What is History? Chapter Notes | Social Studies Class 4 ICSE PDF Download

Introduction

This chapter explains what history is and why it is important for us to learn about it. History is the study of the past, including events, people, and places. By understanding history, we learn about our family, country, and the world. The chapter also talks about why we should study history, how it helps us understand the present and prepare for the future, and how history is divided into different periods.

Meaning of History

History is the study of the past. Everything has a history, such as your city, country, festivals, people, family, and even things like a clock, phone, or building.

Importance of History

• Why Study History?:
  • We might wonder why we need to study history since the past is already over.
  • History is important because it helps us learn about the past, understand the present, and prepare for the future.
• Understanding Time Divisions:
  • Humans divide time into three parts for easy understanding: past, present, and future.
  • The present moment becomes the past in the next moment because time never stops moving.
• Change and Continuity:
  • Some things continue over time and stay the same, while other things change.
  • Events that happen in the past can affect what happens in the present.
  • What happens in the present will also affect the future.

• Examples of Historical Impact:

  • For example, many Indians today can speak English because the British ruled India for about 200 years and introduced English education.
  • If France had ruled India instead of the British, we might be speaking French, just like people in countries such as Morocco and Canada.

• Understanding the Past:

  • History helps us understand why certain events happened in the past.
  • It also explains why some things changed while other things stayed the same.

• Connecting Past, Present, and Future:

  • By studying the past, we can understand the present better.
  • Learning about the past also helps us get ready for the future.

• Learning About Diversity:

  • History teaches us about different people, cultures, traditions, places, and nations.
  • It gives us a new way to look at things and understand the world better.

Family History

• Every family has its own history.
• We learn about our family history from our parents and grandparents.
• Different events happen in a family at different times that change some things.
  • For example, events like the birth, adoption, or death of family members can change the size of a family.
• With time, some things change, while other things do not change and continue as they are.
  • For example, the way we dress up now is different from how our grandparents used to dress.
• However, some customs, like wishing and respecting elders, are still followed.
• Just like our family has a history, our country and the world also have a long history.
• To learn about history in detail, we divide it into parts called periods.

Periods in History

• Time is divided into past, present, and future for easy understanding.
• Similarly, history is divided into periods by historians, who are people that study history.
• Times in history that do not have any major changes are grouped together as one historical period.
• A period may consist of many hundreds of years.
• History is broadly divided into three periods: 
  • Ancient period: It includes the history of the oldest times, since the beginning of human species to early empires.
  • Medieval period: It includes the history of the times between the ancient and modern periods.
  • Modern period: It includes the history of recent times.
• While this division into three periods is commonly accepted, sometimes history is also divided into other periods.
• For better understanding, the ancient, medieval, and modern periods are sometimes further divided into smaller periods.
• The time periods for these three divisions may not be the same for every region.
• For example, the modern period in Indian history starts later than the time when the modern period starts in Europe.

Periods of Indian History

• The ancient period in Indian history begins with the Indus Valley Civilization and lasts until around the 8th century.
• The medieval period in Indian history begins around the 8th century and lasts until the 18th century.
• The modern period in Indian history starts in the later half of the 18th century, from the time the British began to gain control over parts of India.
• The modern period in India is considered to last until around the 1990s.
• You will read in detail about these periods later.

Fun Fact

The Indus Valley Civilization is the first in the world to have planned cities.

Points To Remember

• History is the study of the past.
• Learning history helps us to understand the importance of events that happened in the past.
• Knowing the past helps us understand the present and prepare for the future.
• To understand the past in a better way, history is divided into three periods: ancient period, medieval period, and modern period.

Glossary

• Affect: Influence.
• Outlook: Point of view.
• Clubbed: Combined; put together.