10th SOCIAL SCIENCE
INSIDE BLUE BOX QUESTIONS
Outbreak of World War I and Its Aftermath
1. A trust is an industrial organisation engaged in the production or distribution of any
commodity. The trust would possess adequate control over the supply and price of that
commodity to its own advantage.
2. Trench Warfare: Trenches or ditches dug by troops enabled soldiers to safely stand and
protect themselves from enemy fire. The main lines of trenches were connected to each
other and to the rear by a series of linking trenches through which food, ammunition, fresh
troops, mail, and orders were delivered.
3. President Wilson laid down his Fourteen Points, which were to be followed by the Allies.
The most important one he highlighted was the need for ‘a general association of nations
for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial
integrity to great and small states like’.
4. The revolutionary Tamil poet Bharathiyar cheerfully welcomed the revolution in Russia by
penning these poetic lines….. The Mother Great, the Power supreme, Turned her glance
benign towards Russia, The Revolution of the Age, Behold the wonder, rises high The tyrant
howling falls down limp, The shoulders of the heavenly gods, Are swelling now with joy and
pride, Eyes hot with unshed tears, the demons, Perish. O people of the world, Behold this
mighty change!
5. Pravda is a Russian word meaning “Truth”. It was the official newspaper of the Communist
Party of the Soviet Union from 1918 to 1991.
6. Lenin was born in 1870 near the Middle Volga to educated parents. Influenced by the ideas
of Karl Marx, Lenin believed that the way for freedom was through mass action. Lenin
gained the support of a small majority (bolshinstvo), known as Bolsheviks, which became
the Bolshevik Party. His opponents, in minority (menshinstvo), were called Mensheviks.
The World between Two World Wars
1. Gold Standard is a monetary system where a country’s currency or paper
money carried a value directly linked to gold.
2. Fascism is a form of radical authoritarian ultra-nationalism, characterised
by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong
regimentation of society and of the economy, which came to prominence
in early 20th-century Europe. –Wikipedia.
3. Social Democratic Party was founded as the General German Workers
Association on 23 May 1863 in Leipzig.
Founder was Ferdinand Lassalle. German elites of the late 19th century
considered the very existence of a socialist party a threat to the security
and stability of the newly unified Reich, and so Bismark outlawed this party
from 1878 to 1890.
However, in 1945, with the fall of Hitler, the Social Democratic Party was
revived. It was the . only surviving party from the Weimar period
with a record of opposition to Hitler.
4. Decolonisation is a process through which colonial powers transferred
institutional and legal control over their colonies to the indigenous
nationalist governments.
5. Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) was born in Tongking. When Ho Chi Minh was
twenty one, he went to Europe. After working as a cook in a London hotel,
he went to Paris. In the Paris peace conference, he lobbied for the
independence for Vietnam. His articles in newspapers and especially the
pamphlet, French Colonialism on Trial, made him well known as a Vietnam
nationalist. In 1921 he became a founder-member of the French
Communist party. Two years later he went to Moscow and learnt
revolutionary techniques then. In 1925, he founded the Revolutionary
Youth Movement.
6. The descendents of original Dutch settlers of South Africa, also known as
Afrikaners, were called Boers. Their language is Afrikaans.
7. Apartheid in South AfricaApartheid, which means separateness,
became the racial policy of the Nationalist Party in 1947. From 1950
onwards a series of laws came to be enforced. The whole country was
divided into separate areas for the different races. Marriage between white
and non-white was forbidden. Nearly all schools were brought under
government control so that education different from that of the Whites
could be implemented for Africans. University education was also
segregated. Apartheid is based on the belief that the political equality of
White and Black in South Africa would mean Black rule. The ANC which
fought the practice of racism was banned and its leader Nelson Mandela
was put behind bars. Mounting pressure at the global level helped to end
the racist regime in South Africa. In 1990 the ban on ANC was lifted and
Mandela freed after 27 years. In the elections held subsequently the
Africans were allowed to vote and ANC won the election and Mandela
became the first black president of South Africa. Even though apartheid
was dismantled the Whites completely dominate the economic sphere.
8. Dollar Imperialism, the term used to describe the policy of the USA in
maintaining and dominating over distant lands through economic aid.
World War II
1. The word ‘holocaust’ is used to describe the genocide of nearly six
million Jews by the Germans during World War II. Annihilating the Jews
was one of the main items on the political agenda of Hitler and the Nazis.
Hitler was able to play on the anti-Jewish feelings (anti-Semitism) which
were common in Germany and, in fact, throughout Europe. Jews were
scattered all across Europe and many had become prominent in
business, in performing arts and professional fields. Money-lending was a
major business activity among Jews and this strengthened the prejudice
against them. Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice clearly depicts
the dislike and distrust of Jews among the people.
2. "We, the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding
generations from scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought
untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human
rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights
of men and women, and of nations large and small …”. - from The
Preamble to the United Nations
3. The objectives of the IMF are: “to foster global monetary cooperation,
secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high
employment and sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty
around the world.”
The World After World War II
1. Cold War: The rivalry that developed after World War II between
the US and the USSR and their respective allies created tension
which is referred to as Cold War. They did not take recourse to
weapons. Instead they waged war on political, economic and
ideological fronts.
2. The United States was much concerned that poverty,
unemployment, and dislocation caused by the post-World War II
period were increasing the appeal of communist parties in western
Europe. The Secretary of State, George C. Marshall, advanced the
idea of a European self-help programme to be financed by the
United States. Sixteen nations, became part of this programme.
Administrative and technical assistance was offered through the
Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) of the United States.
Marshall Plan funding ended in 1951.
3. Zionist Movement: In Palestine, the ancient home of Jews, only a
few thousand Jews were living in 1900. Some 15 million were
scattered around Europe and North America. (This is referred to as
the Diaspora.) In 1896 Thodore Herzel, a Viennese journalist,
published a pamphlet called The Jewish State in which he called for
the creation of a Jewish national home. Next year (1897) the World
Zionist Organisation was founded.
4. Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)- It is an umbrella
political organization representing the world’s Palestinians – all
Arabs and their descendants who lived in mandated Palestine
before the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. It was formed in
1964 to federate various Palestinian groups that previously had
operated as clandestine resistance movements. Yasser Arafat was
its most prominent leader.
5. Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of West Germany from 1982 to 1990,
and played a crucial role in integrating East Germany into West
Germany in 1990. He thus became the first chancellor of a unified
Germany after forty five years of division. With French president
Mitterand, Kohl was the architect of the Maastricht Treaty, which
established the European Union (EU) and the euro currency.
6. Perestroika (‘restructuring’) refers to the programme introduced
by Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s to restructure Soviet
economic and political system. Along with the policy of ‘Glasnost’
(‘openness), Perestroika was intended to energize Soviet economy
which was lagging behind the developed countries of the capitalist
world.
7. Glasnost (‘openness’) was a policy of ideologically openness
introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev along with Perestroika in the
1980s. Under Glasnost there was more openness, writers who had
been censored earlier were rehabilitated, and there was space for
criticism of politics and government.
Social and Religious Reform Movements in the 19th Century
1. It was also to the credit of Vidyasagar that the first age of consent was
included in the Indian Penal code, which was enacted in 1860. The age for
marriage was fixed as ten years. It was raised to twelve and thirteen
years in 1891 and 1925 respectively. Sadly, as reported in the Age of
Consent Committee (1929), the law remained on paper and the
knowledge of it was confined to judges, lawyers and a few educated men
2. Ramalinga bore witness to hunger and poverty in the country: “I saw poor
people, emaciated with hunger and terribly weary, going to every house,
yet their hunger was not removed, and my heart suffered intensely. Those
who suffer with relentless disease, I saw them in front of me and my heart
trembled. I saw those people, poor and of unmatched honor, their hearts
weary, and I grew weak.
Early Revolts against British Rule in Tamil Nadu
1. Gopala Nayak, the Palayakkarar of Virupachi: Gopala Nayak
spearheaded the famous Dindigul League, which was formed with
Lakshmi Nayak of Manaparai and Poojai Nayak of Devadanapatti. He
drew inspiration from Tipu Sultan who sent a deputation to show his
camaraderie. He led the resistance against the British from Coimbatore
and later joined Oomaidurai, Kattabomman’s brother. He put up a
fierce fight at Aanamalai hills where the local peasants gave him full
support. But Gopala Nayak was overpowered by the British forces in
1801.
2. Ondiveeran: Ondiveeran led one of the army units of Puli Thevar.
Fighting by the side of Puli Thevar, he caused much damage to the
Company’s army. According to oral tradition, in one battle,
Ondiveeran’s hand was chopped off and Puli Thevar was saddened. But
Ondiveeran said it was a reward for his penetration into enemy’s fort
causing many heads to roll.
3. Kuyili, a faithful friend of Velunachiyar, is said to have led the unit of
women soldiers named after Udaiyaal. Udaiyaal was a shepherd girl
who was killed for not divulging information on Kuyili. Kuyili is said to
have walked into the British arsenal (1780) after setting herself on fire,
thus destroying all the ammunition.
Nationalism: Gandhian Phase
1. Dyarchy, a system of dual government introduced under the
Government of India Act 1919, divided the powers of the provincial
government into Reserved and Transferred subjects. The Reserved
Subjects comprising finance, defence, the police, justice, land
revenue, and irrigation were in the hands of the British. The
Transferred Subjects that included local self-government,
education, public health, public works, agriculture, forests and
fisheries were left under the control of Indian ministers. The system
ended with the introduction of provincial autonomy in 1935
2. The British enacted the first forest act in 1865. This act restricted
the access of the forest dwellers to the forest areas to collect
firewood, cattle fodder and other minor forest produce such as
honey, seeds, nuts, medicinal herbs. The Indian Forest Act of 1878
claimed that original ownership of forests was with the state. Waste
lands and fallow lands were included as forest. Shifting cultivation
practiced by, the tribal people, was prohibited. Alienation of forests
from local control was stiffly resisted by the aggrieved adivasis
(tribals) and the nationalists
3. The most striking evidence of continuing struggles of the tribal
groups was the one waged by Alluri Sitarama Raju in Rampa. Raju’s
efforts at fighting corrupt officials to protect the interests of Rampa
tribals prompted the British to target his life. A special Malabar
Police team was sent to quell the uprisings (1922-24) of Rampa
Adivasis. Alluri Sitarama Raju attained martyrdom for the cause of
forest dwellers.
4. ‘Real Swaraj will come not by acquisition of authority by a few, but
by the acquisition of the capacity by all to resist authority, when
abused.’ - M. K. Gandhi
Freedom Struggle in Tamil Nadu
1. Tamil Nadu was then part of the Madras Presidency which included large
parts of the present-day states of Andhra Pradesh (Coastal districts and
Rayalaseema), Karnataka (Bengaluru, Bellary, South Canara), Kerala
(Malabar) and even Odisha (Ganjam)
2. George Joseph: George Joseph, a barrister and eloquent speaker, played
a leading role in organising and publicising the cause of Home Rule
League in Madurai. Though born in Chengannur (Alappuzha district, Kerala
State), he chose to settle down in Madurai and practice as a people’s
lawyer. He was fondly called “Rosaappu Durai” by the people of Madurai
for the services he rendered to the affected communities.
3. Agitation for Removal of Neill Statue (1927) James Neill of the
Madras Fusiliers (infantry men with firearms) was brutal in wreaking
vengeance at Kanpur (‘the Cawnpur massacre’, as it was called) in which
many English women and children were killed in the Great Rebellion of
1857. Neill was later killed by an Indian sepoy. A statue was erected for
him at Mount Road, Madras. Nationalists saw this as an insult to Indian
sentiments, and organised a series of demonstrations in Madras. The
statue was finally moved to Madras Museum when Congress Ministry, led
by C. Rajaji, formed the government in 1937.
Social Transformation in Tamil Nadu
1. In 1930, Muthulakshmi Ammaiyar introduced in the Madras Legislative
Council a Bill on the “prevention of the dedication of women to Hindu temples in
the Presidency of Madras”. The Bill, which later became the Devadasi Abolition
Act, declared the “pottukattu ceremony” in the precincts of Hindu temples or
any other place of worship unlawful, gave legal sanction to devadasis to
contract marriage, and prescribed a minimum punishment of five years’
imprisonment for those found guilty of aiding and abetting the devadasi system.
The Bill had to wait for over 17 years to become an Act.
