CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE

Introduction: How?
❖ If we go with the heading of chapter : History When?
Where?
❖ Introduction to History [Modern Indian History]

❖ What we are going to study in this chapter?

➢ Dates to events. [Shift]
➢ Which dates to be considered as important in history?
➢ Method of periodisation. [James Mill]
➢ What is colonial.
➢ Sources of History? And issues related to it.
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
How Important are Dates:
❖ A time when history was synonymous with dates. Date obsessed

History is all about comparison [“Before and After”]

❖ Everything has a history [Tea,Railway, paper etc] आपकी भी एक History है

Then everything must But it is actually incorrect to fix precise dates to

have a time period. processes. There can be no one clear date for
the process.
E.g. People in India did not begin drinking tea
one fine day.

❖ Then why do we associate history with a string of dates?

CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
How Important are Dates:
❖ The reasons for associating dates with history.

Earlier, there was a time when history was an This is one style of recording history.
account of battles and big events. [Dates centric
history was recorded]
E.g. When the king was crown, married, died etc.

❖ Another style of recording the history is also there, which is not date centric [event based]
E.g. How people earned their livelihood
What they produced and ate etc.
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
Which Dates?
❖ History is not all about dates, but dates do play very important role.

Which dates?

Dates depends on events

Example
If we change our focus of events and issues
subsequently the dates will also change

➔ History written by British historians would consider rule of Governor General as important.
[Warren Hasting to Lord Mountbatten]
➔ Their classification will revolve around the British Governor Generals. Indians and their activities
will not have any role in it.
➔ But, when we will write the history from Indian perspective a new set of dates will become more
important for us to know.
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
Which Dates?

Warren Hasting Lord Mountbatten

First Governor General of India Last Viceroy of India
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
How do we Periodise?
❖ Periodisation What? Why?

We can show significant changes between the different time period.

❖ In 1817, James Mill, a scottish economist and political philosopher.

Published ● A history of British India. [Book]

● Divided Indian History into three periods
Hindu, Muslim and British.

➔ At that time this periodisation was widely accepted.

➔ James Mill idea of history [British rule as the forces to progress and civilisation]
➔ But, there was a problem in the periodisation that James Mill offered.
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
Problems in the Periodisation of James Mill:
❖ James Mill divides history on religious ground Hindu, Muslim, British[christians]

● Is it write to characterise an age only

through the religion of the rulers of the time.
● Does the life, religion and practices of other
do not matters.

Because variety of faith existed simultaneously.

E.g. when delhi was ruled by Muslim rulers in ∴ This periodisation is not true and justified.
south there were rulers of other faith also.
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
Problems in the Periodisation of James Mill:
❖ Due to the limitation of periodisation offered by James Mill moving away from British classification,
historians have divided Indian history into “Ancient” “Medieval” “Modern”

[Primitive old [Transition [Associated with the growth of

society] period] neither modern forces]
ancient nor E.g. Science, reason
modern. democracy, liberty and
equality.

Was it true in the case of India.

No [western perspective]

∴ Many historian referred this modern period as colonial period.

CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
What is Colonial?
❖ British came in India Conquered local Nawabs and Rajas.

Established their rule

● They started subjugating the locals.

● Established control over economy society.
● They brought the changes in values and tastes, customs and practices.

∴ We can say that they colonised India.

“The subjugation of one country by another leading to the political, economical and social,
cultural changes, this process is known as colonisation”.
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
Administration Produces Records:
❖ How do we know about the last 250 years of Indian history?
➢ Official records of the British administration.

● Every instruction, plan, policy, decision, agreement investigation had to be clearly written up.
● All important documents and letters were carefully preserved.
Records rooms were attached to all administrative institutions, specialised institutions like archives
and museums were also established to preserve important records.

● Letters and memos of various branches were also preserved [Reports and instructions]
➔ These documents were carefully copied out and beautifully written by calligraphist. With the
spread of printing multiple copies of these records were printed.
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
Administration Produces Records:

Official Record of British

The National Archive of India
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
Surveys Become Important:
❖ Another important source of writing history was surveys

Recording and examining of a particular area, subject etc.

❖ British believed that a country had to be properly known before it could be effectively administered.

∴ Detailed surveys were being carried out.

[Revenue surveys, surveys to know topography soil quality, the flora, the fauna, the local history and
the cropping pattern were carried out].
❖ Census operation began to held after every ten years.

Produced record of the people such as number, caste, religion and occupation.
❖ There were many other surveys too Botanical, zoological, archaeological, anthropological and
forest surveys.
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
Surveys Become Important:

Surveys being carried out during colonial period

CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
What Official Records do not tell?
❖ Understand the heading.

History written according to the perspective Absence of Indian Perspective.

of the British Government.

❖ Official record tells us what the officers thought, what they were interested in and what they wished
to preserve for posterity. [Reality may be different]
∴ History must be looked from other perspective also. कैसे

Diaries of people, accounts of pilgrims and travellers autobiographies of important personalities etc.
Ideas of Leaders and reformers, poets and novelists work.
❖ Yet the history lacks the perspective of peasants, workers and tribals getting to know their lives was
a more difficult task.
CLASS - 8th - HISTORY - CHAPTER - HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
Frequently Asked Questions
Que 1. Define Type -
1. James Mill
2. Archives
3. Surveys
4. Colonial
Que 2. In history which dates are to be recorded depends upon the one who records the history? Explain
the statement.
Que 3. Who was James Mill? Explain his periodisation of history.
Que 4. What was the limitation of the periodisation offered by James Mill?
Que 5. Explain the process of colonisation?
Que 6. What are various sources used to write the history?
● Administration produces records to write the history? Explain.
● Surveys were one of the important source of history? Explain.
● Diaries of people, accounts of pilgrims, autobiographies helped us to write history? Explain.
Que 7. Official records during the colonial period had a different and biased view of history. Explain why?