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Maharashtra State Board | Standard X | History
Historiography: Development in the West
Chapter 1 · Textbook Solutions
🧠 Key Thinkers at a Glance
Herodotus
‘The Histories’
Voltaire
Father of Modern Historiography
René Descartes
‘Discourse on the Method’
G. W. F. Hegel
‘Reason in History’ · Dialectics
Karl Marx
Materialist view of History
Leopold von Ranké
‘Theory and Practice of History’
Simone de Beauvoir
Feminist Historiography
Michel Foucault
‘Archaeology of Knowledge’
✅ 1. (A) Choose the Correct Option and Complete the Statement.
(1) It may be said that …….. was the founder of modern historiography.
✔
Ans: Option (a) – Voltaire may be said to be the founder of modern historiography.
(2) ………… wrote the book entitled ‘Archaeology of Knowledge’.
✔
Ans: Option (b) – Michel Foucault wrote the book entitled ‘Archaeology of Knowledge’.
❌ 1. (B) Identify and Write the Wrong Pair.
Identify the wrong pair from the following set.
| Historian / Thinker | Associated Work / Concept |
|---|---|
| Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel | ‘Reason in History’ |
| Leopold von Ranké | ‘The Theory and Practice of History’ |
| Herodotus | ‘The Histories’ |
| ❌ Karl Marx | ‘Discourse on the Method’ |
Ans: The wrong pair is Karl Marx – ‘Discourse on the Method’.
Explanation: ‘Discourse on the Method’ was written by René Descartes, not Karl Marx. Karl Marx is associated with the materialist interpretation of history and works such as ‘The Communist Manifesto’ and ‘Das Kapital’.
Explanation: ‘Discourse on the Method’ was written by René Descartes, not Karl Marx. Karl Marx is associated with the materialist interpretation of history and works such as ‘The Communist Manifesto’ and ‘Das Kapital’.
📝 2. Write Short Notes.
(1) Dialectics
Ans:- iAccording to Hegel, grasping the true meaning of any event happens in terms of two direct opposites.
- iiThe human mind cannot understand the true nature of an event without understanding its opposite. For example: True–False, Good–Bad.
- iiiIn order to understand the true nature of a thing, one needs to know both true and false; similarly, both good and bad.
- ivThis method of analysis, which is based on opposites, is known as ‘Dialectics’.
(2) Annales School
Ans:- iThe Annales School was started by French historians in the 20th century.
- iiIt gave a new direction to history writing by broadening the scope of what historians studied.
- iiiIt was recognised that history was not only about political events, kings, and leaders, but also about climate, people, agriculture, trade, technology, means of communication, social divisions, and their psychology.
💡 3. Explain the Following with Reasons.
(1) Historical research was driven to focus in depth on various aspects of women’s life.
Ans:- iThe writings of Simone de Beauvoir helped in establishing the fundamentals of feminism.
- iiFeminist historiography emphasised not only the inclusion of women in history but also the rethinking of the male-dominated perspective of history.
- iiiAs a result, historical research was driven to focus in depth on various aspects of women’s life, such as their employment, their role in trade unions, institutions working for their cause, and their family life.
(2) Foucault called his method, ‘the archaeology of knowledge’.
Ans:- iFoucault drew attention to the fact that archaeology does not strive to reach the ultimate historical truth, but instead attempts to explain the various transitions that have taken place in the past.
- iiHe felt that explaining the transitions in history is more important than merely arranging historical events in chronological order.
- iiiFoucault supplemented his method of historical analysis by including previously unacknowledged areas such as psychological disorders, the science of medicine, and prison administration.
- ivHence, this method is called ‘the archaeology of knowledge’.
🗺️ 4. Complete the Concept Chart.
Complete the concept chart showing Notable Scholars in Europe.
Ans:💡 Note: Other notable European scholars include G. W. F. Hegel, Michel Foucault, and Simone de Beauvoir.
📖 5. Answer the Following in Detail.
(1) Explain Karl Marx’s ‘Class Theory’.
Ans:- iAccording to Karl Marx, history was not about abstract ideas — it was about living people and their material conditions.
- iiHuman relationships were shaped by the fundamental needs of people and their ownership, as well as the nature of the prevalent means of production used to meet those needs.
- iiiThe accessibility of these means of production to different sections of society is not equal.
- ivThis inequality causes a division of society into classes, which in turn leads to a class struggle.
- vThe class that owns the means of production economically exploits the rest of the classes in society.
(2) What are the four characteristics of modern historiography?
Ans:- iIts method is based on scientific principles. It begins with the formation of relevant questions about the past.
- iiThese questions are about the deeds of the members of societies of a particular period. Modern historiography does not suggest any interrelation between divine and human deeds.
- iiiAnswers to these questions are supported by reliable and verifiable evidence.
- ivHistory presents a graph of mankind’s journey with the help of past human deeds, showing progress and change over time.
(3) What is feminist historiography?
Ans:- iThe restructuring of history from the perspective of women is called feminist historiography.
- iiFeminist historiography emphasised not only the inclusion of women in history but also the rethinking of the male-dominated perspective of history.
- iiiIt drove historical research to focus in depth on various aspects of women’s life, such as their employment, their role in trade unions, institutions working for their cause, and their family life.
- ivIn historical writing after 1990, women were portrayed as an independent social class with their own distinct history and contributions.
(4) Explain Leopold von Ranké’s perspective of history.
Ans:- iLeopold von Ranké criticised the imaginative or romanticised narration of history that was common before his time.
- iiHe emphasised the importance of information gathered through original and authentic documents.
- iiiHe also stated that all types of documents associated with a historical event need to be examined with the greatest care and critical scrutiny.
- ivHe believed that with this method, it was possible to arrive at the historical truth as it actually happened.