KENDRIYA VIDAYALAYA MADRUAI NO.2
CLASS VIII
HISTORY – CHAPTER 1, HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
How important are Dates?
Historians were
fascinated with dates. History is about changes that occur over time, finding
out how things were in the past, and how things have changed. History was an
account of battles and big events. It was about rulers and their policies.
Historians wrote about the year a king was crowned, the year he married, the
year he had a child, the year he fought a particular war, the year he died, and
the year the next ruler succeeded to the throne. For events such as these,
specific dates can be determined.
History is
certainly about changes that occur over time”.
Which Dates:
- Selection of date
depends on the story of the past.
- Focusing on a particular set of events is important.
- By studying the dates
reasons and consequences of events are understood in a better way
The chronology of
different personalities’ lives marked the different chapters of the history of
British India. It is to give each chapter some coherence. It is to tell a story
in a way that makes some sense and can be followed.
How do we Periodise:
- In 1817,
James Mill, published a massive three-volume work, A History of British
India. In his book, James Mill divided the
Indian history into three periods: Hindu, Muslim, and British.
- According to
his telling of history, before the British came to India, Hindu and Muslim despots ruled the country. Religious intolerance, caste taboos, and superstitious practices dominated social life. According to him, British rule could civilize India.
- Historians
had divided Indian history into ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’, and ‘modernn’.
What is colonialism:
- When the subjugation
of one country by another country leads to change in social, culture,
economic and political sphere, it leads to colonization. British came to conquer the country and
established their rule, subjugating local nawabs and rajas. They
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 changes in values and tastes, customs, and practices.
How do we know the Administration?
- British
believed in the act of writing which produced an administrative culture of
memos, noting, and reports.
- They also
carefully preserved important documents and letters. Important records are preserved in all administrative institutions. One important source is the official records of the
British administration.
- Specialized
institutions like archives and museums were established to preserve
important records.
- In the early
years of the nineteenth century, these documents were carefully copied out
and beautifully written by calligraphists – by those who specialized in
the art of beautiful writing. Several
other sources studied together to give a better picture of the administration
Sources of Information:
- Official records,
letters, memos, surveys, newspapers, magazines, autobiographies, reports,
experiences of travelers, novels and poems are some important sources of
information of British rule The practice of surveying became common under
colonial administration.
- 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 Surveys like
botanical zoological, archaeological, anthropological and forest surveys
were in the list of British administration.
- Sources kept and
written by both Indians and British studied together represents several
aspects of British rule and their efforts to modernize or subjugate Indian
population.
What do Official Records not tell?
- The official records
do not tell about the needs of the people of India.
- Many official records
hide the truth and only show one aspect of the event.
- The official records
does not represent the fallouts of British administration and also do not
represent the reactions and situation of Indians of every sphere of
society.
In 1773 Warren Hastings became the first
Governor-General of India
A calligraphist is a person specialized in the
art of beautiful handwriting
1920 – The National Achieves of India was
established (Delhi)
