History Notes PDF

SEMESTER I – UNDERSTANDING HISTORY MODULE 1 Past, History, Historiography The word History is derived from the Greek word Historia which means inquiry or research. It was an inquiry of the past of the mankind, later developed as a discipline. History is the study...

SEMESTER I – UNDERSTANDING HISTORY MODULE 1 Past, History, Historiography The word History is derived from the Greek word Historia which means inquiry or research. It was an inquiry of the past of the mankind, later developed as a discipline. History is the study of life in society in the past, in all its aspect, in relation to present developments and future hopes. It is the story of man in time, an inquiry into the past based on evidence. Indeed, evidence is the raw material of history teaching and learning. It is an Inquiry into what happened in the past, when it happened, and how it happened. It is an inquiry into the inevitable changes in human affairs in the past and the ways these changes affect, influence or determine the patterns of life in the society. The History as a discipline was developed in Greece and the great historians Thucydides and Herodotus who worked for the development of history as a discipline. Herodotus has been considered as the Father of History. Other famous Historians in early days were Polybius, Tacitus, Machiavelli etc. History aims at helping students to understand the present existing social, political, religious and economic conditions of the people. Without the knowledge of history, we cannot have the background of our religion, customs, tradition, agriculture practices institutions, administration and so on. History can be divided into Three. 1.The Pre- History 2. Proto – History 3. Historical Period Pre- History It simply means the historical events had no written evidence. The knowledge of this period mainly depends on the relics of the past, such as tools, and weapons, fossils and rocks, monuments. Archaeologist and Historian reconstructed this period through this evidence. Pre -history has Three divisions a) The Stone Age (50000 BC to 4000 BC) b) The Bronze Age (4000 to 2000 BC) c) The Iron Age (1500 BC onwards) The stone age has Two Divisions A) Old Stone Age or Palaeolithic Age B) New Stone Age or Neolithic Age. Features of Pre- History This periodization is mainly done according to the tools used by the people. They used crude, rough and unpolished stones. The stone used by the Neolithic people were pointed, smooth and polished. The people lived in Old Stone Age were Food Gatherers. The Neolithic People were Food Producers. Proto- History Proto-history is an intermediary phase between pre- history and the historical period, characterized by the emergence of written records but incomplete or limited historical documentation. Features Early Writing Systems: During the proto-historic period, writing systems started to develop, but they might not have been fully standardized or widely used. Emergence of Early Civilizations: Proto-history accords with the rise of early civilizations, such as the ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Indus Valley civilizations, where written records began to document significant events and administrative matters.  Oral Traditions and Legends: While written records were emerging, oral traditions and legends continued to play a crucial role in preserving cultural and historical knowledge. Invention of Writing The transition from pre-history to proto-history occurred with the invention of writing, which marked a significant leap forward in human development. Writing allowed civilizations to record information, share knowledge, and preserve historical accounts for future generations. Historical Period The historical period is characterized by abundant and well- documented written records, providing a comprehensive understanding of societies, events, and individuals from the past. Features Well-Recorded History: The historical period is distinguished by the presence of extensive written records, allowing for a detailed and accurate analysis of past civilizations and historical events. Flourishing Civilizations: Major ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks, Romans, Persians, Chinese, and others, thrived during this era, leaving behind rich historical documentation.  Advancements in Knowledge: The historical period witnessed significant advancements in various fields, including science, philosophy, arts, and governance. Invention of the Printing Press The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century revolutionized the dissemination of knowledge and marked a crucial turning point in human history Definitions of History Aristotle “History is an account of the unchanging past” E. H Caar “History is an unending dialogue between present and the past and the chief function of the historian is to master and understand the past as a key to the understanding of the present.’’ Thomas Carlyle “History is nothing but the biography of Great Men” H.G Wells “Human History is in essence a history of ideas.” Marc Bloch “History is the science of Men in Time” Jawaharlal Nehru “History is the story of Man’s struggle through the ages against Nature and the elements; against wild beasts and the jungle and some of his own kind who have tried to keep him down and to exploit him for their own benefit.” HISTORIOGRAPHY Historiography is the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline. The writing of history is based on the critical examination of sources, the selection of particular details from the authentic materials in those sources, and the synthesis of those details into a narrative that stands the test of critical examination. The term historiography also refers to the theory and history of historical writing. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians have studied that topic by using particular sources, techniques of research, and theoretical approaches to the interpretation of documentary sources. Perspectives of History Historical writing has different perspectives. The concept was developed during 19th Century. Most important perspectives in the writing history are Cultural epoch, Biographical approach, psychological approach, Marxist approach, colonial approach, Nationalist Approach, Subaltern approach etc. Thomas Carlye (1795-1881) He was born in 1795 in England. After his schooling, he went to Edinburgh University at the age of 14. Where he studied many subjects. After leaving Edinburgh he taught school for several years, but he discarded the profession because he realised that it was not suited to him. Carlyle was a British essayist, Philosopher and historian and he had been considered as one of the most important social critics of his era and a leading moral force in Victorian literature. His writing style, known as ‘Carlylese’ greatly influenced Victorian Literature and postmodern literature. Later he settled in London, where he spent their remaining years. He met his friend John Stuart Mill, the English philosopher, and due to his inspiration, he started to write the book on French Revolution. After five months of pain staking efforts on this project, Carlyle completed the first volume and left it with Mill for criticism. While in Mill’s possession, the manuscript was accidentally burned by a maid lighting a fire. Despite this setback, The French Revolution was finally published in 1837. Important Works The French Revolution (1837), On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History (1841), Life and Letters of Oliver Cromwell (1845), Frederick the Great (1858–65).  Carlyle hypothesized the Great Men Theory, a philosophy of History which copes that history is shaped by exceptional individuals. He says “The History of the world is but the Biography of great men”, reflecting his belief that heroes shape history through both their personal attributes and divine inspiration. This approach to history was first promulgated in his lectures On Heros, later articulated in the works of Cromwell and Frederick the Great. In his book Heroes and Hero-Worship, Carlyle motto was history as having turned on the decisions, works, ideas, and characters of “heroes.” For this he narrates the history of different Persons who were exponent in various fields. To substantiate this view, he took six types of Characters who were famous in different fields. The hero as divinity (Odin- protector of heroes), Prophet Muhammad, Poet Shakespeare, Priest Martin Luther King, Man of letters - Rousseau, and king Napoleon. The supporters of this approach are of the opinion that the selection of facts for history can be done according to the life histories. They feel that great men represent their time. They influence great historical movement. The teaching of history should be imparted through stories of these great men. According to this approach, history is taught as a series of stories of the great men of the country in a chronological order. The hero-worship in history is the outcome of this theory.  The historical writings in this approach were began in 19th Century. The approach includes the deeds of the Kings, statesmen, religious leaders, and great intellectual personalities. They focused that the real history had involved only activities of great men. The historians recorded the personal life of the rulers, their heroic deeds, their life in royal palace etc. The followers of the great men theory articulate that human history is totally shaped by great men. The great men are responsible for changing the course of history and causing many historical events because of their personal qualities, abilities and vision. Criticism of Biographical approach or Great men theory The opponent of great men theory says that the course of history was largely influenced not by individuals but many other factors like geographical, biological, psychological, cultural, economic etc., They say the great personalities like Gautam Budha, Ashok, Alexander, Napolean and others had not finished their tasks and some one else would have replaced them for the accomplishment of their tasks. Further history reveals that many religious, social cultural movement impose significant changes in the societies. Especially, the industrial revolution influenced the course of history than the history of Napoleon. They Says that, the term great men are only suitable for those persons who did something good for society and mankind. Usually, a person who has worked for the betterment of society is considered the great men. But, the persons like, Mahmood Ghazni, Chengez Khan, Nadir Shah, Hitler cannot be considered as ‘great’ because their conquest were not for the benefit of the society. On the other side Aristotle, Shakespeare, Newton, Ashoka, and Mahatma Ghandhi etc., finished their task for the benefit of the society and their contribution is always remembered and still relevant. The theory is against the concept of democracy. It puts emphasis on individualism and ignores collectivism. Therefore, it cannot create a path for socialism. They represent the upper-class people and provide least importance to common men. The great men of history are not representatives of their times. They are away from the general society. They are revolutionary and rebels of the time. They may be great in their field; they cannot represent the development or the genius of the entire human life. E.H Carr says, “The great men is always representative either of existing forces or of forces which he helps to create by way of challenge to existing authority.”