A-Level History: Core Concepts & Terms

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Primary Source

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An artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under study. It serves as an original source of information about the topic.

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Secondary Source

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A source that analyzes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources. These include scholarly books, articles, and documentaries created by historians who did not witness the events firsthand.

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Causation in History

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The relationship between cause and effect in historical events. It involves identifying the factors (causes) that led to a particular event and the results (consequences) that followed it.

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Historical Significance

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The importance assigned to an event, person, or development. Historians judge significance based on impact, profundity (how deeply people were affected), quantity, and enduring relevance.

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Historiography

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The study of the writing of history and of historical methods. It examines how different interpretations of the past have changed over time due to new evidence or changing social contexts.