How, When and Where

See The Chapter PDF

How Important are Dates?

Earlier, history was synonymous with dates.
History is about finding out how things were in the past and how things have changed.
Previously, history was an account of battles and big events such as:

→ The year a king was crowned.
→ The year he was married and had a child.
→ The year he fought a particular war or battle.
→ The year he died.
→ The year the next ruler succeeded to the throne.

Now, historians look more towards why and how things happen and not on when things happened.

Which dates?

The dates we select become vital because we focus on a particular set of events as important.
If the focus of study changes, a new set of dates will appear significant.

How do we periodise?

We divide history into different periods in an attempt to capture the characteristics of a time, its central features as they appear to us.

British classification of Indian History

In 1817, James Mill, a Scottish economist and political philosopher, in his book 'A History of British India' divided Indian history into three periods:

→ Hindu
→ Muslim
→ British

According to Mill, all Asian societies were at a lower level of civilisation than Europe.

Another Classification of Indian history

Historians have usually divided Indian history into ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’ and ‘modern’.
This division too has its problems.

→ Because this periodisation is borrowed from the West where the modern period was associated with the growth of all the forces of modernity – science, reason, democracy, liberty and equality.

→ Medieval was a term used to describe a society where these features of modern society did not exist.

Many historians refers British rule period as ‘colonial’ because in this rule:

→ People did not have equality, freedom or liberty.

→ No economic growth and progress took place.

What is colonial?

The British came to conquer the country and establish their rule, subjugating local nawabs and rajas.
British established control over the economy and society, collected revenue to meet all their expenses, bought the goods they wanted at low prices, produced crops they needed for export.
British rule brought about in values and tastes, customs and practices.
When the subjugation of one country by another leads to these kinds of political, economic, social and cultural changes, we refer to the process as colonisation.

How do We Know?

Historians used various sources in writing about the modern history of India or last 250 years of Indian history.

Administration produces records

The official records of the British administration are one of the important sources.
Every instruction, plan, policy decision, agreement, investigation was written as British believed that the act of writing was important.
British set up record rooms attached to all administrative institutions as they felt that all important documents and letters needed to be carefully preserved.

Surveys become important

The British believed that a country had to be properly known before it could be effectively administered, therefore, practice of surveying became common under the colonial administration.
By the early nineteenth century detailed surveys were being carried out to map the entire country.
In the villages, revenue surveys were conducted to know the topography, the soil quality, the flora, the fauna, the local histories, and the cropping pattern.
From the end of the nineteenth century, Census operations were held every ten years which provide detailed records of the number of people in all the provinces of India, noting information on castes, religions and occupation.
Other surveys such as botanical surveys, zoological surveys, archaeological surveys, anthropological surveys, forest surveys also done.

What official records do not tell

Official records do not tell what other people in the country felt, and what lay behind their actions.
We need to look these things in unofficial records which are more difficult to get than official records.
Sources of Unofficial records:

→ Diaries of people
→ Accounts of pilgrims and travellers
→ Autobiographies of important personalities
→ Popular booklets in the local bazaars
→ Newspapers
→ Written ideas of Leaders and reformers
→ Written records of poets and novelists.

Limitation of Unofficial records

They were produced by those who were literate.
From these, we can't understand how history was experienced and lived by the tribals and the peasants, the workers in the mines or the poor on the streets.

MCQs

1. From a layman's point of view, which one of the following option is synonymous with the study of History and very difficult to memorise?

(a) Dates

(b) Census

(d) Artefacts

► (a) Dates

2. When did Tipu Sultan become the ruler of Mysore?

(a) 1781

(b) 1780

(d) 1782

► (d) 1782

3. The chosen set of dates by the Historians become more vital when the focus is on a

(a) Particular set of events

(b) Particular Location

(d) Particular King

► (a) Particular set of events

4. History is considered to be a study of _____________.

(a) Comparisons

(b) The Present

(d) The Future

► (c) The Past

5. What is Imperialism?

(a) Imperialism is a political system

(b) Imperialism is a technical term

(d) None of these

► (a) Imperialism is a political system

6. What are the sources of information of the periods?

(a) Primary sources

(b) Secondary sources

(d) None of these

► (c) Both a and b

7. James Mill was of the opinion that before British came to India, __________ ruled the country.

(a) Hindus and Muslims

(b) Only Hindus

(d) Only Muslims

► (a) Hindus and Muslims

8. Select the statement that is NOT applicable to the study of history:

(a) Since future is moulded on the basis of past events, it is important to study History.

(b) History is a record of people, places, events of the present arranged in chronological order.

(d) History is a catalogue of events, to understand about people, their customs, traditions etc.

► (b) History is a record of people, places, events of the present arranged in chronological order.

9. Choose the event where a precise date can be fixed:

(a) Start of Mughal Rule in India

(b) Start of British rule in India

(d) Start of Non-cooperation Movement

► (c) Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

10. Name the three-volume work of James Mill:

(a) Glimpses of India

(b) History of British India

(d) Glimpses of British History

► (b) History of British India

11. Historians often compare past with present and refer to _________ (i.e. Before and After):

(a) Event

(b) Time

(d) Phase

► (b) Time

12. What was the important suggestion made by James Mill to the British?

(a) British should conquer all the territories in India to ensure the enlightenment and happiness of Indian People

(b) Introduction of European manners and Western education will lower the level of Indian civilization

(d) India will progress without British help.

► (a) British should conquer all the territories in India to ensure the enlightenment and happiness of Indian People

13. Historians believed that Time does not have _________ dates in terms of a particular year or month:

(a) Abstruse

(b) Precise

(d) Imprecise

► (b) Precise

14. Pick out the statement that does not justify the significance of a timeline in History:

(a) A timeline helps to identify the chronological occurrence of an event in a planned and arranged manner

(b) A timeline helps to keep information according to the sequence of events

(d) A timeline is organized according to the dates

► (c) A timeline is not a graphical interpretation

15. History is about finding out how things were in the past and how things have ________

(a) Changed

(b) Started

(d) Evolved

► (a) Changed

16. When Historians write History, they divide it into different chapters. Why?

(a) To give a neat look and presentation

(b) To give each chapter some coherence

(d) To associate the events separately

► (b) To give each chapter some coherence