Editing Marc Bloch (section)

=== Comparative history and the ''Annales'' ===
[[File:Lucien_Febvre-Strasbourg.jpg|alt=Monochromatic photograph of Lucien Febvre taken at an unknown date|thumb|Bloch's friend and colleague for most of his life, Lucien Febvre, at an unknown date]]His 1928 Oslo lecture, called "Towards a Comparative History of Europe",{{Sfn|Schöttler|2010|p=415}} formed the basis of his next book, ''Les Caractères Originaux de l'Histoire Rurale Française''.{{Sfn|Epstein|1993|p=275}} In the same year{{Sfn|Stirling|2007|p=530}} he founded the historical journal ''[[Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales|Annales]]'' with Febvre.{{Sfn|Davies|1967|p=267}} One of its aims was to counteract the administrative school of history, which Davies says had "committed the arch error of emptying history of human element". As Bloch saw it, it was his duty to correct that tendency.{{Sfn|Davies|1967|p=280}} Both Bloch and Febvre were keen to refocus French historical scholarship on social rather than [[political history]] and to promote the use of sociological techniques.{{Sfn|Stirling|2007|p=530}} The journal avoided [[narrative history]] almost completely.{{Sfn|Fink|1995|p=207}}

The inaugural issue of the ''Annales'' stated the editors' basic aims: to counteract the arbitrary and artificial division of history into periods, to re-unite history and social science as a single body of thought, and to promote the acceptance of all other schools of thought into historiography. As a result, the ''Annales'' often contained commentary on contemporary, rather than exclusively historical, events.{{Sfn|Stirling|2007|p=530}} Editing the journal led to Bloch forming close professional relationships with scholars in different fields across Europe.{{Sfn|Epstein|1993|p=274}} The ''Annales'' was the only academic journal to boast a preconceived methodological perspective. Neither Bloch nor Febvre wanted to present a neutral facade. During the decade it was published it maintained a staunchly left-wing position.{{Sfn|Huppert|1982|p=512}} [[Henri Pirenne]], a Belgian historian who wrote [[comparative history]], closely supported the new journal.{{Sfn|Lyon|1987|p=202}} Before the war he had acted in an unofficial capacity as a conduit between French and German schools of historiography.{{Sfn|Fink|1989|p=31}} [[Fernand Braudel]]—who was himself to become an important member of the Annales School after the Second World War—later described the journal's management as being a chief executive officer—Bloch—with a minister of foreign affairs—Febvre.{{Sfn|Dosse|1994|p=107}}

Utilizing comparative methodology allowed Bloch to discover instances of uniqueness within aspects of society,{{Sfn|Sewell|1967|p=210}} and he advocated it as a new kind of history.{{Sfn|Lyon|1985|p=182}} According to Bryce Lyon, Braudel and Febvre, "promising to perform all the burdensome tasks" themselves, asked Pirenne to become editor-in-chief of ''Annales'' to no avail. Pirenne remained a strong supporter, however, and had an article published in the first volume in 1929.{{Sfn|Lyon|1985|p=182}} He became close friends with both Bloch and Febvre. He was particularly influential on Bloch, who later said that Pirenne's approach should be the model for historians and that "at the time his country was fighting beside mine for justice and civilisation, wrote in captivity a history of Europe".{{Sfn|Lyon|1987|p=202}} The three men kept up a regular correspondence until Pirenne's death in 1935.{{Sfn|Lyon|1985|p=182}} In 1923, Bloch attended the inaugural meeting of the [[International Congress on Historical Studies]] (ICHS) in [[Brussels]], which was opened by Pirenne. Bloch was a prolific reviewer for ''Annales'', and during the [[Interwar period|1920s and 1930s]] he contributed over 700 reviews. These included criticisms of specific works, but more generally, represented his own fluid thinking during this period. The reviews demonstrate the extent to which he shifted his thinking on particular subjects.{{Sfn|Davies|1967|p=266}}