An Assessment on History and Historiography in our World of Thought in the Second Constitutional Period

Discussions on the history essence have growingly maintained their importance for years. This essence which is researched by philosophy of history and historical methods make serious contribution for modern social sciences by examining various disputes between history and science, history and arts, history and literature. History played an active role for the progress of civilization by means of the improvement of social sciences in the nineteenth and the twentieth century. Transition from heroes and dynasty-centred historical method to state, nation, people, culture and mentality centred historical method caused the evaluation of the past in different styles. This change which influenced the history essence also evolved history as a unique social science. Our historiography undoubtedly has been affected by this progress for years. Even though historiography has various problems in Turkey the Turkish historians have swiftly followed conspicuous arguments in the West since the nineteenth century. This progress which began with Ahmet Cevdet and Namik Kemal experienced a critical turning point in the Second Constitutional Period (1908-1918). Augmentation of the magazine variety in the Second Constitutional Period left a rich legacy to New Republic about content of the historiography. History and science, civilization and history, moral and history, society and history, statistics and history, regimentation and writing of document, reality in history, distortion, chronicles, objectivity, subjectivity and so forth were evaluated in the magazines of the Second Constitutional Period by thinkers and historians including Fuat Koprulu, Ahmet Suayp, Gabriel Monod, Celal Nuri, Mehmet Zekeriya as well as Ziya Gokalp.