When studying history, you should know that between the events that really happened in the past and the picture described in the monographs of historians, there is a huge intermediate link. This is a historical source. Simply put, any historical research begins solely with a reading of all available documents about that period. Only with the help of the testimonies of contemporaries or people who are knowledgeable about this time period can a qualitative retrospective reconstruction of events be carried out.
So what are historical sources on which so much depends? Let's discuss this important issue in more detail.
Key Definitions
So, what does the concept of “historical sources” include? In science, it is customary to call all preserved evidence of the past, which can give us an objective picture of what is happening. Of course, there are many different classifications of this kind of data proposed by both domestic and foreign historians and archaeologists. So what, according to prominent researchers, are historical sources? We will give a definition of some of them in the article.
For example, L. N. Pushkarev describes the following types:
• Written evidence.
• Real historical sources.
• Information obtained from ethnographic research.
• Oral traditions that are passed down from generation to generation.
• Linguistic evidence.
• Film and photo chronicle.
• Audio recordings. These historical sources (and their classification, too) appeared relatively recently, but they give us the chance to hear the voices of those who decided the fate of the world several years ago!
Schmidt classification
Shortly before our time, in 1985, S.O. Schmidt proposed a slightly more detailed classification, deciding to use types and subtypes in it. What he distinguishes between historical sources? The definition of their varieties is given below.
1. As in the past case, all material evidence in all its diversity: from sculptures to household waste found during excavations.
2. Sources related to the visual arts:
a) art (film and photography);
b) graphic (paintings by artists, simple sketches);
c) fine-natural (photographs from ordinary home archives).
3. Sources of verbal type:
a) oral historical sources, including all dialects and varieties of linguistic forms;
b) folklore, including rare traditions found only in a certain area;
c) all written monuments of the era, whoever they belong to, for whatever purpose they are created; in simple terms, the bureaucratic list of materials can give a much more truthful and detailed picture of the world than an officially approved chronicle or textbook; shorthand also belongs to this variety.
4. Conventional historical sources of knowledge. These are notes, designations of alchemists and chemists, astrologers and astronomers, economic reductions, etc.
5. Behavioral information. These include not only the rituals and customs of primitive tribes, but even the corporate and other traditions of modern society, which are rooted in the same primitive beliefs.
6. The sound. Everything is clear with this type of data: these are any recorded phonograms of one or another historical period.
That is what historical sources are when it comes to the scientific definition of this term. But no, even the most reliable information will not be able to give the researcher an objective idea of what happened if he does not know how to work with them correctly and interpret them.
It should be remembered that historical sources and their classification are also a rather vague concept. With the advent of new means of storing and transmitting information, all these lists will expand and rethink. These are the historical sources.
What should I look for when extracting information from a document?
When working with any evidence of the era you need to constantly remember two important points.
1. Important! The source should not be taken as a storehouse of ready-made answers. You will only receive information whose questions regarding which you can ask and link with the information in your hands. In this regard, notes and reports by ordinary extras and archivists, which, despite their apparent “poverty”, sometimes contain a lot of useful information, can become extremely important. These historical sources and their types appear to the townsfolk as “useless pieces of paper”, although sometimes they are truly priceless!
2. In no case do not perceive the source as an objective reflection of the world, since it was created by a person who has his own ideas. This is an extremely important circumstance that even prominent and experienced pundits sometimes lose sight of!
In order not to be unfounded on the last point, we explain. Take the famous battle of Alexander Nevsky with the Swedes. To begin with, even domestic historians doubt the reality of what happened, if only because in the Swedish archives there is no written evidence of that battle.
Perhaps they simply preferred to remain silent about what had happened. It is possible that domestic chroniclers (by “order from above”, as they like to say now) simply presented an ordinary cross-border skirmish as a heroic battle. Be that as it may, it is always worth exploring the sources provided by both parties.
In addition, in the domestic chronicles (and quite often in European ones) the word "darkness" is often found. The darkness of warriors, the darkness of servants, the darkness of battle rooks ... How to understand all this? If you start from the Mongolian Tumen, then “darkness” was called the number of soldiers equal to 10,000. And what, during the very battle with the Swedes, when the “darkness” of their ships was on the river, did all the ships of that period come there? Unlikely. Here we come to another feature - to interpretation.
About Interpretation
Remember that historical sources, examples of which we have cited and will cite that were created by man, always pursued some goals, often self-serving. Knowing the motives that moved the author, you can learn a lot about his historical era. Simply put, all sources must be correctly interpreted.
This word means an attempt to find out what exactly the author invested in the meaning of each word and expression that occurs in his work. In the interpretation itself, there are three important aspects.
1. Firstly, the native content of the source itself. One should always approach historical documents critically, never by word of faith believing the information that is given there.
2. If an intermediary (scribe, translator) participated in the drafting of the document, it is useful to pay attention to his comments and interpretations (if any). Of course, in this case it is extremely important to take into account the quality of such additions, which depends on the qualifications of the editor.
3. Finally, your own understanding and interpretation of the source.
In the latter case, the researcher goes directly to the analysis of the data available to him. It is extremely important to be able to look at events that have occurred through the eyes of a contemporary for whom that era was completely native. The researcher must independently give his own definition of the reliability of the source, relying on his own information and knowing how to use it to defend his position in front of other scientists.
Remember that any historical sources, examples of which you give, must have not only verbal, but also documentary evidence!
It is especially important to uncover the background of the document, to find out what the author “between the lines” reports directly or indirectly. All points and possible interpretations of terms that occur in the source should be taken into account. To make it easier to understand, remember about "opium for the people."
What associations can such an expression cause in modern man? Only the most negative. Meanwhile, at the beginning of the last century, heroin was sold in pharmacies as a “cough medicine,” and since ancient times, opium has been considered almost the main pain reliever that can relieve any suffering. Feel the difference? The original source put in these words the exact opposite of the current meaning.
Synthesis
Only after collecting all the information can we begin to generalize our work, to conclusions. All this is called synthesis. This is a very important stage, since even from the most truthful, accurate and reliable information, it is not possible to draw the conclusions that would be needed.
Variability of sources depending on the historical period
It should not be forgotten that sources processed during different periods of history bear the imprint of each era. And this is far from a metaphorical expression, since at different periods of history a different approach was adopted both to the study and interpretation of documents.
For example, documents of the 17th and 18th centuries can be distinguished by any more or less educated person, since cardinal changes are observed in their style.
So, at this time the number of documentary evidence sharply increases, but the content of each of them is greatly simplified. But much more important is the fact that at that time truly mass sources appeared for the first time, information from which could already have a significant impact on those sections of the population who took an active part in the development of the whole country. In addition, in those years, statistics and documents of fiscal reporting came to a modern form.
All these historical sources, the groups of which we described above, are not only fairly reliable, but also extremely objective, which in the historical aspect is an offensively rare exception.
Periodicals and journalism had an almost greater influence on that era than all the institutions involved in the propaganda of certain ideas. Personal sources, memoirs and biographies are also becoming widespread. This is extremely important simply because we can see the process of formation of specific personalities of those historical periods, observe the change in their worldviews.
Russian paradox
So some historians call the situation when the oldest historical sources of the 13-14 centuries in our country are studied much better than the sources of the beginning and middle of the 20th century. However, there is absolutely nothing paradoxical in this.
In just a hundred years, our long-suffering power has survived three revolutions, four major wars (not counting the unrealistic number of local incidents). All this happened during the reign of five state entities that replaced each other. Do not forget about the colossal economic transformations that marked this period: neither Stolypin’s reforms, nor the construction of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric station in those years simply had no analogues abroad.
Of course, during the years of the USSR, various decisions and reports of the
CPSU Central Committee became the main
sources of information . These historical sources (written and many film and photo chronicles) are presented in all their diversity. This is where the difficulty lies: in order to get a “view from the side”, many historians have to gain access to the American
library of Congress and similar institutions, since they collected a huge number of documents that were compiled by members of both the former tsarist government and simple emigrants. It is important to note that one should distinguish between the memories of the “first wave” and those people who had to leave the country during and after the Civil War and the Western intervention that accompanied it.
The fact is that in 1905 the most far-sighted people left the country, in whose memoirs one can find rather detailed and accurate predictions of the collapse of the Empire. In 1918-1924, not only members of the royal family and the intelligentsia who had managed to escape, emigrated to the Old and New Worlds, but also former supporters of the Bolsheviks, whose views on the world radically differ from each other.
Which documents are the most valuable for study?
It is unpleasant to admit, but until now, many scientists with a certain distrust and skepticism relate to legislative acts, office materials, periodicals. However, no less strange is the fact that the memoirs of many researchers are almost perceived as a revelation from above, the ultimate truth. Such an attitude is a gross mistake, because of which there are many historical mistakes and inaccuracies.
All such historical sources and their types need to be biased and thoroughly analyzed in each case!
Despite the fact that memoirs should be considered purely documentary, albeit a very specific genre, their objectivity sometimes remains a huge question. The same Skorzeny, in his memoirs, vows oath about the "good intentions" of Nazi Germany, but at least it is difficult to believe in this.
Genre of Memories
Memories are a slightly different case. These documents can often be crucial in the reconstruction of a historical event, as they reflect the views of sometimes completely random people. However, this is not always so clear-cut, because, as in memories, people often lay out their worldview from the point of view of the acquittal, or even completely ignore many points.
Simply put, both memoirs and memoirs are purely subjective documents, which should be treated with utmost caution and a critical look. This can not be considered a drawback, on the contrary, by studying these sources, you can get an absolutely correct idea of the mores of the historical period. Of course, you are unlikely to be able to conduct such an analysis by studying bureaucratic materials.
So what are historical sources when it comes to memoirs? How valuable and reliable are they?
About the correct analysis of memoirs
Be that as it may, memoirs are often a valuable source of information, neglecting which is outright stupidity. Often the sincerity of the person who wrote them is easily verified by comparing the mores of those years and what was written.
The description object is also very important: the person or event that occurred before the eyes (or in those years) of the eyewitness. The description of personalities should be approached with extreme caution, since such information will inevitably be extremely subjective, but events (especially those to which a person had no direct relationship) are often described quite reliably. So, what should be the approach to the study of memoirs?
First of all, it’s important for you to find out about the person who wrote them. Of course, for this it is better to use several sources, and, if possible, “living” memories of his contemporaries who are still alive. The latter is especially important, since it will almost certainly make it possible to reliably establish the role of the author in the events described: whether he was in fact an indifferent statistician or was he directly involved in them.
In addition, it is necessary to establish all possible sources of awareness of the author. Very often, it was through this method that revealing liars were revealed who tried to appropriate the laurels of lesser-known and well-known contemporaries.
An extremely valuable circumstance is the fact that official documents are attached to the memoirs. For example, this approach to business is very characteristic of the legendary Wrangel. Many facts of that period have been irretrievably lost or perverted, so that these materials are simply acquiring incredible value.
Almost all of the same is true when it comes to the recollections of the legendary daughter P. A. Stolypin, who in the appendix attaches all land use documents that her father drew. However, if Wrangel included these papers in his memoirs on his own, then the applications in the memoirs of Stolypin’s daughter we owe to the Sovremennik publishing house, in which we considered that these papers would certainly interest the biased reader. As you can see, the publishers were absolutely right.
It should be noted that censorship has always taken place in one form or another: if nowadays there are whole apparatuses of state significance, then in troubled times, the times of the Middle Ages, etc., fear for one’s life was the best censor. Therefore, be sure to take into account the period to which this or that document refers - very often the author mentions some moments in passing, but constantly (in the context) returns to them again and again, making certain allusions to his point of view.
Finally, who wrote memoirs when? If a person took his memories from a diary, which he kept constantly, or simply compiled memories from such documents, then the information that is presented in them can be trusted. If the memoirs were written by the author at an advanced age, then often they can be treated as a kind of fiction. Practice shows that people forget more than 90% of the information, each grain of which is priceless, after only a couple or three years have passed.
This is what historical sources are. We hope you find this article helpful.