Sociology and History are closely and intimately related to each other. Sociology cannot be sparated from History and History cannot be isolated from sociology. That is why Professar G.E. Howard remarked “History is the past Sociology and Sociology is the present History”.
Jhon Seely says that” History without Sociology has no fruit, Sociology without History has no root”. History is mainly concerned with past events. It is systematic record of the story of mankind. History presents a chronological account of past events of the human society.
It is the social science which deals with past events and studies the past social, political and economic aspects of the country.
According to Gettle “History is the record of the past events and movements, their causes and inter-relations”. It includes a survey of conditions or developments in economic, religious and social affairs as well as the study of states, their growth and organisation and their relation with one another.
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Both Sociology and History depend upon- each other and can influence one another. Sociology depends upon History in order to study past events and situations. History of cultures and institutions is helpful in the understanding of sociology and on the collections of materials.
In order to understand the past society and activities, we have to take the help of History. Sociology concerned with the study of the historical development of human society. It studies ancient customs, modes of living, various stages of life and past social institutions through the historical analysis.
This information about the past is of great importance to sociologists. For instance, if a sociologist has to study family and marriage as social institutions he has to study their historical developments also.
Owing to This reason, Arnold Toynbee’s book “A Study of History” and Spengler’s book “Decline of the West” are very valuable of the study of sociology.
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In the same way, Sociology provides social background of the study of History. History is now being studied from the sociological view point.
History supplies facts which are inter preted and co-ordinated by the sociologists. The historians need social background for writing and analysing history and this is provided by the sociologists.
The study of History would be meaningless without the appreciation of sociological significance. History has Co maxe sociological interpretation of the facts in order to be useful. History becomes meaningful in the social content.