1. Post World War Political Developments
Complete solutions to the Exercise. Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Nine History and Political Science.
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Exercise
(1) A system of independent and sovereign States
- a) Political system
- ✓ b) International system
- c) Social system
- d) None of these
Answer: A system of independent and sovereign States is called an International system.
(2) The main responsibility of the United Nations
- ✓ a) to avoid war
- b) independence of colonies
- c) improving the economics of different nations
- d) disarmament
Answer: The main responsibility of the United Nations is to avoid war.
(3) The Cold War ended with this event
- a) Establishment of the United Nations
- ✓ b) Disintegration of the Soviet Russia
- c) Creation of Military Organisations
- d) Cuban Missile Crisis
Answer: The Cold War ended with the Disintegration of the Soviet Russia.
(1) The League of Nations was established after the First World War.
Answer: True.
Reason: At the end of the highly destructive First World War, all nations strongly felt that such a war should never happen again and that collective measures needed to be taken to ensure global security. To achieve this end, an international organisation called the League of Nations was established, with its main responsibility understood to be avoiding future wars and resolving international disputes through negotiations.
(2) The world became unipolar due to the Cold War.
Answer: False.
Reason: During the Cold War, most countries of the world joined either of the two super power blocs (America or the Soviet Russia). Such a division of the nations of the world into two opposing groups is called bipolarisation. The world became unipolar only after the end of the Cold War, when the Soviet Russia disintegrated and America remained the sole super power in world politics.
(3) The policies of Mikhail Gorbachev gave an impetus to democratisation.
Answer: True.
Reason: Mikhail Gorbachev, the then President of the Soviet Russia, implemented the reformist policies of Perestroika (Restructuring) and Glasnost (Openness). Due to these policies, the state loosened its strict control over the media, and important structural changes took place in both the political and economic spheres, which significantly gave an impetus to democracy in the region.
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(1) Cold War
The Cold War describes the intense rivalry and tension between America and the Soviet Russia, who were allies during the Second World War but became competitors immediately after it ended. This rivalry spanned 40-45 years. Although there was no open, actual war between the two, the circumstances were so tense that a war could have erupted at any time. It was characterized by a struggle for power, a massive arms race, deep ideological differences, and strategies designed to checkmate one another.
(2) Non-alignment
During the Cold War period, while the world was becoming bipolarly divided into American and Soviet blocs, several newly independent Asian and African nations did not wish to join this super power rivalry. Instead, they decided to stay out of the Cold War rivalry and follow an independent path. This policy of maintaining independence from the military alliances of the super powers is known as Non-alignment.
(3) Interdependence
In the global system, all countries of the world are dependent on each other for one reason or another. Regardless of how big, prosperous, or developed a nation may be, it can never be entirely self-sufficient in fulfilling all its needs. Even the largest nations must depend on other big and small nations for trade, resources, and cooperation. This continuous mutual reliance is called interdependence, which is a fundamental feature of the international system.
(4) Bipolarisation
Bipolarisation refers to the division of the nations of the world into two distinct and opposing groups. During the Cold War, this occurred when most countries aligned themselves either with the capitalist bloc led by America or the socialist bloc led by the Soviet Russia. This division significantly increased the scope of the Cold War, spreading the sphere of tension across the globe.
(5) Globalisation
Globalisation is the multi-dimensional process that accelerated after the end of the Cold War, characterized by open trade and economic relations between countries. It involves the global circulation of capital, labour, markets, and information. Due to the revolution in information technology, boundaries between nations became less sacrosanct, facilitating the rapid give-and-take of ideas and economic unification across the world.
(1) Compare the First World War and the Second World War with the help of the following points:
| Points | First World War | Second World War |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Period | 1914 to 1918 | 1939 to 1945 |
| 2. Involved nations | Allied Powers: Britain, France, Russia, Italy, America. Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria. |
Allied Powers: Britain, France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Soviet Russia, China, America. Axis powers: Germany, Japan, Italy. |
| 3. Impacts (Political and Economic) | Caused tremendous loss of life and property. Economies of both victorious and losing countries collapsed. European empires collapsed, new nations emerged, and independence movements began in Asian and African colonies. | Proved far more widespread and destructive. Advanced technology and nuclear weapons were used. Participating countries faced severe economic crises. Ultimately led to the beginning of the Cold War. |
| 4. International Organisations established after the War | League of Nations | United Nations |
(2) What were the factors responsible for the end of Cold War?
The Cold War came to an end due to a combination of internal reforms and geopolitical shifts:
- The Soviet Russia adopted the policy of opening up its economy, thereby loosening the state's strict control over economic affairs.
- Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev implemented the policies of Perestroika (Restructuring) and Glasnost (Openness), which reduced media control and gave a massive impetus to democratisation in the political and economic spheres.
- The East European countries, previously under the strong influence of the Soviet Russia, shifted toward capitalist and democratic paths, leading to the collapse of their old communist regimes.
- Finally, the Soviet Russia itself disintegrated into several new independent nations, completely ending its status as a super power.
(3) What major changes occured in global politics after the end of the Cold War?
The end of the Cold War marked a monumental shift in international relations, resulting in the following major changes:
- America emerged as the sole super power in world politics, creating a unipolar system.
- A highly conducive atmosphere prevailed for the growth of trade, allowing capital, labour, markets, and information to circulate freely across the world.
- Nations shifted their priority from giving political 'aid' to actively establishing strong economic and trade relations.
- The terminology of diplomacy softened; former 'enemy nations' began to be viewed merely as 'rival nations'.
- The United Nations assumed greater responsibilities, taking concrete steps to maintain global peace and security.
- New issues such as environmental protection, human rights, gender equality, and natural calamity management acquired a prominent global dimension.
The Project activities (explaining with examples how different nations are dependent on each other, and discussing how to inculcate the idea of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' in society) are discussion and research assignments intended to be completed by students as group activities.