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How did Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel influence Hegelianism?

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Wilhelm Dilthey — Hegelianism Dilthey, detail of an oil painting by R. Lepsius, c. 1904; in a private collection.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel exerted a profound influence on Hegelianism by establishing a comprehensive philosophical system that sought to unify opposites—such as spirit and nature, and the ideal and the real—into a single, coherent philosophy. His work, which aimed to transcend the limitations of predecessors like Immanuel Kant, introduced a dialectical method that viewed reality as the historical realization of reason.123

Hegel’s influence on the subsequent Hegelian school was defined by the inherent ambiguities in his writings, particularly his assertion that "the real is rational and the rational is real". This concept led his followers to interpret his work in vastly different ways:2
* Right Hegelians viewed his philosophy as an affirmation of Christianity and the status quo.2
* Left Hegelians utilized his dialectic as a tool for social and political criticism, eventually influencing Marxist thought.24

By positioning the Absolute as a conscious subject, Hegel forced philosophy to engage with history, culture, and politics, ensuring his ideas remained a central, albeit contested, force in modern Western philosophy.25