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CLASS-8th (SST HISTORY)
How, When and Where Class Notes
How Important are Dates?
• "History is certainly about changes that occur over time".
• History is synonymous with dates.
• We compare the past with the present.
• We continue to associate history with a string of dates.
• We study dates to find out the sequence of events and significance of events.
Which dates?
• The dates we select and compose our story of the past are not important.
• They become vital because we focus on a particular set of events as significant.
• The chronology of different personalities’ lives marked the different chapters of the history of British India.
• In the histories written by British historians in India, the rule of each Governor-General was important.
• These histories began with the rule of the first Governor-General, Warren Hastings, and ended with the last
Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten.
• Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General in 1773
How do we periodise?
• James Mill divided Indian history into three periods: Hindu, Muslim and British.
• According to Mill, only British rules, culture and laws could make Indians civilized.
• There are significant sources to study the periods of events and by studying different historical evidences a string
of time periods can be formed.
• Apart from britishers, historians have usually divided Indian history into ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’ and ‘modern’.
• 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.
What is colonial?
• When the subjugation of one country by another country leads to change in social, culture, economic and political
sphere,it leads to colonization.
• The 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, and the consequent changes.
• British rule brought about changes in values and tastes, customs and practices.
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How do we know Administration:
• One important source is the official records of the British administration.
• The British felt all important documents and letters needed to be preserved.
• The village tahsildar’s office, the collectorate, the commissioner’s office, the provincial secretariats, the law
courts – all had their record rooms.
• Specialized institutions like archives and museums were established to preserve important records.
• Administrative source only represents half of the picture as they all were written and maintained by British
officials.
• Several other sources studied together give a better picture of administration
Sources
• Official records, letters, memos, surveys, newspapers, magazines, autobiographies, reports, experiences of
travelers, novels and poems are some important sources of information of British rule and atrocities.
• The practice of surveying became common under colonial administration.’
• Surveys like botanical zoological, archaeological, anthropological and forest surveys were in the list of British
administration.
• Census operations were held every ten years. These prepared detailed records of the number of people in all the
provinces of India, noting information on castes, religions and occupation
• Sources kept and written by both Indians and British studied together represents several aspects of British rule
and their efforts to modernize or subjugate the Indian population.
What official records do not tell?
• The official records do not tell about the needs of people of India.
• Many official records hide the truth and only show one aspect of the event.
• The official records do not represent the fall outs of British administration and also do not represent the reactions
and situation of Indians of every sphere of society.
• Records like diaries of people, accounts of pilgrims and travelers, autobiographies of important personalities,
and popular booklets are found other than official records.
• Printing was introduced and newspapers were published and issues were debated in public.
• Leaders and reformers wrote to spread their ideas, poets and novelists wrote to express their feelings.
• All these sources, however, were produced by those who were literate.
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