How to Correctly Understand the Grand View of History

The grand view of history is a landmark theoretical category put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping since the 18th National Congress of the CPC. It is lofty in vision, rich in connotation, and profound in depth, providing ideological guidance and fundamental principles for how we study history, observe the world, and move toward the future on the new journey of the New Era.

大历史观是党的十八大以来，习近平总书记提出的一个具有标识性的重要理论范畴，立意高远、内涵丰富、博大精深，为我们在新时代新征程上如何研读历史、观察世界、走向未来，确立了思想指引、提供了根本遵循。

Currently, many studies in academia hold that the basic connotation of the grand view of history is to stand in a deep and broad spatiotemporal dimension, regard all of human history as a whole and an organic process of development, and observe and understand history over long periods, with a wide perspective, and from multiple angles. This is undoubtedly correct, but if one stops at this view alone, it is impossible to fully grasp the profound connotation of the grand view of history, nor can it be essentially distinguished from the “grand view of history” proposed by some Western scholars, or from concepts such as “total history” and “global history.”

当前学界不少研究认为，大历史观的基本内涵，是站在纵深、宏阔的时空维度，将人类的全部历史看成一个整体、一个有机发展过程，对历史进行长时段、宽视野、多角度的观察和认知。这无疑是正确的，但如果仅仅停留在这一看法上，还不能充分认识大历史观的深厚内涵，更不能从本质上将其与一些西方学者提出的“大历史观”以及“总体史观”“全球史观”等概念区分开来。

The essence and foundation of the grand view of history is historical materialism, not any other view of history. Why does history become “grand history”? Why does it become a unified whole in development? In the view of historical materialism, the entire history of human society is first and foremost the history of production practice. The contradictory movement between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure, drives history forward, continuously advancing toward higher social forms. The history of all other fields and sectors, including political activities, social interactions, cultural exchanges, and ideology, must be explained from the history of production. Especially since the Age of Discovery, when the world has increasingly become an indivisible whole in a true sense, it is all the more necessary to use the grand view of history, grounded in historical materialism, to explore the laws of human historical development.

大历史观的本质和根底是唯物史观，而不是任何别的史观。历史何以成为“大历史”，何以成为一个发展的整体？在唯物史观看来，人类社会的全部历史首先是生产实践的历史，生产力同生产关系、经济基础同上层建筑的矛盾运动推动历史向前发展，不断走向更高级的社会形态。其他所有领域、部门的历史，包括政治活动、社会交往、文化交流、意识形态等，都要从生产的历史中获得解释。尤其是地理大发现以来世界日益成为一个不可分割、真正意义上的整体，更需要用以唯物史观为理论根基的大历史观来探寻人类历史发展规律。

Historical materialism breaks through all other paradigms that seek the essence of history outside material production, providing a solid theoretical framework and internal support for regarding the complex and diverse history of humanity as a complete and unified grand history filled with internal connections. Historical materialism is the fundamental method for us Communists to understand and grasp history. It is precisely by standing at the theoretical height constructed by historical materialism—thorough and grasping the essence of history—and combining it with new historical contexts and the demands of the times, that General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the important theoretical category of the grand view of history. It can be said that the grand view of history lies not only in its “grandness” but also in its theoretical thoroughness. In summary, historical materialism is the theoretical foundation of the grand view of history, and the grand view of history is the product of historical materialism in the contemporary era.

唯物史观突破了从物质生产之外去寻求历史本质的其他所有范式，为我们将纷繁复杂的人类历史看作一个充满内在联系、完整统一的大历史，提供了坚实的理论架构与内在支撑。唯物史观是我们共产党人认识把握历史的根本方法。习近平总书记正是站在唯物史观所构建的彻底的、抓住历史本质的理论高度，结合新的历史背景和时代要求，提出了大历史观这一重要理论范畴。可以说，大历史观不仅在于“大”，更在于理论上的彻底。概而言之，唯物史观是大历史观的理论根基，大历史观是唯物史观的时代产物。

The grand view of history is an important guide for studying history. The proposal of the grand view of history has strong practical relevance and a powerful corrective effect on the phenomena of fragmented, narrow, and short-sighted historical research. Historical research should, by its nature, connect with thousands of years of thought and see across ten thousand miles, possessing a broad vision and mind. However, for a period of time, fragmented historical research has been quite prevalent, with problems such as narrow research perspectives, obsession with historical details, rejection of historical laws, and neglect of theoretical thinking. There are roughly two reasons for these phenomena: first, since the drastic changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the world socialist movement has fallen into a low ebb, leading some to believe that historical development has no laws to speak of, and thus they become entangled in the surface and details of history; second, influenced by Western postmodernism and other trends of thought, some despise grand narratives and one-sidedly emphasize historical textual criticism and empirical historiography. However, these are ultimately short-sighted practices that fail to see the overall picture of history and neglect long historical periods. The development of history and practice has repeatedly shown that the grand view of history is the proper perspective and fundamental way for people to view, study, and write history. Otherwise, it can only lead to academic chaos where autumn down is mistaken for a cartload of firewood, tiles and pebbles are taken for pearls and jade, and golden bells are cast aside while earthen pots thunder. [1]1 “Autumn down mistaken for a cartload of firewood” and “tiles and pebbles taken for pearls and jade” are Chinese idioms describing misjudging the trivial as important and the worthless as valuable. “Golden bells cast aside while earthen pots thunder” is a classical allusion from Qu Yuan’s “Li Sao,” meaning the worthy are discarded while the unworthy hold sway.

大历史观是研究历史的重要指南。大历史观的提出，对那些碎片化、狭隘、短视地研究历史的现象，具有强烈的现实针对性和强大的纠偏作用。历史研究本应思接千载、视通万里，具有开阔的视野和胸怀。然而，一段时期以来，碎片化地研究历史颇为盛行，不同程度地存在研究视野狭隘、沉迷历史细节、拒斥历史规律、忽视理论思维等问题。这些现象的出现，原因大致有二：一是苏东剧变以来，世界社会主义运动陷入低谷，一些人由此认为历史发展没有什么规律可言，因而纠缠于历史的表层与细节；二是受到西方后现代主义等思潮的影响，鄙薄宏大叙事，片面强调历史考据与实证史学。然而，这些终究不过是看不到历史全局，忽略历史长时段的短视做法。历史和实践的发展一再表明，大历史观才是人们看待历史、研究历史、书写历史的应有眼光和根本之道。否则，只能造成以秋毫为舆薪、以瓦砾为珠玉，黄钟毁弃、瓦釜雷鸣的学术乱象。

The grand view of history is a strategic perspective for observing the world. The grand view of history is a new theoretical form achieved by historical materialism in the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It embodies both the fundamental stance and basic theoretical viewpoints of historical materialism and carries the unique theoretical features and radiance of truth of the New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “The world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century. These changes are not limited to a single event, a single country, or a single region, but are profound and broad changes of the times.” The era we live in is the fastest-developing, most diverse, and most complex in human history. Humanity faces both unprecedented development opportunities and many unpredictable risks and challenges. How to accurately understand the changes unseen in a century? How to deeply summarize the internal mechanisms of the continuity and rejuvenation of Chinese civilization? How to profoundly elucidate the world-historical significance of Chinese-path modernization and the new form of human civilization? These major theoretical and practical issues are not simple academic questions; they all require the use of broad and profound historical vision and strategic thinking to address. For this reason, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly stated that we must establish a grand view of history, analyze the mechanisms of evolution and explore historical laws from the long river of history, the great tide of the times, and the global winds and clouds, and propose corresponding strategies and policies.

大历史观是观察世界的战略眼光。大历史观是唯物史观在中国特色社会主义新时代所取得的崭新的理论形态，既体现着唯物史观的根本立场和基本理论观点，又带着新时代独具的理论特色和真理光芒。习近平总书记指出，“当今世界正在经历百年未有之大变局。这场变局不限于一时一事、一国一域，而是深刻而宏阔的时代之变”。我们所处的时代，是人类历史上发展最迅捷、变化最多样、情势最复杂的时代，人类既面临着前所未有的发展机遇，也面对着诸多难以预测的风险挑战。如何准确认识百年未有之大变局，如何深刻总结中华文明绵延复兴的内在机理，如何深入阐发中国式现代化和人类文明新形态的世界历史意义？这一系列重大理论和现实问题，都不是简单的学术问题，都需要运用宏阔而深刻的历史眼光、战略思维来应对。正由于此，习近平总书记明确指出，要树立大历史观，从历史长河、时代大潮、全球风云中分析演变机理、探究历史规律，提出因应的战略策略。

The grand view of history is an important guarantee for moving toward the future. How far into the past one can see determines how far into the future one can see. The grand view of history provides important guidance for us to more deeply summarize historical experience, reveal historical laws, and lead the trend of development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “We must firmly establish a grand view of history, grasp the development context and correct direction of world history with a broader vision and a longer-term perspective, and recognize the major logic and major trends of our country’s social development and human social development.” Looking back at world history, we can see that since the English bourgeois revolution, capitalism has gone through more than 300 years of development globally. At its peak, the Soviet Union collapsed and Eastern Europe underwent drastic changes. The bourgeoisie celebrated this, believing that the “specter” of communism had been completely eliminated and that Western liberal democratic systems had ended world history as the model of human systems. However, the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics has shattered this illusion. The continuous struggle of the entire Chinese people has made China the world’s second-largest economy, with people’s living standards and international influence constantly rising. In contrast to the chaos in Western countries—such as distorted democracy, policy failures, social disorder, and governance failures—socialist China has long maintained the twin miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.

大历史观是走向未来的重要保障。能看到多远的过去，就能看到多远的未来。大历史观为我们更加深入地总结历史经验、揭示历史规律、引领发展潮流提供了重要指南。习近平总书记指出，“要牢固树立大历史观，以更宽广的视野、更长远的眼光把握世界历史的发展脉络和正确走向，认清我国社会发展、人类社会发展的大逻辑大趋势”。回顾世界历史可以看到，从英国资产阶级革命以来，资本主义已经在全球走过了300多年的发展历史，在它发展的鼎盛时期，苏联解体、东欧剧变。资产阶级为此弹冠相庆，认为已经彻底消灭了共产主义这一“幽灵”，西方自由民主制度已经作为人类制度的标本而终结了世界历史。然而，中国特色社会主义的发展打破了这种幻觉，全体中国人民的接续奋斗使中国成为世界第二大经济体，人民生活水平和国际影响不断攀升。与西方国家出现民主失真、政策失败、社会失序、治理失灵等乱象相反，社会主义中国长期保持着经济快速发展奇迹和社会长期稳定奇迹。

Viewed through the grand view of history, the contrast between “the East rising and the West declining” and “China in order and the West in chaos” has become more pronounced since the New Era. Amid these great changes, great shifts, and great transformations in world history, General Secretary Xi Jinping calls for deepening the understanding of the laws of promoting high-quality development and building a new development pattern in the context of the new round of technological change, the overall pattern of global economic development, and the stage-specific characteristics of China’s development. He also calls for deepening the understanding of the strategic thought on the Party’s self-revolution in the comparison of the fates of Marxist parties worldwide and the practical tests facing our Party’s long-term governance. This involves comprehensively and systematically proposing scientific concepts and effective countermeasures to solve practical problems, thereby laying a solid foundation for the steady and long-term advancement of Chinese-path modernization and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

以大历史观视之，新时代以来“东升西降”“中治西乱”的对比更加鲜明。在这种世界历史的大变化大变动大变局中，习近平总书记要求在新一轮科技变革、全球经济发展大格局和我国发展的阶段性特征中深化对推动高质量发展、构建新发展格局的规律性认识，在世界马克思主义政党命运比较和我们党长期执政面临的现实考验中深化对党的自我革命战略思想的规律性认识，全面系统地提出解决现实问题的科学理念、有效对策，从而为推动中国式现代化行稳致远、实现民族复兴伟业夯实基础。

(The author is Director of the Marxist Historical Theory Research Office at the Institute of Historical Theory, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.)

（作者系中国社会科学院历史理论研究所马克思主义历史理论研究室主任）

Online Editor: Huihui

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