scholarship and his death as a Resistance member earned him great respect among post-war French historians, with some calling him “the greatest historian of all time.” By the late 20th century, however, historians began to assess his abilities and legacy more critically, pointing out flaws in his approach.
- born
- 6 July 1886
- died
- 16 June 1944
- field
- History
- nationality
- French
- known_for
- Founding member of the Annales School; medieval history; multidisciplinary historiography
Lore & Background
Born in Lyon to an Alsatian Jewish family, Bloch was raised in Paris, where his father—the classical historian Gustave Bloch—worked at Sorbonne University. Bloch was educated at various Parisian lycées and the École Normale Supérieure, and from an early age was affected 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 was awarded his doctorate in 1918 and became a lecturer at the University of Strasbourg. There, 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 was a modernist in his historiographical approach, and repeatedly emphasised the importance of a multidisciplinary engagement towards history, particularly blending his research with that on geography, sociology and economics, which was his subject when he was offered a post at the University of Paris in 1936. During the Second World War Bloch volunteered for service, and was a logistician during the Phoney War. Involved in the Battle of Dunkirk and spending a brief time in Britain, he unsuccessfully attempted to secure passage to the United States. Back in France, where his ability to work was curtailed by new antisemitic regulations, he applied for and received one of the few permits available allowing Jews to continue working in the French university system. He had to leave Paris, and complained that the Nazi German authorities looted his apartment and stole his books; he was also persuaded by Febvre to relinquish his position on the editorial board of Annales. Bloch worked in Montpellier until November 1942 when Germany invaded Vichy France. He then joined the non-Communist section of the French Resistance and went on to play a leading role in its unified regional structures in Lyon. In 1944, he was captured by the Gestapo in Lyon and murdered in a summary execution after the Allied invasion of Normandy. Several works—including influential studies like The Historian's Craft and Strange Defeat—were published posthumously.
Reader's Guide
Bloch’s work as a medievalist and his role in founding the Annales School reshaped how history was studied, emphasizing connections with geography, sociology, and economics. His approach was modernist, rejecting narrow political narratives in favor of multidisciplinary engagement. This methodology influenced generations of French historians, who held him in exceptionally high regard after the war, with some calling him the greatest historian of all time. His death as a Resistance member further cemented his stature. However, by the late 20th century, scholars began a more critical reassessment, identifying flaws in his methods and legacy. His posthumously published works, including *The Historian’s Craft* and *Strange Defeat*, continued to shape historical thought. Bloch’s career spanned the Universities of Strasbourg, Paris, and Montpellier, and his intellectual partnership with Lucien Febvre produced the journal *Annales d'histoire économique et sociale* in 1929. His Jewish background and experience of the Dreyfus affair informed his perspective, and his wartime service—from the First Battle of the Marne to the Somme, and later in the Resistance—marked his life. Captured by the Gestapo in Lyon and executed after the Normandy invasion, his legacy remains complex and debated.
Did You Know?
- Bloch was awarded his doctorate in 1918.
- He worked at the University of Strasbourg from 1920 to 1936 and again from 1940 to 1941.
- He was a founding member of the Annales School.
- Bloch was murdered by the Gestapo in 1944.
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
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