Shin Chae-Ho (literary name: Danjae) was an intellectual who devoted his life to Korean independence movement as a historian. His study on Korean was not merely scholastic one but practical activities for Korean independence. Therefore, his historical recognition had changed along with his recognition on the idea and methodology of Korean independence movement. The most famous works in which his historical view was expressed systematically are Doksa Sillon written in The Daehan maeil sinbo, in 1908 and History of Choseon (published later as Choseon Sanggosa in a separate volume) in Chosunilbo in 1931. The former reflects his historical recognition prior to 1910. The latter shows his historical point of views after the mid-1920s respectively. In addition, The Fierce Strife between Two Dragons written in the late 1920s is a historical novel reflecting his independence movement line based on Direct Revolution by People.
In this paper, historical recognitions in both Doksa Sillon and Chosun Sanggosa are compared, and the difference between them is investigated. It concerns with the meaning of a nation and national history. Danjae had shifted his historical recognition from historical viewpoint based on Social Darwinism, which supported the stronger, to that of revolutionary historical viewpoint, which advocated the weak people. Danjae's historical novel The Fierce Strife between Two Dragons was written on historical viewpoint of people's revolution. . In the novel, the existing unified ruling class collapses under the 'curse' of the people, and the people's world comes to emerge.
Such a difference in the historical view kept pace with changes of Danjae's independence movement. In other words, since 1910, Danjae had stopped his gradualism line of National Enlightenment Movement based on Social Darwinism, and pushed forward the line of direct revolution by people. Its change was meant that he focused on a violent struggle against imperialism and ruling classes on the people's perspective. He defined history as a record of constant struggle between 'I' and 'Non-I' described in the general introduction of Chosun Sanggosa. His definition of history as a constant struggle is the expression about Direct Revolution by People. In this respect, the existing trend of research explaining that Danjae had solely had nationalistic historical viewpoint in the 1920s should be reexamined.