Sometimes referred to as "Rankian History", diplomatic history focuses on politics, politicians and other high rulers and views them as being the driving force of continuity and change in history. It is the study of the conduct of international relations between states or across state boundaries.

This is the most common form of history and is often the classical and popular belief of what history should be.

Leopold von Ranke, a German, started this school of historical thought in the 1870s. It relies on the large number of official documents produced by modern western governments to create its history.

External links

• Documents of Diplomatic History
• Fletcher School at Tufts International Relations Resources

For those intersted in knowing more

• Diplomacy. Henry Kissinger. 1995

• A World Restored. Henry Kissinger. 1954

• A Guide to Diplomatic Practice by Sir Ernest Satow, (Longmans, Green & Co. London & New York, 1917). A standard reference work used in many embassies across the world. Now in its fifth edition (1998, ISBN 0582501091).

Fields of History