MEANING OF HISTORY

HISTORY

COMPRISES OF EVERY
THING .BE IT THE WORLD OF NATURE
OR THE WORLD OF MAN.
HISTORY IN THE RESTRICTED SENSE
HAS FOR ITS SUBJECT THE HUMAN PAST
OR ONLY HUMAN EVENTS LIKE WHAT
MEN HAVE SAID,THOUGHT,DONE OR
SUFFERED OR PAST EXPERIENCES OF
MEN,OR THE MEMORIES OF SOCIETIES.

 HISTORY

IS NOT THE STUDY OF THE PAST BUT

THE STUDY OF THE PRESENT TRACES OF THE
PAST.
HENCE SOME FRAGMENTARY EVIDENCE OF
THE THINGS HAPPENED IS NECESSARY IF IT IS
CONSIDERED TO BE AS HISTORY.
THE CRUCIAL ELEMENT IS THE PRESENT
EVIDENCE,NOT THE FACT OF PAST EXPERIENCE
AND THE QUESTION FOR THOSE NO MATERIAL
EXISTS.THIS LIMITATION REMAINS IMPORTANT
ESPECIALLY IN PRACTISE.

 THE

PAST BECOMES INTELLIGIBLE ONLY IN

THE LIGHT OF THE PRESENT AND THE
PRESENT CAN BE FULLY UNDERSTOOD ONLY
IN THE LIGHT OF THE PAST.
HISTORY THUS PERFORMS DUAL FUNCTION :
IT ENABLES MAN TO UNDERSTAND THE
SOCIETY OF THE PAST AND IT INCREASES
HIS MASTERY OVER THE SOCIETY OF THE
PRESENT.HISTORY AS PAST ACTUALLY IS
CONDITIONED BY OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE
WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE.

 THE

FOCUS OF ATTENTION OF THE

HISTORIAN CHANGES FROM TIME TO
TIME AND ONE CLASS OF HISTORICAL
FACTS TO ANOTHER .ALSO, THE
PRACTICAL PROBLEMS THAT
CONFRONT ANY SOCIETY CHANGE
CONSTANTLY.THE RE-READING OF THE
PAST MUST THEREFORE BE A
CONTINUOUS PROCESS.

 THE

HISTORY WAS NEVER A GIVEN FACT WHICH

THE HISTORIAN CAN COMPREHEND
EMPIRICALLY BY PERCEPTION.
THE EVENTS THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST
CANBE EMPIRICALLY KNOWN BY THE STUDY OF
THE RELICS OR TRACES LEFT BEHIND BY
THEM.THE SOURCES GAVE US THE KNOWLEDGE
AND THERE IS UNANIMITY AMONG THE
HISTORIANS WHEN THEY SAY WE OBTAIN OUR
KNOWLEDGE FROM HISTORICAL SOURCES

 WHAT
ALL

IS THE HISTORICAL FACT?

THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE LIFE OF A

MAN ANY ACT OR EVENT,THE EMOTIONS
EXPRESSED BY THEM AND THE IDEAL
ENTERTAINED BY THEM.
ALSO THE AFFIRMATION OF THE EVENT WITH
THE HELP OF THE NAUXILLARY SCIENCES OF
HISTORY-----CHRONOLOGY,PALAEOGRAPHYAND
PHILOSOPHY----THAT CONSTITUTES THE
HISTORICAL FACT.

 WHERE
IT

IS THE HISTORICAL FACT?

IS IN SOMEONES MIND.FOR EXAMPLE

WHEN WE SAY THAT MAHATMA GANDHI WAS
ASSASSINATED ON JANUARY31,1948.THIS
BECOMES A HISTORICAL FACT WHEN
SOMEONE BRINGS IT ALIVE IN OUR MINDS
BY MEANS OF IMAGES OR IDEAS OF THE
ACTUAL OCCURRENCE.

INTERPRETATION OF THE FACTS OF HISTORY BY THE

HISTORIAN IS VITAL TO RESEARCH AND TO HISTORY.
THE FACTS DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING AND DO NOT IMPOSE
ANY MEANING .IT IS THE HISTORIAN WHO SPEAKS AND WHO
IMPOSES A MEANING.BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM IN THIS
PROCESS IN THE SENSE THAT THE HISTORIAN WHILE
INTERPRETING THE FACT IS INFLUNCED BY THE PRESENT
TIMES.
THE SELECTION AND THE ORDERING OF THE FACTS AS WELL
AS THE THEIR INTERPRETATION IS THE MAIN BUSINESS OF
THE HISTORIAN.HENCE THE HISTORIAN AND THE FACTS OF
HISTORY AND THE HISTORIAN ARE NECESSARY TO ONE
ANOTHER.THE HISTORIAN WITHOUT HIS FACTS IS ROOTESS
AND FUTILE :THE FACTS WITHOUT THEIR HISTORIAN ARE
DEAD AND MEANINGLESS.