Change and Continuity

A. Change in History
Change can be defined as all of the aspects in life which keep moving and make a
difference. Change occurs either rapidly or slowly. The example of change is the incidence of the
atomic bombings by the United States that dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the sixth and ninth of August 1945 respectively. It resulted in the
surrender of Japan to the Allies on August 15, six days after the bombing and the Soviet’s Union
declaration of war. On September 2, the Japanese government signed the instrument of surrender,
effectively ending World War II. It is the example of a brief change. The two bombings, which
killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history.
B. Continuity/Sustainability in History
In studying history, the sequence of events is a continuing event. Human life today is the
chain of past, present, and future life. Every event is dependent and inseparable from other
events. Roeslan Abdul Gani states that the science of history can be likened to a vision of three
dimensions. They are the vision into the past, the present, and the future. It is in the same line
with Arnold J. Toynbee who states, “To study history is to study the past to build the future”.
Besides viewing human or society, history also pays attention to time. Time is an
important concept in the science of history. According to Kuntowijoyo (2001: 14-15), the concept
of time in history science covers development, continuity, repetition, and change.
Development occurs when there is a succession of motions from a form to another. A
development usually happens from the simpler to the more complex form. The example is the
development of democracy in America which followed town development. At the beginning,
American people lived in small villages and then became small towns. From those small towns,
the town councils grew to be the place where people gathered. The small towns became cities and
then they became metropolises. In this matter, democracy flourished following the development
of the cities (Kuntowijoyo, 2001:14).
Continuity occurs when a new society only adopts old institutions. For example, in the
colonial period, the colonial government policy adopted the old habits. One of the old habits was
the fact that the Dutch imitated the indigenous kings in the matter of collecting tribute from the
conquered king (Kuntowijoyo, 2001: 15).
On the other hand, repetition happens when the event that has occurred in the past
occurs again in the next period. For example, before President Soekarno fell from his power in the
1960s, there were many actions and demonstrations, especially which were done by the students.
It happened once more before the fall of President Soeharto.
Change happens when there is a massive development in a relatively short time in a
society. Changes occur because of external influence. For example, the movement of nationalism
in Indonesia is often regarded as an extension of the movement in Europe.
Related to this time concept, the human life in the past is narrated. The past is a time that
has passed but it is not a time which is stopped and closed. In history science, the past is open and
sustainable. Everything happened in the past can be a reference to act in the present and to have a
better life in the future.
The continuity concept is the opposite of the change concept. The concept of continuity is a
long-lasting condition. For example, the dynasty of Syailendra reigned in Java for about 250
years. The concept of continuity/sustainability can be illustrated with a straight line until a
change happens. The change is illustrated with a zig–zag pattern.

We can distinguish between change and continuity by comparing two or more events or
situations in the past. Besides, the comparison can also be done between two or more events in
the past and the event in the present. For example, in order to know the development of Bahasa
Indonesia, we can compare the policy of Dutch colonial government with Japanese colonial
government. We can also compare the development of Bahasa Indonesia in the national
awakening period with it in this present period.
Periodization is a way to mark the change and continuity in history. The period of history
is determined by important changes while continuity connects the periods in history. For
example, the Hindu Buddhist empire period until the Islamic empire period. The long history of
the Hindu Buddhist period is considered as the concept of continuity/sustainability whereas the
time when Islam came and overthrew the influence of Hindu Buddhist in Indonesia is considered
as the concept of change.