MEANING OF HISTORY

HISTORY COMPRISES OF EVERY THING 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 IS THE HISTORICAL FACT? ALL 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 IS THE HISTORICAL FACT? IT IS IN SOMEONE”S 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.