Why historians disagree about empire
Two historians can use the same documents and reach opposite conclusions. That is not a flaw in history.
Part of your national curriculum
- Historical enquiry: Discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
Key learning points
- • Why interpretations differ
- • The context of the writer
- • Judging between them
This lesson at a glance
- 28 minutes
- 23 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 23
Visual introductionPicture this
Why historians disagree about empire
Two historians can use the same documents and reach opposite conclusions. That is not a flaw in history.
In a nutshell
Discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
What you already know
Part 2 of 23
Before we start
What you already know
You should already know that historians write from their own time and place, and that an interpretation is an argument built from evidence.
Key words
Part 3 of 23
Key words
Words you'll need today
- Interpretation
- A historian's argued view of the past, built from evidence.
- Context
- The circumstances in which a writer works, which shape their questions.
- Balance sheet
- The attempt to weigh benefits against harms, which can hide who experienced each.
- Perspective
- The standpoint from which the past is viewed.
Reset break
Part 4 of 23
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 5 of 23
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Why interpretations differ
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 6 of 23
Learn
Why interpretations differ
Historians choose different questions, different evidence and different scales. A study of trade figures and a study of famine records will not tell the same story.
Explore the idea
Part 7 of 23
Learn
The context of the writer
Interpretations carry the concerns of their own time. Accounts written in 1900, 1960 and today reflect changing politics as well as changing evidence.
Reset break
Part 8 of 23
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 9 of 23
Quick check
Part 10 of 23
Learning cycle
Part 11 of 23
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Judging between them
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Reset break
Part 12 of 23
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 13 of 23
Learn
Judging between them
Ask what evidence supports the claim, what it leaves out, and whether the conclusion follows. Disagreement is settled by argument and evidence, not by preference.
Quick check
Part 14 of 23
Common mix-ups
Part 15 of 23
Common mix-ups
Things people often get wrong
- People often think disagreement means someone is lying. Historians can use the same evidence and ask different questions.
- People often want a single verdict on empire. Effects differed enormously by place, time and group.
Reset break
Part 16 of 23
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 23
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 18 of 23
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
____ carry the concerns of their own time.
Challenge round
Part 19 of 23
Game · Recall cards
Total war means…
Card 1 of 4
Reset break
Part 20 of 23
Pause
That's sitting 5 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Exit quiz
Part 21 of 23
Exit quiz
Show what you've learned
6 questions, marked together at the end. Nothing is timed.
1. Historians disagree mainly because they…
2. A writer's context matters because it shapes…
3. A 'balance sheet' of empire is risky because it…
4. To judge between interpretations you should ask…
5. Which statement is most historically careful?
6. Interpretations are…
Mastery quiz
Part 22 of 23
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Why historians disagree about empire
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Total war means…
2. A war diary is strongest for…
3. Memory differs because…
4. Britain fought as part of…
Lesson round-up
Part 23 of 23
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
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Ask LunaPart 1 of 23 · Watch & discover
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Discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed