Sentence:  The "Annales" school draws attention to the virtually unchanging geography of a region, the rising and ebbing movements of the economy, or the rhythmic repetitions in social relations — i.e., to the "<WSD>longue duree</WSD>" — rather than to those fleeting events we call political. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A long period of time during which social processes develop or social structures evolve.