Change and continuity

Change and continuity is a classic dichotomy within the fields of history, historical sociology, and the social sciences more broadly.

The question of change and continuity is considered a classic discussion in the study of historical developments.

A good example of this discussion is the question of how much the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 represents an important change in European history.

In a similar vein, historian Richard Kirkendall once questioned whether FDR's New Deal represented "a radical innovation or a continuation of earlier themes in American life?"

Economic historian Alexander Gerschenkron has taken issue with the dichotomy, arguing that continuity "appears to mean no more than absence of change, i.e.

Historians have questioned whether the New Deal in the US is best seen as a decisive change or more as being a case of societal continuity in the context of American history . The picture shows two children pumping water by hand. This was the sole water supply in this section of Wilder, Tennessee in 1942)