NAME: SIPHESIHLE

SURNAME: MZIMKHULU
CLASS: CLASS 3
ASSIGNMENT: HISTORY

TOPIC: THE IMPORTANCE AND ROLE OF HISTORY IN THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL WORLD

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 CONTENT PAGE

INTRODUCTION: 3
WHAT IS HISTORY?

THE REAL DEFINITION AND THE 4

ROLE OF HISTORY

THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY 5

THE SCOPE OF HISTORY 6

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 7

THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 8

THE IMPACT OF THE 4TH 9

INDUSTRIAL WORLD (DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY) IN OUR LIVES

THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY IN 9

THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL WORLD
(REVOLUTION)
10
CONCLUSION
11
REFERENCES

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INTRODUCTION

A lot of people take history as a useless or a meaningless subject. They say there is no need for
dwelling in the past we just need to focus and the future and see what it holds for us. We do live
in a very technological and industrialized world but the truth is we cannot move on if we do not
know our past, our identity and the significant events that occurred and why they occurred so
that we can understand the present and also not repeat the same mistakes in the future.
Remember “those who do not know their past are doomed to repeat it”.

In this assignment we are going to find out why do we have to study and have knowledge about
history in the 4th industrial world.

WHAT IS HISTORY?

Before we get into the main topic, it is important to know what history is.

History is a Greek word which comes from enquiry, research, exploration and information.

According to Polybius and Thucydides “History is a story of things worthy of being

remembered”.

Sir Francis Bacon defines history as a “Discipline that makes men wise”.

Rousseau regards history as “The art of choosing from among many lies that one which most
resembles the truth”.

According to the theory of Henry Johnson “history is the broader sense is everything that has
ever happened, and we have to limit our understanding and study those events, that are very
significant and have left behind a deep impression on man”.

“History is the record and explanation of moral value,” says Lecky.

Carlyle holds the view that “History is nothing but the biography of great men and that is a
record of human accomplishment, particularly of great souls”.

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A.L Rowse said “History is essentially the record of the life of men in societies in their
geographical and their physical environment”.

Professor Maitland says “What men have done and said, above all what they thought- that is
history”.

THE REAL DEFINITION AND THE ROLE OF HISTORY

According to Ernest Bernheim says “History is a science that investigates and presents in their
own context of psycho- physical casualty the facts determined by space and time of the evolution
of men in their individual as well as typical and collective activity of social beings” and
according to many historians that is the most significant definition.
History can take the form of a tremendous story, a rolling narrative filled with great personalities
and tales of turmoil and triumph.
Each generation adds its own chapters to history while reinterpreting and finding new things in
those chapters already written.
History provides us a sense of identity.
By understanding where we com e from, we can better understand who we are.
History also provides a sense of context for our lives and our existence.
It helps us understand the way things are and how we might approach the future.
History teaches us what it means to be human, highlighting the great achievements and
disastrous errors of the human race.
History also teaches us through example, offering hints about how we can better organize and
manage our societies for the benefit of the all.
History is made of thinking one ways back into the problems and solutions they looked then.
It involves imaginative exercise of suspending the ones knowledge of how things turned out so
as to recreate the possibilities still open at the time.
Prominent individuals shape the cause of history through their personality, their strength of
character, ambition, abilities, leadership or creativity.
In the {go between}, Leslie Hartley remarked that “History is a foreign country; they do things
differently there.
People often think history and the past are the same things.

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This is not the same.
The past refers to an earlier time, the people and societies who inhabited it and the events that
took place there.
History describes our attempts to research, study and explain/prove the past, therefore history is a
science subject.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY

Everything that exists around has a history; people, places, things and so on.
Understanding how things came to be, how really all things are, and how they could affect your
present and future is crucial.
Remember “those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
Genealogy, archaeology, psychology, sociology, entomology, criminal science, forensics and
more use history to solve questions and problems and uncover answers.
We all live in the present and we plan for the future- but how do we understand where we are
going if we do not know where we come from our identity, and how will we know what progress
looks like if we do not know our own identity.
To know exactly where we are going, we first need to understand where we come from and for
that we need an appreciation of history.
The rich history of the world helps us paint a detailed picture of where we stand today.
History also encourages a deeper understanding of difference.
There are lessons, both good or bad, to be learned from the way our ancestors used to interact
with other people who have different ways of living.
History is important not only because there are certain past events that occurred that shaped our
present world, but also due to the facts that humanity tends to go through the same challenges
over again.
The only difference is that people learn from what happened and develop better problem -solving
mechanisms.
History promotes patriotism and enhances responsible citizenship.
The information that we get from studying history enables us to appreciate our own nation and
become responsible citizens.
In history we also learn important life lessons.

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History helps us understand the actions of those who came before us.
Skills can be acquired through the study of history including data analyses, research expertise
and evaluation skills.
History creates a sense of moral understanding.
Cultural consciousness and cross-cultural appreciation can be realized through the study of
historical events.

THE SCOPE OF HISTORY

History is no longer a branch of literature or politics or philosophy or any other discipline.

It has an independent status whose function is now study the society on its own aspects of
promoting culture, which constitutes of knowledge, faith, belief, art, morals, customs or any
other capabilities acquired by man as a member of the society.
Its main job is to narrate what happened, to discuss how it happened and to analyze why it
happened.
The scope of history has been undergoing constant change.
In the past, the world was divided into a number of social, political and cultural units.
Each unit considered themselves vas superior to others for instance Japan, China, India in Asia,
Romans, Greeks, English in Europe, Americans and possessing independent historics.
Certain societies like these considered themselves as more civilized and did not study about other
states that they considered as barbarians.
With the result of the industrial revolution and improved means of communication,
transportation the different countries of the world were brought closer to each other and feeling
of oneness grew among the people of different countries.
This gave rise to the integrated and unified culture and economy.
Thus history assumed the universal nature.
With the numerous discoveries and availability of numerous inscriptions, the scope of history
was also widened.
The knowledge of ancient history was further widened by geology and archaeology in the mid
nineteenth century.
The scope of history includes both human and nature.

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Though history excludes from its scope the study of nature and confines its attention to the story
of man’s evolution from humble beginnings to complex achievements, nature also comes within
the scope of history, if it has anything to do with man.
For, the rivers, hills, lakes, mountains, waterfalls and seas figure greatly in history in shaping the
man’s identity.
The scope of history also includes the study of economic and social change which is gaining
greater prominence.
# Appreciate history
# Its importance is immeasurable

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

The industrial revolution is the rapid department of industry that occurred in Britain in the late
18th and 18th centuries brought by the introduction of machinery.
It was characterized by the use of steam power, the growth of factories and the mass production
on manufactured goods.
This transition included mainly from land materials to machines, new chemical manufacturing
and iron production process, the increasing of water power, the development of machine tools
and the rise of mechanized factory system.
Agricultural societies became more industrialized and urban.
The trans-continental railroad, the cotton gin, electricity and other Inventions changed the world
permanently.
It began in Britain and spread to the rest of the world including USA, by the 1838s and 40s.
Modern historians often refer to this period as the 1st industrial revolution to set it apart from the
second industrial revolution / second period of industrialization that took place from the late 19th
to early 20th century and, and saw rapid growth advances in steel, electric and automobile
industries had begun.
Though many people had begun moving from rural areas to the city before the industrialized
world, this process accelerated dramatically with industrialization, and the rise of factories turned
smaller towns into major cities over the span of decades.
The 3rd industrial world also known as the digital revolution was dominated by digital inventions
both electro-mechanical and electronic, and eventually the internet.
A whole new industry developed and still developing today around information and technology.

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The latter part of the industrial revolution also saw key advances in communication methods, as
people increasingly saw the need to communicate effectively over long distances.
In 1837, British inventors William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented the first commercial
telegraphy system, even as Samuel Morse and other inventors worked on their own versions in
the United States.
Cooke and Wheatstone’s system was used for railroad signaling, as the speed of new trains had
created a need for more sophisticated means of communication.
In the decades to come, outrage over substandard working and living conditions would fuel the
formation of labor unions, as well as the passage of new child labor laws and public health
regulations in both Britain and the United States, all aimed at improving life for working class
and poor citizens who had been negatively impacted by the industrialization.

THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

The 4th industrial revolution is the current and developing environment in which disruptive
technologies and trends such the Internet of Things, Robotics, Virtual reality and Artificial
Intelligence are changing the way people work and live.
It uses large scale machines- to machine communication and the (Internet of Things) are
integrated for increased automation, improve communication and self –monitoring, and
production of smart machines that can analyze and diagnose issues without the need of human
intervention.
The 4th industrial worlds heralds a series of social, political, cultural, historical and economic
upheavals that will unfold the 21st century.
Building on the wide spread availability of digital technologies that were the result of the 3rd
industrial revolution/ digital revolution the 4th industrial revolution will be driven largely by the
convergence of digital, biological and physical innovations.
Industrial revolution’s application of science to mass production and manufacturing and the 3rd
industries revolution start into digitization, the 4th industrial revolutions technology, such as
artificial intelligence, genome editing, augmented reality, robotics and 3-D printing are rapidly
changing the way humans create, think, exchange and distribute value.
As occurred in the previous revolutions, this will profoundly transform institutions, industries as
well as individuals.
More importantly, this revolution will be guided by the choices that people make today.
The world in 50 to 100 years from now will owe a lot of its character to how we think, invest in
and deploy these powerful new technologies.

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THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN OUR LIVES

Digital technologies have advanced more rapidly than any other innovation in our history
reaching to 50% of the developing world’s population in only 2 decades and transforming
societies.
By enhancing connectivity, financial inclusion, access to trade and public services, technology
can be a great equalizer.
Technologies can help make our world fairer, more peaceful and just more.
Digital advances can support and accelerate achievement from ending poverty to reducing
maternal, infant mortality, promoting sustainable and decent work, and achieving universal
literacy.
Technologies can also threaten privacy, erod security and fuel inequality.
By their own unique nature, general- purpose technological revolutions are also highly
disruptive.
The Luddites of the early 19th century resisted and tried to destroy machines that rendered their
weaving skills, obsolete, even though the machines ushered in new skills and jobs.
Such disruption occurs precisely because the new technology is so flexible and pervasive.
Consequently, many benefits come not simply from adopting the technology, but adapting to the
technology.
The current technological revolution depends on computer, the technical backbone of the
internet, search engines and digital platforms.
Because of the lags involved in adapting to new processes, such as replacing traditional printing
with online publishing.
In the early stages of the revolutions, more and more resources are devoted to innovation and re-
organization whose benefits are realized only much later.

THE ROLE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY AS A SUBJECT IN THE 4TH

INDUSTRIAL WORLD

We live in this industrialized and very technological world where companies and individuals are
coming up with cutting edge inventions and groundbreaking innovations/ solutions.
We need to also understand that everything in the universe, every movement (revolution) has a
history like how did we reach to this point, who came up with the idea, when did it occur

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because we cannot say we want to contribute to the revolution if we do not even know how it
started and all those things.
Learning history in the 4th industrial world enable and helps us to have knowledge about the past
inventions and innovations that were made by the people who came before us.
Learning history helps us to find ways and solutions on how to make those certain inventions
better.
We do need to accept that history has helped with many things in the 4th industrial world like the
ability to intellect information that has been vast, some ascertain in a particular event of time,
how it happened and why.
History can enable us to challenge our minds and limits as our intellect, imaginations are way
limitless and therefore for some, it has been able to bring fun in the learning of history to explain
how certain events occurred and its impacts what necessitates to that.
It develops our way of thinking and to be able to decipher the meaning behind every reason of
occurrence and that is the success of it and this is the central understanding.
With the understanding of history, we are able to do provide hi- tech solutions and
groundbreaking inventions with the right knowledge of history and the right expertise.

CONCLUSION
Conclusively, the value of history cannot be underestimated, we do indeed need history in the
industrial world, it is a part of who we are, it is our identity.
We cannot live in the past, but we can definitely do better by learning from it and using the
lessons that we learnt to lead more meaningful lives.
With the understanding of history, we can do greater things like inventions in order to contribute
to the 4th industrial revolution, to the South African economy and to also rewrite history.
We can change this mindset that the other countries have about Africans that says we are useless
and meaningless but to also leave a legacy for next generations to look up to and follow.

#Nothing is important than taking up the space in the society

#Be proud of who your history and true identity
#Conquer the universe

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REFERENCES

1. Name of book: Writing for history

Authors: J. Lleweilyn and S.Thompson
Publisher: Alpha History
Date published: 2018/02/10
Place published: Australia
URL: https://aiphahistory-com/writingforhistory

2. Name of book: Lessons for history

Author: Earl.W Crisp
Publisher: PM WORLD Today
Date published: 2011/07/06
Place published: Canada
URL: https://lessonsforhistory.com

3. Article: Industrial revolution

Author: History.com editors
Publisher: A and E Television network
Date Published: 2009/10/29
Place published: South Africa Online
URL: https://www.historyofprojectmanagement.com

4. URL:https://www.britannica.com
5. URL:https://www.history.com
6. URL:htttps://www.whatis.techtarget.com
7. URL:https://dl.acm.org
8. URL:https://www.quora.com
9. URL:https://importantindia.com
10. URL:https://www.historydiscussion.net
11. URL:https://www.nordalingiaeducation.com
12. URL:https://www.academia.edu.com

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