(1) Why do the African countries share straight borderlines?
Answer: Europeans who came to Africa in search of natural resources were divided on the mainland in the early 1900s. According to some consensus between European countries, the various African Americans sat alone to draw straight lines on the map.
(2.) What is Capitalism?
Answer: Capitalism is the economic system where the production and distribution are controlled by the capitalists with the aim to increase profit is known as Capitalism.
(3.) What is Colonization?
Answer: The European countries who already established trade relationships with Asian, African and Latin American nations. The European countries economically exploited these nations by using political power and military forces. Later on they became the colonies of European countries and this is Colonization.
(4.) Define imperialism?
Answer: i) Imperialism: A better economy is one of the features of financial capital in the colonies known as imperialism. Forcing the economic, political and cultural dominance of one country over another is a fundamental characteristic of the imperialist.
(5.) Why did the colonial masters start to invest capital in the colonies?
Answer: European countries considered colonies source of raw materials and the market for their industrial products. Main things which are available in the colonies are cheap labour, availability of raw materials and low cost of manufacturing and selling goods. European countries were imperial for colonies and European countries took advantage of each and every opportunity to put colonies backward and used poverty against colonies.
(6.) How imperialism affected the colonies?
Answer: Imperialism affected colonies in the many different ways below
i) Imperialism broke the traditional economic system of the colonies.
ii) European countries replaced the administrative and judicial system of colonies.
iii) Indigenous system of agriculture, cropping patterns changed according to Europeans to make them profit.
iv) Issues like poverty and unemployment increased in colonies.
v) Natural resources are exploited.
vi) Indigenous arts, literature, language, culture and education system was destroyed.
(7.) Which groups were formed in the First World War?
Answer: Two groups were formed in the First World War, first group was Triple Alliance where Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy were allied and second group was Triple Entente where England, France and Russia were together.
(8.) What is aggressive nationalism?
Answer: In aggressive nationalism it is considered that the own country is supreme and all actions whether good or bad are justified.
(9.) Write a note of different movements.
Answer: i) Pan-Slav Movement: Slavic people scattered in Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece etc in Eastern Europe Russia wanted to unite all of them and for that the Pan-Slav Movement arises.
ii) Pan-German Movement: This movement also united the Teutonic people in Central Europe and Balkan Provinces to show dominance.
iii) Revenge Movement: Alsace-Lorraine was under control of Germany and to get that territory back France formed a movement known as Revenge Movement.
(10.) What crisis European countries faced due to imperialism?
Answer: Moroccan Crisis and Balkan Crisis considered very important in history.
i) Moroccan Crisis: A secret treaty signed between Britain and France in 1904 and according to that treaty Britain recognized the claim of France over Morocco, that claim opposed by Germany and battleships were sent to Moroccan port, Agadir. France agreed to transfer a part of French Congo to Germany and Germany agreed to concede Morocco to France in return. This problem was solved temporarily but the rivalry continued.
ii) Balkan Crisis: Balkan was the part of the Ottoman Empire. Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro known as Balkan League defeated Turkey in 1912. All allied nations started fighting for the benefits of war and ended up with break-up and war among them.
(11.) What was the duration of the First World War?
Answer: The First World War started on 28th July 1914 and ended on 11 November 1918.
(12.) Note down the impacts of the First World War.
Answer: i) In the First World War more than 10 million people lost their lives or were injured in the war.
ii) Agriculture, industries and communications system destroyed.
iii) Due to war poverty, unemployment and inflation increased.
iv) Economic dominance of the European countries is reduced.
v) Liberation movements in Asia and Africa strengthened.
vi) The league of Nations was formed to bring peace in the world.
(13.) Where a peace conference was convened?
Answer: A peace conference was convened at Paris in 1919.
(14.) Why did the peace convention take place?
Answer: The peace convention took place to discuss the war situation under the leadership of Britain and France. Treaties with the defeated nations had been signed by winning allies. The Versailles Treaty with Germany was one of the most important treaties.
(15.) How the United States of America emerged as a new economic power outside Europe?
Answer: The United States of America was not affected by the war. The European nations got loans from America. Value of American dollar increased in comparison to British pound as the basis of foreign exchange holding thus America emerged as a new economic power outside Europe.
(16.) Write a note on ‘Black Thursday’.
Answer: Huge Stock market crash in New York Stock Exchange on 24th October 1929 is known as the ‘Black Thursday’. Increased unemployment, struggling agricultural sector, high debts, bank loans that are unable to liquidate assets caused stock market crash. Panicked investors rushed to sell their big amount of shares in the stock market.
(17.) How has economic depression affected America?
Answer: People became poorer and unable to afford any commodity which led to less demand, not having demand goods were kept unsold in factories. European nations failed to repay debts to the USA. Inflation became uncontrollable, banks collapsed and unemployment and poverty increased.
(18.) What strategy European nations adopted to overcome economic depression?
Answer: European nations imposed heavy taxes on the colonies. This crisis became a burden for the colonies.
(19.) What is ‘Fascism’?
Answer: ‘Fascism is the term derived from the Latin word ‘faces’ it means ‘a tied bundle of rods, with a protruding axe’. ‘Fascism’ was the symbol of collectivism and power in ancient Rome. When a person holds this collective power of people the person become fascist. Fascism is thinking of right wing ideology. Holding dictatorship, suppressing opposition forcefully are few characteristics of fascism.
(20.) What Benito Mussolini said about war?
Answer: Benito Mussolini said, “War is to man what maternity is to woman”. Mussolini wants to say that war is must for a man like giving birth to a child is a natural process for women. Likewise fighting war is also the nature of man and a man cannot avoid it.
(21.) What was the condition of Italy before the Fascist party came into power?
Answer: After the First World War, Italy left Triple Alliance and joined Triple Entente which is England, France and Russia. So Italy joined the winner’s group at last but even though Italy was the winner it was struggling with issues like post-war destruction of industries, unemployment, increase in tax, inflation etc. and common people were kept away from the government. Industrialists thought that Italy will become a socialist country and it will be tough to earn profit so they supported fascism which helped them set up industries in Italy.
(22.) How Mussolini caused another war?
Answer: Mussolini came into power and he chose very autocratic parameters in the political and economic sector. Mussolini led a violent government. Socialist, leaders of labourers and common people became anti-national. People who opposed the Fascist party were executed. Mussolini wanted to restore the ancient Roman Empire and he chose that kind of symbol and used it in his administration. Mussolini conquered nations like Ethiopia, Albania etc. because of his aggressive foreign policy and at his dictatorship caused the outbreak of another war.
(23.) Who murdered on the street of Italy for openly speaking against Mussolini and Fascism?
Answer: Matteotti, a socialist thinker of Italy murdered on the street of Italy for openly speaking against Mussolini and Fascism.
(24.) Who was executed in the government of Hitler?
Answer: Socialists, Communists, Jews, and Democrats were executed by Hitler’s government.
(25.) Why Jews were killed?
Answer: Hitler held the Jews responsible for Germany’s ruin and humiliation. Jews were massacred enmasse in specially built concentration camps, known as Holocaust.
(26.) Who was in charge of assaulting and massacring the Jews?
Answer: A military force known as ‘Brown Shirts’ and a secret police troop known as ‘Gestapo’ were in charge of assaulting and massacring the Jews.
(27.) Who was Chempakaraman Pillai?
Answer: Chempakaraman Pillai was an activist and revolutionary. He was foreign minister of the provisional government of India set up in Kabul under Raja Mahendra Pratap. He was the only foreign member of Pan German Nationalist party. He raised his views against Hitler and Nazi party so his assets were confiscated and he is killed on command of Hitler.
(28.) What Hitler Projected?
Answer: Hitler projected the concept of purity. He was thinking that Aryan is the pure race and Aryans should rule the world. According to Hitler, Aryans were the ancestors of the Germans.
(29.) When the Second World started and when it ended?
Answer: The Second World War started in 1939 and ended in 1945.
(30.) How the Second World War started?
Answer: After the First World War victorious nations shared the colonies of the defeated nations and Germany and Italy were not having any market or colony and to increase market Italy and Germany started to attack weak nations. Italy, Germany and Japan formed an alliance known as Axis Powers. Britain, France and China also formed an alliance known as Allied Powers. Later On USA and Soviet Union also joined Allied Powers.
(31.) What is the Munich Pact?
Answer: Munich Pact took place on 30 September 1938 at Munich, Germany. When Hitler claimed over the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia the representatives of Britain, France, Germany and Italy met in the German city of Munich and approved the claim of Germany without consent of Czechoslovakia. This was the strategy to avoid the war but war happened anyway.
(32.) What is known as the Policy of Appeasement?
Answer: When any policy encourages the Fascist attacks is known as the Policy of Appeasement.
(33.) What was a Non-Aggression Pact?
Answer: Germany and Soviet Union signed a Pact in 1939 for not attacking each other and Poland will be parted. This pact ended when Germany attacked Soviet Union in 1941.
(34.) Note down the similarities between First World War and Second World War.
Answer: There were many similarities between the First World War and the Second World War. First thing highlighted are the groups of nations. There was nationalism which Germany used to spread heat against Jews, there was imperialism and militarism. War caused huge amounts of loss.
(35.) Write a short note on the Pearl Harbour attack.
Answer: Attack on Pearl Harbour by Japan caused the entry of America in the Second World War. Pearl Harbour was one of the American naval bases and Japan was having economic interest in the countries of the Pacific regions and this act of Japan caused entry of America in the Second World War.
(36.) How the Second World War ended?
Answer: When Soviet Union and America entered in the Second World War Italy and Germany surrendered. People from the local party killed Mussolini. Hitler committed suicide. Soviet army moved towards Japan through trans-Siberia. Before Soviet army reached Japan, America dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. First atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945 named ‘Little Boy’ and second atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki on 9th August 1945 named ‘Fat Man’. This is how the Second World War ended.
(37.) What is ‘Hibakusha’?
Answer: The people who survived the bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are known as Hibakusha. Hibakusha means the people affected by the explosion. Still there are survivors of the bombing and struggling with the radiation effect of the bomb.
(38.) What are the consequences of the Second World War?
Answer: Like the First World War, the Second World War also caused big loss of over 10 million people. Economic condition of European countries deteriorated. No European country was in a condition to dominate other countries. In Asia and Africa, where colonies existed there freedom movements became more intense. America and Soviet Union became new power. To maintain world peace the United Nations Organization (UNO) is established.
(39.) Who was Anne Frank?
Answer: Anne Frank is a famous person from Germany. She was famous for her diary in which she has documented the days of her life in annex when the Second World War was going on.
(40.) When the United Nations Organization was established?
Answer: United Nations Organization was established on 24th October 1945.
(41.) Where is the headquarters of UNO?
Answer: The headquarter of UNO is in New York, America.
(42.) What is Decolonization?
Answer: After the Second World War European dominance was questioned and reduced. The United States of America and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were newly emerged powers and they supported freedom movements in European colonies. Decolonization is the process where European countries secured freedom from imperialist control.
(43.) Name the leaders fought for freedom.
Answer: Nelson Mandela from South Africa, Quami Nkrumah from Ghana, Mahatma Gandhi from India and Jomo kenyatta from Kenya were few of the freedom fighters.
(44.) Who used the word ‘Cold war’ first?
Answer: American economist Bernard Baruch used the word ‘Cold war’ first.
(45.) What is ‘Cold war’?
Answer: ‘Cold war’ is a difference of ideologies. The United States of America and United Soviet Socialist Republic both are anti-fascist but both were having different ideologies. The USA was following capitalism whereas the USSR was following socialist ideology. This ideological conflict and diplomatic confrontations are known as ‘Cold War’. Group of countries based on these ideologies are known as Capitalist Bloc and Socialist Bloc.
(46.) What is non-aligned movement?
Answer: Non-aligned movement is nothing but accepting neutrality when there are power blocs like the USA which is capitalist and The USSR which is socialist. Many countries decided not to join any of them and be neutral.
(47.) When the first conference of non-aligned movement was held?
Answer: The first conference of non-aligned movement was held in 1961 in Belgrade.
(48.) What is the Balfour Declaration?
Answer: The territory including Palestine was part of the Turkish Empire until the First World War. When Turkey was defeated in the war Britain took over the region. Jew helped Britain in the war so then British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour declared the establishment of a Jewish nation in West Asia as a reward. This declaration is known as the Balfour Declaration.
(49.) What is Zionism?
Answer: Zionism is an international movement with as objective of the establishment of a homeland for the Jews.
(50.) Who founded Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) movement?
Answer: Yasser Arafat founded Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) movement.
(51.) What is the Oslo Pact?
Answer: After the formation of Israel in 1948 many wars broke out between Israel and the Arab nations. Israel seized Palestine and the Palestinian refugees migrated to various Arab countries. To establish a nation for the Palestinians Yasser Arafat formed a movement known as Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). After a lot of massacres Israel agreed to recognize Palestine as a free nation and the Oslo Pact was signed in 1993 where the US was the mediator.
(52.) What strategy Arab nations adopted to resolve the Palestine issue?
Answer: West Asia controls almost half of the world’s total oil reservoir so they have formed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). To resolve Palestine issue Arab countries reduced oil production and hiked the petrol prices.
(53.) What led to disintegration of the Soviet Union?
One of the significant events of the USSR is disintegration of the Soviet Union. There were some reasons due to this disintegration that took place.
i) The administrative measures of Mikhai Gorbachev (Glasnost and Perestroika)
ii) Departion from the basic principles of socialism.
iii) Increased corruption and inefficient bureaucracy.
iv) Failing to improve the economic sector.
(54.) What is the Unipolar World?
Answer: While emerging as a global power and the centre of world politics America stayed away from Soviet Union this is known as unipolar world order.
(55.) What is neo-imperialism?
Answer: Neo-imperialism means to interfere and dominate other countries in economic, social and cultural sectors and serving capitalist countries. International companies registered in the country. When multinational companies work in many countries, start investing for social and local culture to benefit the countries of the capital. This is known as neoimperialism.
(56.) Explain the concepts of new imperialism.
Answer: There are three concepts of new imperialism, liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation.
i) Liberalisation: Liberalisation means to adopt liberal regulations and taxation systems which will help to facilitate the import of multinational products to domestic markets.
ii) Privatisation: When private sector control over public sector and promote private sector is known as Privatisation.
iii) Globalisation: When the global economy starts to show impact on a country’s economy is considered a global economy. In the global economy multinational companies remain protected. When globalisation increases the competition also increases. Production of goods, services, raw materials, capital, latest technology and human resources all takes place globally and increases the market.
(57.) Name the organizations which were making and executing policies in favour of globalization?
Answer: World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization are some of the organizations which were making and executing policies in favour of globalization.
(58.) What challenges developing countries were facing due to globalization?
Answer: Following challenges developing countries faced due to globalization
i) The concept of nation state is challenged with the multinational companies.
ii) Indigenous culture started to wipe out.
iii) Due to global mobility of agricultural products, the price of agricultural products dropped.
iv) Public sector is losing importance due to control of the private sector or destruction.
v) Government started backing out from social service sectors.
vi) Natural resources were being exploited.
