TEAM PRABHAT

Prabhat Prakashan

 Information contained in the work has been obtained by Prabhat Paperbacks, from sources believed to be reliable. However,

neither Prabhat Paperbacks nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein, and neither Prabhat Paperbacks nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of use of this information. This work is published with the understanding that Prabhat Paperbacks and its authors are supplying information but are not attempting to render engineering or other professional services.

 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

 All disputes are subject to Delhi jurisdiction only.

Publisher

PRABHAT PRAKASHAN

4/19 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi–110 002 Ph. 23289555 • 23289666 • 23289777 • Helpline/ 7827007777 e-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.prabhatexam.com © Reserved

FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE GUIDE FOR NTSE by Team Prabhat Published by PRABHAT PRAKASHAN 4/19 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi–110 002

CONTENTS HISTORY...................................................................................................................................1-60 1. The Making of Global World............................................................................................................................. 3 2. The French and Russian Revolutions................................................................................................................ 9 3. Nazism and the Rise of Hitler.......................................................................................................................... 14 4. Forest Society and Colonialism....................................................................................................................... 17 5. Modern World: Pastoralists, Peasants and Farmers......................................................................................... 21 6. Sports and Clothing......................................................................................................................................... 26 7. Nationalism in Europe..................................................................................................................................... 31 8. The Nationalist Movement in Indo-China........................................................................................................ 36 9. Nationalism in India......................................................................................................................................... 39 10. Global World and Industrialisation.................................................................................................................. 45 11. Work, Life and Leisure.................................................................................................................................... 49 12. Print Culture and the Modern World............................................................................................................... 53 13. Novels, Society and History............................................................................................................................ 57

GEOGRAPHY............................................................................................................................1-44 1. India: Physical Features..................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Drainage and Climate........................................................................................................................................ 7 3. Natural Vegetation, Wild Life and Resources...................................................................................................... 12 4. Population........................................................................................................................................................ 16 5. Resources for Human Needs............................................................................................................................ 19

iv

6. Water Resources and Agriculture..................................................................................................................... 25 7. Minerals and Energy Resource........................................................................................................................ 31 8. Manufacturing Industries................................................................................................................................. 36 9. Lifelines of the National Economy.................................................................................................................. 40

ECONOMICS.............................................................................................................................1-28 1. Production of Goods and Services..................................................................................................................... 3 2. Human Resources.............................................................................................................................................. 5 3. Poverty – A Big Challenge................................................................................................................................. 7 4. Food Security in India...................................................................................................................................... 10 5. Development.................................................................................................................................................... 13 6. Sectors of the Indian Economy........................................................................................................................ 16 7. Money and Credit............................................................................................................................................ 20 8. Globalisation and the Indian Economy............................................................................................................ 23 9. Consumer Rights.............................................................................................................................................. 26

CIVICS.......................................................................................................................................1-50 1. Democracy in the Contemporary World............................................................................................................ 3 2. What is Democracy? Why Democracy?............................................................................................................ 7 3. Constitutional Design, Popular Struggles and Movements.............................................................................. 10 4. Electoral Politics.............................................................................................................................................. 15 5. Working of Institutions.................................................................................................................................... 19 6. Political Parties................................................................................................................................................ 23 7. Democratic Rights........................................................................................................................................... 27 8. Power Sharing.................................................................................................................................................. 31 9. Federalism........................................................................................................................................................ 35 10. Diversity in Society......................................................................................................................................... 40 11. Gender, Religion and Caste............................................................................................................................. 43 12. Challenges and Outcomes of Democracy......................................................................................................... 47

HISTORY Chapter in this sECTION 1. The Making of Global World

3

2. The French and Russian Revolutions

9

3. Nazism and the Rise of Hitler

14

4. Forest Society and Colonialism

17

5. Modern World: Pastoralists, Peasants and Farmers

21

6. Sports and Clothing

26

7. Nationalism in Europe

31

8. The Nationalist Movement in Indo-China

36

9. Nationalism in India

39

10. Global World and Industrialisation

45

11. Work, Life and Leisure

49

12. Print Culture and the Modern World

53

13. Novels, Society and History

57

3

The Making of Global World

1

The Making of Global World

Globalisation is not a new phenomenon, it has a long history. Movement of people, goods capital, etc. has been going on since old time mainly through trade, migration of those who were seeking better life. Most of the household items we are using are being manufactured by some multinational companies. These are influencing over hundreds of years along with the flow of ideas. They have developed because of flow of goods, flow of people as well gave us new words and new terminologies to communicate with. Note The Coke and Pepsi are from the US, the Hyundai is from Korea, Suzuki is from Japan selling cars under Maruti’s banner. The calculator have been manufactured in Taiwan, the English we use is mix of US, British and Indianised version of the original language. The whole economy, society and culture have been shaped by influences from the outer nations. Movement of people, goods and services across the nations has been termed as globalisation. Silk Routes Link the World: The silk routes were regarded as the most important route connected China to Europe as well linking the distant parts of the world. The name ‘silk routes’ points to the importance of Westbound Chinese silk cargoes along this route, over land and by sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia, and linking Asia with Europe and northern Africa. But Chinese pottery also travelled the same route, as did textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia. In return, precious metals – gold and silver – flowed from Europe to Asia. Trade and cultural exchange always went hand in hand. Early Christian missionaries almost certainly travelled this route to Asia, later did early Muslim preachers. Much before all Buddhism emerged from eastern India and spread along the silk routes. Food and Travels: Traders and travelers introduced new crops to the lands they travelled. As well ready foodstuff in distant parts of the world might share common origins like spaghetti and noodles/pasta. It is believed that noodles

travelled West from China to become spaghetti. The Arab traders took pasta to fifth century Sicily, an island now in Italy; similar foods were also known in India and Japan. Many of our common foods such as potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chilies, sweet potatoes, and so on were not known to our ancestors until about five centuries ago. Conquest, Disease and Trade: The Indian subcontinent was central to these flows and a vital point in their networks. The entry of the Europeans helped enlarge or redirect some of these flows towards Europe. Before its discovery America had been cut off from the rest of the world, but from the sixteenth century, its vast lands and abundant crops and minerals began to transform trade and lives everywhere. Precious metals like silver, from South America (mines located in present day Peru and Mexico) also enhanced Europe’s wealth and financed its trade with Asia. Legends spread in seventeenth century Europe about South America’s fabled wealth. These countries had strong fire power and army but the germs such as smallpox helped in the expansion. Smallpox in particular proved a deadly killer and deadly diseases were widespread. Because of their long isolation, America’s original inhabitants had no immunity against these diseases that came from Europe. The Portuguese and Spanish conquest and colonisation of America was decisively under way by the mid sixteenth century. Religious conflicts were common, and religious dissenters were persecuted. Thousands therefore fled Europe for America. Here, by the eighteenth century, plantations worked by slaves captured in Africa were growing cotton and sugar for European markets. Until well into the eighteenth century, China and India were among the world’s richest countries. Dramatic Changes in Nineteenth Century: The world changes profoundly in the nineteenth century as economics, political, social, cultural and technological and reshape external relations. Economists identify three types of movement or ‘flows’ within international economic exchanges.

4

The first is the flow of trade which in the nineteenth century referred largely to trade in goods, the second is the flow of labour (the migration of people) in search of employment and the third is the capital flow for short-term or long-term investments. All these were closely interwoven and affected people lives. Need of Food as Change Agent: From late eighteenth century population growth had increased the demand for food grains in Britain. The government even restricted the import of corn by framing the ‘Corn Laws’, under the pressure of landed groups. These laws restricted the free trade opposed by traders and industrialists hence abolished. The Nineteenth Century Economy: In Britain faster industrial growth also led to higher incomes, and therefore more food imports from the mid nineteenth century. To meet the British demand in Eastern Europe, Russia, America and Australia lands were cleared and food production expanded. It was not enough merely to clear lands for agriculture but for railways and the ports. New harbours had to be built and old ones expanded to ship the new cargoes. People had to settle on the lands to bring them under cultivation. Capital flowed from London financial centre, the demand for labour in places led to more migration where labour was in short supply in America and Australia. All over the world around 150 million left their homes, crossed oceans and vast distances over land in search of a better future accompanied by complex changes in labour movement patterns, capital flows and technology. Food no longer came from a nearby village or town, but from thousands of miles away. It was not grown by a peasant tilling own land, but by an agricultural worker, perhaps recently arrived, who was now working on a large farm that only a generation ago almost a forest. Role of Technology: The railways, steamships, the telegraph were important inventions to the transformed nineteenth century world. The mobile phone and internet in present world cannot be imagined without these two important tools of communication. Refrigeration provided an effective and cheaper way to ensure availability of meat products to Europe. Late Nineteenth Century: In the late nineteenth century trade flourished, markets expanded and increased the prosperity. In many parts of the world, the expansion of trade and a closer relationship with the world economy also meant a loss of freedoms and livelihoods. Late nineteenth century European

History

conquests produced many painful economic, social and ecological changes through which the colonised societies were brought into the world economy. Rinderpest or the Cattle Plague: In Africa, in the 1890s, a fast spreading disease of Rinderpest (cattle plague) had a terrifying impact on people’s livelihoods and the local economy. Inheritance laws were changed so that peasants were displaced from land. Only one member of a family was allowed to inherit land, as a result of which the others were pushed into the labour market. It reached the Cape of Africa’s 5 years later. Along the way cattle plague killed 90 percent of the cattle. Planters, mine owners and colonial governments now successfully monopolised what scarce cattle resources remained, to strengthen their power and to force Africans into the labour market. Control over the scarce resource of cattle enabled European colonisers to conquer and subdue Africa. Indentured Labour Migration from India: In the nineteenth century, millions of Indian and Chinese labourers went to work on plantations, in mines, and in road and railway construction projects around the world. The indentured labourers were hired under contracts which promised return travel after they had worked 5 years on their employer’s plantation. In the mid nineteenth century many changes forced to be migrated poor in search of work. The main destinations of Indian indentured migrants were Mauritius, Fiji and the Caribbean islands like Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname. Tamil migrants went to Ceylon and Malaya as closer distant. Indentured workers were also recruited by agents for tea plantations in Assam. Many migrants agreed to take up work hoping to escape poverty or oppression in their home villages. Sometimes agents even forcibly abducted less willing migrants. Nineteenth century indenture has been described as a ‘new system of slavery’ because of no legal rights, less wages and harsh conditions of workers. Chutney music created by Indo-Caribbean people, popular in Trinidad and Guyana, is another creative contemporary expression of the post indenture experience. These forms of cultural fusion are part of the making of the global world, where things from different places get mixed, lose their original characteristics and become something entirely new. Most indentured workers stayed on after their contracts ended, or returned to their new homes after a short spell in India. Consequently, there are large communities of people of Indian descent in these countries. From the 1900s India’s nationalist

The Making of Global World

leaders began opposing the system of indentured labour migration as abusive and cruel, therefore abolished in 1921. Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad: Shikaripuri Shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiars were amongst the many groups of bankers and traders who financed export agriculture in Central and Southeast Asia, using either their own funds or those borrowed from European banks. They used sophisticated system to transfer money over large distances, and even developed indigenous forms of corporate organisation. Indian traders and moneylenders also followed European colonisers into Africa. Hyderabadi Sindhi traders, however, endeavoured beyond European colonies. Indian Trade, Colonialism and the Global System: Historically, fine cottons produced in India were exported to Europe. With industrialisation, British cotton manufacture began to expand, and industrialists pressurised the government to restrict cotton imports and protect local industries. From the early nineteenth century, British manufacturers also began to seek overseas markets for their cloth. Excluded from the British market by tariff barriers, Indian textiles now faced stiff competition in other international markets. Exports from India declined from some 30 percent around 1800 to 15 percent by 1815. Indigo used for dyeing cloth was another important export for many decades. And opium shipments to China grew rapidly from the 1820s to become for a while India’s single largest export. Britain grew opium in India and exported it to China and, with the money earned through this sale; it financed its tea and other imports from China. Thus Britain had a ‘trade surplus’ with India. Britain used this surplus to balance its trade deficits with other countries – that is, with countries from which Britain was importing more than it was selling to. The Economy during First World War (1914–18): The First World War was a war like no other before. The fighting involved the world’s leading industrial nations which now harnessed the vast powers of modern industry to inflict the greatest possible destruction on their enemies. This war was thus the first modern industrial war. It saw the use of machine guns, tanks, aircraft, chemical weapons, etc. on a massive scale. To fight the war, millions of soldiers had to be recruited from around the world and moved to the frontlines on large ships and trains. The scale of death and destruction – 9 million dead and 20 million injured – was unthinkable before the industrial age, without the use of industrial arms.

5

Entire societies were also reorganised for war – as men went to battle, women stepped in to undertake jobs that earlier only men were expected to do. The war led to the snapping of economic links between some of the world’s largest economic powers which were now fighting each other to pay for them. So, Britain borrowed large sums of money from US banks as well as the US public. Thus the war transformed the US from being an international debtor to an international creditor. After the war Britain found it difficult to recapture its earlier position of dominance in the Indian market, and to compete with Japan internationally. Moreover, to finance war expenditures Britain had borrowed liberally from the US. This meant that at the end of the war Britain was burdened with huge external debts. The war had led to an economic boom, that is, to a large increase in demand, production and employment. When the war boom ended, production contracted and unemployment increased. Eastern Europe was a major supplier of wheat in the world market. When this supply was disrupted during the war, wheat production in Canada, America and Australia expanded dramatically. But once the war was over, production in Eastern Europe revived and created a glut in wheat output. Rise of Mass Production and Consumption: One important feature of the US economy of the 1920s was mass production. The move towards mass production had begun in the late nineteenth century, but in the 1920s it became a characteristic feature of industrial production in the US. A well-known pioneer of mass production was the car manufacturer Henry Ford. He adapted the assembly line of a Chicago slaughterhouse (in which slaughtered animals were picked apart by butchers as they came down a conveyor belt) to his new car plant in Detroit. He realised that the ‘assembly line’ method would allow a faster and cheaper way of producing vehicles. The assembly line forced workers to repeat a single task mechanically and continuously – such as fitting a particular part to the car – at a pace dictated by the conveyor belt. As a result, Henry Ford’s cars came off the assembly line at 3 minutes intervals, a speed much faster than 0074hat achieved by previous methods. The T Model Ford was the world’s first mass produced car. Mass production lowered costs and prices of engineered goods.

History

6

Car production in the US rose from 2 million in 1919 to more than 5 million in 1929. Similarly, there was a spurt in the

Bank and the IMF designed to meet the financial needs of the industrial countries those were not equipped to cope with the

purchase

radios,

challenge of poverty and lack of development. Whereas Europe

gramophone players, all through a system of ‘hire purchase’ (i.e., on credit repaid in weekly or monthly installments). In

and Japan rapidly rebuilt their economies, they grew less dependent on the IMF and the World Bank. Hence from the

1923, the US resumed exporting capital to the rest of the world and became the largest overseas lender.

late 1950s the Bretton Woods institutions began to shift their attention more towards developing countries.

Rebuilding of a World Economy: Post World War II The US’s emergence as the dominant economic, political and

Even after many years of decolonisation, the former colonial powers still controlled vital resources such as minerals and

military powers in the Western world as well the dominance of the Soviet Union these two crucial influences shaped

land in many of their former colonies. The most developing countries did not simultaneously benefited from the fast growth

postwar reconstruction. It sacrificed a lot to defeat Nazi Germany, and transformed from a backward agricultural

the Western economies experienced in the 1950s and 1960s. Therefore they organised themselves as a group – the Group of 77

country into a world power when the capitalist world was trapped in the Great Depression.

(or G77) – to demand a New International Economic Order (NIEO).

Postwar Settlement and the Bretton Woods Institutions: The industrial society based on mass production cannot be

Rise of Multinational Corporations (MNCs): The worldwide spread of MNCs was a notable feature of the 1950s and 1960s.

sustained without mass consumption and a country’s economic links with the outside world. But to ensure mass consumption,

Because of the high import tariffs imposed by different governments and also forced MNCs to locate their

there was a need for high and stable incomes. These two key lessons from interwar economic experiences drew the

manufacturing operations and become ‘domestic producers’ in as many countries as possible.

of

refrigerators,

washing

machines,

economists and politicians. The main aim of the postwar international economic system

End of Bretton Woods and the Beginning of ‘Globalisation’: Despite years of stable and rapid growth, not

was to preserve economic stability and full employment in the industrial world. Its framework was agreed upon at the United

all was well in this postwar world. From the 1960s the rising costs of its overseas involvements weakened the US’s finances

Nations Monetary and Financial Conference held in July 1944 at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA.

and competitive strength. This eventually led to the collapse of the system of fixed exchange rates and the introduction of a system of floating

The Bretton Woods conference established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with external surpluses and

exchange rates. This led to periodic debt crises in the developing world, and

deficits of its member nations. The IMF and the World Bank are referred to as the Bretton Woods institutions or sometimes

lower incomes and increased poverty, especially in Africa

the Bretton Woods twins. The postwar international economic system is also often described as the Bretton Woods system.

From the late 1970s MNCs started shifting of production

The IMF and the World Bank commenced financial operations in 1947. The US has an effective right of veto over key IMF and World Bank decisions.

and Latin America. operations to low wage Asian countries. China had been cut off from the postwar world economy since its revolution in 1949. But new economic policies in China and the collapse of the

Decolonisation and Independence: When the Second World

Soviet Union and Soviet style communism in Eastern Europe brought many countries back into the fold of the world

War ended, large parts of the world were still under European colonial rule. Over the next two decades most colonies in Asia

economy. China and Brazil have undergone rapid economic transformation. In the last two decades the world’s economic

and Africa emerged as free, independent nations. The World

geography has been transformed as countries such as India.

7

The Making of Global World

Multiple Choice Questions 1.

2.

3.

4.

Globalisation does not involve which one of the following: a. Rapid integration between countries. b. More good and services moving between countries. c. Increased taxes on imports. d. Movement of people between countries for jobs, education etc. Who were the first Europeans to conquer America? a. The French b. The Portuguese c. The Spanish d. The Germans What were the Corn Laws? a. They were passed by the British Government to restrict the import of corn b. They were passed by the British Government to restrict the export of corn c. They were passed by the French Government to export corn to Canada d. They were passed by the America to import corn from other countries Which one of the following countries did not try to expand food production to meet the British demand? a. Eastern Europe b. Russia c. America d. Japan

10. Which one country was not a part of Central Powers in the First World War? a. Germany b. Austria-Hungary c. Turkey d. USA 11. When did the Great Depression begin? a. In 1929 b. In 1930 c. In 1931 d. In 1932 12. Which one country was not a part of the Axis Powers in the Second World War (1939–1945)? a. Russia b. Germany c. Japan d. Italy 13. Which one country was not a part of the Allies Powers in the Second World War? a. Great Britain b. France c. Germany d. USA 14. In which one of the following years Great Depression occurred in the word? a. 1929–30 b. 1935–36 c. 1939–40 d. 1941–42 15. Which one of the following groups of the countries was known as the ‘Central Powers’ in Europe? a. Germany, Russia and France b. Russia, Germany and Britain c. Germany, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman-Turkey d. None of the above

5.

Up to the 18th century, which two countries among the following were the richest countries of the world? a. India b. Turkey c. South Africa d. China

6.

Which new invention made it possible to transport perishable foods over long distances? a. Gun Powder b. Refrigerated Ship c. Compass d. Bombs

16. What does the ‘Silk route’ refer to? a. Present-day West Asia b. West-bound Chinese silk cargoes c. Introduction of humble potato d. Both (a.) and (b.)

7.

Where was the Chutney music popular? a. China b. Japan c. North America d. South America

17. Which was the tabled city of gold? a. Peru b. Mexico c. El Dorado d. Spain

8.

What is Rinderpest? a. A cattle disease in Africa b. A cattle disease in China c. A cattle disease in USA d. A cattle disease in Russia

18. Which fatal disease’s germ was carried by European migrants to America? a. Cholera b. Smallpox c. Chicken pox d. Pneumonia

9.

Which one of the following countries was a part of the Allies in First World War (1914–1916)? a. Britain b. France c. U.S.A d. Japan

19. What ‘technology’ helped in transporting perishable goods? a. Refrigerated aircrafts b. Refrigerated railways c. Refrigerated ships d. Both (a.) and (b.)

History

8

20. Which disease spread like wild fire in Africa in the 1890s? a. Cattle plague b. Smallpox c. Pneumonia d. None of these 21. What was ‘Hosay’? a. Religious custom c. Festival

b. Annual procession d. Sea route

27. Who was Sir Henry Morton Stanley? a. Journalist b. Scientist c. Author d. Industrialist

22. Which food travelled west from China to be called ‘Spaghetti’? a. Soya b. Groundnuts c. Potato d. Noodles

28. What did ‘indentured labour’ mean? a. Cheap labour b. Free labour c. Bonded labourer d. None of these

23. The pioneer of mass production is: a. John Winthrop b. Sir Henry Morton Stanley c. Henry Ford d. None of these

29. Where was the ‘Chutney Music’ popular? a. Fiji b. Trinidad c. Guyana d. Both (b.) and (c.)

24. How long did the ‘Great Depression’ last? a. One year b. Two and a half years c. One and a half year d. None of these

30. Which movement was launched during the height of depression (1931)? a. Civil Disobedience Movement b. Swadeshi Movement c. Quit India Movement d. None of these

25. Name the ‘axis powers’ of the Second World War. a. Germany, Britain, France b. France, Soviet, US c. Germany, Japan, Italy d. US, Japan, Italy 26. What was the Bretton Woods system? a. Postwar Military System b. Postwar International Economic System c. Postwar Political System d. None of these

ANSWERS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

c

b

a

d

a

b

d

a

d

d

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

a

a

c

a

c

b

c

b

c

a

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

b

d

c

c

c

b

a

c

d

a

The French and Russian Revolutions

2 In the late 18th century in France the society was divided into three estates. The first estate was the clergy, the second estate was the nobility and the third estate comprised businessmen, lawyers, merchants, peasants and artisans. The nobility enjoyed feudal privileges like feudal dues, extracted from the peasants and they did not pay any taxes. The burden of taxes fell on the poor. They also paid feudal taxes like taille and tithes. A middle class was emerging which was influenced by philosophers like Montesquieu, Rousseau and John Locke. Note In the decade full of turmoil, fear and tension that was the French Revolution, the people of France began to reform the French government. The Revolution began because French leaders were unable to provide stability to the populace of France at the time. During all this time almost continually France is at war for close to 10 years. The objective of a Revolution is to overthrow an existing government, and set up a strong lasting constitution, and an efficient governmental system and this was not meet in the French Revolution. The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917 was initiated by millions of people who would change the history of the world as we know it. When Czar Nicholas II dragged 11 million peasants into World War I, the Russian people became discouraged with their injuries and the loss of life they sustained. The country of Russia was in ruins, ripe for revolution. The Outbreak of the Revolution The French Government was an absolute monarchy and its ruler Louis XVI was extravagant and drove France into useless wars, bringing the country to bankruptcy. The French Parliament called Estates General had not been called for the last 175 years. The administration was corrupt, disorganised and inefficient. Consequences The powers of the monarch were limited by the National Assembly which drafted a constitution in 1791. A clear demarcation of three organs of the Govt. Legislature, Executive and Judiciary making France a constitutional monarchy.

The French and Russian Revolutions

9

A declaration of the rights of man and citizen adopted by the constitution; Soon France became a republic. The king was beheaded during the period of the Jacobins. Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France and was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. Women and the Revolution Women were active participants but were denied equal rights as men. They soon started their own political clubs and newspapers. They wanted same political rights as men, i.e., right to vote, to be elected to the assembly and to hold political office. Women get right to vote in 1946. Abolition of Slavery: An acute shortage of labour in the French Caribbean colonies, so a triangular slave trade between Europe, America and Africa in the 17th century; The Convention of 1974 freed slaves in French overseas possessions. Ten years later slavery was reintroduced by Napoleon and finally abolished in 1848. Revolution in Everyday Life Censorship abolished and mass media openly discussed events and changes in France. New reforms in education, administration and judiciary; Ideas of liberty and democratic rights – a very important legacy of the French Revolution. French Revolution inspired many other people around the world. Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution: In 1917, two revolutions swept through Russia, ending centuries of imperial rule and setting in motion political and social changes that would lead to the formation of the Soviet Union. In March, growing civil unrest, coupled with chronic food shortages, erupted into open revolt, forcing the abdication of Nicholas II (1868–1918), the last Russian czar. Just months later, the newly installed provisional government was itself overthrown by the more radical revolutionary party. Though the Revolution of 1905 had failed to overthrow Czarism in Russia, it had paved the way for the Revolution of 1917. The Revolution of 1905 acted as a ‘Dress Rehearsal’ for the Revolution of 1917. By April 1918, the Bolsheviks (Communists) were fully saddled in power. The Communist Government Nationalised

History

10

most of the industries and the bank in November, 1917 and took over their ownership and management. Economy and Society 85% of Russian population was agriculturist; Industry was the private property of industrialists and workers were divided into social groups. Russian Orthodox Church and the nobility owned a lot of land. Influence of Socialism Social Democratic Workers Party formed in 1898 by followers of Karl Marx. Socialist Revolutionary Party formed in 1900 put forward peasant’s rights and wanted transfer of land from nobles to peasants. The party was also divided into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks based on strategy and organization.

strike and on Sunday Feb 25, government suspended the Duma leading to protests and demonstrations. Police Headquarters ransacked and people shouted slogans about bread, wages, better hours and democracy; Striking workers gathered to form a ‘Soviet or’ council’-the Petrograd Soviet. Tsar abdicated and Soviet and Duma leaders formed a provisional government. Russia’s future was to be decided by a constituent assembly elected on the basis of universal adult franchise after February. Army officials, landowners and industrialists were influential in provisional government. Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia after exile; Vladimir Lenin put forward his three demands in ‘April Theses’, i.e., an end to the war, land to the tiller, and nationalisation of banks. October Revolution and its After Effects

Revolution of 1905 Russia was an autocracy; 1904 was a bad year where prices rose and wages declined. Workers associations came up and membership increased. A massive strike of 110,000 workers in St. Petersburg demanding 8-hour conditions where 100 killed and 300 injured on ‘Bloody Sunday’. This started the 1905 Revolution. Strikes all over the country by students, lawyers, doctors, engineers and other middle class workers who established the Union of Unions demanding a constituent assembly. Duma was created as a result but the Tsar dismissed it in 75 days. New Duma was full of conservatives and the liberals and revolutionaries were kept out.

Conflict between the provisional government and Bolsheviks grew and a military revolutionary committee was appointed to seize power. On October 24 the military revolutionary committee took control of the city, government officers and many members arrested. A majority approved the Bolshevik action in a meeting of the All Russian Congress of Soviets; By December the Bolsheviks controlled the Moscow-Petrograd areas Change after October. Industry and banks were nationalised and use of title was banned. Constitution of 1918: Lenin promulgated a new constitution in

Initially people supported the Tsar entering in the World

the same year. It gave the right to vote to the workers and the revolutionaries but denied this privilege to the clergy, nobility

War.

and most of the middle class. Every city and every district were

Tsar refused to consult the Duma and became very

to elect a Soviet or Council of workmen. These local soviets chose delegates to represent them in the provincial soviets. The

World War-I and Russia

unpopular. Russians lost badly as they were ill-equipped and unprepared and 7 million Russians died, crops and buildings destroyed. Affected the industry also leading to labour shortage, scarcity of bread and flour. Soldiers did not want to fight and people were also against of war. February Revolution in Petrograd and its After Effects Winter of 1917 was a tough winter with many food shortages; On Feb 22 workers of 50 factory outlets went on

provincial soviets elected the ‘All Russia Congress of Soviets’ which was invested with supreme powers. A central executive committee which was responsible to the National Congress made law and appointed ministers (called Commissars). The supremacy of the proletariat (working class) was strengthened by organising an army of working class and the establishment of a judicial system, which would be of service in crushing the anti-Bolsheviks. In 1923, a new constitution was adopted in Russia. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

11

The French and Russian Revolutions

Important Dates in History Louis XVI becomes king of France, faces 1774 empty treasury and growing discontent within society of the Old Regime. Convocation of Estates General, Third 1789 Estate forms National Assembly, the Bastille is stormed, and peasants revolt in the countryside. A Constitution is framed to limit the powers 1791 of the king and to guarantee basic rights to all human beings. France becomes a republic, the king is 1792–93 beheaded. Overthrow of the Jacobin republic, a Directory rules France. The period is referred to as the Reign of 1793–94 Terror. Napoleon becomes emperor of France, 1804

annexes large parts of Europe. Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo. 1815 1850s–1880s Debates take place over socialism in Russia Socialists form an international body, 1870s namely, the Second International. Formation of the Russian Social Democratic 1898 Workers Party. The Bloody Sunday and the Revolution of 1905 1905; Socialists and trade unionists formed a Labour Party in Britain and a Socialist Party in France. Tsar Nicholas II rules Russia and its empire, 1914 First World War begins. 2nd March – Abdication of the Czar or Tsar. 1917 The Civil War. 1918-20 Formation of Comintern. 1919 Beginning of Collectivisation. 1929

Multiple Choice Questions 1.

2.

3.

On what charges was Louis XVI guillotined? a. misgovernance b. cruelty c. treason d. absolute rule ‘Bastille’ stands for a. name of a book b. name of an author c. a commander who tortured criminals d. a fortress prison Which French philosopher refuted the divine rights of kings? a. Maximilien Robespierre b. Jean Jacques Rousseau c. Montesquieu d. John Locke

9.

In the ‘Spirit of the Laws’, Montesquieu proposed a. A division of powers between the King and the Church b. A division of powers between men and women c. A division of powers between three organs of the Govt. d. A division of powers between the King and the peasants

10. The Estates General was a. The Commander in Chief of the army b. Another name of The King of France c. A group of women who demonstrated on the streets d. A political body to which the three estates of the estates of the French society sent their representatives 11. In France ‘guillotine’ referred to a system of a. beheading a person b. rewarding a person c. taxing a person d. punishing a person

4.

The Revolution in France established a. monarchy b. republic c. dictatorship d. oligarchy

5.

‘Tithe’ was a tax collected from the French peasants by a. The Emperor b. The Church c. The Nobles d. The Army

6.

Direct tax to the state was called a. tithes b. taille c. liwani

d. livres

12. The event which led to the French Revolution of 1789 was a. People protesting against the church b. People protesting against the high price of food c. People protesting against lack of employment d. People protesting against rising prices of real estate

7.

The revolutionaries in France stormed which prison? a. Versailles b. Marseilles c. Bastille d. Ruschritz

13. Who were the French middle class? a. Peasants b. Artisans c. Nobles d. Educated professionals

8.

By whom was Social Contract written? a. Voltaire b. Rousseau c. Adam Smith d. Gorky

14. Who crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804? a. Napoleon b. Louis XVI c. Robespierre d. Jacobin