How did growing access to archives change the work of historians in the 19th century?

In the 19th century, the growing accessibility of archives fundamentally transformed historical research by shifting the profession toward a more rigorous, evidence-based methodology. While early 19th-century historical writing often prioritized literary narrative and poetic interpretation, figures like Leopold von Ranke championed a transition toward critical scholarship.12

As pressure from the professionalizing historical community led to the opening of more archives, historians gained unprecedented access to primary sources, such as memoirs, letters, and diplomatic reports. This access allowed scholars to move beyond secondary narratives and eyewitness accounts of questionable reliability, enabling them to verify facts through direct engagement with original documentation.1

Ranke’s influence was particularly felt through his seminars, which functioned as "laboratories" where students were trained to seek out and critically analyze documents. This shift established the normative standard that historians should strive to record the past "as it actually was" (wie es eigentlich gewesen) by grounding their work in the tireless search for all relevant, first-hand data. Consequently, the discovery of new archival collections became a hallmark of academic prestige, cementing the role of the historian as a researcher dedicated to the systematic examination of the documentary record.13