---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Modern history, both early and late, was…"
description: "\"“Modern history, both early and late, was made by Europeans, who \"built a world around Europe\", as historians \"know\", according to Braudel. That is ind..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/andr-gunder-frank-41877_eurocentrism_modern-history-both-early-and-late-was-m_1191579.jpg"
---

#  Modern history, both early and late, was made by…

![“Modern history, both early and late, was made by Europeans, who &quot;built a world around Europe&quot;, as historians &quot;know&quot;, according to Braudel. That is indeed the &quot;knowledge&quot; of the European historians who themselves &quot;invented&quot; history and then put it to good use. There is not even an inkling of…” quote by André Gunder Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/andr-gunder-frank-41877_eurocentrism_modern-history-both-early-and-late-was-m_1191579.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/andr-gunder-frank-41877_eurocentrism_modern-history-both-early-and-late-was-m_1191579.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/andr-gunder-frank-41877_eurocentrism_modern-history-both-early-and-late-was-m_1191579.jpg)

> ““Modern history, both early and late, was made by Europeans, who "built a world around Europe", as historians "know", according to Braudel. That is indeed the "knowledge" of the European historians who themselves "invented" history and then put it to good use. There is not even an inkling of suspicion that it may have been the other way around, that maybe it was the world that made Europe.””

[André Gunder Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-gunder-frank/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

European historians constructed history around Europe, ignoring that the world may have shaped Europe instead.

**In simple terms:** History is Euro‑centric, overlooking global influence on Europe.

Key Takeaway

Question Euro‑centric narratives.

Themes

history Euro‑centrism global perspective power dynamics

Mood

critical thought‑provoking

Type

academic philosophical

When to use this quote

- academic research
- curriculum design
- public discourse

Key Concepts

historical narrative colonial critique world systems

Questions to Reflect On

- What alternative narratives exist?
- How can we de‑center Europe in history?

A Different Perspective

May overgeneralize all European historiography.

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[Eurocentrism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eurocentrism/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Europe Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe-historians-3536850/) [European Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/european-historians-3536851/) [Europeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europeans/) [Fernand-braudel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fernand-braudel-63245/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-early-3536853/) [Invented History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invented-history-2686116/) [Late Europeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late-europeans-3536852/) [Modern history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-history/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

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