History Notes NCERT Class 8 CBSE – Chapter 1 (When, Where and How)

    History is the study of the past. It is divided into pre-history (no written records available), proto-history (very few written records available) and history (written records available in plenty).

  Que. Why dates are important to history?

Ans :- Dates are important to history, because they help to show cause and effect relationship between events.

Periodisation

Periodisation :- The facility to divide the past into block of time.

        The demarcation of time into different periods of the past is called periodisation.

James Mill (British Historian) proposed the periodisation of Indian history as Hindu, Muslim and British periods. According to James Mill, British rule was a birth of new India.

He divided the history on the basis of religion. 

Another historians divide the history into three periods, for instance

1. Ancient      

2. Medieval       

3. Modern

Note :- The period of Ancient and Medieval history recognised as dark age. Because the absence of Scientific and Technology’s development.

Colonisation :- The subjugation of one country by another leading to political, economic, social and cultural change is called colonisation. 

It involves dominating the original inhabitants of the area.

Source of Information of Colonisation Period.

The British maintained strict control and made sure that all administrative actions were well documented. They believe to conserve the evidence and record, which lead to the culture of notes and memos. 

• Administrative Records
• Archaeological Source and Museum Records
• Survey and Map
• Other Source like :-

• Literary Source

• Paintings 

• Monuments and heritage Buildings

• Photographs, Films, Newspapers and  Radio Broadcasts

• Oral Evidence

Note :- Before the advent of printing, all documents were copied out by calligraphists. When printing began in India, the documents could be printed and these were the preserved.

We come to know about the trading strategy of the British with the help of Trade record of the East India Company.

       

• The National Achieves of India         New Delhi

• Imperial Record Department            Kolkata

• The Geological Survey of India          Kolkata

• The National Museum of India            New Delhi

Survey :-  Survey means to study or investigate important facts and figures regarding a particular subject for acquiring additional and specific information.

British surveyed the whole country and mapped. And had surveys done on all important topics from flora and fauna to the history of a place. 

A census was carried out after every ten years. They were able to get information on the – population, caste, religions and occupation of the people.

The survey of India was set up in 1767 in Dehradun. The surveyors had an onerous task of exploring the unknown. Bit by bit the country was surveyed by the painstaking efforts of a distinguished line of surveyors such as Mr Lambton and Sir George Everest.

Official Records give information inly on what the British did; their interests, their actions and their views. They do not tell about the common people.

To get information about the common peoples we require Other Sources (like Literature, Paintings, Monuments, Films etc.) beside official records.

 

Literature Source

Books Author

• Biography of Mahatma Gandhi         Willian Shirer
  
• Anandmath                        Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
  
• Neel Durpan                     Dinbandhu Mitra
  
• Bharat Durdasa                     Bhartendu Harishchandra
  
• Nation in the Making                Surendra Nath Banerjee
  
• Poverty and Un-British Rule in India    Dadabhai Naoroji
  
• Shiyar-ul-Mutakherin                Ghulam Hussain Tabatabai
  
• Diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai 

Note:- The book “Poverty and Un-British Rule in India” gives a detailed account of how wealth from India was drained away to Britain.

The Printing Press had been invented in the 15th Century which resulted in mass printing of newspaper and magazines and they were circulated in Hindi and various languages. These are :-

• Mahratta             English

• Kesari            Marathi

• Bande Matram        English

• Yugantar             Bengali

Painter and Paintings

Tilly Kettle :- A British artist who had visited India in the 18th century.

    Works :- Painting of Sati and other Indian Ceremonies, Portrait of Muhammad Ali khan, The Nawab of Arcot and Shuj-ud-Daula, The Nawab of Awadh. 

Arthur William Devis :-  His most famous painting “Lord Cornwallis Receiving the Sons of Tipu as Hostage”.

    Work :- Painted a painting of Indians engaged in their art and crafts.

John  Zoffany :- has completed two famous paintings capturing the life in Lucknow.

    Other Famous Paintings :- Tiger Hunting in the East Indies, A Battle Piece against Haider Ali, The Death of the Royal Tiger and The Embassy of Hyderabad to Culcutta.

Monuments and Heritage Building built during British time.

• Parliament House                  New Delhi

• Rashtrapati Bhawan                 New Delhi

• India Gate                        New Delhi

• Fort St. George                     Chennai

• War Memorial Hall                Chennai

• Shivaji Terminus                    Mumbai

• Bombay High Court                Mumbai

• The Prince of Wales Museum            Mumbai

• General Post Office of Bombay         Mumbai

• Gateway of India                    Mumbai

• Victoria Memorial                 Kolkata

• Fort William                      Kolkata

• General Post Office                Kolkata

• National Library                    Kolkata

Note :- The Current Residence of President of India was the residence of the British  Viceroy of India.

    The Shivaji Terminus is the Railway Station of Mumbai, later known as Victoria Terminus.

Films which are useful in reconstructing history are:- 

 Gandhi by Richard Attenborough. And Many Documentaries are also available.

= Lagaa (about the economic exploitation of India by British), Shatranj ke khiladi, Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Mangal Pandey (freedom struggle)

= Gadar (communal riots during the time of partition)

Radio Broadcast Tape Song:- Mera Rang De Basanti chola.

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Monopoly :-  Complete control of trade of goods or services

Liberation :-    To free a country or a person  from any bondage

Artefact :-  Relic or Object of historical importance found in  excavation

Periodisation :- Demarcation of time into different periods of the past

Archives :- Is an accumulation of historical records or the physical place they are located

Survey :- To study or investigate important facts and figures  regarding a particular subject

Sati :-  The Hindu custom of Widow throwing herself on to her husband’s funeral pyre