How, When and Where Class 8 Notes Social

Science History Chapter 1

In 1817, James Mill, a Scottish economist and political philosopher, published a
massive three-volume work—A History of British India. In this, he divided Indian
history into three periods – Hindu, Muslim and British. This periodization came to be
widely accepted.

We try and divide history into different periods to capture the characteristics of time
and its central features as they appear to us.

Moving away from British classification, historians have usually divided Indian
history into ‘Ancient’, ‘Medieval’ and ‘Modern’.

One important source of Indian history is the official record of the British
administration. The Britishers believed that the act of writing was important. Every
instruction, plan, policy, decision, agreement and investigation had to be clearly
written up.

By the middle of the nineteenth century, along with the spread of printing, multiple
copies of these records were printed as proceedings of each government
department.

The practice of surveying also became common under the colonial administration.

These records tell us what the officials thought, what they were interested in, and
what they wished to preserve for posterity. These records always help us understand
what other people in the country felt, and what lay behind their actions.

As printing spread, newspapers were published and issues were debated in public.
Leaders and re¬formers wrote to spread their ideas; poets and novelists wrote to
express their feelings.

History is about the changes that occur over time. It is about the finding out of how
things were in the past and how things have changed in the present. As soon as we
compare the past with the present we refer to time, we talk of ‘before’ and ‘after’.

If someone asks you when people began to drink tea or coffee, you would fail to
answer this question. It is because people did not begin drinking tea on a one fine
day, they developed the taste for it over time. Thus, you can only refer to a span of
time, an approximate period over which particular changes became visible.

Still, we have enough reason why we associate history with a string of dates. There
was a time when history was an account of battles and big events. It was about
rulers and their policies. Historians wrote about the year when a king was crowned,
the year he married, the year he fought a particular battle, etc. For such events,
specific dates were fixed.

How do we determine that a particular set of dates is important? The dates we

select, the dates around which we compare our story of the past, are not important
on their own. They became important because we focus on a particular set of events
as important.

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.

James Mill was a Scottish economist and political philosopher. In 1817, he wrote a
three-volume book, A History of British India. In this he divided Indian history into
three periods-Hindu, Muslim and British.

We divide history into different periods in order to capture the characteristics of a

time, its central features as they appear to us. So the terms through we periodise, i.e.
demarcate the differences between periods, become important.

Mill was of the opinion that all Asian societies were of the lower level of civilisations
than Europe. According to his telling of history, before the British came to India,
Hindu and Muslim despots ruled the country. Religious intolerance and caste taboos
dominated the social life of Indian people. British rule, as Mill thought, could civilise
India.

The British were absolutely prejudiced in classifying the Indian history. So the British
classification of the Indian history cannot be justified. It is because a variety of faults
existed simultaneously along with Hindus and Muslims in these periods.

Apart from the British classification, historians have divided Indian history into
ancient, medieval and modern. This division to has problems. It is a periodisation
that is borrowed from the West where the modern period was associated with the
growth of all the forces of modernity such as science, reason, democracy, etc.
Medieval was the term used to describe a society where these features of modern
society did not exist. But the features of modern period were not visible in India
during the British rule. Many historians, therefore, refer to this period as colonial.

The British established their control over India and made it a colony.

Colonisation is a term that refers to a process in which one country subjugates

another and thus brings political, economic, social and cultural changes.

Historians use different sources in writing about the last 250 years of Indian history.
One important source is the official records of the British administration. The British
believed that the act of writing was important. Easy instruction, plan, policy, etc. had
to be clearly written up. The British also felt that all important documents and letters
needed to be carefully preserved. So, they set up record rooms attached to all
administrative institutions. Specialised institutions like archives and museums were
also set up to preserve important records.

The practice of surveying also became common under the colonial administration.

By the early 19th century detailed surveys were being carried out to map the entire
country.

In villages, revenue surveys were conducted.

From the end of the 19th century, Census operations were held at the interval of
every ten years. It prepared all the detailed records of the number of people in all the
provinces of India, noting information on castes, religions and occupation.

All these are official records. These records do not always help us understand what
other people in the country felt and what lay behind their actions.

To know about these things we have diaries of people, accounts of pilgrims and
travellers, autobiographies of important personalities, etc.

All these sources were produced by those who were literate. From these we will not
be able to understand how history was experienced and lived by the tribals, and the
peasants, the workers in the mines or the poor on the streets.

Historian: One who writes about the events of the past, i.e. how things were and how
they changed.

Debate: Discussion on an important topic of public interest.

Periodisation: Ponding any event into periods.

Ancient: Very old.

Medieval: It refers to the period in which features of modem society did not exist.

Colonization: Colonization is a process in which one country subjugates another and

thus brings political, economic, social and cultural changes.

Subjugation: Gaining control over a country.

Calligrapher: One who is specialised in the art of beautiful writing.

Survey: The act of examining and recording the measurements, features etc. of an

area of land to prepare a map or plan for it.

Archives: A place where historical documents or records of a government, an

organisation, etc, are stored.

1773 – Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of India.

1782 – First map produced by James Rennel.

1817 – James Mill published a massive three-volume work, A History of British India.

1920 – The National Archives of India came up.

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.

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. 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, he divided Indian history into three periods – Hindu, Muslim and British. Mill thought that
all Asian societies were at a lower level of civilisation than Europe. 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 civilise India. In this idea of history, British rule represented all the forces of
progress and civilisation. Historians had divided Indian history into ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’ and
‘modern’.

For More Information On Periodisation, Watch The Below Video:

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What is colonial?
By reading this chapter you will understand how the British came to conquer the country and
establish their rule, subjugating local nawabs and rajas. How 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, and you will understand the
changes that came about as a consequence. You will get to learn about the changes 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,it is referred to
as colonisation.
How do We Know?
Administration produces records
British believed in the act of writing which produced an administrative culture of memos, notings
and reports. They also carefully preserved important documents and letters. Important records
are preserved in all administrative institutions. In the early years of the nineteenth century, these
documents were carefully copied out and beautifully written by calligraphists – by those who
specialised in the art of beautiful writing. By the middle of the nineteenth century, with the spread
of printing, multiple copies of these records were printed as proceedings of each government
department.

Surveys become important

Under the colonial administration, the practice of surveying became common. 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 prepared detailed records of the number of
people in all the provinces of India, noting information on castes, religions and occupation. There
were many other surveys – botanical surveys, zoological surveys, archaeological surveys,
anthropological surveys, forest surveys.

What official records do not tell

Official records will not help us to understand what other people in the country felt, and what lay
behind their actions. Records like diaries of people, accounts of pilgrims and travellers,
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. But, from these sources, history cannot be explained and how the tribals and the
peasants, the workers in the mines or the poor on the streets, lived their lives.