SOCIAL SCIENCE-1 INDEX

CLASS-IX
S.No. CHAPTER NAME Pg.No.
HISTORY
1. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 01-22

2. SOCIALISM IN EUROPE AND 23-42

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

3. NAZISM AND THE RISE OF HITLER 43-60

ECONOMICS
4. THE STORY OF VILLAGE PALAMPUR 61-74

GEOGRAPHY
5. INDIA - SIZE AND LOCATION 75-86

CIVICS
6. WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY? 87-100

7. CONSTITUTIONAL DESIGN 101-116

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS i
S.No. CHAPTER NAME Pg.No.
GEOGRAPHY
8. PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA 117-134

9. DRAINAGE 135-152

ECONOMICS
10. PEOPLE AS RESOURCE 153-169

Dear students, we have put in best efforts for making this module highly interesting, easy to understand
and free from errors. We welcome your valuable feedback, suggestions or any corrections to further
improve the quality of this module. Kindly mail them to us on overseas.academics@allen.ac.in.

ii OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

CHAPTER 1 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

"On the morning of 14 th

July 1789, people of Paris
stormed the Bastille. Much
later, when historians
looked back upon this time,
they saw it as the beginning
of a chain of events that
u lt ima t ely led to th e
execution of the king in
France."

1. The French Revolution

On the morning of 14th July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm.
The king had commanded troops to move into the city. Rumours spread
that he would soon order the army to open fire upon the citizens. Some
7,000 men and women gathered in front of the town hall and decided to
form a peoples’ militia. They broke into a number of government buildings
in search of arms.
Finally, a group of several hundred people marched towards the eastern
part of the city and stormed the fortress-prison, the Bastille, where they Fig.1 Statue of Liberty
hoped to find hoarded ammunition. In the armed fight that followed, the
commander of the Bastille was killed and the prisoners released – though
THE
there were only seven of them. Yet the Bastille was hated by all, because it
stood for the despotic power of the king. The fortress was demolished and
SPOT P
LIGHT
its stone fragments were sold in the markets to all those who wished to
The Statue of Liberty (Liberty
keep a souvenir of its destruction. Enlightening the World) is a sculpture
The days that followed saw more rioting both in Paris and the countryside. on Liberty Island in the middle of New
York Harbor, in Manhattan, New York
Most people were protesting against the high price of bread. Much later,
City. The statue, designed by Frédéric
when historians looked back upon this time, they saw it as the beginning of Auguste Bartholdi, was a gift to the
a chain of events that ultimately led to the execution of the king in France, United States from the people of
though most people at the time did not anticipate this outcome. How and France.

why did this happen?

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 1
 Class-IX

2. French society during the late eighteenth century

THE
SPOT P In 1774, Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings ascended the throne of
LIGHT France. He was 20 years old and married to the Austrian princess Marie
When Louis XVI succeeded to the Antoinette. Upon his accession the new king found an empty treasury.
throne in 1774, he was 19 years old. Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. Added to
He had an enormous responsibility,
this was the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace
as the government was deeply in
debt, and resentment to 'despotic' of Versailles. Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American colonies
monarchy was on the rise. Louis also
to gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain. The war
felt woefully unqualified for the job.
added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more
than 2 billion livres. Lenders who gave the state credit, now began to
charge 10 per cent interest on loans. So the French government was obliged
to spend an increasing percentage of its budget on interest payments alone.
To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the
court, running government offices or universities, the state was forced to
increase taxes. Yet even this measure would not have sufficed. French
society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates, and only
members of the third estate paid taxes.

The society of estates was part of the feudal system that dated back to the
middle ages. The term Old Regime is usually used to describe the society
and institutions of France before 1789.

3. French society during the Old Regime (before 1789)

Peasants made up about 90 per cent of the population. However, only a
small number of them owned the land they cultivated. About 60 per cent
Fig.2 – Louis XVI
of the land was owned by nobles, the Church and other richer members of
the third estate. The members of the first two estates, that is, the clergy
and the nobility, enjoyed certain privileges by birth. The most important of
these was exemption from paying taxes to the state. The nobles further
THE enjoyed feudal privileges. These included feudal dues, which they extracted
SPOT P from the peasants. Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord .
LIGHT to work in his house and fields to serve in the army or to participate in
Feudal system, was a way of structing building roads.
society around realtionships that
were dervied from the holding of land (a) Form of taxes
in exchange for service or labor.
The Church too extracted its share of taxes called tithes from the peasants,
and finally, all members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state.
These included a direct tax, called taille, and a number of indirect taxes
which were levied on articles of everyday consumption like salt or tobacco.
BOBC-BD

The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by
the third estate alone.

2 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

1st estate
THE
Clergy : People from
Church community SPOT P
LIGHT
Jean-Jacques Rousseau remains an
2nd estate
important figure in the history of
Nobility :Large philosophy, both because of his
Landowners and elite people contributions to political philosophy
and moral psychology and because
of his influence on later thinkers.
3rd estate

Big businessmen,
merchants, court
officials, lawyers etc.

Peasants and
artisans

Small peasants,
landless labour,
servants

Fig.3 A Society of Estates.

(b) The struggle to survive

The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million
in 1789. This led to a rapid increase in the demand for foodgrains.
Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand.
So the price of bread which was the staple diet of the majority rose rapidly.
Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops whose owner fixed
their wages. But wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices. So the
gap between the poor and the rich widened.
Fig.4 Jean Jacques Rousseau
Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest. This
led to a subsistence crisis, something that occurred frequently in France
during the Old Regime.

Bad Scarcity of Rising food The poorest can no

Harvest grains prices longer buy bread

Disease
THE
epidemics

Weaker Food
SPOT P
Increased
no. of bodies riots LIGHT
deaths
Rousseau was active as a composer
and a music theorist, as the pioneer
of modern autobiography, as a
Fig.5 The Course of a subsistence crisis novelist, and as a botanist.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 3
 Class-IX

(c) A growing middle class envisages an end to privileges

In the past, peasants and workers had participated in revolts against

increasing taxes and food scarcity. But they lacked the means and
programmes to carry out full-scale measures that would bring about a
change in the social and economic order. This was left to those groups
within the third estate who had become prosperous and had access to
education and new ideas.

The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed

the New middle class. In addition to merchants and manufacturers, the

third estate included professionals such as lawyers or administrative officials.

All of these were educated and believed that no group in society should be

privileged by birth. Rather, a person’s social position must depend on

his merit. These ideas envisaging a society based on freedom and equal

laws and opportunities for all, were put forward by philosophers such as

John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau. John Locke in his 'Two

Treatises of Government', sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and

absolute right of the monarch. Rousseau carried the idea forward,
proposing a form of government based on a social contract between

people and their representatives. Montesquieu in his 'The Spirit of

the Laws', proposed a division of power within the government
between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary. This model of

government was put into force in the USA, after the thirteen colonies

declared their independence from Britain. The American constitution

THE
SPOT P and its guarantee of individual rights was an important example for political
thinkers in France.
LIGHT
The Oath signified the first time that
French citizens formally stood in The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons
opposition to Louis XVI, and the
and coffee-houses and spread among people through books and
National Assembly's refusal to back
down forced the king to make newspapers. These were frequently read aloud in groups for the benefit
concessions.
of those who could not read and write. The news that Louis XVI planned
to impose further taxes to be able to meet the expenses of the state
generated anger and protest against the system of privileges.

4 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

4. The outbreak of the revolution

THE
In France of the Old Regime the monarch did not have the power to impose
taxes according to his will alone. Rather he had to call a meeting of the
SPOT P
Estates General which would then pass his proposals for new taxes, the
LIGHT
The storming of the Bastille prison
monarch alone could decide when to call a meeting of this body. The last
would be the first victory of the
time it was done was in 1614.
revolutionaries. Today, this victory is
Meeting of the Estates General celebrated in France each year on
On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estates the national holiday known as
General to pass proposals for new taxes. The first and second estates Bastille Day.
sent 300 representatives each, while the third estate sent 600 members.
The third estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated
members. Peasants, artisans and women were denied entry to the assembly.
Voting in the Estates General in the past had been conducted according to
the principle that each estate had one vote. This time members of the third
estate demanded that voting be now conducted by the assembly as a whole,
where each member would have one vote. This was one of the democratic
principles put forward by philosophers like Rousseau in his book 'The
Social Contract'. When the king rejected this proposal, members of the
third estate walked out of the assembly in protest.
Now the Revolution started
Formation of national assembly & the tennis court oath
The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen
for the whole French nation. On 20 June 1789 they assembled in the hall
of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles. They declared THE
themselves a National Assembly and swore not to disperse till they had
drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch.
SPOT P
LIGHT
They were led by Mirabeau and Abbé Sieyès. Mirabeau was born in a
The Third Estate had been granted
noble family but was convinced of the need to do away with a society of "double representation"-that is, twice
feudal privilege. He brought out a journal and delivered powerful speeches as many delegates as each of the
to the crowds assembled at Versailles. other estates-but at the opening
Abbé Sieyès, originally a priest, wrote an influential pamphlet called. What session on May 5, 1789 they were
informed that all voting would be "by
is the Third Estate?
estates" not "by head". So their
double representation was to be
meaningless in terms of power.

Fig.6 The Tennis Court Oath.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 5
 Class-IX

1. Match the column

Column I Column II
(A) Livre (i) Tax to be paid directly to the state.
(B) Clergy (ii) A tax levied by the church.
(C) Tithe (iii) Group of persons invested in special functions with
the church.
(D) Taille (iv) Unit of currency in France discontinued in 1794.
Some important dates
1774 Louis XVI becomes king of France, faces empty treasury and
growing discontent within society of the Old Regime.
1789 Convocation of Estates General, Third Estate forms National
Assembly, the Bastille is stormed, peasant revolts in the
countryside.
1791 A constitution is framed to limit the powers of the king and to
guarantee basic rights to all human beings.
1792-93 France becomes a Republic, the king is beheaded.
Overthrow of the Jacobin republic, a Directory rules France.
1804 Napoleon becomes emperor of France, annexes large parts
of Europe.
1815 Napoleon defeated at Waterloo.
Storming of the Bastille
Whi le th e Na tio n al
Assembly was busy at
Ve rsailles draft in g a
constitution, the rest of
France seethed with
turmoil. A severe winter
had meant a bad harvest;
THE
SPOT P the price of bread rose,
often bakers exploited the
LIGHT situat ion and ho arded
In 1789, the French aristocracy and supplies. After spending
leading churchmen led privileged hours in long queues at the
lives and had great power. However, bakery, crowds of angry
the middle classes wanted more women stormed into the
power for themselves. Taxes were
high, the country was bankrupt, and shops. At the same time,
the poor were starving. King Louis the king ordered troops to Fig.7 The spread of the Great Fear.
th The map shows how bands of peasants spread
XVI failed to bring in reforms in time move into Paris. On 14 July, from one point to another.
to stop a revolution. the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille.
In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that the lords of
the manor had hired bands of brigands to destroy the ripe crops. Caught
in a frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks
and attacked chateaux. A large number of nobles fled from their homes,
many of them migrating to neighbouring countries.

6 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

Louis XVI finally accorded recognition to the National Assembly. On the

night of 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing the

feudal system of obligations and taxes. Members of the clergy too were

forced to give up their privileges. Tithes were abolished and lands owned

by the Church were confiscated. As a result, the government acquired

assets worth at least 2 billion livres.

5. France becomes a constitutional monarchy

The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791.

Its main objective was to limit the powers of the monarch. Powers were
now separated and assigned to different institutions – the legislature, THE
executive and judiciary. This made France a constitutional monarchy. SPOT P
LIGHT
Judiciary Chateau (pl. chateaux) – Castle
Judge Executive CONTROL Legislature or stately residence belonging to a
National Assembly (745 members) king or a nobleman
VETO Manor – An estate consisting of the
King lord's lands and his mansion
OL
N TR
CO
Electors (50,000 men)

Active citizens: entitled to vote. About 4 million

of a population of 28 million

Passive citizens: No voting rights.

About 3 million men, women, children
and youth below 25

Fig.8 The Political system under the Constitution of 1791

The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National

Assembly, which was indirectly elected. Only men above 25 years of age

who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourer’s wage were given the

status of active citizens, that is, they were entitled to vote. The remaining

men and all women were classed as passive citizens. To qualify as an elector
and then as a member of the Assembly, a man had to belong to the highest
bracket of taxpayers.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 7
 Class-IX

Fig.9 The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen,

painted by the artist Le Barbier in 1790

The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and

Citizen. Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of
opinion, equality before law, were established as ‘natural and inalienable’
rights, that is, they belonged to each human being by birth and could not
be taken away.

The revolutionary journalist Jean-Paul Marat commented in his

newspaper L'Ami du peuple (The friend of the people) on the
Constitution drafted by the National Assembly :
The task of representing the people has been given to the rich the lot of
the poor and oppressed will never be improved by peaceful means alone.
Here we have absolute proof of how wealth influences the law. Yet laws wi
ll last only as long as the people agree to obey them. And when they have
managed to cast off the yoke of the aristocrats, they will do the same to
the other owners of wealth.
Source : An extract from the newspaper L.Ami du peuple.

1. A – (iv) ; B – (iii) ; C – (ii) ; D – (i)

6. The declaration of rights of man and citizen

1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.
2. The aim of every political association is the preservation of the natural
and inalienable rights of man; these are liberty, property, security and
resistance to oppression.
3. The source of all sovereignty resides in the nation; no group or individual
may exercise authority that does not come from the people.
4. Liberty consists of the power to do whatever is not injurious to others.

8 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

5. The law has the right to forbid only actions that are injurious to society.
6. Law is the expression of the general will. All citizens have the right to
participate in its formation, personally or through their representatives.
All citizens are equal before it.
7. No man may be accused, arrested or detained, except in cases determined
by the law.
8. Every citizen may speak, write and print freely; he must take responsibility
for the abuse of such liberty in cases determined by the law.
9. For the maintenance of the public force and for the expenses of
administration a common tax is indispensable; it must be assessed equally
on all citizens in proportion to their means.
10. Since property is a sacred and inviolable right, no one may be deprived of
it, unless a legally established public necessity requires it. In that case a
just compensation must be given in advance.
7. Reading political symbols
The majority of men and women in the eighteenth century could not read
or write. So images and symbols were frequently used instead of printed
words to communicate important ideas. The painting by Le Barbier uses THE
many such symbols to convey the content of the Declaration of Rights.
Blue-white-red are the national colours of France.
SPOT P
LIGHT
The broken chain: The bundle of The Jacobin movement encouraged
Chains were used to rods or fasces: sentiments of patriotism and liberty
fetter slaves. One rod can be amongst the populace. The Jacobins
A broken chain easily broken, but as a political force were seen as "less
not an entire selfish, more patriotic, and more
stands for the act of
sympathetic to the Paris Populace" .
becoming free. bundle. Strength
lies in unity.
The eye within a
triangle radiating Sceptre: Symbol
light: The all- seeing of royal power.
eye stands for
knowledge. The rays
of the sun will drive
away the clouds of
ignorance.

Snake biting its Red Phrygian

tail to form a ring: cap: Cap worn by
Symbol of Eternity. A a slave upon
ring has neither becoming free.
beginning nor end.

The Law Tablet: The winged

The law is the same woman: Personifi-
for all, and all are cation of the law.
equal before it.

Fig.10 Various political symbols during French revolution

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 9
 Class-IX

8. France abolishes monarchy and becomes a Republic

The situation in France continued to be tense during the following years.
Although Louis XVI had signed the Constitution, he entered into secret
negotiations with the King of Prussia. Rulers of other neighbouring countries
too were worried by the developments in France and made plans to send
troops to put down the events that had been taking place there since the
summer of 1789. Before this could happen, the National Assembly voted
in April 1792 to declare war against Prussia and Austria.
Thousands of volunteers thronged from the provinces to join the army.
They saw this as a war of the people against kings and aristocracies all
over Europe. Among the patriotic songs they sang was the Marseillaise,
composed by the poet Roget de L.Isle. It was sung for the first time by
volunteers from Marseilles as they marched into Paris and so got its name.
The Marseillaise is now the national anthem of France.
9. Formation of Jacobin Club
THE
SPOT P The revolutionary wars brought losses and economic difficulties to the
people. While the men were away fighting at the front, women were left to
LIGHT cope with the tasks of earning a living and looking after their families.
The Society of the Friends of the Large sections of the population were convinced that the revolution had to
Constitution commonly known as the
Jacobin Club was the most famous be carried further, as the Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to
and influential political club in the the richer sections of society. Political clubs became an important rallying
development of the French Revolution point for people who wished to discuss government policies and plan their
own forms of action. The most successful of these clubs was that of the
Jacobins, which got its name from the former convent of St Jacob in Paris.
Women too, who had been active throughout this period, formed their
own clubs.
Features of Jacobin club
The members of the Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less prosperous
sections of society. They included small shopkeepers, artisans such as
shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers, as well as servants and
daily-wage workers. Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre. A large
group among the Jacobins decided to start wearing long striped trousers
Fig.11 Robespierre similar to those worn by dock workers. This was to set themselves apart
THE from the fashionable sections of society, especially nobles, who wore knee
SPOT P breeches. It was a way of proclaiming the end of the power wielded by the
wearers of knee breeches. These Jacobins came to be known as the sans-
LIGHT culottes, literally meaning .those without knee breeches. Women however
The fact that Robespierre allowed his
two close associates to be killed in
were not allowed to do so. Sansculottes men wore in addition the red cap
April of 1794, he lost the faith of the that symbolised liberty.
rest of France's governing body.
In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an insurrection of a large
Eager to destroy him before he
destroyed them, members of the number of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high
Convention arrested Robespierre and prices of food. On the morning of August 10 they stormed the Palace of
guillotined him on 28 July 1794.
the Tuileries, massacred the king.s guards and held the king himself as

10 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

hostage for several hours. Later the Assembly voted to imprison the royal
family. Elections were held. From now on all men of 21 years and above, THE
regardless of wealth, got the right to vote. SPOT P
The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21 September LIGHT
1792 it abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic. As you Convent – Building belonging to a
know, a republic is a form of government where the people elect the community devoted to a religious life.
Treason – Betrayal of one.s country
government including the head of the government. There is no hereditary or government.
monarchy. You can try and find out about some other countries that are
republics and investigate when and how they became so.
Louis XVI was sentenced to death by a court on the charge of treason. On
21 January 1793 he was executed publicly at the Place de la Concorde.
The queen Marie Antoinette met with the same fate shortly after.

1. What does the painting shown above symbolise ?

(a) The Reign of Terror
The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror.
Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment.
All those whom he saw as being ‘enemies’ of the republic were arrested,
imprisoned and then tried by a revolutionary tribunal. If the court found
them ‘guilty’ they were guillotined. The Guillotine is a device consisting
of two poles and a blade with which a person is beheaded. It was named THE
after Dr Guillotin who invented it. SPOT P
Robespierre’s government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on LIGHT
wages and prices. Meat and bread were rationed. Peasants were forced During the Reign of Terror, Robespierre
to sell it at prices fixed by the government. The use of more expensive was the most prominent member of
white flour was forbidden; all citizens were required to eat the pain the Commitee of Public Safety. He was
d’égalité (equality bread), a loaf made of wholewheat. Equality was a hard worker with strong principles,
and he became know n as the
also sought to be practised through forms of speech and address. Instead 'Incorruptible' because of his honesty
of the traditional Monsieur (Sir) and Madame (Madam) all French men and rigid commitment to transforming
and women were henceforth Citoyen and Citoyenne (Citizen). Churches France into a Republic of Virtue.
were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices.
Robespierre was convicted by a Court in July 1794, arrested and on the next
day sent to the Guillotine.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 11
 Class-IX

(b) A Directory rules France

After the fall of the Jacobin government, a new constitution was introduced
which denied the vote to non-propertied sections of society. It provided
for two elected legislative councils. These then appointed a Directory, an
executive made up of five members. However, the Directors often clashed
with the legislative councils, who then sought to dismiss them. The political
instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of a military dictator,
Napoleon Bonaparte.
10. Did women have a revolution?

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
The life of a revolutionary woman.
Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793)
Olympe de Gouges was one of the
most important of the politically active
women in revolutionary France. She Fig.12. One of the many pictorial representations of the events of 5 October
protested against the Constitution 1789, when women marched to Versailles and brought the king back with
and the Declaration of Rights of Man them to Paris.
and Citizen as they excluded women
During the Old Regime, most women of the third estate had to work for a
from basic rights that each human
being was entitled to. So, in 1791, living. They worked as seamstresses or laundresses, sold flowers, fruits and
she wrote a Declaration of the Rights vegetables at the market, or were employed as domestic servants in the
of Woman and Citizen, which she houses of prosperous people. Most women did not have access to education
addressed to the Queen and to the or job training. Only daughters of nobles or wealthier members of the third
members of the National Assembly, estate could study at a convent, after which their families arranged a
demanding that they act upon it. In marriage for them. Working women had also to care for their families,
1793, Olympe de Gouges criticised that is, cook, fetch water, queue up for bread and look after the children.
the Jacobin government for forcibly Their wages were lower than those of men.
closing down women's clubs. She
In order to discuss and voice their interests women started their own political
was tried by the National
Convention, which charged her with clubs and newspapers. The Society of Revolutionary and Republican
treason. Soon after this she was Women was the most famous of them. One of their main demands was
executed. that women enjoy the same political rights as men. Women were
disappointed that the Constitution of 1791 reduced them to passive citizens.
They demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly and to
hold political office.
THE In the early days, the revolutionary government did introduce laws that helped
SPOT P improve the lives of women. Creation of state schools, schooling was made
compulsory for all girls, no forced marriage against their will. Marriage was
LIGHT made into a contract entered into freely and registered under civil law. Divorce
There were several women that was made legal, and could be applied for by both women and men. Women
played a key role in altering the could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.
revolution, among them Charlotte During the Reign of Terror, the new government issued laws ordering closure
Corday who assassinated Marat; of women’s clubs and banning their political activities. Many prominent
Madame Roland, the feminist writer
women were arrested and a number of them executed.
and politician executed in 1793.
Women.s movements for voting rights and equal wages continued through
the next two hundred years in many countries of the world. The fight for

12 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

the vote was carried out through an international suffrage movement during
the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The example of the political
activities of French women during the revolutionary years was kept alive as
an inspiring memory. It was finally in 1946 that women in France won the
right to vote.
11. The abolition of slavery
The colonies in the Caribbean – Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo
– were important suppliers of commodities such as tobacco, indigo, sugar
and coffee. Shortage of labour was met by a triangular slave trade
between Europe, Africa and the Americas. The slave trade began in
the seventeenth century. French merchants sailed from the ports of
Bordeaux or Nantes to the African coast, where they bought slaves from
local chieftains. Branded and shackled, the slaves were packed tightly into
ships for the three-month long voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
There they were sold to plantation owners. The exploitation of slave labour
made it possible to meet the growing demand in European markets for
sugar, coffee, and indigo. Port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes owed their
economic prosperity to the flourishing slave trade.
Throughout the eighteenth century there was little criticism of slavery in
France. The National Assembly did not pass any laws, fearing opposition
from businessmen whose incomes depended on the slave trade. It was
finally the Convention which in 1794 legislated to free all slaves in the
French overseas possessions. Ten years later, Napoleon reintroduced slavery.
Plantation owners understood their freedom as including the right to enslave
African Negroes in pursuit of their economic interests. Slavery was finally
abolished in French colonies in 1848.

1. The painting is a female allegory of liberty - that is, the female form
symbolises the idea of freedom.
12. The revolution and everyday life
The years following 1789 in France saw many such changes in the lives of
men, women and children. The revolutionary governments took it upon
themselves to pass laws that would translate the ideals of liberty and
equality into everyday practice.
One important law that came into effect soon after the storming of the
Bastille in the summer of 1789 was the abolition of censorship. In the Old
Regime all written material and cultural activities – books, newspapers,
plays – could be published or performed only after they had been approved
by the censors of the king. Now the Declaration of the Rights of Man and
Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression to be a natural right.
Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the towns
of France from where they travelled rapidly into the countryside. They all
described and discussed the events and changes taking place in France.
Freedom of the press also meant that opposing views of events could be
expressed. Each side sought to convince the others of its position through
the medium of print. Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large
numbers of people. This was one way they could grasp and identify with
ideas such as liberty or justice that political philosophers wrote about at
length in texts which only a handful of educated people could read.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 13
 Class-IX

Fig.13 The patriotic fat-reducing press.

This anonymous print of 1790 seeks to make the idea of justice tangible.

Fig.14 Marat addressing the people. This is a painting by Louis-Leopold Boilly.

THE
SPOT P Conclusion
In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He
LIGHT set out to conquer neighbouring European countries, dispossessing dynasties
Napoleon Bonaparte - During his and creating kingdoms where he placed members of his family.
school studies, Napoleon was teased
Napoleon saw his role as a moderniser of Europe. He introduced many
by other students for his accent and
applied himself to reading. An laws such as the protection of private property and a uniform system of
examiner observed that Napoleon weights and measures provided by the decimal system. Initially, many saw
"has always been distinguished for
Napoleon as a liberator who would bring freedom for the people.
his application in Mathematics. He
is fairly well acquainted with history But soon the Napoleonic armies came to be viewed everywhere as an
and geography. This boy would invading force. He was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815. Many of his
make an excellent sailor."
measures that carried the revolutionary ideas of liberty and modern laws
to other parts of Europe had an impact on people long after Napoleon
had left.

14 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

13. Legacy of the French Revolution THE

The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy SPOT P
of the French Revolution. These spread from France to the rest of Europe LIGHT
during the nineteenth century, where feudal systems were abolished. Tipu Sultan and Rammohan Roy are
Colonised peoples reworked the idea of freedom from bondage into their two examples of individuals who
movements to create a sovereign nation state. Tipu Sultan and Rammohan responded to the ideas coming from
Roy are two examples of individuals who responded to the ideas coming revolutionary France.
from revolutionary France.

MAP OF FRANCE

Fig.15 Flag of France

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 15
 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 1
Multiple choice questions 6. What did Louis XVI do, seeing the power of his
1. The word livres stands for revolting subjects?

(1) Unit of currency in France (1) He accorded recognition to the National

Assembly
(2) Tax levied by the Church
(2) Accepted checks on his powers
(3) Tax to be paid directly to the state
(3) Ordered his army to crush the revolt
(4) None of these
(4) Both (1) and (2)
2. The Third Estate comprised of?
7. According to the new constitution of 1791, the
(1) Poor servants and small peasants, landless National Assembly was to be _________?
labourers
(1) Elected directly
(2) Peasants and artisans
(2) Appointed by the king
(3) Big businessmen, merchants, lawyers etc.
(3) Elected indirectly
(4) All the above
(4) A hereditary body
3. How does a 'Subsistence Crisis' happen?
8. Which of these rights were established as 'natural
(1) Bad harvest leads to scarcity of grains
and inalienable' rights by the constitution of 1791?
(2) Food prices rise and the poorest cannot buy
(1) Right to life
bread
(2) Freedom of speech and opinion
(3) Leads to weaker bodies, diseases, deaths and
even food riots (3) Equality before the law

(4) All the above (4) All the above

4. Which of these books was written by John Locke? 9. In the war against Prussia and Austria, the army
sang which patriotic song?
(1) The Spirit of the Laws
(1) 'Liberty', written by an unknown woman poet
(2) Two Treatises of Government
(2) 'Marseillaise' written by the poet Roget de L'Isle
(3) The Social Contract
(3) 'Viva France' written by a French peasant
(4) All the above
(4) None of the above
5. In the meeting of the Estates General, the members
of the Third Estate demanded that? 10. From which Palace, king was arrested before being
executed?
(1) All the three Estates should have one vote
altogether (1) Palace of Versailles

(2) Each member should have one vote (2) Palace of Paris

(3) Each Estate should have one vote (3) Palace of Tuileries

(4) None of the above (4) Marseilles

16 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

11. A large number of Jacobins came to be known as 18. In which of the following battles was Napoleon finally
the 'sans-culottes'. What does it mean? defeated?
(1) People without knee breeches (1) Russia (2) Waterloo
(3) Versailles (4) Paris
(2) People with black shirts
19. Which Revolution gave the ideas of Liberty,
(3) People with black trousers
Freedom and Equality to the world?
(4) People without shirts (1) The American Revolution
12. Why is the period from 1793 to 1794 referred to (2) The French Revolution
as the 'Reign of Terror'? (3) The Russian Revolution
(1) Louis XVI's successor became a tyrant (4) None of these
(2) Robespierre followed a policy of severe control 20. Name the leader who got inspired by new ideas
and punishment that were spreading through Europe, during the
French Revolution.
(3) Jacobins opted for loot and plunder
(1) Raja Rammohan Roy
(4) None of the above
(2) Tipu Sultan
13. Who seized power after the fall of the Jacobin (3) Both (1) & (2)
government? (4) Jyotiba Phule
(1) Common people Match the columns
(2) Descendants of Louis XVI
1. Column I Column II
(3) Wealthy middle class
(A) 1774 (i) A constitution is framed to
(4) Robespierre's son limit the powers of the
14. Women of which estate had to work for a living - King and to guarantee
basic rights to all human
(1) First estate (2) Second estate beings.
(3) Third estate (4) All of the above (B) 1789 (ii) Napoleon defeated at
15. Which government did introduce laws that helped Waterloo
improve the lives of women? (C) 1791 (iii) Convocation of Estates
General, Third Estate
(1) Louis XVI's Government forms National Assembly,
(2) Revolutionary Government the Bastille is stormed,
peasants revolt in the
(3) Directory
countryside
(4) Napoleon
(D) 1792-93 (iv) Napoleon becomes
16. Who among the following reintroduced slavery in emperor of Fance,
France after it was abolished by Jacobin regime? annexes large parts of
Europe
(1) Louis XVI (2) Robespierre
(E) 1804 (v) Louis XVI becomes king
(3) Napoleon (4) Marat of France, faces empty
17. One important law that came into effect soon after treasure and growing
the storming of the Bastille in the summer of 1789 discontent within society
was? of the Old Regime.
(F) 1815 (vi) France becomes a
(1) Abolition of Bastille republic, the king is
(2) Abolition of Louis XVI beheaded. Overthrow of
(3) Abolition of censorship the Jacobin republic, a
Directory rules France.
(4) Abolition of rights

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 17
 Class-IX

True or false Fill in the blanks

1. Under Louis XV, France helped the thirteen 1. The term _________ is usually used to describe the
American colonies to gain their independence from society and institutions of France before 1789.
the common enemy, Britain. 2. The gap between the poor and the rich widened .
Things became worse whenever drought or hail
2. The population of France rose from about 23 million
reduced the harvest. This led to a _________ crisis.
in 1715 to 28 million in 1789.
3. The ideas of _________ were discussed intensively
3. In his, 'Two Treatises of Government', Montesquieu in salons and coffee-houses and spread among
sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and people through books and newspaper.
absolute right of the monarch. 4. _________ was born in a noble family but was
convinced of the need to do away with a society of
4. Voting in the Estates General in the past had been
feudal privilege.
conducted according to the principle that each
5. _________ resembled the symbol of royal power.
Estate had one vote.

5. The Directory vested the power to make laws in

the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected.

EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ans. 1 4 4 2 2 4 3 4 2 3
Que. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans. 1 2 3 3 2 3 3 2 2 3

Match the columns

1. A-(v), B-(iii), C-(i), D-(vi), E-(iv), F-(ii)

True or false
1. False 2. True 3. False 4. True 5. False
Fill in the blanks

1. Old Regime 2. Subsistence 3. Philosophers 4. Mirabeau 5. Sceptre

18 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

EXERCISE # 2
Short answer type questions Long answer type questions
1. What was the subsistence crisis? Why did it occur in 1. Discuss the political, economic and social causes of
France during the Old Regime? the French Revolution.
2. What was the system of voting in the Estates 2. 'The French philosophers of the 18th century greatly
General? What change did the Third Estate want in influenced the people and it led to the French
this system? Revolution.' Comment on this statement.
3. Describe the incidents that led to the storming of 3. What did the following symbols convey in the
the Bastille. Declaration of Rights?
4. Describe how the new political system of (i) The broken chain
constitutional monarchy worked in France.
(ii) The bundle of rods or fasces
5. What were 'natural and inalienable rights'?
(iii) The eye within a triangle radiating light
6. What was the importance of the Declaration of the
(iv) Sceptre
Rights of Man?
(v) Snake biting its tail to form a ring
7. Discuss the role of women in the French Revolution.
(vi) Red Phrygian cap
8. Why did slavery begin and why was it abolished in
French colonies? (vii) Blue-White-Red

9. Explain what a revolution is. In what way did the (viii) The winged woman
French Revolution mean different things to different (ix) The Law Tablet
people?
4. Who were the Jacobins? What was their contribution
10. What are the three important ideas of the French to the French Revolution?
Revolution? How were they guaranteed under the
constitution of 1791? 5. Describe the Reign of Terror and role played by
Robespierre in it.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 19
 Class-IX

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. Describe the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France.
Ans. Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings ascended the throne of France in 1774. Upon his accession he found
that his treasury was empty. Long wars with Britain, the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense
palace of Versailles, cost of maintaining a regular army, court, running government offices, etc., had depleted
the treasury. Louis XVI was forced to increase taxes. But this measure would not have sufficed as taxes were
paid only by the third estate in the society.
The French society during this time was divided as :
(a) Peasants made up about 90% of the population. However, very few owned land. About 60% of the land was
owned by nobles, the church and the richer members of the third estate. The members of the first two estates
enjoyed privileges and paid no taxes. The peasants had to pay the taxes, render services, serve in the army and
work in the lord's house and fields. The Third Estate had to pay taxes such as tithes to the church, taille, a direct
tax and many other indirect taxes.
(b) The population of France also increased from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789. Food grains were now in
great demand. Price of bread shot up. The supply could not match with the need and hence the subsistence crisis.
(c) The 18th century witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed the middle class. All these people were
educated and believed that no group in society should be given privileges by birth. Such ideas which spoke of
freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all were put forward by philosophers such as Voltaire and Rousseau.
(d) The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread among
people through books and newspapers and even through loud reading for people who could not read or write.
The news about imposing further taxes generated anger and protest against the system of privileges.
(e) The king had to increase the taxes for various reasons. He had to call a meeting of the Estates General which
then would pass the proposals for new taxes. The assembly of the Estates General was called on 5th May 1789.
Voting in the Estates General had been conducted according to the principle that each estate had one vote.
Members of the third estate demanded that voting now be conducted by the assembly as a whole, where each
member would have one vote. This was according to the democratic principles put forward by philosophers.
The king rejected this proposal and the members of the third estate walked out of the Assembly.
(f) On 20th June, the members of the third estate assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of
Versailles. They declared themselves as a National Assembly.
At this time, France went through a severe winter and the price of bread increased. Women were angry and
annoyed. They stormed into shops for bread. At the same time, the king ordered troops to move into Paris. On
14 July the agitated crowd stormed the Bastille. This is taken as the beginning of the French Revolution and is
known as the storming of the Bastille.
2. Which groups of French society benefitted from the revolution? Which groups were forced to relinquish power?
Which sections of society would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution?
Ans. The common men (Third Estate) benefitted from the Revolution because they gained equal socio-economic
status and liberty.
The clergy and nobility were forced to relinquish power. Their privileges were taken away. The moderates who
wanted Constitutional Monarchy were disappointed because ultimately Napoleon came to power.

20 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

3. Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the people of the world during the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries.
Ans. The French Revolution not only affected France and changed its entire social and political system; it also had a
lasting effect on the people of Europe in the 19th century. It inspired the Germans, Italians, and Austrians to
overthrow their oppressive regimes. It led to a decade of political changes and Europe saw many revolutions
inspired by the French Revolution.
The watchwords of the French Revolution such as liberty, equality and fraternity reflected the coming of a new
democratic and social order in Europe and the world. The French Revolution inspired the struggling nations of
Asia and Africa who were groaning under the oppression of colonialism. Many a nation aspiring for liberty
sought inspiration from its ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity.
India's struggle for independence was inspired by the ideas of the great French philosophers like Voltaire and
Rousseau and fired by the ideas expressed in the Rights of Man (1789). The French Revolution put into practice
the idea that sovereignty comes from the people, from below and not from above.
A Greek guerrilla chieftain who led a revolt against the Turkish landlords in 1821 wrote :
"According to my judgement, the French Revolution opened the eyes of the world. The nations knew nothing
before, and the people thought the kings were Gods upon the earth and they were bound to say that whatever
they did was well done. In the present change it is more difficult to rule the people."
4. Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to the French Revolution.
Ans. The rights we enjoy today are the rights of liberty, equality and fraternity.
5. Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions? Explain.
Ans. The message of universal rights was beset with contradictions. The universal rights lay emphasis on the inalienable
rights of man which mention property as one right which no government can ensure. Property will be owned by
some and not by all. Even the ownership cannot be an equal division for all.
The Declaration also says that all citizens have the right to participate in the formation of laws, personally or
through their representatives. All citizens are equal before it. But for this a country must have free and fair
elections which does not happen everywhere. The universal rights also say that every citizen may speak, write
and print freely. For this there must be freedom of press which in many governments is restricted.
6. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?
Ans. The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle classes to seize power. A new constitution was
introduced which denied the vote to non-propertied sections of society. It provided for two elected legislative
councils. These then appointed a Directory, an executive made up of five members. This was meant as a
safeguard against the concentration of power in a one-man executive as under the Jacobins. However, the
Directors often clashed with the legislative councils, who then sought to dismiss them. The political instability of
the Directory paved the way for the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 21
 Class-IX

Important Notes

22 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

SOCIALISM IN EUROPE AND THE

CHAPTER 2 RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

"In 1917, Russia was unable

to supply its soldiers in the
field or feed its people at
home. A strong desire for an
end to Czarist misrule, for
bread, and peace led to riots
which in turn led to revolution.
A moderate revolution in
March of 1917 was followed
by a more radical revolution
in November of 1917."

1 The age of social change

The French Revolution opened up the possibility of creating a dramatic
change in the way in which society was structured. In many parts of the
world including Europe and Asia, new ideas about individual rights and
who controlled social power began to be discussed.
In India, Raja Rammohan Roy and Derozio talked of the significance of the
French Revolution, and many others debated the ideas of post-revolutionary
Europe. The developments in the colonies, in turn, reshaped these ideas
of societal change.
Not everyone in Europe, however, wanted a complete transformation of
society. Responses varied from those who accepted that some change was
necessary but wished for a gradual shift, to those who wanted to restructure
society radically. Some were 'conservatives', others were 'liberals' or 'radicals'.
Through the revolution in Russia, socialism became one of the most
significant and powerful ideas to shape society in the twentieth century.
(a) Liberals, Radicals and Conservatives
Liberals looked to change society, wanted a nation which tolerated all
religions. At this time European states usually discriminated in favour of
one religion or another. (Britain favoured the Church of England, Austria
and Spain favoured the Catholic Church) Liberals also opposed the
uncontrolled power of dynastic rulers. They wanted to safeguard the rights
of individuals against governments. They argued for a representative,
elected parliamentary government, subject to laws interpreted by a well-
trained judiciary that was independent of rulers and officials.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 23
 Class-IX

However, they were not 'democrats'. They did not believe in Universal
Adult Franchise, that is, the right of every citizen to vote. They felt men
of property mainly should have the right to vote. They also did not want
right to vote for women.

Radicals wanted a nation in which government was based on the majority

of a country's population. Many supported women's suffragette movements.
They opposed the privileges of great landowners and wealthy factory
owners. They were not against the existence of private property but disliked
concentration of property in the hands of a few.

Conservatives were opposed to radicals and liberals. After the French

Revolution, however, even conservatives had opened their minds to the
need for change. By the nineteenth century, they accepted that some change
was inevitable but believed that the past had to be respected and change
had to be brought about through a slow process.

Such differing ideas about societal change clashed during the social and
political turmoil that followed the French Revolution. The various attempts
at revolution and national transformation in the nineteenth century helped
define both the limits and potential of these political tendencies.

(b) Industrial society and social change

These political trends were signs of a new time. It was a time of profound
social and economic changes. It was a time when new cities came up and
new industrialised regions developed, railways expanded and the Industrial
Revolution occurred. Industrialisation brought men, women and children to
factories. Work hours were often long and wages were poor. Unemployment
was common, particularly during times of low demand for industrial goods.

Housing and sanitation were problems since towns were growing rapidly.
Liberals and radicals searched for solutions to these issues.

Almost all industries were the property of individuals. Liberals and radicals
themselves were often property owners and employers. Having made their
wealth through trade or industrial ventures, they felt that such effort should
be encouraged - that its benefits would be achieved if the workforce in the
economy was healthy and citizens were educated. Opposed to the privileges
the old aristocracy had by birth, they firmly believed in the value of individual
effort, labour and enterprise. If freedom of individuals was ensured, if the
poor could labour, and those with capital could operate without restraint,
Fig. 1 Industrial society they believed that societies would develop.

Many working men and women who wanted changes in the world rallied
around liberal and radical groups and parties in the early nineteenth century.

24 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

Some nationalists, liberals and radicals wanted revolutions to put an end to

the kind of governments established in Europe in 1815. In France, Italy,
Germany and Russia, they became revolutionaries and worked to overthrow
existing monarchs.

Nationalists talked of revolutions that would create nations, where all citizens
would have equal rights. After 1815, Giuseppe Mazzini, an Italian nationalist,
conspired with others to achieve this in Italy. Nationalists elsewhere -
including India - read his writings.
(c) The coming of socialism to Europe
By the mid - nineteenth century in Europe, socialism was a well-known
body of ideas that attracted widespread attention.
Socialists were against private property, and saw it as the root of all social
ills of the time. They believed that if society as a whole rather than single
individuals controlled property, more attention would be paid to collective
social interests. Socialists wanted this change and campaigned for it.
Socialists had different visions of the future. Robert Owen (1771-1858), a
leading English manufacturer, sought to build a cooperative community
called New Harmony in Indiana (USA).
Other socialists felt that cooperatives could not be built on a wide scale only
through individual initiative: they demanded that governments encourage
cooperatives.
THE
In France, for instance, Louis Blanc (1813-1882) wanted the government
to encourage cooperatives and replace capitalist enterprises. These
SPOT P
cooperatives were to be associations of people who produced goods together LIGHT
and divided the profits according to the work done by members. A politifcal and economic theory of
social organization which advocates
Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) added other that the means of production,
ideas to this body of arguments. Marx argued that industrial society was distribution, and exchange should be
'capitalist'.Capitalists owned the capital invested in factories, and the profit owned or regulated by the
community as a whole.
of capitalists was produced by workers. The conditions of workers could
not improve as long as this profit was accumulated by private capitalists.
Workers had to overthrow capitalism and the rule of private property.
Marx believed that to free themselves from capitalist exploitation, workers
had to construct a radically socialist society where all property was socially
controlled. This would be a communist society. He was convinced that
workers would triumph in their conflict with capitalists. A communist society
was the natural society of the future.

Fig. 2 Revolutionaries

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 25
 Class-IX

(d) Support for socialism

By the 1870s, socialist ideas spread through Europe. To coordinate their
efforts, socialists formed an international body - namely, the Second
International.
Workers in England and Germany began forming associations to fight for
better living and working conditions. They set up funds to help members in
times of distress and demanded a reduction of working hours and the right
to vote. In Germany, these associations worked closely with the Social
Democratic Party (SPD) and helped it win parliamentary seats, By 1905,
socialists and trade unionists formed a Labour Party in Britain and a Socialist
Party in France. However till 1914, socialists never succeeded in forming a
government in Europe. Represented by strong figures in parliamentary
politics, their ideas did shape legislation, but governments continued to be
run by conservatives, liberals and radicals.
2 The Russian Revolution
Socialists took over the government in Russia through the October Revolution
of 1917. The fall of monarchy in February 1917 and the events of October
are normally called the Russian Revolution.
(a) The Russian Empire in 1914
In 1914, Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia and its empire. Besides the territory
around Moscow, the Russian empire included current-day Finland, Latvia,
Lithuania, Estonia, parts of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. It stretched to
the Pacific and comprised today.s Central Asian states, as well as Georgia,
Armenia and Azerbaijan. The majority religion was Russian Orthodox
Christianity . which had grown out of the Greek Orthodox Church . but the
empire also included Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and Buddhists.

Fig.3 Czar Nicholas II

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
Nicholas II was the last tsar of Russia.
He was deposed during the Russian
Revolution and executed by the
Bolsheviks. Fig.4 Europe in 1914.

26 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

1. Categorise the responses that emerged in Europe after Russian Revolution.

2. What is the significance of Russian Revolution?
(b) Economy and society
At the beginning of 20th Century, vast majority of Russia's people were
agriculturists. 85 per cent population earned their living from agriculture.
This proportion was higher than in most European countries. Cultivators
produced for the market as well as for their own needs and Russia was a
major exporter of grain.
Industry was found in pockets. Prominent industrial areas were
St. Petersburg and Moscow. Craftsmen undertook much of the production,
THE
but large factories existed alongside craft workshops. Many factories were
set up in the 1890s. SPOT P
When Russia’s railway network was extended foreign investment in industries LIGHT
increased. Coal production doubled and iron and steel output quadrupled. St. Petersburg is a city in the European
By the 1900s, in some areas factory workers and craftsmen were almost part of Russia which is the 2nd largest
equal in number. Russian city and located at the head
of the Gulf of Finland which was
Most industry was the private property of industrialists. Government former capital of Russia.
supervised large factories to ensure minimum wages and limited hours of
work. But factory inspectors could not prevent rules being broken.
In craft units and small workshops, the working day was sometimes 15
hours, compared with 10 or 12 hours in factories. Accommodation varied
from rooms to dormitories.
Workers were a divided social group. Some had strong links with the villages
from which they came. Others had settled in cities permanently. Workers
were divided by skill. Women made up 31 per cent of the factory labour force
by 1914, but they were paid less than men (between half and three-quarters
of a man's wage). Divisions among workers showed themselves in dress and
manners too. Some workers formed associations to help members in times of
unemployment or financial hardship but such associations were few.
Despite divisions, workers did unite to strike work (stop work) when they
disagreed with employers about dismissals or work conditions. These strikes
took place frequently in the textile industry during 1896-1897, and in the
metal industry during 1902.
In the countryside, peasants cultivated most of the land. But the nobility,
the crown and the Orthodox Church owned large properties. Like workers,
peasants too were divided. They were also deeply religious
But except in a few cases they had no respect for the nobility. Peasants
wanted the land of the nobles to be given to them. Frequently, they refused
to pay rent and even murdered landlords. In 1902, this occurred on a
large scale in south Russia. And in 1905, such incidents took place all over
Russia. Russian Peasants pooled their land together periodically and their
commune (mir) divided it according to the needs of individual families.
(c) Socialism in Russia
All political parties were illegal in Russia before 1914. The Russian Social
Democratic Workers Party was founded in 1898 by socialists who respected
Marx's ideas. However, because of government policing, it had to operate
as an illegal organisation. It set up a newspaper, mobilised workers and
organised strikes.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 27
 Class-IX

THE Some Russian socialists felt that the Russian peasant custom of dividing
SPOT P land periodically made them natural socialists. So peasants, not workers,
would be the main force of the revolution, and Russia could become socialist
LIGHT more quickly than other countries
Bolshevik means "majority"Adolf Hitler Socialists were active in the countryside through the late nineteenth century.
(who despised Communists) , Joseph They formed the Socialist Revolutionary Party in 1900. Social Democrats
Goebbels and other Nazi leaders disagreed with Socialist Revolutionaries about peasants. Lenin felt that
used the term Bolshevik in reference to peasants were not one united group. Some were poor and others rich,
the worldwide revolutionary movement
coordinated by the Soviet Union.
some worked as labourers while others were capitalists who employed
workers, they could not all be part of a socialist movement.
The party was divided over the strategy of organisation. Vladimir Lenin
(who led the Bolshevik group) thought that in a repressive society like Tsarist
Russia the party should be disciplined and should control the number and
quality of its members. Others (Mensheviks) thought that the party should
be open to all (as in Germany).
(d) A Turbulent Time: The 1905 Revolution
Russia was an autocracy. Tsar was not subject to parliament. Liberals in
Russia campaigned to end this state of affairs. Together with the Social
Democrats and Socialist Revolutionaries, they worked with peasants and
workers during the revolution of 1905 to demand a constitution.
They were supported in the empire by nationalists (in Poland for instance)
Fig. 5 Bloody Sunday and in Muslim-dominated areas by jadidists who wanted modernised Islam
to lead their societies.
In the year 1904, prices of essential goods rose so quickly that real wages
declined by 20 per cent. When four members of the Assembly of Russian
Workers, which had been formed in 1904, were dismissed at the Putilov
Iron Works, there was a call for industrial action. Over 110,000 workers in
St Petersburg went on strike demanding a reduction in the working day to
eight hours, an increase in wages and improvement in working conditions.

When the procession of workers led by Father Gapon reached the Winter
Palace it was attacked by the police and the Cossacks. Over 100 workers
were killed and about 300 wounded. The incident, known as Bloody Sunday,
started a series of events that became known as the 1905 Revolution.
Lawyers, doctors, engineers and other middle-class workers established
the Union of Unions and demanded a constituent assembly.
During the 1905 Revolution, the Tsar allowed the creation of an elected
consultative Parliament or Duma. For a brief while during the revolution,
there existed a large number of trade unions and factory committees made
Fig. 6 Duma up of factory workers. After 1905, most committees and unions worked
unofficially, since they were declared illegal. Severe restrictions were placed
on political activity. The Tsar dismissed the first Duma within 75 days and
the re-elected second Duma within three months. He did not want any
questioning of his authority or any reduction in his power. He changed the
voting laws and packed the third Duma with conservative politicians. Liberals
and revolutionaries were kept out.

28 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

1. Conservative, Radicals, Liberals.

2. Establishment of a social state.
(e) The First World War and the Russian Empire
In 1914, war broke out between two European alliances . Germany, Austria
and Turkey (the Central powers) and France, Britain and Russia (later Italy
and Romania). Each country had a global empire and the war was fought
outside Europe as well as in Europe. This was the First World War.
In Russia, the first world war was initially popular and people rallied around
Tsar Nicholas II. As the war continued, though, the Tsar refused to consult
Fig. 7 The First World War and the
the main parties in the Duma. Support wore thin. Anti-German sentiments
Russian Empire
ran high, as can be seen in the renaming of St Petersburg a German name
as Petrograd. The Tsarina Alexandra's German origins and poor advisers,
especially a monk called Rasputin, made the autocracy unpopular.
THE
Russia's armies lost badly in Germany and Austria between 1914 and 1916.
There were over 7 million casualties by 1917. As they retreated, the Russian
SPOT P
army destroyed crops and buildings to prevent the enemy from being able LIGHT
to live off the land. The destruction of crops and buildings led to over 3 The Imperial Russian army came to
be known as the 'Russian steam
million refugees in Russia. The war also had a severe impact on industry. roller'. It was the largest armed force
Russia.s own industries were few in number and the country was cut off in the world. When this army shifted
from other suppliers of industrial goods by German control of the Baltic its loyalty and began supporting the
revolutionaries, Tsarist power
Sea. Industrial equipment disintegrated more rapidly in Russia than collapsed.
elsewhere in Europe. By 1916, railway lines began to break down. There
were labour shortages and small workshops producing essentials were shut
down. For the people in the cities, bread and flour became scarce. By the
winter of 1916, riots at bread shops were common.

1. List the names of two advocates of cooperative regimes during Russian

Revolution.
2. Into which two political groups was the Russian Socialist Democratic Labour
Party divided in 1898?
3 The February Revolution in Petrograd
In the winter of 1917, conditions in the capital, Petrograd, were grim. The
workers' quarters and factories were located on the right bank of the River
Neva. On the left bank were the fashionable areas, the Winter Palace, and
official buildings, including the palace where the Duma met. In February
1917, food shortages were deeply felt in the workers' quarters. The winter
was very cold - there had been exceptional frost and heavy snow.
Parliamentaries wishing to preserve elected government, were opposed to
teh Tsar’s desire to dissolve the Duma.
On 22nd February, a lockout took place at a factory on the right bank. The
next day, workers in fifty factories called a strike in sympathy. In many

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 29
 Class-IX

factories, women led the way to strikes. This came to be called the
THE International Women's Day. Demonstrating workers crossed from the factory
SPOT P quarters to the centre of the capital. As the fashionable quarters and official
LIGHT buildings were surrounded by workers, the government imposed a curfew.
International women's day is On Sunday, 25th February, the government suspended the Duma. Politicians
celebrated on February 22nd as a spoke out against the measure. Demonstrators returned in force to the
mark of honour because on this day streets of the left bank on the 26th. On the 27th, the Police Headquarters
many women in Russia led the way
to strikes in factories. were ransacked. The streets thronged with people raising slogans about
bread, wages, better hours and democracy. The government tried to control
the situation and called out the cavalry once again. However, the cavalry
refused to fire on the demonstrators. An officer was shot at the barracks of
a regiment and three other regiments mutinied, voting to join the striking
workers. By that evening, soldiers and striking workers had gathered to
form a 'soviet' or 'council' in the same building as the Duma met. This was
the Petrograd Soviet.
Military commanders advised the Tsar to abdicate. He followed their advice
and abdicated on 2nd March. Soviet leaders and Duma leaders formed a
Provisional Government to run the country. Russia's future would be decided
by a constituent assembly, elected on the basis of universal adult suffrage.
Petrograd had led the February Revolution that brought down the monarchy
in February 1917.
(a) After February
Army officials, landowners and industrialists were influential in the Provisional
THE
SPOT P Government. But the liberals as well as socialists among them worked
towards an elected government. Restrictions on public meetings and
LIGHT
associations were removed. 'Soviets', like the Petrograd Soviet, were set
Date of the Russian Revolution
Russia followed the Julian calendar up everywhere, though no common system of election was followed.
until 1 February 1918. The country In April 1917, the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia
then changed to the Gregorian
calendar, which is followed from his exile. He and the Bolsheviks had opposed the war since 1914.
everywhere today. The Gregorian Now he felt it was time for soviets to take over power. He declared that the
dates are 13 days ahead of the Julian
dates. So by our calendar, the
war be brought to a close, land be transferred to the peasants, and banks
February. Revolution took place on be nationalised. These three demands were Lenin's 'April Theses'. He also
12th March and the October. argued that the Bolshevik Party rename itself the Communist Party to
Revolution took place on 7th
November. indicate its new radical aims.
Through the summer the workers' movement spread. In industrial areas,
factory committees were formed which began questioning the way
industrialists ran their factories. Trade unions grew in number. Soldiers'
committees were formed in the army. In June, about 500 Soviets sent
representatives to an All Russian Congress of Soviets. As the Provisional
Government saw its power reduce and Bolshevik influence grow, it decided
to take stern measures against the spreading discontent. Popular
demonstrations staged by the Bolsheviks in July 1917 were sternly
repressed. Many Bolshevik leaders had to go into hiding or flee.

30 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

Meanwhile in the countryside, peasants and their Socialist Revolutionary

leaders pressed for a redistribution of land. Land committees were formed
to handle this. Encouraged by the Socialist Revolutionaries, peasants seized
land between July and September 1917.
(b) The Revolution of October 1917
THE
As the conflict between the Provisional Government and the Bolsheviks
grew, Lenin feared the Provisional Government would set up a dictatorship.
SPOT P
In September, he began discussions for an uprising against the government. LIGHT
Bolshevik supporters in the army, soviets and factories were brought The 1917 Russian Revolution, which
overthrew three centuries of tsarist rule,
together. had its roots in Marxist beliefs. The
On 16 October 1917, Lenin persuaded the Petrograd Soviet and the revolution's leader, Vladimir Lenin,
Bolshevik Party to agree to a socialist seizure of power. A Military built his new proletarian government
based on his interpretation of Marxist
Revolutionary Committee was appointed by the Soviet under Leon Trotskii thought, turning Karl Marx into an
to organise the seizure. The date of the event was kept a secret. internationally famous figure more than
The uprising began on 24 October. Sensing trouble, Prime Minister 30 years after his death.
Kerenskiy had left the city to summon troops. At dawn, military men loyal
to the government seized the buildings of two Bolshevik newspapers.
Pro-government troops were sent to take over telephone and telegraph
offices and protect the Winter Palace. In a swift response, the Military
THE
Revolutionary Committee ordered its supporters to seize government offices
and arrest ministers. Late in the day, a ship, Aurora, shelled the Winter
SPOT P
Palace. Other vessels sailed down the Neva and took over various military LIGHT
points. By nightfall, the city was under the committee's control and the The ship that played an important
role in assault of the Winter Palace
ministers had surrendered. At a meeting of the All Russian Congress of
was known as Aurora.
Soviets in Petrograd, the majority approved the Bolshevik action. By
December, the Bolsheviks controlled the Moscow - Petrograd area.

1. Robert Owen and Louis Blanc.

2. Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.
4 What changed after October?
The Bolsheviks were totally opposed to private property. Most industry
and banks were nationalised in November 1917. Land was declared social THE
property and peasants were allowed to seize the land of the nobility. In
cities, Bolsheviks enforced the partition of large houses according to family
SPOT P
LIGHT
requirements, banned the old titles of aristocracy, new uniforms were
Lenin and his second in command,
designed for the army and officials, following a clothing competition Trotsky, took Russia out of the war by
organised in 1918 - when the Soviet hat (budeonovka) was chosen. accepting a harsh peace treaty from
the Germans and created the Red
The Bolshevik Party was renamed the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik). Army, which defeated the Bolsheviks'
In November 1917, Bolsheviks conducted the elections to the Constituent internal enemies and began more
than 70 years of communist rule in
Assembly, but failed to gain majority support. In January 1918, the Assembly Russia.
rejected Bolshevik measures and Lenin dismissed the Assembly. In March
1918, despite opposition by their political allies, the Bolsheviks made peace
with Germany at Brest Litovsk. The Bolsheviks became the only party to

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 31
 Class-IX

participate in the elections to the All Russian Congress of Soviets, which

became the Parliament of the country. Russia became a one-party state.
Trade unions were kept under party control. The secret police (called the
Cheka first, and later OGPU and NKVD) punished those who criticised the
Bolsheviks. After October 1917, this led to experiments in the arts and
architecture. Many became disillusioned because of the censorship the Party
encouraged.
(a) The Civil War
When the Bolsheviks ordered land redistribution, the Russian army began
to break up. Soldiers, mostly peasants, wished to go home for the
redistribution and deserted.
Non-Bolshevik socialists, liberals and supporters of autocracy condemned
the Bolshevik uprising. Their leaders moved to south Russia and organised
troops to fight the Bolsheviks (the 'reds'). During 1918 and 1919, the
'greens' (Socialist Revolutionaries) and 'whites' (pro-Tsarists) controlled most
of the Russian empire. They were backed by French, American, British
and Japanese troops all those forces who were worried at the growth of
socialism in Russia. As these troops and the Bolsheviks fought a civil war,
looting, banditry and famine became common.
Supporters of private property among 'whites' took harsh steps with
peasants who had seized land. Such actions led to the loss of popular
support for the non-Bolsheviks. By January 1920, the Bolsheviks controlled
most of the former Russian empire. They succeeded due to cooperation
with non-Russian nationalities and Muslim jadidists. In Khiva, in Central
Asia, Bolshevik brutally massacred local nationalists in the name of defending
socialism. In this situation, many were confused about what the Bolshevik
government represented.
Fig.8 Factories came to be seen as a Partly to remedy this, most non-Russian nationalities were given political
symbol of socialism. This poster
states: 'The smoke from the chimneys
autonomy in the Soviet Union (USSR) - the state the Bolsheviks created
is the breathing of Soviet Russia'. from the Russian empire in December 1922. But since this was combined
with unpopular policies like the harsh discouragement of nomadism -
attempts to win over different nationalities were only partly successful.
(b) Making a socialist society
During the civil war, the Bolsheviks kept industries and banks nationalised.
THE They permitted peasants to cultivate the land that had been socialised.
SPOT P Bolsheviks used confiscated land to demonstrate what collective work could
LIGHT be. A process of centralised planning was introduced. Officials assessed
how the economy could work and set targets for a five-year period. The
Five-Year Plans (FYPs) are centralized
and integrated national economic government fixed all prices to promote industrial growth during the first
programs. Joseph Stalin implemented two 'Plans'.On the basis they made 5 year plans. The government fixed all
the first FYP in the Soviet Union in the
late 1920s.
prices to promote industrial growth during the first two 'Plans (1927 – 32 &
1933 – 38). Centralised planning led to economic growth. Industrial

32 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

production increased. New factory cities came into being. However, rapid
construction led to poor working conditions.

In the city of Magnitogorsk, the construction of a steel plant was achieved

in three years. Workers lived hard lives and the result was 550 stoppages
of work in the first year alone. In living quarters, in the wintertime, at 40
degrees below, people had to climb down from the fourth floor and dash
across the street in order to go to the toilet.

An extended schooling system developed, and arrangements were made

for factory workers and peasants to enter universities. Crèches were
established in factories for the children of women workers. Cheap public
health care was provided. Model living quarters were set up for workers.
The effect of all this was uneven, though, since government resources were
limited.

(c) Stalinism and Collectivisation

The period of the early Planned Economy was linked to the disasters of the
collectivisation of agriculture. By 1927-28, the towns were facing acute
problem of grain supplies. The government fixed prices at which grain
must be sold, but the peasants refused to sell their grain to government
buyers at these prices.

Stalin, who headed the party after the death of Lenin, introduced firm
emergency measures. He believed that rich peasants and traders in the
countryside were holding stocks in the hope of higher prices. Speculation
had to be stopped and supplies confiscated.

In 1928, Party members toured the grain-producing areas, supervising Fig.9 Stalin
enforced grain collections, and raiding kulaks the name for wellto-do
peasants. As shortages continued, the decision was taken to collectivise
farms. It was argued that grain shortages were partly due to the small size
THE
of holdings. After 1917, land had been given over to peasants. These
small-sized peasant farms could not be modernised. SPOT P
LIGHT
To develop modern farms, and run them along industrial lines with
Between 1908 and 1917, Stalin was
machinery, it was necessary to eliminate kulaks take away land from arrested seven times and escaped
peasants, and establish state-controlled large farms. five times, enjoying less than two
years of liberty in the nine-year
Stalin introduced firm emergency measures. In 1928, Party members period.
toured the grain-producing areas, supervising enforced grain collections,
and raiding 'kulaks' - the name for well- to-do peasants. As shortages
continued, the decision was taken to collectivise farms. It was argued that
grain shortages were partly due to the small size of holdings. To develop
modern farms, and run them along industrial lines with machinery, it was
necessary to 'eliminate kulaks', take away land from peasants, and establish
state-controlled large farms.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 33
 Class-IX

THE From 1929, the Party forced all peasants to cultivate in collective farms
SPOT P (kolkhoz). The bulk of land and implements were transferred to the ownership
LIGHT of collective farms. Peasants worked on the land, and the kolkhoz profit
1850s -1880s - Debates over was shared. Those who resisted collectivisation were severely punished.
socialism in Russsia. Many were deported and exiled. Stalin's government allowed some
1898 - Formation of the Russian independent cultivation, but treated such cultivators unsympathetically. The
Social Democratic Workers Party.
1905 - The Bloody Sunday and the bad harvests of 1930-1933 led to one of most devastating famines in
Revolution of 1905. Soviet history when over 4 million died.
2nd March,1917 - Abdication of
the Tsar. Many within the Party criticised the confusion in industrial production under
24th October ,1917- Bolshevik the Planned Economy and the consequences of collectivisation. Stalin and
unprising in Petrograd.
his sympathisers charged these critics with conspiracy against socialism.
1918-20 - The Civil War.
1919 - Formation of Comintern. Accusations were made throughout the country, and by 1939, over 2 million
1929 - Beginning of Collectivisation. were in prisons or labour camps. Most were innocent of the crimes, but no
one spoke for them. A large number were forced to make false confessions
THE
SPOT P under torture and were executed - several among them were talented
professionals.
LIGHT 5 The global influence of the Russian Revolution and the
The flag of the Soviet Union was the
official national flag of the Soviet state USSR
from 1923 to 1991. The flag's design Existing socialist parties in Europe did not wholly approve of the way the
and symbolism are derived from the
Russian Revolution of 1917. The flag Bolsheviks took power and kept it.
is also an international symbol of the The possibility of a workers' state fired people's imagination across the
communist movement as a whole.
world. In many countries, communist parties were formed - like the
Communist Party of Great Britain. Many non-Russians from outside the
USSR participated in the Conference of the Peoples of the East (1920)
and the Bolshevik-founded Comintern (an international union of Pro-
Bolshevik Socialist Parties). By the time of the outbreak of the Second
World War, the USSR had given socialism a global face and world stature.
Yet by the 1950s it was acknowledged within the country that the style of
government in the USSR was not in keeping with the ideals of the Russian
Revolution. A backward country had become a great power. But it had
denied the essential freedoms to its citizens and carried out its developmental
projects through repressive policies. By the end of the twentieth century,
the international reputation of the USSR as a socialist country had declined
though it was recognised that socialist ideals still enjoyed respect among its
Fig.10 Rabindranath Tagore
people.
THE
SPOT P But in each country the ideas of socialism were rethought in a variety of
different ways.
LIGHT
Tagore was known and loved even
in pre-revolutionary Russia. His
poems were translated and
republished on numerous occasions
and actively promoted by Russian
symbolists.

34 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

IMPORTANT TERMS
1. BOLSHEVIKS
The majority group of the Russian Social Democratic labour Party led by Lenin based on the ideology of Karl
Marx and Fredrich Engels.
2. MENSHEVIKS
The minority group of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party formed in 1898. They favoured a parliamentary
model of Government like that of Britain and France.

3. SERFDOM
Russian type of feudalism under which peasants worked for the landlord in exchange for food but low wages
were paid.

4. JADIDISTS

Muslim reformers within the Russian empire.

5. DEPORTED

Forcibly removed from one's own country.

6. SUFFRAGETTE MOVEMENT

A movement to give women the right to vote.

7. REAL WAGE

Reflects the quantities of goods which the wages will actually buy.

8. AUTONOMY

The right to govern themselves.

9. NOMADISM

Lifestyle of those who do not live in one place but move from area to area to earn their living.
10. DEPORTED

Forcibly removed from one.s own country.

11. EXILED
Forced to live away from one.s own country.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 35
 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 1
Multiple choice questions 8. The majority religion of Russia was .........................
1. Which of these statements is/are correct about but the empire also included Catholics, Protestants,
Europe after the French Revolution? Muslims and Buddhists.
(1) Suddenly it seemed possible to change the (1) Greek Orthodox Church
aristocratic society of the 18th century. (2) Rome Orthodox Church
(2) However not everyone wanted a complete (3) German Orthodox Church
transformation of society. (4) Russian Orthodox Church
(3) Some wanted gradual shift, while others wanted 9. What were the demands made by the workers in
complete change of society. St. Petersburg who went on a strike?
(4) All the above (1) Reduction of working time to eight hours
2. According to the views held by the people of Europe (2) Increase in wages
regarding social change, they came to be called (3) Improvement in working conditions
(4) All the above
______.
10. The procession of workers to the Winter Palace
(1) Liberals (2) Radicals was attacked by the police killing 100 workers. This
(3) Conservatives (4) All the above incident is called ______?
3. Which among the following groups was against any (1) Black Sunday (2) Bloody Sunday
kind of political or social change? (3) Rebellious Sunday (4) Unlucky Sunday
(1) Nationalists (2) Conservatives 11. What was 'Duma'?
(3) Liberals (4) Radicals (1) Parliament (2) Court
4. Industrialisation did not lead to which of the following (3) Trade Union (4) Group of Nobles
problems? 12. Why did the Tsar dismiss the first Duma within 75
days of its election?
(1) Poor wages
(1) Because it was incapable of taking good decisions
(2) Long hours of work
(2) Because the Tsar did not want anyone to question
(3) Liberalism his authority
(4) Housing (3) The term of first Duma was of 75 days only
5. The people who wanted to put an immediate end (4) None of the above
to the existing governments in Europe (in 1815) 13. Which of the following factors made autocracy
were called : unpopular in Russia?
(1) Nationalists (2) Liberals (1) The German origin of the Tsarina Alexandra
(3) Revolutionaries (4) Radicals (2) Poor advisors like the Monk Rasputin
6. Karl Marx wanted workers to overthrow : (3) The huge cost of fighting in the World War I
(1) Capitalism (4) Both (1) and (2)
(2) Rule of private property 14. Which one of the following refers to the meaning of
(3) Accumulation of profits by capitalists the word 'Soviet'?
(4) Radicals (1) An autonomous organisation of Russia
(2) Security Police
7. To coordinate the efforts of socialists all over Europe,
(3) Duma
an international body was formed in Europe called
(4) Council
the – 15. When did Lenin return to Russia from his exile?
(1) Second International (1) March 1917 (2) April 1917
(2) Commune (3) August 1917 (4) July 1918
(3) Labour Party 16. Who started 'Collectivisation Programme' in Russia?
(1) Lenin (2) Karl Marx
(4) Social Democratic Party
(3) Rasputin (4) Stalin

36 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

17. In the context of Russia, what was 'KULAK'? True or false

(1) A collective Farm (2) A Russian Church 1. Liberals opposed the uncontrolled power of dynastic
(3) Well-to-do Peasants (4) Landless Labourers rulers. They wanted to safeguard the rights of
18. From 1929 Stalin promoted Kolkhoz. What were
individuals against governments.
Kolkhoz?
(1) Large scale industries 2. Liberals and radicals themselves were often
(2) Small scale industries peasants and artisians.
(3) Collective farms
3. Socialists were against public property, and saw
(4) None of the above
it as the root of all social ills of the time.
19. How many people were killed in the famines of
1930-33? 4. The majority religion was Russian Orthodox Church,
(1) 2 Million (2) 3 Million but the empire also included Catholics, Protestants,
(3) 4 Million (4) 6 Million Muslims and Buddhists.
20. By the time of the outbreak of the.........................., 5. During the 1915 Revolution, the Tsar allowed the
the USSR had given socialism a global face and creation of an elected consultative Parliament or
world stature. Duma.
(1) First World War (2) Second World War
Fill in the blanks
(3) Vietnam War (4) None of these
1. When the................ordered land redistribution, the
Match the columns
1. Russian army began to break up.
Column I Column II 2. In................a war broke out between two European
(A) Autonomy (i) Name for well to do allies.
peasents.
(B) Deported (ii) Forced to live away 3. The fall of monarchy in February 1917 and the
from one's own events of October are normally called...............
country.
(C) Jadidists (iii) A movement to give 4. Workers in.................went on strike demanding
women right to vote. a reduction in the working day to 8 hours.
(D) Suffragette (iv) Muslim reformers
movement within russian 5. By 1905 socialists and trade unions formed a
empire. Labour Party in.................and Socialist Party
(E) Exiled (v) Forcibly removed
from one's own in..............
country.
(F) Kulaks (vi) The right to govern
themselves.

EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ans . 4 4 2 3 3 1 1 4 4 2
Que. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans . 1 2 4 4 2 4 3 3 3 2

Match the columns

1. A ® (vi), B ® (v), C ® (iv), D ® (iii), E ® (ii), F ® (i)
True or false
1. True 2. False 3. False 4. True 5. False
Fill in the blanks
1. Bolsheviks 2. 1914 3. Russian revolution 4. St.Petersburg 5. Britain, France

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 37
 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 2
Short answer type questions Long answer type questions

1. Mention the two stages of the Russian Revolution. 1. Describe the condition of the Russian workers and
farmers on the eve of the Russian Revolution in
2. Who founded the Bolshevik Party? What was the Russia.
main aim of the party? 2. Describe the events that were responsible for the
3. Mention the main difference between the policies 1905 Russian Revolution. Mention two important
of the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. effects of the Revolution.
3. Describe the autocratic nature of the rule of Tsar
4. Which event in Russian History is known as Bloody
Nicholas II which brought Russia on the verge of
Sunday? revolution.
5. Why did Russia withdraw from the First World 4. Explain the February Revolution.
War? 5. Write a short note on October Revolution.
6. Why was Kerenskii's government unpopular? Give 6. Describe the immediate consequences of the
two reasons. Russian Revolution in Russia.
7. Who was Lenin? Describe his role in the Russian
7. Mention two consequences of Russian Revolution
Revolution of 1917.
in Russia.
8. What measures did the Bolsheviks take to establish
8. Mention two aims under which Russian Government a communist state?
started the Five year plans in U.S.S.R. 9. Write short notes on the following
9. Examine the reasons for the success of socialist (a) The New Economic Policy of Lenin.
economy in post revolution Russia. (b) Stalin's attempt to improve the Soviet Economy.
10. What was Stalin's Collectivisation Programme? 10. Describe the Global influence of the Russian
Revolution.

38 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. What were the social, economic and political conditions in Russia before 1905?
Ans. The social, economic and political conditions in Russia, before 1905 was quite backward. Social inequality
was very prominent among the working class. Workers were divided on the basis of their occupation. Workers
whose jobs needed skill and training considered themselves on a higher plane than the untrained worker.
Workers had strong links to the villages they came from and this also caused a social divide among workers.
Economically Russia was going through a very difficult period. The population had doubled and the economic
conditions turned from bad to worse. The government introduced new programmes of industrialization which
created employment. This Industrialization did not help the workers who were exploited and their living condition
only worsened. Compared to other European nations, Russia was politically backward, during the thirteenth
century. All political parties were illegal in Russia before 1914. The Russian peasants formed the Socialist
Revolutionary Party in 1900, but as they were not a united group they were not considered to be part of
a socialist movement.
2. In what ways was the working population in Russia different from other countries in Europe, before 1917?
Ans. The working population in European countries were a more united lot than the those in Russia . Workers
in England and Germany formed associations and fought for better living and working conditions. Funds were
set up by these Associations to help workers in distress. The workers in European countries were united
in their demand for reduction of working hours and the right to vote. Workers association also supported
political parties and ultimately formed political parties themselves. The Labour Party in Britain and a Socialist
Party in France are examples of political parties formed by socialists and trade unionists. In total contrast
to the working population in Europe the Russian workers were not united. Workers were divided on the
basis of their occupation. Workers whose jobs needed skill and training considered themselves on a higher
plane than the untrained workers. Workers had strong links to the villages they came from and this also
caused a social divide among workers. Workers' associations rose dramatically in Russia also, as in Europe.
They demanded reduced working hours and higher wages. The workers were suppressed by the government.
3. Why did the Tsarist autocracy collapse in 1917?
Ans. During the winter of 1917, factory workers faced acute food shortage and extreme cold climate. Dissatisfaction
was raging high among the workers. A factory lockout on the right bank of the river Neva, triggered a
strike in the month of February, 1917. 50 other factories joined in the strike. In many factories women
led the strike. The government tried many measures to contain the strike. Curfew was imposed, the cavalry
and police were called out to suppress the workers. The dissatisfied worker could not be contained. On
the 27 of February, the Police Head Quarters' were ransacked. The turning point of this revolt was when
the government regiments joined the striking workers. They formed the ' Soviet' or 'Council'. The Tsar was
advised to abdicate. Thus the February Revolution brought down the monarchy in 1917.
4. Make two lists:
(i) one with the main events and the effects of the February Revolution.
(ii) Main events and effects of the October Revolution.
Write a paragraph on who was involved in each, who were the leaders and what was the impact of each
on Soviet history.
Ans. February Revolution
1. 22 February : Factory lockout on the right bank.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 39
 Class-IX

2. 23 February : Sympathy strike by workers in 50 factories.

3. 24 & 25 : Strikers stage demonstrations. Police called out to suppress the workers.
4. 25 : The government suspends the Duma.
5. 27 : Police Head quarters' ransacked by the workers. Regiments support the workers. Striking workers
form the Petrograd Soviet.
6. 2 March: The Tsar abdicates. Soviet and Duma leaders form the Provisional Government.
Effects:
1. Army officials, land owners and industrialist became influential.
2. Restriction on public meetings were removed.
3. Trade unions grew in number.
October Revolution
1. 16 October : Vladimir Lenin, the Bolshevik leader persuades the Petrograd Soviet and the Bolshevik Party
to agree to a socialist seizure of power. A Military Revolutionary Committee was appointed by the Soviet
2. 24 October :
• The uprising against the Provisional government begins.
• Military Revolutionary Committee seized government offices and arrested ministers.
• The Winter Palace was shelled.
• Ministers of the Provisional government surrendered.
• The Bolsheviks gained control.
Effects:
1. Industries and banks were nationalised.
2. Russia became an one-party state.
The single party being the Bolshevik Party
During the February Revolution, the factory workers and the Government Regiments played an important
role. The workers and the regiments joined together. The major impact of the February Revolution was the
down fall of the Russian Monarchy and the establishment of the Petrograd Soviet. Vladimir Lenin, the Bolshevik
leader , played a major role during the October revolution. His Bolshevik Party over threw the Provisional
Government and gained power. The Russian Communist Party came into existence.
5. What were the main changes brought about by the Bolsheviks immediately after the October Revolution?
Ans. Many changes were brought about by the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution. They were:-
(i) Banks and Industries were nationalised.
(ii) Land was declared social property.
(iii) Peasants seized land from the nobility.
(iv) Large houses were partitioned according to family requirements.
(v) Use of old titles by aristocrats was banned.
(vi) New uniforms were introduced for the army and officials. The famous soviet hat (budeonovka) was introduced.

40 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

6. Write a few lines to show what you know about:

a. Kulaks
b. The Duma
c. Women workers between 1900 and 1930
d. The Liberals
e. Stalin's Collectivisation Programme
Ans. Kulaks
Well-to-do peasants were called ' kulaks' during Stalin's leadership. As food shortage continued Stalin decided
to introduce the Collectivisation Programme. Under this programme, 'kulaks' were eliminated. That is , land
from these well-to-do peasants was forcibly taken and large state controlled farms were established. This
was done to modernize farming and increase production.
The Duma
The Duma is an elected consultative Parliament, which was set up during the 1905 Revolution. Though
the Duma was accepted by the Tsar, they were constantly dismissed by the Tsar and new ones were set
up. After the February Revolution when the Monarchy was over thrown , Duma leaders and Soviet leaders
formed a Provisional Government in Russia.
Women workers between 1900 and 1930
Women workers made up 31% of the factory labour in the 1900s. They were paid only half or three quarters
of the men's wages. During the February Revolution in 1917, many women worker led the strikes. The
condition of the women workers continued to be grim until the 1930s. Slowly conditions improved and crèches
were set up in factories for the children of women workers.
The Liberals
After the French Revolution people wanted a transformation in the society. Many groups were formed with
this intention. One such group was the 'Liberals'. The Liberals wanted a nation with religious tolerance and
individual rights. Though they wanted an elected parliamentary government, they wanted only men of property
to have the right to vote. They were against women voting.
Stalin's Collectivisation Programme
By 1927-28 the towns in Soviet Russia were facing an acute problem of grain supplies. Stalin, who was
the leader of the party at that time, investigated the causes of this problem and introduced some emergency
measures accordingly. Stalin's collectivization programme in 1929 was one of these measures. Under this
programme the party forced all farmers to cultivate in collective farms (Kolkhoz). The profit or the produce
from a collective farm was shared by the farmers who worked on it. However, those farmers who resisted
collectivization were severely punished. They did not want to work in collective farms for a variety of reasons.
Stalin's government allowed some independent cultivation, but treated such cultivators unsympathetically.
In spite of Stalin's collectivization programme, production did not increase immediately. In fact the bad harvests
of 1930-33 led to one of the worst famines in the Soviet History.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 41
 Class-IX

Important Notes

42 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

CHAPTER 3 NAZISM AND THE RISE OF HITLER

"Adolf Hitler's rise to power

began in Germany in
September 1919 when Hitler
joined the political party
known as the Deutsche
Arbeiterpartei. The name
was changed in 1920 to the
'National Socialist German
Workers' Party,' commonly
known as the Nazi Party."

In the spring of 1945, a little eleven-year-old German boy called Helmuth

was lying in bed when he overheard his parents discussing something in
serious tones. His father, a prominent physician, deliberated with his wife
whether the time had come to kill the entire family, or if he should commit
suicide alone. His father spoke about his fear of revenge, saying, .Now the
Allies will do to us what we did to the crippled and Jews.. The next day, he
took Helmuth to the woods, where they spent their last happy time together,
singing old children's songs. Later, Helmuth.s father shot himself in his office.
Helmuth remembers that he saw his father.s bloody uniform being burnt in
the family fireplace.
So traumatised was he by what he had overheard and what had happened,
that he reacted by refusing to eat at home for the following nine years! He
was afraid that his mother might poison him. Although Helmuth may not
have realised all that it meant, his father had been a Nazi and a supporter
of Adolf Hitler. Many of you will know something about the Nazis and Hitler.
You probably know of Hitler.s determination to make Germany into a mighty Fig.1 Adolf Hitler
power and his ambition of conquering all of Europe. You may have heard
that he killed Jews. But Nazism was not one or two isolated acts. It was a
system, a structure of ideas about the world and politics. Let us try and
understand what Nazism was all about.
Many of you will know something about the Nazis and Hitler. You probably
know Hitler’s determination to make Germany into a mighty power and his
ambition of conquering all of Europe. You may have heard that he killed
Jews. But Nazism was not one or two isolated acts. It was a system, a
structure of ideas about the world and politics. Let us try and understand
what Nazism was all about.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 43
 Class-IX

In May 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allies. Anticipating what was

THE
SPOT P coming, Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker in April. At the end
of the war, an International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg was set up to
LIGHT prosecute Nazi war criminals for crimes against peace, for war crimes and
On April 29, 1945, Hitler married crimes against humanity. Germany’s conduct during the war, especially
his long-time mistress, Eva Braun.The
those actions which came to be called 'Crimes Against Humanity', raised
following day, April 30, 1945, Hitler
and Eva committed suicide together. serious moral and ethical questions and invited worldwide condemnation.

Under the shadow of the Second World War, Germany had waged a
genocidal war, which resulted in the mass murder of selected groups of
innocent civilians of Europe. 6 million Jews, 20,0000 Gypsies, 1 million
Polish civilians, 70,000 Germans who considered mentally and physically
disabled, besides innumerable political opponents were killed.The
Nuremberg Tribunal sentenced only eleven leading Nazis to death. Many
others were imprisoned for life. The retribution did come, yet the
punishment of the Nazis was far short of the brutality and extent of their
crimes. The Allies did not want to be as harsh on defeated Germany as
they had been after the First World War. Everyone came to feel that the
THE rise of Nazi Germany could be partly traced back to the German experience
SPOT P at the end of the First World War.
LIGHT 1 Birth of the Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name
given by historians to the federal (a) First World War and its outcomes
republic and semipresidential
representative democracy established Two Groups of First world war: Allies - England, France, Russia
in 1919 in Germany to replace the
(withdrew in 1917) later on joined by U.S.A and Central Powers -
imperial form of government.
Germany, Austria-Hungry and Italy. The war ended with the defeat of
Central powers.

(b) Establishment of Weimar Republic

After the defeat of Imperial Germany, a National Assembly met at Weimer

and established a democratic constitution with a federal structure. Deputies
were now elected to the German Parliament or Reichstag, on the basis of
equal and universal votes cast by all adults including women.

(c) Peace Treaty of Versailles

THE
SPOT P The Peace Treaty at Versailles with the Allies was a harsh and humiliating
peace, Germany lost its overseas colonies, a tenth of its population, 13%
LIGHT of its territories, 75% of its iron and 26% of its coal. The Allied powers
This Treaty aimed at keeping the
demilitarised Germany and forced Germany to pay 6 billion pounds as war
French border with Germany safe
from another German attack and compensation. Allied armies occupied resource - rich Rhineland for much
created the organisation, the League of the 1920s. Many Germans held the new Weimar Republic responsible
of Nations, that would end warfare
throughout the world. for not only the defeat in the war but the disgrace at Versailles.

44 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

Fig.2 World War I

2 The effects of the war

The war had a devastating impact – both psychologically and financially.
From a continent of creditors, Europe turned into one of debtors.
(a) November criminals
The infant Weimar Republic was being made to pay for the sins of the old
empire. The republic carried the burden of war guilt and national humiliation
and was financially crippled by being forced to pay compensation. Those
who supported the Weimar Republic, mainly Socialists, Catholics and
Democrats were mockingly called the ‘November Criminals’.
(b) Soldiers given more importance
The war left a deep imprint on European society and polity. Soldiers came
to be placed above civilians. Politicians and publicists laid great stress on
the need for men to be aggressive, strong and masculine. Media glorified
trench life. But in reality soldiers lived miserable lives in these trenches,
trapped with rats feeding on corpses. They faced poisonous gas and enemy
shelling and witnessed their ranks reduce rapidly. Aggressive war
propaganda and national honour occupied centre stage. Popular support
grew for conservative dictatorships.
3 Political radicalism & economic crisis
The birth of the Weimar Republic coincided with the revolutionary uprising
of the Spartacist League on the pattern of the Bolshevik Revolution in
Russia. Soviets of workers and sailors were established in many cities.
The political atmosphere in Berlin was charged with demands for Soviet-
style governance. Those opposed to this - such as the Socialists, Democrats
and Catholics -met in Weimar to give shape to the democratic republic. The
Weimar Republic crushed the uprising with the help of a war veterans
organisation called Free Corps. The anguished Spartacists later founded the
Communist Party of Germany. Communists and Socialists henceforth became
irreconcilable enemies and could not make common cause against Hitler.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 45
 Class-IX

THE Situation of hyperinflation

SPOT P Germany had fought the war largely on loans and had to pay war
reparations in Gold. In 1923 Germany refused to pay, and the French
LIGHT occupied its leading industrial area, Ruhr, to claim their coal. Germany
The Swastika is an ancient symbol retaliated with passive resistance and printed paper currency recklessly.
that most likely represents the sun
With too much printed money in circulation, the value of the German
wheeling across the sky and has
been a symbol of good luck. mark fell. In April the US $ was equal to 24000 marks, by December, the
figure had run into trillions. As the value of the mark collapsed, prices of
goods soared. This crisis came to be known as Hyperinflation, a situation
when prices rise phenomenally high. The Americans intervened and bailed
Germany out by introducing the Dawes Plan, which reworked the terms of
reparation to ease the financial burden on Germans.
4 The years of depression
German investments and industrial recovery were totally dependent on
short term loans, largely from the USA. This support was withdrawn when
the Wall Street Exchange crashed in 1929. Fearing a fall in prices,
people made frantic efforts to sell their shares. On one single day, 24
October, 13 million shares were sold. This was the start of the Great
Economic Depression. Over the next three years, between 1929 and 1932,
the national income of the USA fell by half. Factories shut down, exports
fell, farmers were badly hit and speculators withdrew their money from the
Fig.3 Great depression
market. The effects of this recession in the US economy were felt
worldwide.
The German economy was the worst hit by the economic crisis. Workers
lost their jobs or were paid reduced wages. Industrial production reduced
to 40% of the 1929 level. 6 million people became unemployed. As jobs
disappeared, the youth took to criminal activities and total despair became
a common place. The economic crisis created deep anxieties and fears in
people. The currency lost its value. Sections of society were filled with the
fear of Proletarianisation, an anxiety of being reduced to the ranks of
the working class, or worse still, the unemployed.The large mass of peasantry
was affected by a sharp fall in agricultural prices and women,unable to fill
their children’s stomach, were filled with a sense of deep despair.
Politically too the Weimer Republic was fragile. The Weimer constitution
had some inherent defects, which made it unstable and vulnerable to
dictatorship. Proportional representation and "Article 48" gave the
President the powers to impose emergency, suspend civil rights and rule
by decree were its major shortcomings. People lost confidence in the
THE
SPOT P 5
democratic parliamentary system, which seemed to offer no solutions.

Hitler’s rise to power

LIGHT
Throughout his youth, Hitler dreamed Born in Austria in 1889, Hitler spent his youth in poverty. During the First
of becoming an artist. He applied
World War, he enrolled in the German army, acted as a messenger at the
twice to the Vienna Academy of Art
(once in 1907 and again in 1908) front, became a corporal and earned medals for bravery. The German
but was denied entrance both times. defeat horrified him and the Versailles Treaty made him furious.

46 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

In 1919, he joined a small group called the German Workers’ Party;

subsequently took control of this party, renamed it as the National Socialist
German Workers’ Party. This party came to be known as the Nazi Party.
In 1923, Hitler planned to seize control of Bavaria, march to Berlin and
capture power. He failed, was arrested and tried for treason, and later
released. The Nazis could not effectively mobilize popular support till the
early 1930s. It was during the Great Depression that Nazism became a
mass movement. In 1928, the Nazi Party got no more than 2.6 percent
votes in the Reichstag the German parliament. By 1932, the Nazi Party
had become the largest party with 37 percent votes.

Hitler as a Messiah, a Saviour

Hitler was a powerful speaker. His passion and his words moved people.
He promised them a strong nation, employment, secure future for the Fig.4 Symbol of Nazi Party
youth and to restore the dignity of the German people. He promised
employment for those looking for work, and a secure future for the youth.
He promised to weed out all foreign influences and resist all foreign
‘conspiracies’ against Germany.

Nazis held massive rallies and public meetings to demonstrate the support
THE
for Hitler and instill a sense of unity among the people. The Red banners
with the Swastika, the Nazi salute, and the ritualized rounds of applause
SPOT P
after the speeches were all part of this spectacle of power. Nazi propaganda
LIGHT
In some cultures, a Swastika whose
skillfully projected Hitler as a messiah, a savior, as someone who had arrived
arms point to the left rather than the
to deliver people from their distress. It is an image that captured the right signals darkness and evil.
imagination of a people whose sense of dignity and pride had been shattered,
and who were living in a time of acute economic and political crises.
6 Destruction of democracy
On 30 January 1933, President Hindenburg offered the Chancellorship,
the highest position in the cabinet of ministers, to Hitler.
(a) Fire Decree, 1933
A mysterious fire that broke out in the German Parliament building in
February facilitated his move to dismantle the structures of democratic
Fig.5 Fire Decree
rule.The Fire Decree of 28th February 1933 indefinitely suspended civic
rights like freedom of speech, press and assembly that had been guaranteed
by the Weimer constitution. The Communists were hurriedly packed off to
the newly established concentration camps.
(b) Enabling Act
On 3 March 1933, the famous Enabling Act was passed, which established
dictatorship in Germany. It gave Hitler all powers to sideline Parliament
and rule by decree. All political parties and trade unions were banned
except for the Nazi Party and its affiliates. The state established complete
control over the economy, media, army and judiciary.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 47
 Class-IX

(c) Forces that made Nazi state, the most dreaded criminal state
Special surveillance and security forces like, Gestapo (secret state police),
THE the SS (the protection squads), criminal police and the Security Service
SPOT P (SD) were created to control and order society in ways that the Nazis wanted.
People could now be detained in Gestapo torture chambers, rounded up,
LIGHT sent to concentration camps, deported at will or arrested without any legal
Hitler was announced as the Man of procedure. The police forces acquired powers to rule with impunity.
the Year 1938 by Time Magazine on 7 Reconstruction
2nd January, 1939. Time noted that Hitler assigned the responsibility of economic recovery to the economist
Hitler had become one of the greatest
Hjalmar Schacht, who aimed at full production and full employment through
threatening force in 1938 that the
world's democracy and freedom is
a state-funded work-creation programme.This project produced the famous
going to face. German superhighways and the people’s car, the Volkswagen. He also
had advised Hilter against investing hugely in rearmament, as the state still
ran on deficit financing.

Fig.7 People’s car, the Volkswagen

Fig.6 Hitler on the cover page of

Time magazine

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
Hitler was nominated for the Noble Fig.8 WW II
peace prize in 1939.
(a) Hitler’s foreign policy
In foreign policy also Hitler acquired quick successes. He pulled out of the
League of Nations in 1933, reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936, and
THE integrated Austria and Germany in 1938 under the slogan, ‘One people,
SPOT P One empire, and One leader’. He then went on to wrest German-
speaking Sudentenland from Czechoslovakia,and gobbled up the entire
LIGHT country.
Tripa r tile Pact, agreement (b) Second World War - Hitler's rise and fall
conculuded by Germany, Italy, and
Japan in 1940, one year after the Hitler chose war as the way out of the approaching economic crisis. In
start of World War-II. It created a September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. This started a war with France
defense alliance between the and England. In September 1940, a Tripartite Pact was signed between
countries and was largely intended Germany, Italy and Japan, strengthening Hitler’s claim to international
to deter the United States, from
entering the conflict. power. By the end of 1940, Hitler was at the pinnacle of his power.

48 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

Hitler wanted to ensure food supplies and living space for Germans. He
attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941. In this historic blunder, Hitler
exposed the German western front to British aerial bombing and the eastern
front to the powerful Soviet armies. The Soviet Red Army inflicted a crushing
and humiliating defeat on Germany at Stalingrad. After this, the Soviet
Red Army hounded out the retreating German soldiers until they reached
the heart of Berlin.
(c) America’s entry and dropping of atom bombs
So far, the USA has resisted involvement in the war. But it could not stay
out of the war for long. Japan was expanding its power in the east. It had Fig.9 Attack on Pearl Harbour

occupied French Indo-China and was planning attacks on US naval bases

in the Pacific. When Japan extended its support to Hitler and bombed the
US base at Pearl Harbour, the US entered the Second World War. The
War ended in May 1945 with Hitler’s defeat and the US dropping of the
atom bomb on Hiroshima in Japan.
8 The Nazi worldview
THE
Nazi ideology was synonymous with Hitler’s worldview. According to this
there was no equality between people, but only a racial hierarchy. Blond,
SPOT P
LIGHT
blue eyed, Nordic German Aryans were at the top, while Jews (regarded Hiroshima Day is celebrated on 6th
as anti-race, the arch enemies of the Aryans) were located at the lowest August to commemorate the
dropping of bombs by America.
rung. Hitler’s racism borrowed from thinkers like Charles Darwin and
Herbert Spencer. Darwin explained the creation of plants and animals
through the concept of evolution and natural selection. Herbert Spencer
later added the idea of survival of the fittest.The Nazi argument was simple
: the strongest race would survive and the weak ones would perish. The
Aryan race was the finest. It had to retain its purity, become stronger and
dominate the world.

1. Name the car envisioned by Hitler while in prison.

2. Also, explain the meaning of the name of the car.
Geopolitical concept of lebensraum
The other aspect of Hitler’s ideology related to the geopolitical concept
of Lebensraum, or living space. He believed that new territories had to
be acquired for settlement. This would enhance the area of the mother
country, while enabling the settlers on new lands to retain an intimate link
with the place of their origin. It would also enhance the material resources
and power of the German nation. Hitler intended to extend German
boundaries by moving eastwards, to concentrate all Germans geographically
in one place. Poland became the laboratory for this experimentation.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 49
 Class-IX

THE 9 Establishment of the racial state

SPOT P Nazis quickly began to implement their dream of creating an exclusive
LIGHT racial community of pure Germans by physically eliminating all those who
The German Youth were taught to be were seen as ‘undesirable’ in the extended empire. Nazis wanted only a
good Nazis. They were ‘ educated in
the spirit of National Socialism’ society of ‘pure and healthy Nordic Aryans’.They alone were considered
‘desirable’. All others were classed as ‘undesirable’. Even those Germans
who were seen as impure or abnormal had no right to exist. Jews, Gypsies
and blacks living in Nazi Germany were considered as racial ‘inferiors’ who
threatened the biological purity of the 'superior Aryan' race. Russians and
Poles all were considered subhuman, and hence undeserving of any
humanity. Jews were barred from owning lands and lived in separately
marked areas called ghettos.
(a) Why Nazis hated Jews ?
Nazi hatred of Jews had a precursor in the traditional Christian hostility
towards Jews. They had been stereotyped as 'Killers of Christ' and usurers
Fig.10 Ghettos (moneylenders charging excessive interest; often used as a term of abuse).
Hitler’s hatred of Jews was based on pseudoscientific theories of race,
which held that conversion was no solution to ‘the Jewish problem’. It could
be solved only through their total elimination.
(b) The racial utopia
Genocide and war became two sides of the same coin. Occupied Poland
THE
SPOT P was divided up. Poles were forced to leave their homes and properties
behind to be occupied by ethnic Germans brought in from occupied Europe.
LIGHT Poles were herded like cattle in the other part called the General
It was while in Landsberg prison
where Hitler wrote his book, Mein Government, the destination of all ‘undesirables’ of the empire. Polish
Kampf (My Struggle). After only nine children who looked like Aryans were forcibly snatched and examined by
months, Hitler was released from
‘race experts’. If they passed the race tests, they were raised in German
prison.
families and if not, they were deposited in orphanages where most perished.
With some of the largest ghettos and gas chambers, the General
Government also served as the killing fields for the Jews.

10 Youth in Nazi Germany

Hitler was fanatically interested in the youth of the country. He felt that a
strong Nazi society could be established only by teaching children Nazi
ideology. All schools under Nazism were ‘cleansed’ and ‘purified’. Teachers
who were Jews or seen as ‘politically unreliable’ were dismissed. Children
were first segregated : Germans and Jews could not sit together or play
together. Subsequently, ‘undesirable children’ were thrown out of schools.
‘Good German’ children were subjected to a process of Nazi schooling, a
prolonged period of ideological training. School textbooks were rewritten.

50 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

Racial science was introduced to justify Nazi ideas of race. Stereotypes

about Jews were popularized even through maths classes. Children were
taught to be loyal and submissive, hate Jews, and worship Hitler. Even the
function of sports was to nurture a spirit of violence and aggression among
children. Hitler believed that boxing could make children iron hearted,
strong and masculine.
Youth Organisations
Youth organizations were made responsible for educating German youth.
Ten-year-olds had to enter Jungvolk. At 14, all boys had to join the Nazi THE
youth organization - Hitler Youth. After a period of rigorous ideological and
physical training they joined the Labour Service, usually at the age of 18.
SPOT P
LIGHT
Then they had to serve in the armed forces and enter one of the Nazi
The basic unit of the Hitler Youth was
organizations. The Youth League of the Nazis was founded in 1922. Four the Bann, the equivalent of a military
years later it was renamed Hitler Youth. All other youth organizations were regiment. Of these Banne, there were
more than 300 spread throughout
systematically dissolved and finally banned.
Germany, each of a strength of about
11 The Nazi cult of motherhood 6,000 youths.

Children in Nazi Germany were repeatedly told that women were radically
different from men. The fight for equal rights for men and women was
wrong and it would destroy society. Girls were told that they had to become
good mothers and rear pure-blooded Aryan children. Girls had to maintain
the purity of the race, distance themselves from Jews, look after the home,
and teach their children Nazi values. They had to be the bearers of the
Aryan culture and race. In 1933 Hitler said: 'In my state the mother is the
most important citizen.' But in Nazi Germany all mothers were not treated
equally.
Women, the promoter of Aryan race
Women who bore racially undesirable children were punished and those
who produced racially desirable children were awarded. To encourage
women to produce many children, Honour Crosses were awarded. A bronze
cross was given for four children, silver for six and gold for eight or more.
Fig.11 Hitler Youth
All ‘Aryan’ women who deviated from the prescribed code of conduct were
publicly condemned and severely punished were paraded through the town
with shaved heads, blackened faces and placards hanging around their
necks announcing ‘I have sullied the honour of the nation’. Many received
jail sentences and lost civic honour as well as their husbands and families
for this ‘criminal offence’.

1. Volkswagen.

2. 'Volks' means people and 'Wagen' means car.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 51
 Class-IX

12 The art of propaganda

The Nazi regime used language and media with care, and often to great
effect. The terms they coined to describe their various practices are not
only deceptive, they are chilling. Mass killing were termed special
treatment, final solution (for the Jews), euthanasia (for the disabled),
selection and disinfections, 'evacuation' meant deporting people to
gas chambers. Gas chambers were labeled ‘disinfection-area’.

Media was carefully used to win support for the regime and popularise its
worldview. The most infamous film was ‘The Eternal Jew’. Orthodox Jews
were stereotyped and marked. They were referred to as vermin, rats and
THE
SPOT P pests. Their movements was compared to those of rodents. Nazism worked
on the minds of the people, tapped their emotions, and turned their hatred
LIGHT and anger at those marked as ‘undesirable’.
Charlotte Beradt secretly recorded
people's dreams in her diary and 13 Ordinary people and the crimes against humanity
later published them in a highly
disconcerting book called the Third
Many common people saw the world through Nazi eyes, and spoke their
Reich of Dreams.
mind in Nazi language. They felt hatred and anger surged inside them
when they saw someone who looked like a Jew.

But not every German was a Nazi. Many organised active resistance to
Nazism, braving police repression and death. The large majority of Germans
however, were passive onlookers and apathetic witnesses. They were too
scared to act, to differ, to protest. They preferred to look away.

What Jews felt in Nazi Germany is a different story altogether. They began
believing in the Nazi stereotypes about them. Jews died many deaths even
before they reached the gas chamber.

Knowledge about the Holocaust

Fig.12 Holocaust
The Jews wanted the world to remember the atrocities and sufferings they
had endured during the Nazi killing operations – also called the Holocaust.
THE
SPOT P At its height, a ghetto inhabitant had said to another that he wanted to
outlive the war just for half an hour, to tell the world about what had
LIGHT happened in Nazi Germany. On the other hand when the war seemed lost,
The term "Holocaust," originally from
the Greek word "holokauston" which
the Nazi leadership distributed petrol to its functionaries to destroy all
means "sacrifice by fire," refers to the incriminating evidence available in offices. Yet the history and the memory
Nazi's persecution and planned
slaughter of the Jewish people. The of the Holocaust lives on in memoirs, fiction, documentaries, poetry,
Hebrew word "Shoah," which means memorials and museums in many parts of the world today.
"devastation, ruin, or waste," is also
used for this genocide.

52 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

IMPORTANT TERMS
1. EUTHANASIA
Mercy killing. Under Nazi rule, Euthanasia Programme was applied to eliminate mentally or physically unfit
Germans.
2. GENOCIDE
Killing on large scale leading to destruction of large sections of people.
3. GESTAPO

Name of secret police during Nazi rule.

4. GHETTOISATION

To confine a segregated group to a particular area.

5. HOLOCAUST

It comes from the Greek words 'holos' and 'kautos' which literally means 'completely burn't. It is used to describe
the persecution and mass murder of Jews by German Nazis between 1939 and 1945.

6. JUNGVOLK

Nazi youth groups for children below 14 years of age.

7. NAZIS

Short form of National Socialist German Worker's Party.

8. PROPAGANDA

Specific type of message directly aimed at influencing the opinion of people through the use of posters, films,
speeches, etc.

9. THE GREAT DEPRESSION

A worldwide economic slump lasting from 1929 to 1935. During these years, trade between nations dropped
and around 25 million people lost their jobs.
10. WALL STREET EXCHANGE

The name of world's biggest stock exchange located in the USA.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 53
 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 1
Multiple choice questions 5. Which Article of the Weimar Constitution gave the
1. What was the response of the Germans to the new President the powers to impose emergency, suspend
Weimar Republic? civil rights and rule by decree in Germany?

(1) They held the new Weimar Republic responsible (1) 46 (2) 47
for Germany's defeat and the disgrace at (3) 48 (4) None of these
Versailles 6. The following statements are about Hitler's early
(2) The republic carried the burden of war guilt and life. Which of them is incorrect?
nationalist humiliation (1) Hitler was born in 1889 in Austria and spent his
(3) It became the target of attacks in the conservative youth in poverty
national circles (2) He joined the army during World War I and
(4) All of the above earned accolades for bravery
(3) He was totally unaffected by German defeat in
2. In what ways did the First World War leave a deep
the war and only thought of improving his
imprint on European society and polity?
career
(1) Soldiers were put above civilians, trench-life was
(4) In 1919 he joined a small group called the
glorified
German Workers' Party, which later was known
(2) Politicians and publicists laid stress on men to be as the Nazi Party.
aggressive and masculine 7. Which of the following was a special surveillance
(3) Aggressive war propaganda and national honour and security force created by Hitler?
were given the most support and Conservative (1) Regular police force in green uniform and
dictatorships were welcomed stormtroopers
(4) All of the above (2) Gestapo (secret state police), the SS (the
3. What was the most important result of the protection squads)
Spartacist League uprising in Germany in (3) Criminal police and security service
1918-19 ? (4) Both (2) and (3)
8. Who was the financial minister of Hitler?
(1) The Weimar Republic crushed the rebellion
(1) Hjalmar Schacht (2) Hindenburg
(2) The Spartacists founded the Communist Party
(3) Joseph Goebbels (4) Helmuth
of Germany
9. Which of the following was a feature of Hitler's
(3) The Weimar government accepted the demands foreign policy?
of the Spartacist League
(1) He pulled out of the League of Nations in 1933
(4) Both (1) and (2) (2) He decided not to attack any country
4. Which of the following statements is true about the (3) He thanked the Allied Powers for having put
economic crisis in Germany in 1923? Germany on the right track
(1) The value of 'Mark' (German currency) collapsed (4) All the above
(2) Prices of goods soared high 10. Which incident persuaded the USA to join the war?
(1) Hitler's attack on Eastern Europe
(3) Weimer Republic brought economic prosperity
(2) Hitler's policy of genocide of the Jews
(4) Both (1) and (2)
(3) Helplessness of England and France
(4) Japan's attack on the US base at Pearl Harbour

54 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

11. Hitler's worldview, which was also the Nazi ideology, 16. What was 'Jungvolk' in Nazi Germany?
was (1) Magazine (2) Holocaust camp
(1) There was no equality between people, only a (3) Youth organisation (4) Schools
racial hierarchy
17. What was the thinking of Nazi Germany about
(2) The blond, blue-eyed, Nordic German Aryans
women?
were at the top and Jews at the bottom. The
(1) The fight for equality between men and women
coloured people were placed in between
was wrong
(3) Jews were the anti-race, the arch enemies of
the Aryans (2) Girls had to maintain the purity of the race and
(4) All the above teach their children Nazi values

12. According to the Nazis, which people were to be (3) Their role was to be of mothers who had to be
regarded as desirable? bearers of the Aryan culture and race
(4) All the above
(1) Pure and healthy Nordic Aryans
18. What did the term 'Evacuation' mean?
(2) German soldiers who helped in territorial
(1) Living in separately marked areas called ghettos
expansion
(2) Deporting people to gas chambers
(3) German police of different types
(3) Arrested without any legal procedures
(4) All those who were willing to consider Hitler as (4) Detained without due process of law
God 19. Name the book written by Charlotte Beradt about
13. Which of these were the reasons of Nazi hatred of dreams of Jews :
the Jews? (1) Fearfull Dreams
(1) Jews had been stereotyped as Killers of Christ (2) Third Reich of Dreams
(3) Dreams of Death
(2) They were 'usurers', i.e. moneylenders
(4) Dreams of Reich
(3) The Jews had always cheated the Nazis
20. In context of Germany what was 'Holocaust'?
(4) Both (1) and (2)
(1) Nazi propaganda
14. What was the destination of all 'undesirables' of the (2) Nazi Honour Crosses
German Empire called? (3) Nazi killing operations
(1) Land of 'undesirables' (4) A Nazi School
(2) Cursed land Match the columns
(3) General Government Column I Column II
1.
(4) Land for the abnormals (A) Sp ecial (i) Ma ss killing for the
Treatment disabled
15. What was Nazi Ideology with regard to school (B) Final Solution (ii) Charlotte Beradt
children? (C) Euthanasia (iii) Ma ss killings
(1) He believed that education of children was not (D) Evacuation (iv) The most infamous
film
necessary
(E) The Eterna l (v) Ma ss killing for the
(2) A control should be kept over children both inside Jew Jews
and outside school (F) Third Reich of (vi) Dep orting p eople to
Dreams gas chambers
(3) All children should be regarded as equal
(4) None of the above

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 55
 Class-IX

True or false Fill in the blanks

1. The defeat of Imperial Germany and the abdication 1. Deputies were now elected to the German
of the emperor gave an opportunity to parliamentary Parliament or___________, on the basis of equal
parties to recast German polity. and universal votes cast by all adults including
women.
2. Those who opposed the Weimar Republic , mainly
2. Aggressive war propaganda and national honour
Socialists, Catholics and Democrats, became easy
occupied centre stage in the public sphere, while
targets of attack in the conservative nationalist circles.
popular support grew for___________dictatorships
3. In 1923, Hitler planned to sieze control of Berlin, that had recently come into being.
march to Bavaria and capture power. 3. ___________was a powerful speaker. His passion
4. The Fire Decree of 28 February 1933 indefinately and his words moved people.
suspended civic rights like freedom of speech, press 4. ___________had advised Hitler against investing
and assembly that had been guaranteed by the hugely in rearmament as the state still ran on deficit
Weimar Constitution. financing.
5. Hitler’s racism borrowed from thinkers like
5. The Chinese Red Army inflicted a crushing and
___________and Herbert Spencer.
humiliating defeat on Germany at Stalingrad.

EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ans . 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 1 1 4
Que. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans . 4 1 4 3 2 3 4 2 2 3

Match the columns

1. A ® iii ; B ® v ; C ® i ; D ® vi ; E ® iv ; F ® ii
True or false
1. True 2. False 3. False 4. True 5. False
Fill in the blanks
1. Reichstag 2. Conservative 3. Hitler 4. Hjalmar Schacht 5. Charles Darwin

56 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

EXERCISE # 2
Short answer type questions 4. Explain why the attack on Soviet Union by Hitler is
termed as a Historic Blunder ?
1. Describe what happened to Germany after its defeat
in the First World War. 5. From where Hitler brought his ideas of racism ?
2. Explain how the fragility of Weimar Republic led to Was it justified ?
the rise of Hitler. 6. With the example of Poland, explain how ‘Genocide
3. 'Nazi ideology was synonymous with Hitler's and war became two sides of the same coin’ ?
worldview.' Explain. 7. ‘Hitler was fanatically interested in the youth of the
4. What happened in schools under Nazism? country.’ Justify the statement, do you think, Hitler
was really interested in youth or was he interested
5. “Jews died many deaths even before they reached
just in Nazi or Aryan youth ?
the gas chambers.” Elaborate.
8. In 1933 Hitler said: ‘In my state the mother is the
Long answer type questions
most important citizen.’ Do you agree with his
1. Can we say that the ‘Treaty of Versaillies’ was a statement.
harsh and humiliating peace ? Explain giving the
conditions laid in this treaty . 9. ‘Media was carefully used to win support for the
regime and popularise its worldview.’ Explain with
2. Describe the conditions prevailing in Germany, appropriate example.
which led to the situation of Hyperinflation.
10. What do you mean by Holocaust ? How the world
3. Describe the steps taken by Hitler which brought
came to know about it ?
destruction of democracy in Germany.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 57
 Class-IX

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. Describe the problems faced by the Weimer Republic.
OR
How was the Weimar Republic born in Germany? Explain.
Ans. A National Assembly met at Weimer and established a democratic constitution with a federal structure. The
republic was, however, not received well by its own people largely because of the terms it was forced to
accept after Germany's defeat at the end of the First World War. Many Germans held the new Weimer
Republic responsible for not only the defeat in the war but the disgrace at Versailles. This republic was
finally crippled by being forced to pay compensation.
There was another problem which the Weimer Republic faced just at its inception. Its birth coincided with
the revolutionary uprising of the Spartacist League. The political atmosphere in Berlin was charged with demands
for Soviet-style governance. Though the uprising was crushed by the Republic, the Spartacists founded the
Communist Party of Germany. Both parties now became enemies and could not combine together with Hitler.
This was followed by the economic crisis of 1923. The value of the German mark fell considerably. The
Weimer Republic had to face hyperinflation. Then came the Wall Street Exchange crash in 1929. America
had bailed Germany out of the hyperinflation but with this crash it was evident that the stability was just
temporary. The USA withdrew its support with the crash. The situation in Germany became worse. The
currency lost its value, business was ruined and deep anxiety and fears haunted the people. Unemployment
created an atmosphere of crime and total despair.
2. Discuss why Nazism became popular in Germany by 1930.
Ans. The Nazis could not effectively mobilise popular support till the early 1930s. Nazism became a mass movement
only during the Great Depression. After 1929, banks collapsed and businesses shut down, workers lost their
jobs and the middle classes were threatened with destitution. The Nazi propaganda stirred hopes of a better
future at this time. In 1928, the Nazi Party got no more than 2.6 per cent votes in the Reichstag - the
German Parliament. By 1932, it had become the largest party with 37 per cent votes.
Hitler was a powerful speaker. He promised to build a strong nation, undo the injustice of the Versailles
Treaty and restore the dignity of the German people. He promised employment for the unemployed, and
a secure future for the youth. He promised to weed out all foreign influences and resist all foreign conspiracies
against Germany. Hitler understood the importance of rituals and spectacle in mobilising people. Nazis held
massive rallies and public meetings to demonstrate the support for Hitler and instil a sense of unity among
the people. The red banners with the Swastika, the Nazi salute, and the ritualized rounds of applause after
the speeches were all part of this spectacle of power. The people whose sense of dignity and pride had
been shattered, and who were living in a time of acute economic had political crises, saw in Hitler a messiah
and a saviour who would deliver them from their difficulties. This was projected by the Nazi propaganda.
3. What are the peculiar features of Nazi thinking?
Ans. Nazi ideology was synonymous with Hitler worldwide. According to this there was no equality between people,
but only a racial hierarchy. In this view, blond, blue-eyed, Nordic German Aryans were at the top, while
Jews were located at the lowest rung. They came to be regarded as an anti-race, as arch enemies of the
Aryans. All other coloured people were placed in between, depending upon their external features. Hitler's
racism was borrowed from thinkers like Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer. The Nazi argument was simple:
the strongest race would survive and the weak ones would perish. The Aryan race was the finest. It had
to retain its purity, become stronger and dominate the world.
The other aspect of Hitler's ideology related to the geopolitical concept of Lebensraum, or living space.
He believed that new territories had to be acquired for settlement. This would enhance the area of the
mother country, while enabling the settlers on new lands to retain an intimate link with the place of their
origin. It would also enhance the material resources and power of the German nation.

58 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

Their dream was to create an exclusive racial community of pure Germans by physically eliminating all those
who were seen as 'undesirable' in the extended empire. Nazis wanted only a society of 'pure and healthy
Nordic Aryans'. They alone was considered 'desirable'. Only they were seen as worthy of prospering and
multiplying, others had no such right.
4. Explain why Nazi propaganda was effective in creating a hatred for Jews.
Ans. The Nazi regime used language and media with care, and often to great effect. Media was used to gain
support for the regime and to make it popular all over the world. They spread their ideas through visual
images, radio, posters, slogans, speeches, films, etc. All enemies of Germans, especially the Jews were mocked,
abused and called as evil. They were termed as bad-meaning foreign agents.
The most infamous film "Eternal Jew" was shown all over to the people. All orthodox Jews were stereotyped
and shown as supporting long beards and wearing loose clothes. But in reality, it was not so. These Jews
were called names such as rats, pests and vermins. Nazi propaganda completely brainwashed the people
who began to believe that Jews are to be hated. The Nazi propaganda worked on all sections of the society
and sought to win their support by glorifying Nazism and suggesting that Nazis alone could solve their problem.
Most people began to see Jews through the Nazi vision, they even spoke in the Nazi language. Whenever
they sighted a Jew, hatred and anger welled up inside them. Jews were looked upon with suspicion and
even their living areas marked.
5. Explain what role women had in Nazi society. Return to Chapter 1 on the French Revolution. Write a paragraph
comparing and contrasting the role of women in the two periods.
Ans. It was made obvious that women were radically different from men. Boys were taught to be aggressive,
masculine and steel-hearted, girls were told that they had to become good mothers and rear pure-blooded
Aryan children. They had to be the bearers of the Aryan culture and race. They had to look after the homes
and teach children Nazi values. They were encouraged to bear many children. But the children had to be
'desirable children'. Honour crosses were awarded to them. If the Aryan women deviated from the prescribed
code of conduct they were publicly condemned and severely punished.
In other parts of Europe, women were actively participating in democratic struggles. In countries like France
women formed clubs for protest and were ever involved in violent uprisings. They were politically more aware
of their rights and were brave enough to demand them.
6. In what ways did the Nazi state seek to establish total control over its people?
Ans. The Nazis established control over its people by various means. Propaganda popularising and glorifying Nazism
was one. Media was carefully used to win support for the regime and popularise it. Nazism worked on the
minds of the people, tapped their emotions and turned their hatred and anger against those marked as
'undesirable'.
Special surveillance and security forces to control and order society in ways that the Nazis wanted, was created.
It was the extra-constitutional powers of these newly organised forces that gave the Nazi state its reputation
as the most dreaded criminal state. The police forces had powers to rule with impunity.
Genocide also created an atmosphere of fear and repression which helped them to establish total control
over its people. Hitler played on the bitterness of the German people for the defeat in World War I. He
promised to restore Germany's military power and told Germans that they were the greatest people in the
world. Secondly, he and his party promised to carry out radical changes in Germany and get rid of the
leaders who had failed to provide jobs to the German people.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 59
 Class-IX

Important Notes

60 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

CHAPTER 4 THE STORY OF VILLAGE PALAMPUR

"The study of agriculture is

known as agricultural
sc ienc e. T he h istory of
agriculture dates back
thousands of years, and its
d evelopment h as been
d riven a nd def in ed b y
greatly different climates,
cultures, and technologies."

1 Introduction
Farming is the main activity in Palampur, where as several other activities
such as small scale manufacturing, dairy, transport, etc. are carried out on
a limited scale. Palampur is well-connected with neighbouring villages and
towns. An all weather road connects the two village to Raiganj a big village,
Fig.1 Caste System
3 km from Palampur and further on to the nearest smalltown of Shahpur.
Transport – Starting from bullock carts, tongas,bogeys to motor vehicles
like motorcycles, jeeps,tractors and trucks can be seen on the roads of
Palampur.
This village has about 450 families belonging to several different castes. The
80 upper caste families own the majority of land, their houses, some of them
are quite large, are made of brick with cement plastering. The SCs, comprise
one third of the population live in one corner of the village, in much smaller
houses of mud and straw. Most of the houses have electric connections.
Electricity powers all the tubewells in the fields and is used in various types of
small business. Palampur has two primary schools and one high school, a
primary health centre and one private dispensary.
2 Organisation of production
The aim of production is to produce the goods and services that we want.
There are four requirements for production of goods and services.
(a) First requirement is Land, and other natural resources such as water,
forests, minerals.
(b) Second requirement is Labour peopel who do the work. Some are
highly educated while some other workers are required who can do
manual work.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 61
 Class-IX

(c) Third requirement is Physical Capital, i.e. the variety of inputs

required at every stage during production. Tools, machines, buildings
can be used in production over many years,and are called fixed capital.
Raw materials( such as yarn for weavers) and money in hand ( for
buying and making payments)are called Working Capital, these are
used up in production.
(d) Fourth requirement - Knowledge and enterprise to put together land,
Fig.2 Tool used in Farming labour and physical capital and produce an output. This is called
Human Capital.
A person who puts land, labour and capital together is called Entrepreneur.
Every production is organised by combining land, labour, physical capital
and human capital, which are known as factors of production.
3 Farming in Palampur
(a) Land is Fixed
Farming is the main production activity in Palampur. 75 per cent of the
working people are dependent on farming for their livelihood.They could
be farmers or fram laboureror .Since 1960 in Palampur, there has been
no expansion in land area under cultivation. There exists no further scope
to increase farm production by bringing new land under cultivation.
(b) Ways by which one can grow more from the same land
(i) Crop Rotation : During the rainy season (kharif) farmers grow jowar and
bajra. These plants are used as cattle feed. It is followed by cultivation of
potato between October and December. In winter season (rabi), fields are
sown with wheat. From the wheat produced,farmers keep enough wheat
Fig.3 Farming for the family’s consumption and sell the surplus wheat at the market at
Raiganj. A part of the land area is also devoted to sugarcane which is
harvested once every year. Sugarcane, in its raw form, or as jaggery, is
sold to traders in Shahpur.
(ii) Well developed system of irrigation : Electricity came early to Palampur.
Its major impact was to transform the system of irrigation. People saw that
the electric-run tubewells could irrigate much larger areas of land more
effectively .
The first tubewell were insatlled by the govermnet and soon farmer started
setting them privately.
As a result, by mid-1970s the entire cultivated area of 200 hectares was
irrigated.
(iii) Multiple Cropping
To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during a year is known as
multiple cropping. It is the most common way of increasing production on
a given piece of land. All farmers in Palampur grow atleast two main
crops; many are growing potato as the third crop in the past fifteen to
twenty years.
(iv) Use of modern farming methods : One way of increasing production
from the same land is by multiple cropping. The other way is to use modern
farming methods for higher yield. Yield is measured as crop produced on
a given piece of land during a single season.
Till the mid-1960s, the seeds used in cultivation were traditional ones with
Fig.4 Multiple Cropping relatively low yields. Traditional seeds needed less irrigation. Farmers used
cow-dung and other natural manure as ferilizers. All these were readily
available with the farmers who did not have to buy them.

62 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
Norman Ernest Borlaug called "the
father of the Green Revolution",
"agriculture's greatest spokesperson".

Fig.5 Norman Ernest Borlaug

THE

Fig. 7 Modern farming methods

SPOT P
The Green Revolution in the late 1960s introduced the Indian farmer to
LIGHT
cultivation of wheat and rice using high yielding varieties of (HYV) seeds. He won the Nobel Peace Prize, the
Presidential Medal of Freedom and
Compared to the traditional seeds, the HYV seeds promised to produce was also awarded the Padma
much greater amounts of grain on a single plant. HYV seeds, however, Vibhushan, India's second highest
needed plenty of water and also chemical fertilizers and pesticides to civilian honor.
produce best results.
Farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh were the first to
try out the modern farming methods in India. The farmers in these regions
set up tubewells for irrigation, and made use of HYV seeds, chemical
fertilisers and pesticides in farming. Some of them bought machinery like
tractors and threshers, which made ploughing and harvesting faster. They
were rewarded with high yields of wheat. In Palampur, the yield of wheat
grown from the traditional varieties was 1300 kg per hectare.Now there
was a larger increase in production of Wheat and Rice. With the HYV
seeds, the yield went upto 3200 kg per hectare. Farmers now had greater
amounts of surplus wheat to sell in the markets.
(c) Will the land sustain? Fig.6 M.S. Swaminathan
Land being a natural resource , it is necessary to be very careful in its use.
THE
Modern farming methods have over used the natural resource base. Loss
of soil fertility due to increased use of chemical fertilizers and reduction in
SPOT P
the water-table below the ground because of continuous use of groundwater LIGHT
for tubewell irrigation are some of the negative outcome of Green M.S.Swaminathan:(Monkombu
Sambasivan Swaminathan) is an
Revolution. Chemical fertilizers may escape from the soil and pollute
Indian agriculture scientist, born on
groundwater, rivers and lakes. Chemical fertilizers can also kill bacteria and August 7,1925, in Kumbakanam,
other micro-organisms in the soil. This means some time after their use, Tamil Nadu. He is known as "Father
the soil will be less fertile than ever before. Continuous use of chemical of the Green Revolution in India", for
his leadership and success in
fertilizers has led to degradation of soil health. Punjab farmers are now
introducing and further developing
forced to use more and more chemical fertilizers and other inputs to achieve high-yielding varieties of wheat in
the same production level. This means cost of cultivation is rising very fast. India.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 63
 Class-IX

1. Name the man behind White Revolution in India.

2. Which industry was he associated with?
3. Under which sector does this industry fall?
(d) Land distribution between the farmers of Palampur
Not all the people engaged in agriculture have sufficient land for cultivation.
In Palampur, about one third of the 450 families are landless, i.e. 150
families, most of them dalits, have no land for cultivation of the remainig
240 families cultivate small plots of land less than 2 hectares in size. Small
plots are cultivated by small farmers. On the other hand, more than half
the area of the village is covered by plots that are quite large in size. There
are 60 families of medium and large farmers who cultivate more than 2
hectares of land. A few of large farmers have land extending from over 10
hectares or more.
In 1960, Gobind was a farmer with 2.25 hectares of largely
unirrigated land. With the help of his three sons Gobind cultivated
the land. Though they didn’t live very comfortably, the family
managed to feed itself with a little bit of extra income from one
buffalo that the family possessed. Some years after Gobind’s death,
this land was divided among his three sons. Each one now has a
plot of land that is only 0.75 hectare in size. Even with improved
irrigation and modern farming method, Gobind’s sons are not able
to make a living from their land. They have to look for additional
work during part of the year.

Fig.7 Small plots of land

180

THE
P
160

SPOT
Cultivated Area (in million hectares)

140
LIGHT
The Standard unit of measuring land 120
is Hectare, through in the villages you
may find Land area being discussed 100
in local units, Such as Bigha, Guintha
etc.1Hectere =area of square with 80
one side measuring 100m
60

40

20

0
1950-51 1990-91 2000-01 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
P P P P P

Year

Graph.1 Land Cultivated in the following years

64 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

(e) Who will provide the labour?

Farming requires a great deal of hard work. Small farmers along with their
families cultivate their own fields. Thus, they provide the labour required
for farming themselves. Medium and large farmers hire farm labourers to
work on their fields. Farm labourers come either from landless families or
families cultivating small plots of land.They are paid wages by the farmer
for whom they work. Wages can be in cash or in kind e.g. crop. Sometimes
labourers get meals also. Wages vary widely from region to region, from Fig.8 Farm labourer
crop to crop, from one farm activity to another (like sowing and harvesting)
There is also a wide variation in the duration of employment. A farm labourer
might be employed on a daily basis, or for one particular farm activity like
harvesting, or for the whole year. The minimum wages for a farm labourer
set by the government is Rs 300 per day (March 2019), but farmers gets
only Rs 160. There is heavy competition for work among the farm labourers
in Palampur, so people agree to work for lower wages.
(f) The capital needed in farming
Most small farmers have to borrow money to arrange for the capital. They
borrow from large farmers or the village money lenders or the traders who
supply various inputs for cultivation. The rate of interest on such loans is
very high. They are put to great distress to repay the loan. Large farmers
charge them high interest rate, have to work for the large farmers during
the busy harvesting time and that also at a rate much lower then the minimum
wages set by government. This leads to overall exploitation. In contrast to
the small farmers, the medium and large farmers have their own savings
from farming. They are thus able to arrange for the capital needed.
Savita is a small farmer. She plans to cultivate wheat on her 1
hectare of land. Besides seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, she needs
cash to buy water and repair her farm instruments. She estimates
that the working capital itself would cost a minimum of Rs 3,000.
She doesn’t have the money, so she decides to borrow from Tejpal
Singh, a large farmer. Tejpal Singh agrees to give Savita the loan
at an interest rate of 24 per cent for four months, which is a very
high interest rate. Savita also has to promise to work on his field
as a farm labourer during the harvest season at Rs 100 per day.
As you can tell, this wage is quite low. Savita knows that she will
have to work very hard to complete harvesting on her own field,
and then work as a farm labourer for Tejpal Singh. The harvest
time is a very busy time. As a mother of three children she has a
lot of household responsibilities. Savita agrees to these tough
conditions as she knows getting a loan is difficult for a small farmer.
(g) Sale of surplus farm products
The small farmers have little surplus wheat because their total production
is small and from this a substantial share is kept for their own family needs.
So it is the medium and large farmers who supply wheat to the market.
The traders at the market buy the wheat and sell it further to shopkeepers
in the towns and cities. Large and medium farmers use the earnings from
the surplus products as savings, which can be used for lending to small
farmers, who were in need of a loan. These savings are also useds the Fig. 9 Sale of surplus farm
working capital for the next season. Thus, they are able to arrange for the products
capital for farming from their own savings. Some farmers might also used
the savings to buy cattle, trucks, or to set up shops.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 65
 Class-IX

4 Non-Farm activities in Palampur

Only 25 per cent of the people working in Palampur are engaged in activities
other than agriculture.
(a) Dairy – the other common activity
Dairy is a common activity in many families of Palampur. People feed their
buffalos on various kinds of grass and the jowar and bajra that grows during
the rainy season. The milk is sold in Raiganj, the nearby large village.
(b) Small scale manufacturing in Palampur
Less than fifty people are engaged in manufacturing in Palampur.
Manufacturing in Palampur involves simple production methods are done
on a small scale. They are carried out mostly at home or in the fields with
the help of family labour. Rarely are labourers hired.
(c) The shopkeepers of Palampur
Not many people are involved in trade in Palampur. Shopkeepers of
Palampur buy various goods from wholesale markets in the cities and sell
them in the village. They sell a wide range of items like rice, wheat, sugar,
tea, oil, biscuits, soap, toothpaste, batteries, candles, notebooks, pen, pencil,
even some cloth.
Fig.10 Logo of National Dairy (d) Transport : a fast developing sector
Research Institute There are variety of vehicles on the road connecting Palampur to Raiganj.
Rickshawallahs, tongawallahs, jeep, tractor, truck drivers and people driving
the traditional bullock cart and bogey are people in the transport services.
They ferry people and goods from one place to another, and in return get
paid for it.

Fig. 11 Non-Farm activities in Palampur

1. V. Kurien
2. Amul Dairy
3. Cooperative sector

66 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

IMPORTANT TERMS

1. HYV (High Yielding Variety)

These are genetically enhanced seeds of crops such as rice, maize and wheat that have an increased growth
rate.
2. KHARIF CROP
The autumn crop sown at the beginning of the summer rains.
3. RABI CROP
The spring crop sown in winter.
4. SMALL FARMER
A farmer who cultivates less than 2 hecters of land.
5. MEDIUM FARMER
A farmer who cultivates between 2 and 10 hectares of land.
6. LARGE FARMER
A farmer who cultivates more than 10 hectares of land.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 67
 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 1
Multiple choice questions 10. Which one of the following terms is used for
1. How many families live in village Palampur? measuring crop produced on a given piece of land
during a single season?
(1) 150 (2) 250 (3) 350 (4) 450
(1) Yield (2) Productivity
2. Which of the following is fixed capital?
(3) Cultivation (4) Output
(1) Tools and machines
11. The concept of White Revolution is associated with?
(2) Fertilisers and pesticides
(1) food crops (2) milk
(3) Soil
(3) cotton (4) pesticides
(4) Seeds
12. The minimum wages for a farm labourer set by the
3. A person who puts land, labour and capital together government is?
is called?
(1) Rs. 50 (2) Rs. 300
(1) Moneylender (2) Entrepreneur
(3) Rs. 70 (4) Rs. 80
(3) Zamindar (4) Manager
13. Consumption of chemical fertilisers is highest in
4. Which Kharif crop is used for cattle feed? which state of India?
(1) Sugarcane (2) Potato (1) Punjab (2) Haryana
(3) Jowar and bajra (4) Wheat (3) Rajasthan (4) Himachal Pardesh
5 Which of the following transformed the system of 14. A farmer who works on a piece of 1 hectare of
irrigation in Palampur? land is treated as?
(1) Tubewells (2) Persian Wheel (1) medium farmer (2) small farmer
(3) Rainwater harvesting (4) None of these (3) large farmer (4) none of these
6. Multiple cropping means growing? 15. How much land area is cultivated by large farmers?
(1) Only two crops (2) Only three crops (1) 5 hect. (2) 6 hect.
(3) Upto four crops (4) More than one crop (3) 8 hect. (4) 10 hect.
7. Which of the following is a modern farming method? 16. Where do most of the small farmers borrow money
(1) Multiple cropping from to arrange for the capital in Palampur?
(2) Use of HYV seeds (1) Banks
(3) Use of chemical fertilisers (2) Co-operative Societies
(4) Both (2) and (3) (3) Village money lenders

8. Modern farming methods were tried in India for (4) Friends and relatives
the first time in? 17. What is done with the surplus wheat in Palampur?
(1) Punjab (2) Western U.P. (1) Sold in the market (2) Destroyed
(3) Haryana (4) All of the above (3) Stocked by self (4) Given in charity
9. Expand HYV? 18. The activities such as small manufacturing, transport,
shopkeeping are referred to as?
(1) High Yielding Variety
(1) Non-economic activities
(2) High Yielding Viscosity
(2) Non-farming activities
(3) High Velocity
(3) Non-traditional activities
(4) None of the above
(4) Non-market activities

68 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

19. People of Palampur sell milk in the near by large True or false
village named? 1. All weather road connects Palampur to Raiganj and
(1) Pitampura further on to the nearest small town of Shahpur.
2. Tools, machines, buildings can be used in production
(2) Siliguri
over many years, and are called working capital.
(3) Shahpur 3. During the winter season (rabi), farmers grow jowar
(4) Raiganj and bajra. These plant are used as cattle feed.
4. Yield is measured as crop produced on a given
20. People involved in trade in Palampur are -
piece of land during a particular year.
(1) farmers
5. In Palampur, the yield of wheat grown from the
(2) shopkeepers traditional varieties was 1300 kg per hectare. With
(3) weavers the HYV seeds, the yield went up to 3200 kg per
(4) milkman hectare.
Match the columns Fill in the blanks
1. 1. Every production is organised by combining land,
Column I Column II
labour, physical capital and human capital, which
(A) Fixed capital (i) to grow more than one are known as ________.
crop on a piece of land
during the year 2. All farmers in Palampur grow atleast two main crops;
(B) Working (ii) who cultivate more many are growing ________ as the third crop in
capital than 2 hectares of land the past fifteen to twenty years.
(C) Multiple (iii) tools, machines, 3. ________ powers all the tubewells in the fields and
cropping buildings is used in various types of small business.
(D) Medium & (iv) the most abundant 4. The ________ in the late 1960s introduced the Indian
large factor of production
farmer to cultivation of wheat and rice using high
farmers
(v) the main production yielding varieties of seeds.
(E) Labour
activity in the village 5. In many areas, Green Revolution is associated with
(F) Farming (vi) raw material and the loss of soil fertility due to increased use of
money in hand
________ fertilizers.
EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY
Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ans. 4 1 2 3 1 4 4 4 1 1
Que. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans. 2 2 1 2 4 3 1 2 4 2

Match the columns

1. A ® iii ; B ® vi ; C ® i ; D ® ii ; E ® iv ; F ® v

True or false
1.True 2. False 3. False 4. False 5. True

Fill in the blanks

1. Factors of Production 2. Potato 3. Electricity 4. Green Revolution 5. Chemical

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 69
 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 2
Short answer type questions Long answer type questions

1. What do you mean by working capital? 1. What are the four requirements for production of
goods and services? Explain.
2. Explain the term physical capital. Mention its
different types with examples. 2. Why modern farming methods require more inputs
which are manufactured in industry?
3. What do you mean by Rabi crops and Kharif crops?
3. What is land? Suggest any three ways to sustain
When are they sown and harvested ? Give examples
land.
also.
4. What is the main source of capital for medium and
4. What was the major impact of electricity on the
large farmers? How is it different for the small
farmers of Palampur? Explain.
farmers? Explain.
5. What is the difference between multiple cropping
5. Describe the various non-farming activities in
and modern farming method?
Palampur.

70 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. Every village in India is surveyed once in ten years during the census and some of the details are presented
in the following format. Fill up the following based on information on Palampur.

(a) Location

(b) Total area of the village

(c) Land use (in hectares)

Cultivated Land Land not available for cultivation

Irrigated Unirrigated (Area covering dwellings, roads, ponds, grazing ground)
26 Hectares

(d) Facilities
Educational
Medical
Market
Electricity Supply
Communication
Nearest Town

Ans. (a) Location Palampur is located 3 km from Raiganj which is a big village. The nearest town is Shahpur.
It is well connected with neighbouring villages and towns. An all weather road connects the village to
Raiganj and further to the nearest small town of Shahpur.

(b) Total Area of the Village

The total area of the Palampur village is 246 hectares.

(c) Land use (in hectares)

Cultivated Land Land not available for cultivation
Irrigated Unirrigated (Area covering dwellings, roads, ponds, grazing
ground)
200 Hectares 20 Hectares 26 Hectares

(d) Facilities
Educational Palampur has two primary schools and one high
school
Medical There is one primary health centre run by the
government and one private dispensary
Market Market has one general store and shops selling
eatables
Electricity Supply Most of the houses have electricity connections. This
powers the tubewells and is used in various small
businesses.
Communication A well developed system of roads and transport
Nearest Town Shahpur

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 71
 Class-IX

2. Modern farming methods require more input which are manufactured in industry. Do you agree ?
Ans. Yes, It is true that modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. For
example HYV seeds, insecticides, pesticides and chemical fertilisers needed for increasing the yield per hectare
are all manufactured in industries. Farmers use farm machinery like tractors, threshers and also combined
harvesters which are also manufactured in industries. Tubewell equipment and water pumps used for irrigation
are also manufactured in industries.
3. How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?
Ans. Most of the houses in Palampur have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tubewells in the fields
that help to irrigate much larger areas of land more effectively as compared to the traditional Persian wheel
drawn by bullocks. Since the entire cultivated area of 200 hectares had come under irrigation farmers did
not have to depend on rainfall and could grow multiple crops. It helps small businesses run their machinery
like Mishrilal's sugarcane crushing machine.
4. Is it important to increase the area under irrigation. Why?
Ans. Yes, it is important to increase the area under irrigation because water is very essential for agriculture. In
India, the rainfall is unevenly distributed in the country and if rainfall Is less, then production Will be low,
and they will be only able to grow one crop in a season. With good irrigation it will be possible to do multiple
cropping, helping to increase the yield per hectare
5. Construct a table on the distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.
Ans. Distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.
Families with no land (mainly Dalits) - 150 families
Families with less than two hectares - 240 families
Families with more than two hectares - 160 families
Total - 450 families
6. Why are the wages for farm labourers in Palampur less than minimum wages ?
Ans. The minimum wages for a farm labourer set by the government are Rs. 115 per day, but wages of farm
labourers in Palampur are less than minimum wages because there is heavy competition for work among
the farm labourers in Palampur, so people agree to work for lower wages.
7. In your region, talk to two labourers. Choose either farm labourers or labourers working at construction
sites. What wages do they get? Are they paid cash or kind? Do they get work regularly? Are they in debt?
Ans. In our region, there are two labourers namely Ram Khilawan and Basanti, who are husband and Wife working
as casual constructing labourers. Due to drought, they had to leave their village in search of employment.
They get approximately 50 to 60 rupees per day which they are paid in cash. They do not get work regularly
because there are a large number of workers seeking employment, due to which they agree to work for
low wages. Because of irregular work and low wages they are unable to fulfill their needs and are in debt.
8. What are the different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land? Use examples to explain.
Ans. Multiple cropping and use of modern farming methods are two different ways of increasing production on
the same piece of land. e.g.,
(i) Multiple Cropping : When more than one crop is grown on a piece of land during the year it is known
as multiple cropping.

72 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

1. It is the most common way to increase production on a given piece of land.

2. All farmers in Palampur grow atleast two main crops, many are growing potato as the third crop in
the past fifteen to twenty years.
(ii) Use of Modern Farming Method : Modern farming methods also help to increase the yield per hectare.
Farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh were the first to try modern farming methods
in India. The farmers in these regions set up tube wells for irrigation and made use of HYV seeds, chemical
fertilisers and pesticides in farming. Some also used farm machinery like tractors and threshers, which
made ploughing and harvesting faster. They were rewarded with high yields of wheat, increasing from
1300 kg per hectare to 3200 kg per hectare with HYV seeds.
9. Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land.
Ans. A farmer having 1 hectare of land for farming is called a subsistence farmer because 1 hectare of land
is too less; for even the sustenance of a small family. Production Is very low and it is very difficult for the
farmer to provide for his family. Apart from working on his own field he has to work on the field of the
rich farmers or work as a casual labourer to survive. The small farmer has no irrigation facilities. He has
no working capital so he is also not able to buy modern machinery, HYV seeds or insecticides and pesticides.
In the absence of capital, he has to take loan from moneylender who charges a high interest rate. He is
rarely able to repay the loan and eventually falls into a debt trap.
10. How do the medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming? How is it different from the small farmers?
Ans. Modern farming methods such as use of HYV seeds, insecticides, pesticides, etc require a great deal of
capital so the farmer needs more money than before.
The medium and large farmers have their own savings from farming. They are thus able to arrange for
the capital needed. In contrast, the small farmers have to borrow money to arrange for the capital. They
borrow from large farmers or the village moneylenders or the traders who supply various inputs for cultivation.
The rate of interest on such loans is very high. They are put to great distress to repay the loan, which is
not so in the case of medium and large farmers.
11. On what terms did Savita get a loan from Tejpal Singh? Would Savita's condition be different if she could
get a loan from the bank at a low rate of interest?
Ans. Savita, a small farmer, in order to cultivate wheat on her 1 hectare of land, decides to borrow money from
Tejpal Singh a large farmer on the following terms. Tejpal Singh agrees to give Savita the loan at an interest
rate of 24 per cent for four months which is a very high interest rate. Savita also has to promise to work
on his field as farm labourer during the harvest season at Rs. 35 per day. The rate of interest charged
by Tejpal Singh was higher than that of banks. If Savita had taken the loan from the bank, interest would
have been lower and she could have easily repaid the loan and her condition would have been far better.
12. Talk to some old residents in your region and write a short report on the changes in irrigation and changes
in production methods during the last 30 years.
Ans. On talking to two old residents Ramlal and Dharam Singh, I came to know about the irrigation methods
that were traditionally in use in our area. They told me that earlier they were dependent on rainfall and
later on they started to use the Persian wheel to draw water from the wells. With development of technology,
tubewells were used for more better and effective irrigation. In the farming methods, traditionally they ploughed
the field with ploughs drawn by bullocks which was a very difficult and time consuming process. They used
ordinary seeds and cow dung manure for fertilisation. However with changes in technology the farmers started
using HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides, pesticides and modern machinery like tractors and threshers
which has led to an increase in yield per hectare and improved the lives of the farmers.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 73
 Class-IX

13. What are the non farm activities taking place in your region (or Palampur)? Make a short list.
Ans. Dairy is a common activity in many families of our region. Some people are involved in small scale manufacturing
in their homes or in the field like production of jaggery by Mishrilal.
A few people are involved as shopkeepers and traders who buy various goods from the wholesale market
in the cities and sell them in the villages.
Some people near the bus stand have opened shops selling eatables. Some people are in the transportation
sector ferrying people and carrying goods from one place to another In different types of vehicles. People
like Kareem opened a computer class centre and also provided employment to two women who had a diploma
in computer application.
14. What can be done so that non-farm production activities can be started in villages?
Ans. Banks should provide loans at low Interest rates so that the poor villagers can start some business to help
them earn a living. Government should be more active and start and effective employment generating schemes.
Government should provide training to the villagers in different small crafts. Government should provide
facilities for transportation and selling of locally manufactured goods of the villagers in the cities. Industries
can be set up in rural areas.

74 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

CHAPTER 5 INDIA - SIZE AND LOCATION

"India, officially the Republic

of India, is a country in South
Asia. It is the seventh-largest
country by area, the second-
most populous country with
over 1.39 billion people, and
the most populous democracy
in the world."

1 Introduction
India is one of the ancient civilisations in the world. It has achieved multi-
faceted socio- economic progress during the last five decades. It has moved
forward displaying remarkable progress in the field of agriculture, industry,
technology and overall economic development. India has also contributed
significantly to the making of world history.
2 Location THE
India is a vast country. Lying entirely in the Northern hemisphere the main SPOT P
land extends between latitudes 8°4'N (Kanyakumari/Cape of Comorin in LIGHT
Tamil Nadu) and 37°6'N (Jammu & Kashmir) and longitudes 68°7'E (Ghuar Kuttanad, in the state of Kerala,
Mota, Gujarat) and 97°25'E (Kibithu in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh). which is located at 2.2 m below the
sea level, is the lowest point of the
The southernmost point of the Indian Union- 'Indira Point' got submerged nation.
under the sea water in 2004 during the Tsunami.
The Tropic of Cancer (23° 30'N) divides the country into almost two equal
parts. To the southeast and southwest of the mainland, lie the Andaman
and Nicobar islands and the Lakshadweep islands in Bay of Bengal and
Arabian Sea respectively.
3 Impact of the longitudinal extent of India
THE
The earth takes 24 hours to complete one rotation (360°) about its axis
which means the earth rotates at the pace of 15° per hour (360/24) or we
SPOT P
can say it takes 4’ to cover the distance between two longitudes on equator. LIGHT
As the longitudinal extent of India is about 30° longitude (i.e., 97°25’E - The 82°30' E longitude is taken as
Standard Time Meridian of India, as
68°7’ E) the time lag between easternmost and westernmost points of India it passes through the middle of India
is of two hours (i.e., 30x4’=120 minutes). When it is 6.00 a.m at (from Naini, near Prayagraj.) Hence
easternmost point of India, its still 4.00 a.m at the western most point. That Naini (Mirzapur), near Prayagraj is
the Standard Time Meridian of India.
will create a lot of time confusion. To avoid this time confusion, time along
the 82°30’ E is been taken as the Standard Time of India because -

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 75
 Class-IX

(i) It is exactly divisible by 7°30’, a standard adopted by almost all the countries
of the world.
(ii) It lies almost in the middle of India.

4 Impact of the latitudinal extent of India

Kanyakumari, the southernmost point of the mainland of India is situated very
much near to the equator. Here the difference between the durations of day
and night is hardly felt, the maximum difference is of 45 minutes only. But
as we move further towards north, towards Kashmir, the difference between
the durations of day and night increases. It reaches upto 5 hrs in Kashmir.
This difference occurs because as we move away from the the equator, the
difference of duration of day and night increases according to season.

20
17.09
18
16
14
Area (in sq.km.)

12
9.98 9.62 9.59
10 8.51
7.69
8
6
3.28
4
2
0
Russia Canada USA China Brazil Australia India
Country

Fig.2 Seven largest countries of the world

5 Size
The landmass of India has an area of 3.28 million square km. India's total
area accounts for about 2.4 percent of the total geographical area of the
world. India has a land boundary of about 15,200 km and the total length
of the coast line of the mainland including Andaman and Nicobar and
Lakshadweep is 7,516.6 km.

India is bounded by the young fold mountains in the northwest, north and
north east. South of about 22° north latitude, it begins to taper, and extends
towards the Indian Ocean, dividing it into two seas, the Arabian Sea on the
west and the Bay of Bengal on its east.

The difference between the latitudinal and longitudinal extent seems to be

equal (30°) on map. But in reality, the north-south extension (3214 kilometre)
of the country is more then the east-west extension (2933 kilometre).

This is because the latitudes are always parallel to each other and distance
between two latitudes is exectly 111 km, that's why they are even termed

76 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

as Parallels, but the longitudes converge towards each other as they move
towards the poles. The latitudes and the longitudes make the shape of a
square on the equator but it makes the shape of a rectangle as it moves
towards the poles. Because India doesn't lie exactly on the equator, it lies
above equator, on both sides of the Tropic of Cancer, so the grid of latitude
and longitude, seems to be a square of 30°, but in reality its a rectangle
with north-south extension being more then the east-west extension.

Fig.4 Indian tricolour flag

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
The Indian flag is 'tri colored'.
Saffron-courage and sacrifice; white-
truth, peace, and purity; green-
prosperity. The Ashok Chakra-
righteousness.

Fig.3 India: Extent and Standard Meridian

1. Name the Union Territories on the eastern and western coast of India.
2. Area-wise which is the smallest and which is the largest state?
3. Classify the states into four groups each having common frontiers with
(i) Pakistan, (ii) China, (iii) Myanmar, and (iv) Bangladesh.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 77
 Class-IX

6 India and the World

The Indian landmass has a central location between the East and the West
Asia. India is a southward extension of the Asian Continent. The trans Indian
Ocean routes which connect the countries of Europe in the West and the
countries of East Asia provide a strategic central location to India. Note that
the Deccan Peninsula protrudes into the Indian Ocean, thus helping India
to establish close contact with West Asia, Africa and Europe from the western
coast and with Southeast and East Asia from the eastern coast. No other
country has a long coastline on the Indian Ocean as India has and indeed,
it is India's eminent position in the Indian Ocean which justifies the naming
of an Ocean after it.
(Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, India's distance from Europe
has been reduced by 7,000 km.)
India's contacts with the world have continued through the ages but her
relationships through the land routes are much older than her maritime
Fig.5 Suez Canal contacts. The various passes across the mountains in the north have provided
passages to the ancient travellers, while the oceans restricted such interaction
for a long time.

Fig.6 : India on International Highway of Trade and Commerce

These routes have contributed in the exchange of ideas and commodities

since ancient times. The ideas of the Upanishads and the Ramayana, the
stories of Panchtantra, the Indian numerals and the decimal system thus
could reach many parts of the world. The spices, muslin and other
merchandise were taken from India to different countries. On the other
hand, the influence of Greek sculpture, and the architectural styles of dome
and minarets from West Asia can be seen in different parts of our country.

7 India's neighbours
India occupies an important strategic position in South Asia. India has 28
states and 8 Union Territories.

78 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
Bangladesh shares the longest
whereas Afghanistan shares the
shortest land boundary with India.

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
A 1948 cease-fire line, known as the
Line of Control, divides Kashmir
between India and Pakistan.

Fig.7 India and adjacent countries

India shares its land boundaries with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the
northwest, China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan in the north and Myanmar and
Bangladesh in the east. Our southern neighbours across the sea consist of
the two island countries, namely Sri Lanka and Maldives. Sri Lanka is
separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait
and the Gulf of Mannar while Maldives Islands are situated to the south of
the Lakshadweep Islands.

1. Union Territories on the western coast of India are four in number - Diu
and Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Mahe (Pondicherry) and
Lakshadweep. Union Territories on the eastern coast of India are two -
Pondicherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
2. Smallest State in India (areawise) - Goa
Largest State in India (areawise) - Rajasthan
3. (i) States having common frontiers with Pakistan are Jammu and Kashmir,
Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
(ii) States having common frontiers with China are Jammu and Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
(iii) States having common frontiers with Myanmar are Arunachal
Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
(iv) States having common frontiers with Bangladesh are West Bengal,
Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 79
 Class-IX

IMPORTANT TERMS

1. FOLD MOUNTAINS

Mountains which develop when two tectonic plates come together causing compression resutling in buckling &
folding of rocks.

2. INDIAN STANDARD TIME (IST)

This is local time of the longitude 82°30' East, taken as the time for the whole of India. This is five and a half
hours ahead of GMT.

3. STANDARD MERIDIAN

The longitude which passes through a country/region which is used to fix the standard time for that country/
region.

4. SUB - CONTINENT

This is a part of a continent having specific climatic conditions and cultural identity, which is separated from the
rest of the continent by natural features like mountains.

80 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

EXERCISE # 1

Multiple choice questions 11. If you intend to visit Kavaratti during your summer
1. How many degrees (longitudes) is covered by earth vacation, which one of the following, Union
in one hour? Territories of India you will be going to?
(1) 2° (2) 15° (3) 6° (4) 8° (1) Pondicherry (2) Daman and Diu
2. What is the eastern most longitude of India? (3) Andaman and Nicobar (4) Lakshadweep
(1) 97°27'E (2) 72°10E 12. Which longitude represents the Standard Meridian
of India?
(3) 68°7E (4) 97°25’E
(1) 81°30'E (2) 82°32'E
3. What is the latitudinal extent of India?
(3) 0° (4) 82°30'E
(1) 6°4'N to 30°'6N (2) 7°4'N to 37°6'N
13. Which triangular shape country lies to the south of
(3) 8°4'N to 37°6'N (4) 4°3'N to 3502'N the Kanyakumari ?
4. What is the length of the Indian coast line? (1) Maldives (2) Bangladesh
(1)7010km. (2) 5310km. (3) Srilanka (4) Nepal

(3) 7516.6 km. (4) 3200 km 14. What is the southernmost point of the Indian Union?
(1) Kanyakumari (2) Leh
5. What is the length of the Indian Land boundary?
(3) Indira Point (4) Kerala
(1) 12000Km. (2) 15000Km.
15. Which is the largest country in the world ?
(3) 15,200Km. (4) 10,100Km.
(1) Russia (2) India
6. Name the parallel or latitude which divides India
(3) China (4) Canada
into almost two equal parts.
16. Which canal shortened the distance between India
(1) Equator (2) Tropic of Capricorn and Europe?
(3) Arctic circle (4) Tropic of Cancer (1) Panama Canal (2) Suez Canal
7. From which state the Tropic of Cancer does not (3) Indira Gandhi Canal (4) None of these
pass? 17. Name the group of islands in Arabian sea.
(1) Gujarat (2) Bihar (1) Goa (2) Lakshwadweep
(3) West Bengal (4) Mizoram (3) Andaman & Nicobar (4) None of these
8. From which latitude the Tropic of Cancer passes. 18. Name the southern neighbour of India other than
Srilanka?
(1) 20°N (2) 23½ °S
(1) Lakshwadweep (2) Maldives
(3) 23 ½ °N (4) 66 ½ °N
(3) Bangladesh (4) Afghanistan
9. What is longitudinal extent of India ?
19. Name the Ocean which lies in the south of India.
(1) 67°4'E to 96°2'E (2) 62°3'E to 95°12'E
(1) Indian Ocean (2) Pacific Ocean
(3) 68°7'E to 97°25'E (4) 64°4' E to 96°25'E
(3) Arctic Ocean (4) Atlantic Ocean
10. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal
20. Which water body lies to the east of India?
and Sikkim have common frontiers with?
(1) Arabian Sea (2) Indian Ocean
(1) China (2) Bhutan
(3) Nepal (4) Myanmar (3) Bay of Bengal (4) Arctic Ocean

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 81
 Class-IX

Match the following Columns 4. India has a land boundary of about 7,516.6 km
1. and the total length of the coast line of the main-
Column I Column II
land including Andaman and Nicobar and
(A) 8°4'N - (i) Southernmost tip of Lakshadweep is 15,200 km.
37°6'N mainland of India
(B) 68°7'E - (ii) Standard Meridian of 5. The north-south extension of the country is 2933
97°25'E India kilometre and the east-west extension is 3214
(C) 82°30’E (iii) Longitudinal extension kilometre.
of India
Fill in the blanks
(D) Kanyakumari (iv) Latitudinal extension
of India. 1. The southernmost point of the Indian Union-
(E) Indira Point (v) Largest state of India. _________ got submerged under the sea water in
(F) Rajasthan (vi) Southernmost tip of 2004 during the Tsunami.
Indian Union.
2. As the extent of India is about 30 longitude the
True or false time lag between easternmost and westermost points
of India is of _________ hours.
1. India lies entirely in the Northern Hemisphere.
3. The _________ which passes from Mirzapur (in Uttar
2. The Tropic of Capricorn divides the country into Pradesh) is taken as the Standard Meridian of India.
almost two equal parts.
4. The land mass of India has an area of _________mil-
3. To avoid time confusion, time along the 82°30’E lion square km.
is been taken as the Standard Time of India. 5. India is bounded by the _________ in the northwest,
north and north east.

EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ans. 2 4 3 3 3 4 2 3 3 3
Que. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans. 4 4 3 3 1 2 2 2 1 3

Match the columns

1. A ® iv ; B ® iii ; C ® ii ; D ® i ; E ® vi ; F ® v
True or false

1. True 2. False 3. True 4. False 5. False

Fill in the blanks

1. 'Indira Point' 2. two 3. longitude 4. 3.28 5. young fold mountains

82 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

EXERCISE # 2
Short answer type questions Long answer type questions
1. What is the longitudinal extent of India? State its 1. Which are the countries with which India shares land
two implications. boundaries? Write a short note about India's position
2. What is the latitudinal extent of India? How does it among its neighbours.
affect India? 2. Write a note on the location and size of India.
3. What is the southernmost point of the Indian Union 3. Write a note on the Indian Standard Time? Why is
called? Describe its location in India and its current there a time difference of almost 2 hours from
situation. Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat?
4. What is the Standard Meridian of India? From where 4. How many states form the Union of India? Write a
does it pass? note on the smallest and the largest Indian states.
5. What was the contribution of land routes to India in 5. What are the two groups of Indian islands? Write a
ancient times? Explain any three. note on each, describing its geographic position with
relation to India.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 83
 Class-IX

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below :
(i) The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through:
(a) Rajasthan (b) Chhattisgarh (c) Orissa (d) Tripura
Ans. Orissa.
(ii) The eastern-most longitude of India is:
(a) 97° 25'E (b)68° 7'E (c) 77° 6'E (d) 82° 32'E
Ans. The eastern-most longitude is 97° 25?
(iii) Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim have common frontiers with :
(a) China (b) Bhutan (c) Nepal (d) Myanmar
Ans. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim have common borders with Nepal.
(iv) If you intend to visit the island Kavaratti during your summer vacations, which one of the following Union
Territory of India you will be going to?
(a) Pondicherry (b) Andaman and Nicobar (c) Lakshadweep (d) Diu and Daman
Ans. Lakshadweep.
(v) My friend hails from a country which does not share land boundary with India.
Identify the country.
(a) Bhutan (b) Tajikistan (c) Myanmar (d) Nepal
Ans. Tajikistan.
2. Answer the following questions briefly.
(i) Name the group of islands lying in the Arabian Sea.
Ans. Lakshadweep.
(ii) Name the countries which are larger than India?
Ans. The countries larger than India are Russia, China, Canada, USA, Brazil and Australia.

(iii) Which island group of India lies to its south-east?

Ans. Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

(iv) Which island countries are our southern neighbours?

Ans. Maldives and Sri Lanka.

3. The sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh as compared to Gujarat in the west but the watches
show the same time. How does this happen?

Ans. The local time difference arises because the sunrise is earlier in the east than in the west. However, the
watches show the same time because Indian Standard Time is reckoned from a single meridian 82°30? that
passes through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.

84 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

4. The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is considered of great significance. Why?
Ans. The location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean has helped India in establishing close contacts with
West Asia, Africa and Europe from the western coast and with South-east and East Asia from the eastern
coast.
MAP SKILLS
1. Identify the following with the help of map reading -
(i) The island groups of India lying in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
(ii) The countries constituting Indian subcontinent.
(iii) The states through which the Tropic of Cancer passes.
(iv) The northernmost latitude in degrees.
(v) The southernmost latitude of the Indian mainland in degrees.
(vi) The eastern and the western most longitude in degrees.
(vii) The place situated on the three seas.
(viii) The strait separating Sri Lanka from India.
(ix) The Union Territories of India.
Ans.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 85
 Class-IX

Important Notes

86 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
CHAPTER 6 WHY DEMOCRACY?

"Words are used to express

certain ideas. But the word
"democracy" as it is used by
political system, seems to
express everything or
nothing. The difficulty lies in
the fact that the term has been
understood not only as a form
of government but also as an
ideal way of life. Today it is
seen as the best possible form
of governance."

1 What is Democracy ?
The word 'Democracy' has been derived from a Greek word 'Demokratia',
'Demos' means people and 'Kratia' means rule. Democracy is a form of
government in which the rulers are elected by the people.
It is based on fundamental principle of 'Political Equality'.
2 Common features of democratic government & non-
democratic government
(a) Democratic government
THE
(i)
(ii)
Government formed by people's representatives.
Representatives are elected in a free and fair election.
SPOT P
(iii) Different decisions of the government are taken in an open manner; LIGHT
debate in media, invitation to experts opinion, representations by the Democracy means government of
the people, for the people and by the
common man form a part of decision making process.
people. In direct democracy, people
(iv) Citizens have a right to oppose and criticise any government action directly participate in the administration
and policy. of the country.
(v) Citizens have a right to protest, as long as the mode of protest is within
the boundaries of law.
(b) Non-democratic government
(i) Rule by force, by a person or by a group of persons.
(ii) No opposition is permitted.
(iii) No criticism of government or the rulers is tolerated.
(iv) Citizens have no rights.
(v) Citizens cannot resort to any method of protest.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 87
 Class-IX

3 Features of democracy
(a) In a democracy, the final decision making power must rest with
those elected by the people
A democratic government is one in which the people's representatives
participate in decision making process. They own a collective responsibility
for all the decisions taken by the government. There are examples where
representatives of people are chosen but they are not allowed to participate
in decision making process. This happens in many dictatorships and
monarchies, e.g. in Pakistan under General Musharraf. They formally have
an elected parliament and government but the real power is with those who
are not elected. Not withstanding the existence of elected national and
provincial assemblies, these countries can not be classified as a democratic
country.
Major decisions by elected leaders
· In Oct 1999, General Pervez Musharraf overthrew the democratically
elected govt. and declared himself "THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE" of the
country.
· In 2002 he held a referendum that granted him a 5 years extension.
It was based on malpractices and fraud.
· In August 2002 he issued "LEGAL FRAMEWORK ORDER" . According
to this order, the President can dismiss the national or provincial
assemblies.
Fig.1 Parvez Musharraf · The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security
Council which is dominated by military officers. Final powers rest with
General Musharraf.

1. This cartoon was drawn when elections were held in Iraq with the presence
of US and other foreign powers. What do you think this cartoon is saying?
Why is ‘democracy’ written the way it is?

(b) A democracy must be based on free and fair elections where those
currently in power have a fair chance of losing.
The essence of democracy is that the rulers must be truly people's
representatives. In order to choose these representatives, a system of

88 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

elections is put in order. Now, an election could have some meaning and
significance only if it has been held in a free and fair manner.
A free election is one in which every person has an equal right to vote and
to vote without fear and threat. He exercises his choice in a judicious manner.
A fair election is one in which those persons who are currently in power
have a fair chance of losing. If the election process is rigged and manipulated
in such a manner that the result is a foregone conclusion, it does not
constitute a fair election.

1. Democracy – where fair and free elections must be held – is being forced
on Iraq by the US and its allies. There are no 'free' and 'fair' elections. The
capital ‘M’ suggests mockery of democratic norms.
Free and fair electoral competition
(i) In China, elections are regularly held after five years for electing the
Country's parliament, called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National
people's Congress).
(ii) The National People's Congress has the power to appoint the President
of the country.
(iii) It has nearly 3000 members elected from all over China. Some
members are elected by the army.
(iv) Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the
Chinese Communist Party. Fig.2 Quanguo Renmin Daibiao
(v) Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight Dahui (National people's Congress)
smaller parties allied to it were allowed to contest elections held in 2002
- 03.
(vi) The government is always formed by the Communist Party.

1. Syria is a small West Asian country. The ruling Ba’ath Party and some of
its small allies are the only parties allowed in that country. Do you think
this cartoon could apply to China or Mexico? What does the crown of
leaves on democracy signify?

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 89
 Class-IX

1. The cartoon suggests that there is no true democracy in Syria. Yes, it would
suit China and Mexico also where no opposition parties are allowed to
contest election.
Crown of leaves : It is a symbol of victory. In Greece, the reward to the
winner was this crown. Here the crown suggests that 'democracy' has won
and demands justice, but the one party rule is denying this right to the
people of Syria.
· Democracy in Mexico
Since its independence in 1930, Mexico holds elections after every six years
to elect its President. The country has never been under a military or
dictator's rule. But still it cannot be called a democratic country. Free and
fair election is the basic feature of democracy but in Mexico this is not so.
Fig.3 A cartoon drawn in context In Mexico until 2000, every election was won by a party called PRI
of Latin America
(Institutional Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections,
but never managed to win. The PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to
win elections. All those who were employed in government offices had to
attend its party meetings. Teachers of government schools used to force
THE parents to vote for the PRI. Media largely ignored the activities of opposition
SPOT P political parties except to criticize them. Sometimes the polling booths were
LIGHT shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which made it difficult
for people to cast their votes. The PRI spent a large sum of money in the
In fig. 3 this cartoon was drawn in
the context of Latin America.It campaign for its candidates.
applies to the Pakistani situation.
Other countries to which this cartoon
applies are Myanmar, Iraq where
1. This cartoon is about the Iraqi election held after Saddam Hussain’s regime
people are forced to vote by the was overthrown. He is shown behind the bars. What is the cartoonist saying
army.It has not happened in our here? Compare the message of this cartoon with the first cartoon in this
country. chapter.

90 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

(c) In a Democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each THE
vote must have one value SPOT P
A true democracy grants its citizens what is called "universal adult franchise". LIGHT
It means all the adults have a right to vote without any discrimination based Universal - To everyone within the
country
on sex, colour, race, caste or class. Each person can caste one vote; all
Adult - After a specific age i.e.
votes are counted; the person who gets the maximum number of votes gets 18+ age in India
elected. There are many instances of denial of equal right to vote: Franchise - Right to vote in public
elections
(i) In Saudi Arabia women do not have the right to vote.

(ii) Estonia has made its citizenship rules in such a way that people
belonging to Russian minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.

(iii) In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji
has more value than that of an Indian-Fijian.

1. The cartoon shows the end of dictatorship in Iraq, where Saddam ruled
unchecked. People rejoice at elections being held. But the first cartoon
shows that people do not have a real choice. They are forced to vote, by
the powerful US and its allies.

(d) Rule of law and respect for rights

The state should respect some basic rights of the citizens. They should be
free to think, to have opinions, to express their views in public, to form
associations, to protest. Everyone should be equal in the eyes of law. There
should be an independent judiciary whose orders are obeyed by everyone.
A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and
citizens rights.

· Zimbabwe attained independence from white minority rule 1980.

Fig.4 Robert Mugabe
· ZANU-PF - the party led the freedom struggle movement under the
leadership of Robert Mugabe.

· Mugabe is popular but also uses unfair practices in elections.

· Constitution amended so many times to increase the powers of

President Mugabe and make him less accountable.

· Opposition party workers are harassed and their meeting disrupted

and public protests against the government are declared illegal.

· T.V. and Radio are controlled by the government and give only the
ruling party's version.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 91
 Class-IX

THE
SPOT P 1. Chinese government blocked free flow of information on the internet by
LIGHT placing restrictions on popular websites like ‘Google’ and ‘Yahoo’. The
image of tanks and an unarmed student reminds the reader of another
China's famine of 1958-1961 was
major event in recent Chinese history. Find out about that event.
the worst. Nearly 3 crore people
died. India's economic condition Yahoo!
was not good as compared to
China. But the existence of
democracy in India made the
Indian government respond to food
security in a way that Chinese
government did not.

4 Why Democracy?
(a) Arguments in support of democracy
(i) It involves many persons and based on consultation and discussions.
(ii) It might take time to take decision but reduces the chance of
irresponsible decision.
(iii) Democracy is a combination of different ethnic groups and might cause
conflict among different people or their preferences. But Democracy
provide only peaceful solution because no one is permanent winner or
THE looser.
SPOT P (iv) It is based on principle of political equality, provides with some status
LIGHT of poors and rich.
Indirect democracy is run by the (v) It is so because it gives room for proper discussion and no mistake can
represen tatives of the peop le.
be hidder for long, it provide proper space for corrections.
Although direct democracy is (vi) Democracy is considered the best form of government.
impracticable in modern states, yet
certain direct democratic devices are
employed in some states of USA and 1. Refers to the massacre that took place at Tiananmen Square where
Switzerland. hundreds of students were ruthlessly killed.
(b) Arguments against the democracy
(i) Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.
(ii) Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is
no scope for morality.
(iii) So many people have to be consulted in a democracy that it leads to
delays.
(iv) Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people. It leads to
bad decisions.
(v) Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition.
(vi) Ordinary people do not know what is good for them; they should not
decide anything.

92 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

1. This cartoon was published in Canada just before its parliamentary elections
of 2004. Everyone, including the cartoonist, expected the Liberal Party
to win once again. When the results came, the Liberal Party lost the
elections. Is this cartoon an argument against democracy or for democracy?

Fig.5 Hidden side of dictatorship

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
In fig. 5 the above cartoon is from
Brazil, a country that ha s long
experience of dictatorship. It is
entitled “The Hidd en Side of
5 Broader meaning of democracy Dictatorship”.

A representative democracy is one in which people elect their representative THE

to legislatures. These representatives in turn form the government and
govern. In this type of democracy, a majority is allowed to take decisions
SPOT P
on behalf of all the people.
LIGHT
The hidden side of dictatorship is
· Modern democracies involve such a large number of people that it is massacre or killing of innocent
physically impossible for them to sit together and take a collective people. Anybody who opposes the
decision. policies of a dictator is killed. Since
· Even if they could, the citizen does not have the time, the desire or the the dictators control the media, the
public never comes to know the
skills to take part in all the decisions.
number of people killed.

1. This cartoon is definitely in favour of democracy. In an indirect way it is

telling the public not to be fooled and exercise their voting rights wisely,
which they did by ousting the Liberals in the elections.
6 Nominal democracy and Ideal democracy
A nominal democracy, as we normally use the term, refers to a system of
governance which is run by the people's elected representatives.
An ideal democracy is a broader concept. An ideal democracy is a system
in which every citizen must be able to play equal role in decision making.
For this, one does not need just equal right to vote. Every citizen needs to
have equal information, basic education, equal resources and a lot of
commitment. There may not be any country in the world which passes this
test of democracy. Yet an understanding of democracy as an ideal reminds
us of why we value democracy.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 93
 Class-IX

7 Difference between democratic form of government and

dictatorship
Democracy Dictatorship
1 In this government the ultimate It is a government of one man or a
power lies in the hands of the group of people who have used
peoples and they play a very power by force.
important role in the governing
process.
2 In this people have the right to A dictator can only be removed by
change the government through violence or by military coup.
elections.
3 People enjoy freedom of speech People do not enjoy freedom of
and expression. speech and expression.
4 Right to free and fair elections. No right to free and fair elections.
5 Provides equal opportunities to Do not provide equal
all its citizens. opportunities.

1. This famous cartoon by R K Laxman comments on the celebrations of

the fifty years of independence. How many images on the wall do you
recognize? Do many common people feel the way the common man in
this cartoon does ?

1. The cartoon reflects the opinion of the general public. For fifty years leaders
have made promises, made tall claims of achievements – but basic facilities
are still denied to the common man – poverty is not eradicated, there is
shortage of water, power, shelter, schools, hospitals – the basic necessities
of life. The common man is bored by promises which are never fulfilled,
actions do not match the promises.

94 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

IMPORTANT TERMS

CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
A government headed by a king or queen whose powers are limited by a Constitution.
DEMOCRACY
A form of government which is chosen by the people to work for their welfare and can be vote out by them.
DICTATORSHIP
A form of government in which a person or a group of persons possess absolute power without effective
constitutional limitations.
OPPOSITION PARTY
A political party (or parties) which fails to get majority in the legislature and is not able to form the government.
They criticise the government and keep it in check.
REFERENDUM
An occasion when all the people of a country can vote on an important issue. It is a process of direct vote in
which the electroate is asked to accept or reject a particular proposal.
WOMAN FRANCHISE
A system of election in which women are given the right to vote.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 95
 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 1
Multiple choice questions 11. Identify one of the correct feature of the electoral
1. Democracy is based on a fundamental principle of ? system of Fiji?
(1) communalism (1) Vote of an indigenous Fijian has more value than
(2) naturalised citizenship that of an Indian Fijian
(3) political equality (2) Vote of an indigenous Fijian has less value
(4) male franchise (3) Indian Fijian has no right to vote
2. The meaning of ‘democracy’ is that? (4) Equal voting rights for the migrants
(1) it is the rule of military 12. Identify the option who are not entitled to vote in
(2) it is the rule of a king Saudi Arabia?
(3) it is the rule of the people’s representatives (1) men (2) women
(3) minorities (4) indigeneous people
(4) it is the rule of a dictator
13. Zimbabwe attained independence in?
3. In a democracy, rulers are elected by the?
(1) 1965 (2) 1974
(1) people
(3) 1980 (4) 1985
(2) members of the Electoral College
14. Who of the following ruled in Zimbabwe since
(3) military officials independence from white-rule?
(4) bureaucrats (1) Kenneth Kaunda (2) Nelson Mandela
4. Legal Framework Order in Pakistan was issued in - (3) P. Johnson (4) Robert Mugabe
(1) January 2000 (2) April 2001 15. During the 1980s the Zimbabwe government
(3) August 2002 (4) December 2003 amended the constitution to?
5. Pakistan under General Musharraf should not be (1) increase President’s power
called a democracy because - (2) bring autocratic government
(1) army officials are elected by the people (3) overthrow the President
(2) elected representatives are not the real rulers (4) decrease President’s power
(3) Musharraf was retaining the post of General 16. In Zimbabwe, the government allows the media to
(4) people have direct control over the government publish?
6. After how many years elections are held in China ? (1) opposition party activities
(1) 4 years (2) 3 years (2) ruling party version
(3) 5 years (4) 1 year (3) reforms of the government
7. To contest the general elections in China, a (4) demands of the people
candidate needs to get the approval of the - 17. Any one argument against democracy can be that it?
(1) National People’s Congress (1) is a better government
(2) Chinese Communist Party (2) enhances the dignity of citizens
(3) Socialist Communist Party (3) is accountable form of government
(4) United Workers Party (4) is a power game
18. One of the merits of democracy is?
8. Which one of the following is an appropriate reason
(1) that democracy upholds individual liberties
that the government in China is not democratic?
(2) social inequality
(1) Elections are not held
(3) social and economic inequality
(2) Elections are held under Communist Party’s approval
(4) discrimination on the basis of colour
(3) Members are free to contest 19. Democracy provides a method to deal with?
(4) People choose government (1) differences and conflicts
9. Identify the country, which has never been under? (2) different solutions
military rule (3) similar views
(1) Pakistan (2) Chile (4) different opinions
(3) Poland (4) Mexico 20. The rulers of a non-democratic government?
10. Until 2000, every election is Mexico was won by? (1) may or may not act to the wishes of the people
(1) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) (2) act to the wishes of the people
(2) People’s Revolutionary Party (3) always respond to peoples needs
(3) Revolutionary Political Party (4) are elected by the people
(4) Institutional Political Party

96 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

True or false Match the columns

1. In 2002, General Parvez Musharraf changed his
1. Column-I Column-II
designation from President to Chief Executive and
(1) General Parvez (a) has changed the
held a referendum in the country that granted him Musharraf constitution several
a five-year extension. times to increase the
2. In China, Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller powers of the
parties allied to it were allowed to contest elections President and make
held in 2002-03. him less accountable
3. In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the Indian- (2) National (b) is a better government
Fijian is not allowed to vote. People’s because it is a more
Congress accountable form of
4. Zimbabwe attained independence from White government
minority rule in 1980. Since then the country has
(3) Institutional (c) would like citizens not
been ruled by ZANU-PF. Revolutionary to take part in politics
5. The example of Zimbabwe shows that popular Party
approval of the rulers is necessary in a democracy, (4) President (d) he overthrew a
and is sufficient. Mugabe democratically elected
Fill in the blanks government and
declared himself the
1. Democracy is a form of ............................. in ‘Chief Executive’ of the
which the rulers are elected by the people. country.
2. Pakistani media, human rights organisations and (5) Democratic (e) has the power to
democracy activists said that the ........................... government appoint the President
was based on malpractices and fraud. of the country.
3. ..................... has made its citizenship rules in such (6) Non-democratic (f) shifted the polling
a way that people belonging to Russian minority find government booths from one place
it difficult to get the right to vote. to another in the last
minute which made it
4. In Zimbabwe President ........................... is
difficult for people to
popular but also uses unfair practices in elections. caste their votes
5. A democratic government rules within ...................
set by constitutional law and citizens rights.

EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans. 3 3 1 3 2 3 2 2 4 1 1 2 3 4 1 2 4 1 1 1
True or false
1. False 2. True 3. False 4. True 5. False
Fill in the blanks
1. government 2. referendum 3. Estonia 4. Mugabe 5. limits
Match the columns
1. (1) ® d ; (2) ® e ; (3) ® f ; (4) ® a ; (5) ® b ; (6) ® c

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 97
 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 2

Short answer type questions 9. How would you define democracy?

10. Why is democracy considered the best form of
1. What is Democracy? government? Write in detail.
2. "Pakistan under General Parvez Musharraf should Long answer type questions
not be called a democracy". Explain. 1. Give some reasons for non-participation of people
3. What is ideal democracy ? in the voting process.
2. What is the difference between democracy and
4. What dirty practices were used by Institutional
dictatorship?
Revolutionary Party to win the elections in Mexico?
3. Although the principal of Universal Adult Franchise
5. Give any three arguments in favour of democracy. has now come to be accepted almost all over the
world there are many instances of denial of equal
6. Give any three arguments against democracy.
right to vote. Explain with examples.
7. How does democracy improve the quality of decision 4. With reference to Zimbabwe, describe how the
making? popular approval of rulers is necessary in a
democracy, but not sufficient.
8. How is the dignity of Citizens enhanced in
5. Explain any three features of democracy.
democracy?

98 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com
 Social Science-1

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. Here is some information about four countries. Based on this information, how would you classify each of
these countries. Write 'democratic', 'undemocratic' or 'not sure' against each of these.
(1) Country A : People who do not accept the country's official religion do not have a right to vote.
(2) Country B : The same party has been winning elections for the last twenty years.
(3) Country C : Ruling party has lost in the last three elections.
(4) Country D : There is no independent election commission.
Ans. (1) Undemocratic
(2) Undemocratic
(3) Democratic
(4) Not sure
2. Here is some information about four countries. Based on this information, how would you classify each of
these countries? Write 'democratic', 'undemocratic' or 'not sure' against each of these.
(1) Country P : The parliament cannot pass a law about the army without the consent of the Chief of Army.
(2) Country Q : The parliament cannot pass a law reducing the powers of the judiciary.
(3) Country R : The country's leaders cannot sign any treaty with another country without taking permission
from its neighbouring country.
(4) Country S : All the major economic decisions about the country are taken by officials of the central bank
which the ministers cannot change.
Ans. (1) Democratic
(2) Democratic
(3) Not Sure
(4) Undemocratic
3. Which of these is not a good argument in favour of democracy? Why?
(1) People feel free and equal in a democracy.
(2) Democracies resolve conflict in a better way than others.
(3) Democratic government is more accountable to the people.
(4) Democracies are more prosperous than others.
Ans. (4) Prosperity is not a sign of democracy. Democracy does not affect the financial status of a country. India is
a democracy, yet it is fighting a long battle against poverty. India is poor for various other reasons.
4. Each of these statements contains a democratic and an undemocratic element. Write out the two separately
for each statement.
(1) A minister said that some laws have to be passed by the parliament in order to conform to the regulations
decided by the World Trade Organisation.
(2) The Election Commission ordered re-polling in a constituency where large scale rigging was reported.
(3) Women's representation in the parliament has never reached 10 per cent. This led women' organisations
to demand one-third seats for women.
Ans. (1) The reference of the laws to the parliament show that democracy is practiced. The minister has not taken
the decision himself. But the decision to confirm to the regulations decided by World Trade Organisation
is undemocratic. Why should a free country make laws to suit a foreign organisation!

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 99
 Class-IX

(2) Democratic : Repolling is necessary whenever rigging takes place in a constituency during elections.
Undemocratic : Rigging itself is an undemocratic element. It should not happen in a democracy.
(3) One should have more women representatives in parliament - democratic. To demand reservation is
undemocratic. Women should come forward themselves and fight elections.
5. Which of these is not a valid reason for arguing that there is a lesser possibility of famine in a democratic country?
(1) Opposition parties can draw attention to hunger and starvation.
(2) Free press can report suffering from famine in different parts of the country.
(3) Government fears its defeat in the next elections.
(4) People are free to believe in and practice any religion.
Ans. (4) It has nothing to do with famines.
6. There are 40 villages in a district where the government has made no provision for drinking water. These
villagers met and considered many methods of forcing the government to respond to their need. Which of these
is not a democratic method?
(1) Filing a case in the courts claiming that water is part of right to life.
(2) Boycotting the next elections to give a message to all parties.
(3) Organising public meetings against the government's policies.
(4) Paying money to government officials to get water.
Ans. (4) Paying money to government officials to get water.
7. Write a response to the following arguments against democracy :
(1) Army is the most disciplined and corruption-free organisation in the country. Therefore, army should rule
the country.
(2) Rule of the majority means the rule of ignorant people. What we need is the rule of the wise, even if they
are in small numbers.
(3) If we want religious leaders to guide us in spiritual matters, why not invite them to guide us in politics as well.
The country should be ruled by religious leaders.
Ans. (1) Army rule is not a rule of the people through their representatives. They may be disciplined but they become
dictatorial and cut down the freedom of the people. We have seen this in the case of Pinochet's rule in
Chile, President's Musharraf's rule in Pakistan and the military rule in Myanmar.
(2) Wise men are not necessarily good administrators. It will become the rule of the minority, not of the majority
of the people. People's liberties are bound to be cut down.
(3) Religious leaders follow the letter of the religion they preach. They deny freedom of thought, expression
and speech. We have seen this in the case of Afghanistan. Religious leaders deny freedom of religion to
minorities and impose their ideas on them. It is only democracy which gives maximum freedom to people,
allows them to choose their own leaders and does not all dictators of any kind of seize power.

100 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

CHAPTER 7 CONSTITUTIONAL DESIGN

"In this chapter we will be

reading about the meaning
of the word Constitution,
and it's importance for both
t he c it izen an d th e
government. We will also be
reading about how the
Indian Constitution was
framed and the integration
of the different territories
after independence."

THE
SPOT P
1 Democratic constitution in South Africa LIGHT
(a) Struggle against apartheid “I ha ve foug ht against white
domination and I have fought
Apartheid was the name of a system of racial discrimination unique to against black domination. I have
South Africa. The white Europeans imposed this system on South Africa. cherished the ideal of a democratic
and free society in which all persons
The system of apartheid divided the people and labelled them on the basis
live together in harmony and with
of their skin colour. The native people of South Africa are black in colour.
equal opportunities. It is an ideal
They made up about three-fourth of the population and were called 'blacks'.
which I hope to live for and to
Besides these two groups, there were people of mixed races who were achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal
called 'coloured' and people who migrated from India. The white rulers treated for which I am prepared to die.”
all non- whites as inferiors. The non-whites did not have voting rights.
Blacks were forbidden from living in white areas. They could work in white
areas only if they had a permit. They could not even visit the churches
where the whites worshipped. Blacks could not form associations or protest
THE
against the terrible treatment. Trains, buses, taxis, hotels, hospitals, schools
and colleges, libraries, cinema halls, theatres, beaches, swimming pools
SPOT P
public toilets, were all separate for the whites and blacks. LIGHT
Nelson Mandela and seven other
(b) Policy of apartheid opposed by people of South Africa leaders w ere sentenced to life
Since 1950, the blacks, coloured and Indians fought against the apartheid imprisonment in 1964 for daring to
system. They launched protest marches and strikes. The African National oppose the apartheid regime in his
Congress (ANC) was the umbrella organisation that led the struggle against country. He spent the next 28 years
the policies of segregation. This included many workers' unions and the in South Africa’s most dreaded
prison, Robben Island.
Communist Party. Many sensitive whites also joined the ANC to oppose

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 101

 Class-IX

apartheid and played a leading role in this struggle. Several countries

denounced apartheid as unjust and racist. But the white racist government
continued to rule by detaining, torturing and killing thousands of black and
coloured people.
(c) Towards a new constitution
(i) End of Apartheid : As protests and struggles against apartheid had
increased, the government realised that they could no longer keep the
blacks under their rule through repression. The white regime changed
its policies. Discriminatory laws were repealed. Ban on political parties
and restrictions on the media were lifted. After 28 years of
imprisonment,Nelson Mandela walked out of the jail as a free man.
Finally, at the midnight of 26 April 1994, the new national flag of the
Republic of South Africa was unfurled marking the newly born
democracy in the world. The apartheid government came to an end,
paving way for the formation of a multi-racial government.

Fig.1 Nelson Mandela “Historical enemies succeeded in negotiating a peaceful transition

from apartheid to democracy exactly because we were prepared to
accept the inherent capacity for goodness in the other. My wish is
that South Africans never give up on the belief in goodne

(ii) Features of the S. African Constitution : South African Constitution

is based on equality of all races and men and women, on democratic
values, social justice and human rights. After the emergency of the
new democratic South Africa, black leaders appealed to the fellow
blacks to for given the whites for the cruelties they had committed
while in power. The party that ruled through oppression and brutal
killings and the party that led the freedom struggle sat together to
draw up a common constitution.
After long negotiations both parties agreed to a compromise. The whites
agreed to the principle of majority rule and that of one person one
vote. They also agreed to accept some basic rights for the poor and
the workers. The blacks agreed that majority rule would not be absolute.
They agreed that the majority would not take away the property of the
white minority.
After two years of discussion and debate they came out with one of the
finest constitutions the world has ever had. This constitution gave to its
citizens the most extensive rights available in any country. Together,
they decided that in the search for a solution to the problems, nobody
should be excluded, no one should be treated as a demon. They agreed
that everybody should become part of the solution, whatever they might
have done or represented in the past.
The South African constitution inspires democrats all over the world. A
state denounced by the entire world till recently as the most
undemocratic one is now seen as a model of democracy.

102 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

“The Constitution of South Africa speaks of both the past and the
future. On the one hand, it is a solemn pact in which we, as South
Africans, declare to one another that we shall never permit a
repetition of our racist, brutal and repressive past. But it is more
than that. It is also a charter for the transformation of our country
into one which is truly shared by all its people — a country which in
the fullest sense belongs to all of us, black and white, women and
men.”
2 Why do we need a constitution?
Fig.2 Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai
The only way to build and maintain trust in a country having wide diversities, Patel
is to write down some rules that everyone would abide by. These rules lay (1875-1950) born : Gujarat.
down how the rulers are to be chosen in future. These rules also determine Minister of Home, Information and
what the elected governments are empowered to do and what they cannot Broadcasting in the Interim
Government. Lawyer and leader
do. Finally these rules decide the rights of the citizen. These rules will work
of Bardoli peasant satyagraha.
only if the winner cannot change them very easily. This is what the South Played a decisive role in the
Africans did. They agreed on some basic rules. They also agreed that these integration of the Indian princely
rules will be supreme, that no government will be able to ignore these. This states. Later: Deputy Prime
set of basic rules is called a constitution. Minster.
Every country has diverse groups of people. Their relationship may not
have been very bad. But all over the world people have differences of
opinion and interests. Whether democratic or not, most countries in the
world need to have these basic rules.

1. What would have happened in South Africa if the black majority had
decided to take revenge on the whites for all their oppression and
exploitation?
2. South Africans call themselves a 'rainbow nation'. Can you guess why?
Constitution and its contents
The constitution of a country is a set of written rules that are accepted by
all people living together in a country. Constitution is the supreme law that
determines the relationship among people living in a territory (called citizens)
and also the relationship between the people and government. A constitution
does many things.
(a) First, it generates a degree of trust and coordination that is necessary for
Fig.3 Abul Kalam Azad
different kind of people to live together.
(1888-1958) born : Saudi Arabia.
(b) Second, it specifies how the government will be constituted, who will have Educationist, auth or and
power to take which decisions. theologian; scholar of Arabic.
(c) Third, it lays down limits on the powers of the government and tells us what Congress leader, active in the
the rights of the citizens are. national movement. Opposed
(d) Fourth, it expresses the aspirations of the people about creating a good Muslim separatist politics. Later :
Education Minister in the first union
society.
cabinet.
All countries that have constitutions are not necessarily democratic. But all
countries that are democratic will have constitutions.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 103

 Class-IX

3 Making of the Indian constitution

Making of the Indian constitution was a difficult task.
The making of the constitution for a huge and diverse country like India
was not an easy affair. At that time the people of India were emerging
from the status of subjects to that of citizens. The country was born through
a partition on the basis of religious differences.
The British had left it to the rulers of the princely states to decide whether
they wanted to merge with India or with Pakistan or remain independent.
The merger of these princely states was a difficult and uncertain task. The
makers of the constitution had anxieties about the present and the future
of the country.
Fig.4 T.T. Krishnamachari
(1899-1974) born : Tamil Nadu.
1. Chaos and war. The white nations would have attacked S. Africa and
Member, Drafting Committee.
perhaps she could have lost her independence once again.
Entrepreneur and Congress
leader. Later; Finance Minister in 2. It is called a 'rainbow nation' because this nation comprises many races -
the union Cabinet. Whites, Blacks, Coloured and Indians.
(a) The path to Constitution
The making of the Indian Constitution was different from the making of the
Constitution of S. Africa. Unlike South Africa, they did not have to create
a consensus about what a democratic India should look like. Much of this
consensus had evolved during the freedom struggle. Our national movement
was not merely a struggle against a foreign rule. It was also a struggle to
rejuvenate our country and to transform our society and politics. There
were sharp differences of opinion within the freedom struggle about the
path India should take after Independence. Yet some basic ideas had come
to be accepted by almost everyone.
(b) Factors contributing to the making of the Indian Constitution
In 1928, Motilal Nehru and eight other Congress leaders drafted a
constitution for India. In 1931, the resolution at the Karachi session of the
Indian National Congress dwelt on how independent India's constitution
should look like. Both these documents were committed to the inclusion of
universal adult franchise, right to freedom and equality and to protecting
the rights of minorities in the constitution of independent India.
The familiarity with political institutions of colonial rule also helped develop
an agreement over the institutional design. The British rule had given voting
rights only to a few. On that basis the British had introduced very weak
legislatures. The experience gained by Indians in the working of the
Fig.5 Jawaharlal Nehru legislative institutions proved to be very useful for the country in setting up
its own institutions and working in them. Indian constitution adopted many
(1889-1964) born : Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister of the interim institutional details and procedures from colonial laws like the Government
government. Lawyer and of India Act, 1935.
Congress leader. Advocate of Years of thinking and deliberation on the framework of the constitution
socialism, democracy and anti- had another benefit. Many of our leaders were inspired by the ideals of
imperialism. Later : First Prime French Revolution, the practice of parliamentary democracy in Britain and
Minister of India. the Bill of Rights in the US. The socialist revolution in Russia had inspired
many Indians to think of shaping a system based on social and economic
equality. All these factors contributed to the making of our Constitution.

104 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

Compare the Preambles to the Constitutions of the United States

of America, India and South Africa.
1. Make a list of ideas that are common to all these three.
2. Note down at least one of the major differences among these.
3. Which of the three makes a reference to the past ?
4. Which of these does not invoke God ?
(c) The Constituent Assembly
The drafting of the document called the constitution was done by an assembly
of elected representatives called the Constituent Assembly. Elections to
the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946. Its first meeting was held Fig.6 Bhimrao Ramji
Ambedkar
in December 1946. The Constituent Assembly that wrote the Indian
(1891-1956) born : Madhya
constitution had 299 members. The Assembly adopted the Constitution on Pradesh. Chairman of the Drafting
26 November 1949 but it came into effect on 26 January 1950. To mark committee. Social revolutionary
this day we celebrate January 26 as Republic Day every year. thinker and agitator against caste
divisio ns and caste based
(d) Why should we accept the Constitution made by this Assembly more
inequalities. Later: Law minister in
than fifty years ago? the first cabin et o f post-
The Constitution does not reflect the views of its members alone. It expresses independence India. Founder of
a broad consensus of its time. Over the last half a century, several groups have Republican Party of India.
questioned some provisions of the Constitution. But no large social group or
political party has ever questioned the legitimacy of the Constitution itself.
Another reason for accepting the Constitution is that the Constituent
Assembly represented the people of India, and ensured a fair geographical
share of members from all the regions of the country. The Assembly was
dominated by the Indian National Congress, the party that led India's
freedom struggle. But the Congress itself included a variety of political
groups and opinions. The Assembly had many members who did not agree
with the Congress. In social terms too, the Assembly represented members
from different language groups, castes, classes, religions and occupations.
Finally, the manner in which the Constituent Assembly worked gives sanctity
to the Constitution. The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open
and consensual manner.
(e) Working of the Constituent Assembly Fig.7 Sarojini Naidu
First some basic principles were decided and agreed upon. Then a Drafting (1879-1949) born : Andhra
Pradesh. Poet, writer and political
Committee chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar prepared a draft constitution
activist. Among the foremost
for discussion. Several rounds of thorough discussion took place on the women leader in the congress
Draft Constitution, clause by clause. More than two thousand amendments later, Governor of Uttar Pradesh.
were considered. The members deliberated for 114 days spread over three
years. Every document presented and every word spoken in the Constituent
Assembly has been recorded and preserved. These are called 'Constituent
Assembly Debates'. When printed, these debates were 12 bulky volumes !

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 105

 Class-IX

4 Guiding values of the Indian Constitution

(a) The Dream and the Promise
Mahatma Gandhi was not a member of the Constituent Assembly. Yet
there were many members who followed his vision. Mahatma Gandhi, years
ago, writing in his magazine Young India in 1931, had spelt out what he
wanted the constitution to do.

I shall strive for a constitution, which will release India from all thralldom
Fig.8 Shyama Prasad and patronage, and give her, if need be, the right to sin, I shall work for
Mukherjee
(1901-1953) born : West Bengal. an India, in which the poorest shall it is their country in whose making
Minister for Industry and Supply they have an effective voice; an India in which there shall be no high class
in the Interim Government.
Educationist and lawyer. Active in and low class of people; an India in which all communities shall live in
Hindu Mahasabha. later: Founder perfect harmony. There can be no room in such an India for the curse of
President of Bharatiya Jansangh.
untouchability or the curse of the intoxicating drinks and drugs. Women
will enjoy the same rights as men. Since we shall not be at peace with all
the rest of the world, exploiting, nor being exploited, we should have the
smallest army imaginable, all interests not in conflict with the interests of
the dumb millions will be scrupulously respected, whether foreign or
indigenous. Personally, I hate distinction between foreign and indigenous.
This is the India of my dreams. I shall be satisfied with nothing less.
Fig.9 Somnath Lahiri Young India, 10-9-'31
(1901-1984) born : West Bengal.
Writer and editor. Leader of the
Communist Party of India. Later :
Member of West bengal 1. Common Features :
Legislative Assembly.
" All three begin with "We the people".
" All three want to establish liberty, justice and fraternity.
" All three want to promote general welfare of the people.
2. Difference : USA does not mention the word Republic or the word
Democratic like India and South Africa.
3. South Africa
4. India.
Fig.10 Kanhaiyalal Maniklal
Munshi This dream of an India that has eliminated inequality was shared by Dr.
(1887-1971) born : Gujarat. Ambedkar, who played a key role in the making of the Constitution but he
Advocate, historian and linguist.
Congress leader and Gandhian. had a different understanding of how inequalities could be removed. He
later: Minister in the Union often bitterly criticised Mahatma Gandhi and his vision. In his concluding
Cabinet. Founder of the Swatantra
Party. speech to the Constituent Assembly he stated his anxiety very clearly:

106 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

On the 26th of January 1950 we are going to enter a life of contradictions.

In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will
have inequality. In politics we will be recognising the principle of one man THE
one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall, SPOT P
by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the LIGHT
principle of one man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life Within South African indigenous
of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny crudity in our social cultures, the rainbow is associated
and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by with hope and a bright future (as in
putting our political democracy in peril. Xhosa culture). The colours are
simply said to symbolise the diversity
Finally let us turn to Jawaharlal Nehru giving his famous speech to the of South Africa's usually unspecified
Constituent Assembly at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947. cultural, ethnic or racial groups.

Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes
when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very
substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps,
India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but
rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age
THE
ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is
fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the SPOT P
service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity. LIGHT
At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and trackless The Drafting Committee had
centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her successes, handwritten and calligraphed the
and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost constitution - both in English and in
sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We Hindi. There was no typing or print
end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The involved.
achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity,
to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave
enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge
of the future ?

Freedom and power bring responsibility. The responsibility rests upon THE
this Assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of SPOT P
India. Before the birth of freedom, we have endured all the pains of LIGHT
labour and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow. Some Our leaders took the best bits from
constitutions around the world. The
of those pains continue even now. Nevertheless, the past is over and it is
concept of Liberty, Equality and
the future that beckons to us now. That future is not one of ease or Fra ternity is f rom the French
resting but of incessant striving so that we might fulfil the pledges we Constitution, the Five-Year Plans from
have so often taken and the One we shall take today. The service of lndia the USSR Constitution, the socio-
economic aspects from the Irish one
means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of
and Supreme Court's functioning
poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The from Japan! It also borrowed heavily
ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every from England's Constitution.
tear from every eye. That may be beyond us but as long as there are
tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 107

 Class-IX

(b) Philosophy of the Constitution

Preamble of the Indian Constitution : Taking inspiration from the American
model most countries of the modern world have chosen to begin their
Constitutions with a preamble. India has also done so. The preamble to the
Indian Constitution incorporates all the guiding values inspired and nurtured
THE
SPOT P by the Freedom Struggle.
WE, THE PEOPLE REPUBLIC
LIGHT OF INDIA The head of the state
The constitution has is an elected person
Flying an Indian flag made from any been drawn up and and not a hereditary
enacted by the people position.
material other than khadi is an
through their JUSTICE
offence , and is punishable by law representatives, and Citizens cannot be
not handed down to discriminated on the
with upto three years of imprisonment them by a king or any grounds of caste,
and a hefty fine. outside powers. religion and gender.
SOVEREIGN Social inequalities
People have supreme have to be reduced.
right to make Government should
decisions on internal work for the welfare
as well as external of all, especially of
matters. No external the disadvantaged
power can dictate the groups.
government of India. LIBERTY
SOCIALIST There are no
Wealth is generated unreasonable
socially and should restrictions on the
be shared equally by citizens in what they
society. Government think, how they wish
should regulate the to express their
ownership of land and thoughts and the way
industry to reduce they wish to follow up
socio-economic their thoughts in
inequalities. action.
SECULAR EQUALITY
Citizens have All are equal before
complete freedom to the law. The
follow any religion. traditional social
But there is no official inequalities have to be
religion. Government ended. The
treats all religious government should
beliefs and practices ensure equal
with equal respect. opportunity for all.
DEMOCRATIC FRATERNITY
A form of government All of us should
where people enjoy behave as if we are
equal political rights, members of the same
elect their rulers and family. No one should
hold them accountable. treat a fellow citizen
The government as inferior.
is run according to
some basic rules.

(c) Preamble - Soul of the Indian Constitution

THE
SPOT P Values that inspired and guided the freedom struggle and were in turn
nurtured by it, formed the foundation for India's democracy. These values
LIGHT are embedded in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. They guide all
In 73 years since it was presented, the articles of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution begins with a short
the Indian constitution has been statement of its basic values. This is called the Preamble to the constitution.
hailed as one of the best
The Preamble contains the philosophy on which the entire Constitution has
constitutions in the world.
been built. It provides a standard to examine and evaluate any law and
action of government, to find out whether it is good or bad. It is the soul of
the Indian Constitution.

108 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(d) Constitutional Amendment

Constitution of India is a very long and detailed document. Therefore it
THE
needs to be amended quite regularly to keep it updated. Those who crafted
the Indian Constitution felt that it has to be in accordance with people's SPOT P
aspirations and changes in society. They did not see it as a sacred, static LIGHT
and unalterable law. So, they made provisions to incorporate changes from The Longest Constitution:India has
time to time. These changes are called constitutional amendments. the longest constitution in the world.
(e) Institutional design It has 448 articles, 12 schedules and
100 amendments.
The Indian Constitution lays down a procedure for choosing persons to
govern the country. It defines who will have how much power to take which
decisions. And it puts limits to what the government can do by providing
some rights to the citizens that cannot be violated.

IMPORTANT TERMS

AMENDMENT
It is a term which means change or modification. It is used in connection with changes made in the Constitution
of a country. The procedure of amendment of the Indian Constitution is given in Article 368 of the Constitution
itself.
APARTHEID
The official policy of racial separation and ill treatment of blacks followed by the government of South Africa
between 1948 and 1989.
CLAUSE
A distinct section of a document.
CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY
An assembly of people's representatives that writes a Constitution for a country.
CONSTITUTION
Supreme law of a country, containing fundamental rules governing the politics and society in a country.
DRAFT
A preliminary version of a legal document.
DRAFTING COMMITTEE
A 'committee' set up to draft the Constitution.
PREAMBLE
An introductory statement in a constitution which states its reasons and guiding values.
TREASON
The offence of attempting to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance.
TRYST
A meeting or meeting place that has been agreed upon.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 109

 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 1
Multiple choice questions 9. What did the white minority want from the new
1. On what charges was Nelson Mandela sentenced Constitution?
to life imprisonment? (1) Protect its privileges and property
(1) For treason (2) A separate country for themselves
(2) For breaking the laws (3) Reservation in legislature
(3) For corruption charges (4) Some special rights
(4) For possessing illegal property 10. During negotiations for making the Constitution, the
2. What is apartheid? whites agreed to__________?
(1) Election in proportion to population (1) The principle of majority rule
(2) Official policy of discrimination against the Blacks (2) One person one vote
(3) Equality among all (3) Accept some basic rights for the poor and the
(4) None of the above workers
3. In which way did the system of apartheid (4) All of these
discriminate among the South Africans? 11. Which of the following sentences is correct?
(1) Restricted social contacts between the races
(1) All countries that have constitutions are
(2) Segregation of public facilities
necessarily democratic
(3) Created race-specific job categories
(2) All countries that are democratic necessarily
(4) All of these
have constitutions
4. Name the organisation that led the struggle against
the policies of segregation. (3) Both (1) and (2)
(1) African National Conference (4) None of the above
(2) African Neutral Congress 12. When did Motilal Nehru draft a Constitution for
(3) African National Congress India?
(4) All National Party (1) 1927 (2) 1926 (3) 1929 (4) 1928
5. Why did the white regime decide to change its 13. Where was the 1931 session of Indian National
policies? Congress held?
(1) Increase in protests and struggles (1) Nagpur (2) Karachi (3) Calcutta (4) Delhi
(2) Government realised that repression was 14. Which of these features were accepted by all the
becoming difficult Indian leaders, much before they sat down to make
(3) Rise of sympathetic attitude in government for the Constitution?
the blacks (1) Universal adult franchise
(4) Both (1) and (2) (2) Right to freedom
6. Which of these did not form a part of the changed (3) Protection of the rights of minorities
attitude of South African government?
(4) All of these
(1) Discriminatory laws were repealed
15. According to which Act were the elections held to
(2) Ban on political parties and media was lifted
provincial legislatures in India in 1935?
(3) Nelson Mandela was freed from imprisonment
(4) More discriminatory laws were passed (1) Government of India Act. 1935
7. When did South Africa become a democratic (2) Government of India Act. 1919
country? (3) Government of India Act. 1909
(1) 26th April, 1995 (2) 26th April, 1994 (4) None of the above
(3) 24th March, 1994 (4) 27th April, 1996 16. Which of these inspired our leaders while framing
8. What did the black population want in the new the Constitution?
Constitution? (1) Ideals of the French Revolution
(1) A black President (2) Parliamentary democracy in Britain
(2) Substantial social and economic rights (3) Bill of Rights in US
(3) Whites should be turned out of the country (4) All of these
(4) Apartheid for the whites

110 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

17. Which Revolution in the world inspired the Indians 5. Our national movement was a struggle against a
to set up a socialist economy? foreign rule.
(1) French Revolution Fill in the blanks
(2) Turkish Revolution 1. Blacks were forbidden from living in white areas.
(3) Russian Revolution They could work in white areas only if they had a
(4) American War of Independence .............
18. Name the body which framed the Constitution of 2. Finally, at the midnight of 26th April 1994, the new
India? national ................ of the Republic of South Africa
(1) General Assembly was unfurled marking the newly born democracy in
(2) Constituent Assembly the world.
(3) Constitutional Assembly 3. The South African constitution inspires .......................
(4) People's Assembly all over the world.
19. When did the Assembly adopt the Constitution for 4. Constitution specifies how the ........................ will
India ? be constituted, who will have power to take which
(1) 26th November 1949 decisions.
(2) 26th December, 1949 5. The British had left it to the rulers of the ...................
to decide whether they wanted to merge with India
(3) 26th January 1950
or with Pakistan or remain independent.
(4) 26th January 1949
Match the columns
20. Who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee
of the Constituent Assembly ? 1. Column A Column B
(1) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (2) Jawaharlal Nehru (1) Preamble (a) Britain
(3) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (4) Abul Kalam Azad (2) Shyama (b) Constitution came
Prasad into force
True or false
Mukherjee
1. The native people of South Africa are coloured.
(3) July 1946 (c) Elections to the
2. Many sensitive whites also joined the ANC to oppose
Constituent
apartheid and played a leading role in this struggle. Assembly were
3. After three years of discussion and debate held
S.Africans came out with one of the finest (4) 26th (d) Former President
constitutions the world has ever had. January of Bhartiya
4. The constitution of a country is a set of written rules 1950 Jansargh
that are accepted by all people living together in a (5) Bill of (e) Soul of Indian
Rights Constitution
country.

EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans. 1 2 4 3 4 4 2 2 1 4 2 4 2 4 1 4 3 2 1 3
True or false
1. False 2. True 3. False 4. True 5. True
Fill in the blanks
1. permit 2. flag 3. democrats 4. government 5. princely states
Match the columns
1. (1) ® e ; (2) ® d ; (3) ® c ; (4) ® b ; (5) ® a

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 111

 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 2
Short answer type questions Long answer type questions
1. How were the Blacks treated under the system of 1. Explain the role of Nelson Mandela in promoting
Apartheid? democracy in the world.
2. How did Apartheid come to an end in South Africa? 2. What is meant by apartheid? Examine its major
3. What problems existed in the making of the South features.
African constitution? What compromises were 3. Explain the struggle of South African people against
made? apartheid.
4. What is the importance of a constitution in a 4. What is constitution? What is its importance?
'democratic country?
5. How was the Indian constitution framed?
5. What factors have contributed to the making of our
6. D ef i ne t h e f ol lo w in g ( a) D r a f t ( b ) Clause
constitution?
(c) Constitution (d) Amendment (e) Treason.
6. Why is the Indian Constitution acceptable to the
7. Why do we need constitution?
Indian people even today?
8. Why should we accept the constitution made by
7. Describe the composition of the Constituent
Constitutent Assembly?
Assembly.
9. "The working of the Constituent Assembly has given
8. What do the following terms mean Republic,
sanctity to the constitution". Explain.
Liberty, Equality.
9. Why is the Preamble very important? 10. The constitution of a country is a set of written rules
that are accepted by all people living together in
10. On which ideals do the Preamble to the Indian
a country. Define this statement.
constitution lay emphasis?

112 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. Here are some false statements. Identify the mistake in each case and rewrite these correctly based on what you
have read in this chapter.
(a). Leaders of the freedom movement had an open mind about whether the country should be democratic or
not after independence.
Ans. Leaders of the freedom movement were decided on certain basic values and wanted India to be a
democratic republic.
(b). Members of the Constituent Assembly of India held the same views on all provisions of the Constitution.
Ans. No, There were sharp differences on many issues. They were solved after long discussions and debates
and a consensus was reached.
(c). A country that has a constitution must be a democracy.
Ans. Not necessarily. Every country has a Constitution but all are not democracies.
(d). Constitution cannot be amended because it is the supreme law of a country.
Ans. A Constitution is not inflexible. It has to change according to the changes in society and reflect people's
aspirations.
2. Which of these was the most salient underlying conflict in the making of a democratic constitution in South
Africa?
(a). Between South Africa and its neighbours.
(b). Between men and women
(c). Between the white minority and the black majority
(d). Between the coloured minority and the black majority.
Ans. (c) between the white minority and black majority.
3. Which of these is a provision that a democratic Constitution does not have?
(a). Powers of the head of the state (b). Name of the head of the state
(c). Powers of the legislature (d). Name of the country
Ans. (b). Name of the head of the state.
4. Match the following leaders with their roles in the making of the Constitution
(a). Motilal Nehru (i) President of the Constituent Assembly
(b). B.R. Ambedkar (ii) Member of the Constituent Assembly
(c). Rajendra Prasad (iii) Chairman of the Drafting Committee
(d). Sarojini Naidu (iv) Prepared a Constitution for India in 1928
Ans. (a) - (iv); (b) - (iii); (c) - (i); (d) - (ii).
5. Read again the extracts from Nehru's speech 'Tryst with Destiny' and answer the following:
(a). Why did Nehru use the expression "not wholly or in full measure" in the first sentence?
Ans. He says this because India was partitioned into India and Pakistan.
(b) What pledge did he want the makers of the Indian Constitution to take?
Ans. The pledge of service of the millions who suffer.
(c). "The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye." Who
was he referring to?
Ans. Mahatma Gandhi.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 113

 Class-IX

6. Here are some of the guiding values of the Constitution and their meaning. Rewrite them by matching them
correctly.
(a) Sovereign (i) Government will not favour any religion
Ans. Sovereign - People have the supreme right to make decisions.
(b) Republic (ii) People have the supreme right to make decisions
Ans. Republic - Head of the state is an elected person.
(c) Fraternity (iii) Head of the state is an elected person
Ans. Fraternity - People should live like brothers and sisters.
(d) Secular (iv) People should live like brothers and sisters
Ans. Secular - Government will not favour any religion.
7. Here are different opinions about what made India a democracy. How much importance would you give to each
of these factors?
(a) Democracy in India is a gift of the British rulers. We received training to work with representative legislative
institutions under the British rule.
(b) Freedom struggle challenged the colonial exploitation and denial of different freedoms to Indians. Free
India could not be anything but democratic.
(c) We were lucky to have leaders who had democratic convictions. The denial of democracy in several other
newly independent countries shows the important role to these leaders.
Ans. I would give the maximum importance to the second opinion. Freedom struggle was the biggest factor in
teaching us the values of freedom of thought, expression and belief. It taught us that we had to be united,
live as brothers and sisters to fight the common enemy. It taught us the democratic value of equality, how
social equality was as important as political one. It taught people that inspite of differences, some basic
values are accepted by all.
Second important factor was the quality of leadership. Gandhiji, Nehru, Bose, Azad, to name a few, were
great democrats who believed in equality, liberty and fraternity. They believed that the suffering of the
people had to be alleviated.
The British gave the Indians training to work with legislative institutions, but they were certainly not
believers of democracy. They did not allow every one to vote, they had all the power in their hands, they
created divisions among Hindus and Muslims, did not treat Indians as equal to them. In fact it was the
freedom struggle which taught Indians to value democracy.
8. Read the following extract from a conduct book for 'married women', published in 1912. 'God had made the
female species delicate and fragile both physically and emotionally, pitiably incapable of self-defence. They are
destined thus by God to remain in made protection - of father, husband and son - all their lives. Women should,
therefore, not despair, but feel obliged that they can dedicate themselves to the service of men.' Do you think
the values expressed in this para reflected the values underlying our Constitution? Or does this go against the
constitutional values?
Ans. They certainly go against our constitutional values. The Constitution makes no gender differences. Equal rights
are given to women. They can vote, take up any job, have property rights and are paid (according to the
constitution) equal wages for equal work. The statement of 1912 makes women inferior to men and does not
give them equal status.

114 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

9. Read the following statements about a Constitution. Give reasons why each of these is true or not true.

(a) The authority of the rules of the constitution is the same as that of any other law.

Ans. Not true. Constitution is the supreme law. Its authority cannot be challenged even by the government. It
is not like an ordinary law.

(b) Constitution lays down how different organs of the government will be formed.

Ans. Yes, it is true. It defines the role of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary and how they should be
formed and by whom.

(c) Rights of citizens and limits on the power of the government are laid down in the Constitution.

Ans. Yes, true. The Fundamental Rights state clearly the rights of the citizens. They also state the power of the
executive, lay down the rules of how the legislature and the judiciary can control the government.

(d) A Constitution is about institutions, not about values.

Ans. Not true. The Constitution contains all the values which the institutions have to promote. The Preamble to
the Constitution is a shining example of this and states clearly that justice, liberty, equality and fraternity
have to be promoted. Secularism has to be followed and socialism and democracy should be the basis of
the government.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 115

 Class-IX

Important Notes

116 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

CHAPTER 8 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

"Our country has practically

all major physical features
of the earth i.e. mountains,
plains, deserts, plateaus
and islands. You must be
won d erin g h o w t h es e
physical features have been
formed. We will learn more
about major p hysical
features of India and how
they have been formed."

India is a vast country with varied landforms. In fact, our country has
practically all major physical features of the earth i.e. mountains, plains,
deserts, plateaus and islands.We find different types of rocks; some are
very hard like marble which has been used for making the Taj Mahal, and
some are very soft like soap stone which is used in making talcum powder.
The colour of soil varies from one place to the other because soil is formed
out of different types of rocks. Most of these variations are caused due to
differences in rock formations.
India is a large landmass formed during different geological periods which
has influenced her relief. Besides geological formations, a number of
processes such as weathering, erosion and deposition have created and
modified the relief to its present form.
According to the "Theory of Plate Tectonics", the crust of the earth has
been formed out of seven major and some minor plates. The movement of
the plates results in the building up of stresses within the plates and the
continental rocks above, leading to folding, faulting and volcanic activity.
Broadly, these plate movements are classified into three types.

DIVERGENT CONVERGENT TRANSFORM THE

BOUNDARY BOUNDARY BOUNDARY SPOT P
LIGHT
Most volcanoes and earthquakes in
the world are located at plate
margins, but some do occur within the
plates.
Fig.1 Plate Boundaries

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 117

 Class-IX

While some plates come towards each other and form Convergent
Boundary. Some plates move away from each other and form Divergent
Boundary. In the event of two plates coming together they may either
collide and crumble, or one may slide under the other. At times, they may
also move horizontally past each other and form Transform Boundary.
The movement of these plates have changed the position and size of the
continents over millions of years. Such movements have also influenced
the evolution of the present landform features of India.

Fig.1 World : Seven major and some minor plates

1. Major physiographic divisions

The physical features of India can be grouped under the following
physiographic divisions.
(a) The Himalayan Mountains (b) The Northern Plains
(c) The Peninsular Plateau (d) The Indian Desert
(e) The Coastal Plains (f) The Islands

Fig.2 Relief

118 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(A) The Himalayan Mountains Height

Peak Country
Geologically young and structurally fold mountains stretch over the northern in metres
borders of India. Run in a west-east direction from the Indus to the Mt. Everest N epal 8848
Kanchenjunga India 8598
Brahmaputra. Represents the tall high and one of the most rugged Ma kalu N epal 8481
mountain barriers of the world. They form an arc, which covers a distance D ha ulagiri N epal 8172
N anga Parbat India 8126
of about 2,400 Km. Their width varies from 400 Km in Kashmir to 150 Annapurna N epal 8078
Km in Arunachal Pradesh. The altitudinal variations are greater in the N anda De vi India 7817
Kamet India 7756
eastern half than those in the western half. N amcha B arwa India 7756
Gurla Mandhata N epal 7728
Fig.4 Some highest peaks of the
Himalayas
1. Great Himalayas
2. Lesser Himalayas THE
3. Shiwaliks SPOT P
LIGHT
Kanchenjunga, situated at an
altitude of 8,856 m above the sea
level is the highest point of India.
Kuttanad, in the state of Kerala,
which is located at 2.2 m below the
sea level, is the lowest point of the
nation.

Fig.3 Himalayas
The Himalayas consist of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent.
(i) Himadri or Inner Himalayas - The northern most range is known as the
Great or Inner Himalayas or the 'Himadri'. It is the most continuous range THE
consisting of the loftiest peaks with an average height of 6,000 metres. It
contains all the prominent Himalayan peaks.The folds of Great Himalayas
SPOT P
LIGHT
are asymmetrical in nature. The core of this part of Himalayas is composed
Mt. Everest was named after Colonel
of granite. It is perennially snow bound, and a number of glaciers descend
Sir George Everest, a British surveyor
from this range. who was based in India during the
early-to-mid-nineteenth century.

1. The names of the glaciers and passes that lie in Great Himalayas
2. The name of the states where highest peaks are located.

(ii) Himachal or lesser Himalaya - The range lying to the south of the
Himadri forms the most rugged mountain system, mainly composed of
highly compressed and altered rocks. The altitude varies between 3,700
and 4,500 metres and the average width is of 50 Km. While the Pir Panjal
range forms the longest and the most important range, the Dhaula Dhar
and the Mahabharat ranges are also prominent ones. This range consists
of the famous valley of Kashmir, the Kangra and Kullu Valley in Himachal
Pradesh. This region is well known for its hill stations.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 119

 Class-IX

(iii) Shiwaliks - The outer most range of the Himalayas, extends over a width
of 10-50 Km and has an altitude varying between 900 and 1100 metres.
THE
SPOT P These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by
rivers from the main Himalayan ranges located farther north. These valleys
LIGHT are covered with thick gravel and alluvium.The longitudinal valley lying
The Himalayas are the third largest between lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks are known as Duns. Dehra
deposit of ice and snow in the world,
Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun are some of the well-known Duns.
after Antarctica and the Arctic. There
(iv) Division of Himalayas on the basis of regions from west to east.
are approximately 15,000 glaciers
located throughout the range. These divisions have been demarcated by river valleys.
(a) The part of Himalayas lying between Indus and Satluj traditionally
known as Punjab Himalaya but it is also known regionally as Kashmir
and Himachal Himalaya from west to east respectively.
(b) The part of the Himalayas lying between Satluj and Kali rivers is known
as Kumaon Himalayas.
(c) The Kali and Tista rivers demarcate the Nepal Himalayas.
THE
SPOT P (d) And the part lying between Tista and Dihang rivers is known as Assam
Himalayas. The Brahmaputra marks the eastern most boundary of
LIGHT the Himalayas.
At 48 miles (72 km) in length, the
(e) Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply to the south
Himalayan Siachen glacier is the
and spread along the eastern boundary of India. They are known as the
largest glacier outside the poles.
Other notable glaciers located in the Purvanchal or the Eastern hills and mountains. These hills running through
Himalayas include the Baltoro, Biafo, the north-eastern states are mostly composed of strong sandstones which
Nubra, and Hispur. are sedimentary rocks. Covered with dense forests, they mostly run as
parallel ranges and valleys. The Purvanchal comprises the Patkai hills,
the Naga hills, Manipur hills and the Mizo hills.

Fig.5 Division of Himalayas from West to East

120 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(B) The Northern Plain

THE
(1) It has been formed by the interplay of the three major river systems,
namely- the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their SPOT P
tributaries. LIGHT
(2) It is formed of alluvial soil. ‘Doab’ is made up of two words- ‘do’
(3) It spreads over an area of 7 lakh sq. km.
meaning two and ‘ab’ meaning
(4) The plain being about 2400 Km long and 240 to 320 Km broad, is a
water. Similarly ‘Punjab’ is also
densely populated physiographic division, and is agriculturally a very
made up two words- ‘Punj’ meaning
productive part of India.
(5) The rivers coming from northern mountains are involved in depositional five and ‘ab’ meaning water.
work. In the lower course, due to gentle slope, the velocity of the river
decreases which results in the formation of riverine islands.The rivers
in their lower course split into numerous channels due to the deposition
of silt. These channels are known as distributaries.
The Northern Plain is broadly divided into three sections.
(i) The Western part of the Northern Plain is referred to as the Punjab Plains.
Formed by the Indus and its tributaries, the larger part of this plain lies in
Pakistan. The Indus and its tributaries-the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi,
the Beas and the Satluj originate in the Himalaya. This section of the plain
is dominated by the doabs.

(ii) The Ganga plain extends between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers. It is spread
over the states of North India, Haryana, Delhi, U.P., Bihar, partly Jharkhand 1. Punjab Plains
2. Ganga Plains
and West Bengal to its East. 3. Brahmaputra
Plains
(iii) In Assam lies the Brahmaputra plain and extends from Paschim Banga,
through Assam and Bangladesh to India's eastern border. Fig.6 The Northern Plains

Passes Location
1 Nathu la pass Himalayan mt. ranges
2 Jelepa pass Sikkim
3 Rohtang pass Himalayan mt. pass
4 Mohan pass Sikkim (Shiwalik hills)
5 Mustag pass Karakoram Range

Glaciers Location
1 Gangotri Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand)
2 Yamunotri Yamunotri (Uttarakhand)
3 Siachen Karakoram Range
4 Kyagar Jammu & Kashmir
5 Stagar Jammu & Kashmir

According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains

can be divided into four regions –
(i) The rivers, after descending from the mountains deposit pebbles in a narrow
belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks.
It is known as Bhabar. All the streams disappear in this bhabar belt.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 121

 Class-IX

(ii) South of this belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet,
THE
SPOT P swampy and marshy region known as Terai. This was a thickly forested
region full of wildlife. The forests have been cleared to create agricultural
LIGHT land and to settle migrants from Pakistan after partition.
The northern plains are abode of
(iii) The largest part of the northern plain is formed of older alluvium. They lie
many holy places , temples and
monuments such as Ayodhya , above the flood plains of the rivers and present a terrace like feature. This
Golden Temple, Pataliputra, etc. part is known as Bhangar. The soil in this region contains calcareous
These pla ces not only have a deposits locally known as Kankar.
religious significance but are also
(iv) The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains are called khadar. They
important from tourism point of view
which forms the invisible portion of are renewed almost every year and so are fertile, thus, ideal for intensive agriculture.
our balance of trade.
(C) The Peninsular Plateau
A tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic
rocks, formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land and
thus, making it a part of the oldest landmass. The plateau has broad and
shallow valleys and rounded hills. This plateau consists of two broad divisions-

(1) The Central Highlands -

Malwa plateau and Chota nagpur Plateau together are called Central
Highlands. It lies to the north of the Narmada river covers a major area of
the Malwa plateau. The Vindhyan range is bounded by the Central Highlands
on the south and the Aravalis on the northwest. The further westward
extension gradually merges with the sandy and rocky desert of Rajasthan.

Fig.7 Peninsular Plateau

The flow of the rivers draining this region, namely the Chambal, the Sind,
the Betwa and Ken is from southwest to northeast, thus indicating the slope.
The Central Highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east. The
eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as the Bundelkhand
and Baghelkhand. The Chotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward
extension, drained by the Damodar river.

122 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(2) The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the
river Narmada. The Satpura range flanks its broad base in the north while
the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range form its eastern
extensions. The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently
eastwards. An extension of the Plateau is also visible in the northeast- locally
known as the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North Cachar Hills. It
is separated by a fault from the Chotanagpur Plateau. Three prominent hill
ranges from the west to east are the Garo, the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills.
The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and the
eastern edges of the Deccan Plateau respectively. Western Ghats lie parallel
to the western coast. They are continuous and can be crossed through
passes only. The Western Ghats are higher than the Eastern Ghats. Their
average elevation is 900-1600 metres as against 600 metres of the Eastern
Ghats. The Eastern Ghats stretch from the Mahanadi Valley to the Nigiris
in the south. The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous and irregular and dissected
by rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal. The Western Ghats cause
orographic rain by facing the rain bearing moist winds to rise along the
western slopes of the Ghats. The Western Ghats are known by different
local names. The height of the Western Ghats progressively increases from
north to south. The highest peaks include the Anai Mudi (2,695metres)
and the Doda Betta (2,637 metres). Mahendragiri (1,501 metres) is the
highest peak in the Eastern Ghats. Shevroy Hills and the Javadi Hills are
located to the southeast of the Eastern Ghats.
(3) One of the distinct features of the peninsular plateau is the black soil area
known as Deccan Trap. This is of volcanic origin hence the rocks are igneous.
Actually these rocks have denuded over time and are responsible for the
formation of black soil. The Aravali Hills lie on the western and northwestern
margins of the peninsular plateau. These are highly eroded hills and are
found as broken hills. They extend from Gujarat to Delhi in a southwest-
northeast direction.
THE
(D) The Indian Desert
The Indian desest lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. It is SPOT P
an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes. This region receives LIGHT
Thar Desert or Great Indian Desert,
very low rainfall below 150 mm per year. It has arid climate with low
extensive arid region, S Asia, in NW
vegetation cover. Streams appear during the rainy season. Soon after they
India and E Pakistan, between the
disappear into the sand as they do not have enough water to reach the Indus and Sutlej river valleys on the
sea. Luni is the only large river in this region. Barchans (crescent shaped west and the Aravalli Range on the
east. It receives an annual average
dunes) cover larger areas but longitudinal dunes become more prominent
rainfall of less than 10 in. (25 cm).
near the Indo-Pakistan boundary.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 123

 Class-IX

Fig.8 The Indian Desert

(E) The Coastal Plains
The Peninsular plateau is flanked by stretch of narrow coastal strips, running
along the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east . The
western coast, sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian
Sea, is a narrow plain. It consists of three sections. The northern part of
the coast is called the Konkan (Mumbai - Goa), the central stretch is called
the Kannad Plain while the southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar
coast. The plains along the Bay of Bengal are wide and level. In the
northern part, it is referred to as the Northern Circar, while the southern
part is known as the Coromandel Coast. Large rivers such as the
Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri have formed extensive
delta on this coast. Lake Chilika is an important feature along the eastern
coast.

Kannad coast

Fig.9 The Coastal Plains

124 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(F) The Islands

THE
(i) Lakshadweep Islands group lies close to the Malabar coast of Kerala. This
group of islands is composed of small coral isalnds. Earlier they were known
SPOT P
LIGHT
as Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindive. In 1973 these were named as
India’s only active volcano is found
Lakshadweep. It covers small area of 32 sq km. Kavaratti island is the on Barren island in Andaman and
administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep. This island group has great Nicobar group of Islands.
diversity of flora and fauna. The Pitti island, which is uninhabited, has a
bird sanctuary.
(ii) The elongated chain of islands located in the Bay of Bengal extending
from north to south are Andaman and Nicobar islands. They are bigger in
THE
size and are more numerous and scattered. The entire group of islands is
divided into two broad categories - The Andaman in the north and the SPOT P
Nicobar in the south. It is believed that these islands are an elevated portion LIGHT
of submarine mountains. These island groups are of great strategic Co r a l polyp s are short -lived
microscopic organisms, which live in
importance for the country. There is great diversity of flora and fauna in
colonies. They flourish in shallow,
this group of islands too. These islands lie close to equator and experience mud free and warm waters. They
equatorial climate and has thick forest cover. secrete calcium carbonate. The coral
secretion and their skeletons from
coral deposits in the form of reefs
4 Influence of physical features they are mainly of three kinds :
Each region complements the other and makes the country richer in its barrier reef. fringing reef and atolls.
The Great Barrier Reef of Australia
natural resources. The mountains are the major sources of water and forest
is a good example of the first kind
wealth. The northern plains are the granaries of the country. They provide of coral reefs. Atolls are circular or
the base for early civilisations. The plateau is a storehouse of minerals, horse shoe shaped coral reefs.
which has played a crucial role in the industrialisation of the country. The
coastal region and island groups provide sites for fishing and port activities.
Thus, the diverse physical features of the land have immense future
possibilities of development.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 125

 Class-IX

IMPORTANT TERMS

ALLUVIAL / ALLUVIUM DEPOSITS

Clay, silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down.
CONVERGENT BOUNDARY
A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving towards each other. If the two plates are of equal density, they
usually push up against each other, forming a mountain chain. If they are of unequal density, one plate usually
sinks beneath the other in a subduction zone. The western coast of South America and the Himalayan mountains
are convergent plate boundaries.
CORAL ISLAND AND CORAL REEF
A coral island forms a ring and partially or totally encloses a shallow body of water or lagoon. It is formed by
small organisms called polyps. These tiny organisms protect themselves by building small walls of limestone
around their bodies. These creatures live in small colonies, and over millions of years, these 'settlements' become
reefs and then turn into islands.
DECCAN TRAP
They are a large igneous area located on the Deccan Plateau and are one of the largest volcanic features on
Earth. They consist of multiple layers of solidified basalt that together are more than 2000 m thick and cover an
area of 5 lakh sq km. The term 'trap' is used in geology for such rock formations as it refers to the step-like hills
forming the landscape of the region. They formed between 60 and 68 million years ago at the end of the
Cretaceous period.
DISTRIBUTARY
It is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. They are common features of river
deltas. Distributaries usually occur as a stream nears a lake or the ocean, but they can also occur when a
tributary stream bifurcates as it nears its confluence with a larger stream. An example is the Hugli river in
Paschim Banga, which is a distributary of the Ganga.
DOAB
It is a term used for a 'tongue' or tract of land lying between two confluent rivers. If used without any qualifying
name, it refers to the fertile land of the Northern Plains lying between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers.
FAULTING
It is the process of planar rock fractures which show evidence of relative movement.
FOLDING
A process through which crystalline rocks are bent. It produces anticlines (upfolds) and synclines (downfolds). It
takes place in three main stage, initial bending of rocks as plates come together, creation of simple anticlines
and synclines, and formation of fold mountains as well as breaking of the folding resulting in faults/depressions.
GEOLOGICAL PERIOD
A unit of geological time during which a system of rocks is formed.
GEOSYNCLINE
A term used for a subsiding linear trough that was caused by the accumlation of sedimentary rock strata
deposited in a basin and subsequently compressed, deformed and uplifted into a mountain range.
PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISION
The landforms of the Earth are generally divided into physiographic divisions, consisting of physiographic provinces,
which in turn consists of physiographic section.
RELIEF
The variations in elevation of an area of the Earth's surface.
RIVERINE ISLAND
An island in a river.

126 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

EXERCISE # 1
Multiple choice questions 9. Which part of the Himalayas is perennially
1. Which of the following has not been a factor in the snowbound ?
creation and modification of India's relief features? (1) Great Himalayas or Himadri
(2) Lesser Himalayas or Himachal
(1) Geological formations
(3) Shivaliks
(2) Population density
(4) Purvanchal
(3) Weathering 10. Which of the following is the highest peak in India?
(4) Erosion and deposition (1) Mt. Everest (2) Kanchenjunga
2. Which of the following is a plausible theory (3) Nanga Parbat (4) Nandadevi
presented by Earth scientists to explain the 11. Which of the following is the average height of Great
formation of continents and oceans and the various Himalayas?
landforms? (1) 4000 m (2) 8000 m
(1) Theory of Motion (3) 6000 m (4) 2000 m
12. The northern plains is formed of?
(2) Theory of Plate Tectonics
(1) Black soil (2) Red soil
(3) Theory of Evolution (3) Alluvial soil (4) Desert soil
(4) Theory of Relativity 13. The wet and swampy belt of the Northern Region
3. According to the 'Theory of Plate Tectonics,' the is known as:
earth's crust is formed of how many major plates? (1) Bhabar (2) Terai
(1) Three (2) Five (3) Seven (4) Ten (3) Doab (4) Bhangar
4. According to the 'Theory of Plate Tectonics,' when 14. Which two hills are located in the south-east of
some plates come towards each other, which of the Eastern Ghats ?
(1) Mizo Hills and Naga Hills
following is formed?
(2) Javadi Hills and Shevroy Hills
(1) Convergent boundary (2) Divergent boundary
(3) Patkoi Hills and Manipuri Hills
(3) Transform boundary (4) Colliding boundary (4) Mizo Hills and Patkoi Hills
5. A landmass bounded by sea on three sides is referred 15. The highest peak in the Eastern Ghats is -
to as. (1) Anai Mudi (2) Doda Betta
(1) Coast (2) Island (3) Mahendragiri (4) Gurushikhar
(3) Peninsula (4) None of the above 16. The only large river in the Indian Desert?
6. Which of the following divisions of India has the (1) Chambal (2) Sabarmati
(3) Chenab (4) Luni
oldest landmass?
17. Barchans are found in____.
(1) The Himalayas
(1) Northern Plains (2) Mountains
(2) The Northern Plains (3) Islands (4) Deserts
(3) The Peninsular Plateau 18. Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari,
(4) The Indian Desert the Krishna have formed extensive delta on this
7. Which of the following countries or continents was coast?
not a part of the ancient landmass of Gondwanaland? (1) Western coastal plains(2) Eastern coastal plains
(1) India (2) Australia (3) Both of them (4) None of them
(3) Europe (4) South America 19. This island is the administrative headquarters of
Lakshadweep?
8. Which of the following physiographic divisions of
(1) Minicoy (2) Kavaratti
India was formed out of accumulations in the Tethys (3) Pitli (4) Amindive
geosyncline? 20. The western coastal strip, south of Goa is referred
(1) The Himalayas to as :
(2) The Northern Plains (1) Coromondal (2) Kannad
(3) The Peninsular Plateau (3) Konkan (4) Malabar
(4) The Indian Desert

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 127

 Class-IX

True or false Match the columns

1. India is a large landmass formed during different 1. Column A Column B
geological periods which has influenced her relief. (A) Bhabhar (i) they are renewed almost
2. The Angara land included India, Australia, South every year and so are
fertile, thus, ideal for
Africa, South America and Antarctica as one single intensive agriculture
land mass. (B) Terai (ii) part of Himalayas lying
3. The altitudinal variations of Himalayas are greater between Tista and
Dihang rivers
in the eastern half than those in the western half.
(C) Bhangar (iii) a narrow belt of about 8
4. Lesser Himalayas are composed of unconsolidated to 16 km in width lying
sediments brought down by rivers from the main parallel to the slopes of
the Shiwaliks
Himalayan ranges located farther north.
(D) Khadar (iv) was a thickly forested
5. All the streams disappear in this terai belt. South of region full of wildlife. The
this belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge and create forests have been
a wet, swampy and marshy region known as bhabar. cleared to create
agricultural land and to
Fill in the blanks settle migrants from
1. In the event of two plates coming together they Pakistan after partition.
may either collide and crumble, or one may slide (E) Punjab (v) largest part of the
under the other. At times, they may also move Himalaya northern plain is formed
of older alluviam
............................ past each other and form
(F) Assam (vi) part of Himalayas lying
transform boundary. Himalaya between Indus and Satluj
2. The ............................. constitutes one of the
ancient landmasses on the earth's surface. It was Crossword puzzle
1. Locate the peaks, passes, ranges, plateaus, hills,
supposed to be one of the most stable land blocks. and duns hidden in the puzzle. Try to find where
3. In the lesser Himalayas, while the ........................ these features are located. You may start your
range forms the longest and the most important search horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
E M K U N L N A T H U L A R I A H I A T
range, the Dhaula Dhar and the Mahabharat ranges M H A S J M A N J K M A J L B H O R P J
J N V F A E T D C A R D E M O M L O M K
are also prominent ones. C R E I I 9 H M O I F T N X M A X F C T
N M T S N A U O R M S A N A D [ D A N J
4. The ........................... comprises the Patkai hills, A B X A T G A R O U L F V D I K P T D C
C Y C H I G A M M R D T I Z L A J P O K
the Naga hills, Manipur hills and the Mizo hills. H R T E A N C H E N J U N 0 A L U L B E
O O M O P I T P N O S S D D K S P D O K
5. The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains T D A N M L M D D C S A H L S A I E E J
A R R E A G T H A R H E Y D H H A I A R
are called ........................ N 3 A A L I A T L E I Y A B A Y T H R L
A Z V N W R E D S P P A N H D A O J U K
G 0 A M A I M U D I K D P M W D A B P E
P A L L J S H B V R I Y E V E R E S T M
U O I M Y R Y P A T L I G J E I T H A R
R K I Q S L A H C N A V R V P E A T S P

EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
A ns. 2 2 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 2 3 3 2 2 3 4 4 2 2 2
True or false
1. True 2. False 3. True 4. False 5. False
Fill in the blanks
1. horizontally 2. Peninsular Plateau 3. Pir Panjal 4. Purvachal, 5. khadar
Match the columns
1. (A) ® iii ; (B) ® iv ; (C) ® v ; (D) ® i ; (E) ® vi ; (F) ® ii

128 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

EXERCISE # 2
Short answer type questions Long answer type questions

1. "The land of India is characterised by a great diversity 1. Describe the Theory of Plate Tectonics?
in its relief or physical features". Justify the 2. Distinguish between the various types of tectonic
statement. plates.
3. Name the major physiographic divisions of India.
2. Write four points to explain the extent, length, width Write a note on any one of the physiographic
and height of the Himalayas. divisions of India.

3. Why are Himalayas called the young fold mountains? 4. Differentiate between Great Himalayas and Lesser
Himalayas.
4. How are the Himalayas divided in the east-west
5. Give a brief account of the great plains of North
direction?
India.
5. What is Purvanchal ? 6. Contrast the relief of the Himalayan region with
that of the Peninsular Plateau.
6. What is the 'Bhabar' ?
7. Where would one find the Black Soil in the India
7. Mention some features of the Ganga Basin. and why?

8. Distinguish between a Bhabar and an Terai. 8. Write a note on the Indian desert describing its
location and relief.
9. Mention any four features of the Peninsular plateau. 9. Give an account of the Island groups of India.
10. What are Corals? Explain. 10. State the difference between the Island group of
India .

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 129

 Class-IX

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below :
(i) A landmass bounded by sea on three sides is referred to as
(1) Coast (2) Island (3) Peninsula (4) None of the above.
Ans. Peninsula
(ii) Mountain ranges in the eastern part of India forming its boundaries with Myanmar are collectively called :
(1) Himachal (2) Uttaranchal (3) Purvanchal (4) None of the above
Ans. Purvanchal
(iii) The western coastal strip south of Goa is referred to as
(1) Coromandel (2) Konkan (3) Kannad (4) Northern Circar
Ans. Konkan
(iv) The highest peak in the Eastern Ghats is
(1) Anai Mudi (2) Kanchenjunga (3) Mahendragiri (4) Khasi
Ans. Mahendragiri
2. Answer the following questions briefly
(i) What are tectonic plates ?
Ans. Large fragments of the Earth's crust torn due to the rising currents are called tectonic plates.
(ii) Which continents of today were part of the Gondwanaland?
Ans. South America, Africa and Australia.
(iii) What is the 'bhabar'?
Ans. Bhabar is a pebble studded formation situated at the junction of mountain and plain.
(iv) Name the three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south.
Ans. The Great or the Inner Himalayas or the Himadri, the Middle Himalayas or the Himachal, and the Outer
Himalayas or the Shivaliks.
(v) Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhya ranges?
Ans. The Malwa plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhya Ranges.
(vi) Name the island group of India having coral origin.
Ans. Lakshadweep Islands is the island group of India having coral origin.
3. Distinguish between
(i) Converging and Diverging Tectonic Plates.
Ans. Converging Plates Diverging Plates
(a) When tectonic plates move towards they (a) When tectonic plates move away from each other,
each other, they are called converging they are termed as diverging plates.
plates.
(b) When they move towards each other, (b) When they move away from each other, they collide
or crumble or one of them slides they do not collide or crumble.
under the other.
(c) Converging plates cause folds. (c) Diverging plates cause fractures in the crust.

130 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(ii) Bangar and Khadar.

Ans. Bangar Khadar

(a) Formed of older alluvium (a) Renewed every year.
(b) Lies above flood plains of rivers. (b) Is newer, younger deposit of flood

(c) Presents a terrace like feature. (c) Contains calcerous deposits locally known as Kankar.
(d) Less fertile (d) More fertile

(iii) Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.

Ans. Western Ghats Eastern Ghats

(a) They stand like a continuous wall and (a) They are discontinuous and irregular.

can be crossed through passes only. They have been dissected by rivers

Thal Ghat provides passage to rails which have made their passages toreach the Bay
and roads. of Bengal.

(b) This range is a source of many large (b) No big river originates from this range.

rivers.

(c) It obstructs the monsoon winds coming (c) They are almost parallel to monsoons

the from the Arabian Sea which causes originating in the Bay of Bengal and do not cause

heavy rainfall in the Western Coastal Plain. much rainfall.

4. Describe how the Himalayas were formed.

Ans. Geologists claim that a sea was located where the Himalayas now stand. Internal and external changes of
Earth's crust occurred. It is said that one of the crustal plates, called the Indo- Australian plate, separated
from the super-continent named Gondwanaland. It drifted slowly towards the north to collide with the Eurasian
plate five million years ago. The northern edge of the Indo-Australian plate was pushed beneath the Eurasian
plate. After the collision of these two plates, the sedimentary rocks of enclosed ocean folded to form the
Himalayas.
5. Which are the major physiographic divisions of India? Contrast the relief of the Himalayan region with that
of the Peninsular Plateau.
Ans. The major physiographic divisions of India are :

(i) The Great Mountains of the North.

(ii) The North Indian Plain.

(iii) The Peninsular Plateau

(iv) The Coastal Plains and

(v) The Islands.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 131

 Class-IX

Himalayan Region Peninsular Plateau

(a) This region comprises greatest and (a) Rugged and dissected terrain plateau is
highest mountain ranges of the world. a remnant portion of the supercontinent
the Gondwanaland.
(b) The ranges have I-shaped and U-shaped (b) It has horsts, rift valleys and troughs.
valleys.
(c) It is the origin of perennial rivers. (c) It has rainfed, seasonal rivers.
(d) Young fold mountains made from the (d) Created from igneous and metamorphic
uplift of the strata formed by rocks after splitting of Gondwanaland.
the sedimentary rocks
(e) Parallelly arranged mountain ranges are (e) Rivers dissect. Faults and vertical movement of the
separated by valleys and plains. Earth mark the plateau.
6. Give an account of the Northern Plains of India.
Ans. The Northern Plains have been formed from the alluvium that the mountain rivers deposited here. This turned
the soil on the surfaced land fertile for growing a rich harvest of variety of crops. This led to the development
of the Indus River Valley Civilisation. The rich soil was further aided by favourable climate and constant water
supply from the rivers. Between the mouths of the Indus and the Ganga-Brahmaputra, the North Indian
Plain covers a distance of 3200 km. It is 300 to 150 km wide at some places. The North Indian Plains
have the Indus river system in the west and the Ganga-Brahmaputra river system in the east. The first includes
Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj. The Indus flows into the Arabian Sea.
The second includes Ganga, its tributaries and the Brahmaputra which combine as Meghna as they drain
into the Bay of Bengal. They form the world's largest and fastest growing delta. The difference in relief
has led the North Indian Plains to be divided into four zones :
(i) Bhabhar (ii) Tarai (iii) Bangar (iv) Khadar
7. Write short notes on the following.
(i) The Indian Desert
Ans. Lying towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills, the Indian desert is formed of sandy plain covered
with sand dunes. Receiving less than 10 mm rainfall in a year, the region has arid climate, low vegetation
and streams that appear only in the rainy season. But they soon disappear into the sands, lacking enough
water to reach the sea. Large areas of the deserts have crescent shaped sand dunes, i.e. barchans, while
longitudinal dunes are abundant near Indo- Pakistan boundary.
(ii) Central Highlands.
Ans. The northern part of the Peninsular Plateau consists of plateaus, denuded mountain ranges and low hills
made of igneous rocks. In the north-west are the Aravali range, running in south-west, north-east direction
forming a discontinuous ridge. Thar Desert lies to the west of Aravali ranges. The southern boundary is
demarcated by the Vindhya Range with Kaimur Hills in the eastern extent. The Malwa plateau lies between
Aravalis and Vindhyas. Between the valleys of Narmada and the Son, escarpments are formed by the Vindhyan
Kaimur range.Malwa plateua and Chota Nagpur Plateau together are called Central Highlands.
(iii) Island groups of India.
Ans. The Lakshadweep consists of many small islands located opposite the Kerala coast in the Arabian Sea. The
islands of this group are formed of coral deposits called 'atolls' in Malayalam which refer to their ring or
'horse-shoe' shape. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, on the other hand, are larger in size. They are more
in number and more widely scattered. There are about 200 islands in the Andaman group and 19 islands
in the Nicobar group.

132 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

MAP SKILLS
On an outline map of India show the following.
(i) Mountain and hill ranges - the Karakoram, the Zaskar, the Patkai Bum, the Jaintia, the Vindhya range,
the Aravali, and the Cardamom hills.
(ii) Peaks - K2, Kanchenjunga, Nanga Parbat and the Anai Mudi.
(iii) Plateaus - Chhota Nagpur and Malwa
(iv) The Indian Desert, Western Ghats, Lakshadweep Islands

K2
Kar
ako
ram
ran
Zask g e
Nanga ar r
a nge
Parbat

Kanchenjunga

ills
Indian

H
ge

ai
Desert

tk
ran

Pa
Malwa
ali
av

Plateau Jaintia Hills

Ar

Vindhya Chota Nagpur

range Plateau

Anai
Mudi

Lakshadweep
Islands

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 133

 Class-IX

Important Notes

134 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

CHAPTER 9 DRAINAGE
"If we look at the physical
map we will notice that
small streams flowing from
different directions come
together to form the main
river, wh ic h u lt imat ely
drains into a large water
body such as a lake or a sea
or an ocean. The term
drainage describes the river
system of an area."

1. Drainage of India
l Drainage : The term drainage is used to describe the river system of
an area.
THE
l Drainage basin : The area drained by a single river system is called
SPOT P
a drainge basin. LIGHT
l Water divide : An upland that separates the flow of two rivers or river system. The world’s largest drainage basin
is of the Amazon river
l River system : A river, along with its tributaries may be called a river
system.
Str
eam
A Str
eam
B

Fig.1 Water divide

2. Drainage systems of India

On the basis of origin, two broad drainage systems of India are generally
recognised.
1. The Himalayan Rivers
2. The Peninsular Rivers.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 135

 Class-IX

.
Fig.2 Major rivers & lakes
Basis for Himalayan Peninsular
Comparison River River
Meaning These are the rivers These river includes those
that originate from rivers that arises from western
Himalayan ranges ghat and recieves water from
and flows throughout particular year.
the year.
Nature Perennial Non -Perennial
Form Delta Some rivers form delta while
other form estuaries.
Shape Meandering Straight
Rocks Bed Rocks are soft, Bed rocks are hard, resistant
sedimentary and easily and not easily erodible
erodible.
Drainage Basin Large Small
Irrigate They are useful for They are seasonal and flow
irrigation, cultivation over rocky areas and are not
and navigation. useful for cultivation and
navigation.

Valley V-shape valley U-shaped valley is formed

is formed
Examples The Indus, Ganga, The Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri
Brahamaputra River

136 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

3. The Himalayan river system

The major Himalayan rivers are the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
These rivers are long, and are joined by many large and important
tributaries. A river alongwith its tributaries may be called a river system.
(A) The Indus River System

Mansarovar lake

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
According to the regulations of the
Indus Water Treaty (1960), India
can use only 20 per cent of the total
water carried by Indus river system.
This water is used for irrigation in
Punjab, Haryana and the southern
and western parts of Rajasthan.

Fig.3 Indus basin

l The Indus originates from the glaciers of the Kailash range in Western
Tibet near Mansarowar Lake.
l Indus basin is located in India in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh and the Punjab and the rest is in Pakistan.
l It flows west and north west wards and enters Indian territory in Jammu
& Kashmir. It cuts through the mountains & forms a spectacular gorge.
It flows through Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit to finally emerge out of the
hills at Attock. The Indus flows south west across Pakistan to reach the
Arabian Sea in east of Karachi.
l With a total length of 2,900 k.m., the Indus is considered as one of the
longest rivers of the world.
l Satluj, Chenab, Jhelum, Beas and Ravi they join together to enter the
Indus near Mithankot in Pakistan.
Several tributaries, the Zaskar, the Nubra, the Shyok and the Hunza, join
it in the Kashmir region.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 137

 Class-IX

(B) The Ganga River system

THE
SPOT P l The head waters of the Ganga, called the Bhagirathi is fed by the ‘Gangotri’
Glacier and joined by the Alaknanda at Devaprayag in Uttarakhand.
LIGHT
The Ganga basin forms 25 per cent
of the total area of India. It is the
longest river in the country. The
Ganga and the Brahmaputra flow in
opposite direction to meet together
in Bangladesh where they form the
largest delta of the world. The major
part of the Ganga-Brahmaputra
delta lies in Bangladesh. Fig.4 : Confluence of Bhagirathi and
Alaknanda at Devaprayag

l The major tributaries of Ganga are : The Yamuna, the Gandak and the
THE Kosi.
SPOT P l Flowing south westwards, the Ganga comes out of Himalayas near Haridwar
LIGHT on the plains.
River Damodar is known as the
l The total length of the Ganga is 2500 km.
'Sorrow of Bengal' as it causes
widespread destruction of lives, l The main tributaries which come from the peninsular upland are the
cattle and crops due to frequent Chambal, the Betwa and the Son.
flooding. It joins the Ganga from the l Beyond Farakka it flows eastward and is divided into distributaries the
right. Bhagirathi and Hoogly which goes to West Bengal, the main stream goes
to Bangladesh where it is known as Padma.

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT Fig.5 Ganga drianage system
The Sunderban Delta derived its
l Before falling into Bay of Bengal, the Padma joins the Brahmaputra
name from the Sundari tree which
grows well in marshland. It is the (Jamuna) is known as Jamuna & drains into Bay of Bengal
world's largest and fastest growing and is known as Meghna here.
delta. It is also the home of Royal l The Yamuna and the Son are the two main right bank tributaries of the
Bengal tiger.
Ganga.

138 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

l Ambala is located on the water divide between the Indus and the Ganga
river systems. The plains from Ambala to the Sunderban stretch over nearly
1800 km, but the fall in its slope is hardly 300 metres. In other words,
there is a fall of just one metre for every 6 km. Therefore, the river develops
large meanders.

1. Categorise the following rivers into two sections : Himalayan rivers and
Peninsular rivers.
Ghaghra, Narmada, Mahanadi, Beas, Sarda, Krishna, Godavari,
Brahmaputra, Gandak, Tapi.
(C) The Brahmaputra River system
THE
l The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet east of Mansarowar lake very close to
the source of the Indus and the Satluj.
SPOT P
LIGHT
l It is one of the largest river in the world with a total length of 2900 km.
The river Brahmaputra is known as
l It flows eastwards parallel to the Himalayas. dihang in Arunachal Pradesh, as
Brahmaputra in Assam and Jamuna
l On reaching the Namcha Barwa (7757 m). It takes a U turn and enters
in Bangladesh.
India in Arunachal Pradesh through a gorge. Here it is called the Dihang
and is joined by the Dibang, the Lohit, the Kenula and many other tributaries
to form the Brahmaputra in Assam.
l In Tibet, the river carries a smaller volume of water and less silt as it is
cold and dry area.
l In India the river carries a large volume of water as it passes through
a region of high rainfall and considerable amount of silt.
4. The Peninsular Rivers

THE
SPOT P
LIGHT
Perennial Rivers : These are the rivers
which flow through out the year as
they get water from the rainfall as
well as melting of ice.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 139

 Class-IX

THE (a) Major features of Peninsular rivers

SPOT P l Almost all the rivers of the Peninsula are in the mature stage.
LIGHT l They flow through wide valleys.
River Sharavati in the state of l Except the Narmada and Tapi which drain west wards into the Arabian
Karnataka is famous for its Gersoppa
Sea, and make esturies the other major streams discharge their water
(Jog Falls). These falls can be
into the Bay of Bengal make deltas.
considered as one of the world's
greatest waterfalls in the rainy season. (b) The East flowing rivers
But like other peninsular rivers, the l The Mahanadi : The river rises in the highlands of Dandakaranya in
Sharavati has very little water in the Chhattisgarh. It flows through Orissa to reach the Bay of Bengal. The total
dry season.
length of the river is about 860 km. Its drainage basin is shared by
Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.
l Godavari Basin : It is the largest river of the Peninsula. It originates from
THE
SPOT P Nasik. The Godavari is often refered as 'Vridha Ganga' or 'Dakshin Ganga'
because of its large size and extent. Its length is 1500 km.
LIGHT Its drainage basin is also the largest among the peninsular rivers. The basin
While Godavari is the largest river covers parts of Maharashtra (about 50 per cent of the basin area lies
system in Peninsular India, it is the in Maharashtra), Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
second largest (next only to the
Its principal tributaries include the Pranhita, Wardha, Purna, Manjra,
Ganga System) in India as a whole.
Penganga, Wainganga.
l Krishna Basin : Rising from a spring near Mahabaleshwar, the Krishna
flows for about 1400 km and reaches the Bay of Bengal. Its tributaries
are the Tungabhadra, the-Koyana, the Ghatprabha, the Musi and the Bhimi.
Its drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

THE l The Kaveri Basin : It rises in the Brahmagri range of the Western Ghats
SPOT P and it reaches the Bay of Bengal in south of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.
Total length of the river is about 760 km. Its main tributaries are Amravati,
LIGHT Bhavani, Hemavati and Kabini. Its basin drains parts of Karnataka, Kerala
The river Kaveri makes the second
and Tamil Nadu.
biggest waterfall in India. It is known
as Sivasamudram. The fall supplies
hydroelectric power to Mysore,
Bangalore and the Kolar Gold Field.
1. Hamalayan Peninsular
rivers rivers
(1) Ghaghra Krishna
(2) Brahmaputra Narmada
(3) Beas Godavari
(4) Gandak Mahanadi

Other East-flowing rivers

Beside three major rivers there are some smaller rivers flowing towards
the east like the Damodar, the Subarnrekha, the Brahmani, the Penmen,
the Pannaiyar and Vaigai.

140 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(c) The West flowing rivers

The Narmada Basin
This river originates from Amarkantak hills in Madhya Pradesh. THE
P
l

l It flows towards the west in a rift valley formed due to faulting. SPOT
l On its way to the sea, the Narmada creates many pitcturesque locations.
LIGHT
The 'Marble rocks' near Jabalpur where the Narmada flows through a Some rivers of the Peninsular Plateau
flow towards Ganga, e.g., Chambal,
deep gorge and the ‘Dhuadhar falls’ where the river plunges over steep
Betwa, Ken, Sind and Son. These
rocks are some of the notable ones.
rivers rise in the Vindhya range.
l All the tributaries of the Narmada are very short and most of these join
the main stream at right angles.
l The Narmada basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
The Tapi Basin
l This river originates from Satpura Plateau in Betul district of Madhya
Pradesh.
l It is the second largest west flowing river of the Peninsular India.
l It also flows in a rift valley parallel to the Narmada but it is much shorter
in length.
l Its basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The coastal plains between Western Ghats and the Arabian sea are very
narrow. The main west flowing rivers are Sabarmati, Mahi, Bharathpuzha
and Periyar.
THE
5. Lakes SPOT P
l Lakes : A lake is a body of water lying on a hollow on the earth’s surface LIGHT
and being surrounded by lands. Following are the major types of lakes Lakes of large extent are called the
found in India. seas, like the Caspian, the Dead and
l Freshwater lakes : Most of the fresh water lakes are in the Himalayan the Aral seas.
region. They are of glacier origin. The Dal lake, Bhimatal, Nainital, Loktak
THE
l
and Barapani are some of the fresh water lakes of India.
Lakes of Tectonic origin : Folding and faulting produce hollows in the SPOT P
earth’s crust. These hollows contain either salt or fresh water lake. The LIGHT
Wular lake in Jammu & Kashmir is the result of tectonic activity. A meandering river across a flood
plain forms cut-offs that later develop
l Salt water lake : Any lake that has no natural drainage outlet, either
into ox-bow lakes. Spits and bars
as a surface of stream or as a sustain, subsurface flow, will become saline. form lagoons in the coastal areas, eg
The Sambhar lake in the desert region of Rajasthan is a salt water lake. the Chilika lake, the Pulicat lake, the
It is used for producing salt. Kolleru lake. Lakes in the region of

l Man made lakes : In order to harness water for generation of hydel inland drainage are sometimes
seasonal; for example, the Sambhar
power, to provide irrigation water to crops and to provide drinking water
lake in Rajasthan, which is a salt
to urban places, a number of lakes have been constructed. e.g. Guru Gobind
water lake. Its water is used for
Sagar (Bhakra Nangal Project). producing salt.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 141

 Class-IX

1. Categorise the following lakes into freshwater and salt lakes.

Wular lake, Kolleru, Sambhar lake, Pulicat lake, Chilika lake, Loktak
lake, Bhimtal, Barapani.

6 Importance of Rivers

(i) Rivers have been of fundamental importance throughout the human

history.

(ii) Water from the rivers is a basic natural resource, essential for various
human activities.

(iii) The river banks have attracted settlers from ancient times, which have
now become big cities.

7 Role of rivers in the economy

l Development of civilization : Rivers have played role in the develop-
ment of civilisation. Most of the ancient civilisations like Indus, etc devel-
oped around the river.

l Development for agriculture : Rivers and their associated alluvial soils

provide the most productive agricultural lands of the country.

l Settlement : Most of the large cities are located on the banks of a river.
Not only these rivers provide water supplies but also they provide trans-
portation.

l Industrial development : It has flourished along rivers. In many industries

river water is used as a coolant and for the generation of hydro electricity.
l Means of transportation : River provide primary channel of inland
transportation.

8 River Pollution
l The growing domestic and industrial demand for water from rivers natu-
rally affects the quality of water. As a result more and more water is being
drained out of the rivers reducing their volume.
l A heavy load of untreated sewage and industrial effluents are emptied
into the rivers. This affects not only the quality of water but-also the self
cleaning, capacity of rivers.
l The increasing urbanisation and industrialisation is also responsible for in-
creasing pollution level of many rivers.

142 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

9 National Rivers Conservation Plan (NRCP) THE

The river cleaning programme in the country was initiated with the launch-
SPOT P
ing of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) in 1985. The Ganga Action Plan LIGHT
Namami Gange Programme', is an
was expanded to cover other rivers under the National River Conservation
integrated Conservation Mission,
Plan (NRCP) in the year 1995. The objective of the NRCP is to improve
approved as 'Flagship programme'
the water quality of the rivers, which are major water sources in the country, by the Union Government in June
through the implementation of pollultion abatement work. 2014 with budget outlay of RS.
20,000 crore to accomplish the twin
objectives of effective abatement of
pollution, conservat ion and
1. Freshwater Salt water rejuvenation of National river Ganga.
lakes lakes
(1) Wular lake Chilika lake
THE
(2) Loktak lake
(3) Bhimtal
Kolleru lake
Sambhar lake SPOT P
(4) Barapani Pulicat lake LIGHT
Namami Devi Narmade is a
campaign co nceived and
coordinated by the Goverment of
Madhya Prad esh as a peoples
movement to protect the environment.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 143

 Class-IX

IMPORTANT TERMS

ESTUARY

An estuary is a partly enbased coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers goint into it, and with a
free connection to the open sea.

DELTA

A river delta is a land form that is formed at the mouth of a river, what the river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary,
lake, reservoir.

ARTIFICIAL LAKE

A pond or lake built for storage of water, usually by the construction of a dam across a river. Also called man-
made lake.

BARS/SANDBARS

A sumerged (or partly submerged) ridge in a river or along a shore.

BRACKISH WATER LAKE

A lake which has water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater.

BRAIDED CHANNEL

A river channel in which bars and islands have been deposited and around which the river flows. Braiding occurs
when the discharge fluctuates frequently, when the river cannot carry its full load, where the river is wide and
shallow, where banks are easily eroded and where there is a copious bedload.

DENDRITIC DRAINAGE

A drainage pattern that may develop on homogeneous rock, which has a shape resembling the pattern made by
the brances of a tree or the veins of a leaf.

FRESH WATER LAKE

A large inland body of fresh water.

GLACIER

A huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass, formed for compacted snow, in an are a where snow
accumulation exceeds melting and sublimation.

GORGE

A deep narrow passage with steep rocky sides through which a river may flow.

HEADWATERS

The tributary streams of a river in the area in which it rises.

144 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

INDUS WATER TREATY

This is a water-sharing treaty between India and Pakistan, signed in Karachi on 19th September, 1960. The
treaty gives India exclusive use of all the waters of the eastern rivers (Sultlej, Beas and Ravi) and their tributaries
before the point where the rivers enter Pakistan. Similary, Pakistan has exclusive use of the western river (Indus,
Jhelum and Chenab).

LEFT BANK

The bank of a river which is to the left while facing downstream.

MEANDER

This is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. The result is a
snaking pattern as the steam meanders back and forth across its axis.
NRCP
National River Conservation plan. This has been initiated by the Government of India for pollution abatement
works in major rivers of the country.
OX-BOW LAKE
A crescent-shaped lake formed when a meander of a river or stream is cut off from the main channel (see
figures below).
s the
quick now take
ute

Narrow Neck of The meander neck

Ox-bow lake-left
e st r o

has been cut through

the meander behind when meander
completely
r

completely cut-poff
Wate

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 145

 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 1
Multiple choice questions 9. Which one of the following is a peninsular tributary
1. What is an area drained by a single river system of the Ganga?
called? (1) Ghaggar (2) Son
(1) Drainage basin (2) Waterdivide (3) Gomti (4) Gandak
(3) Drainage (4) Doab 10. Which one of the following rivers has the largest
2. Which kind of a drainage pattern is formed when drainage basin in India?
tributaries join rivers at almost right angles? (1) The Indus (2) The Ganga
(1) Dendritic drainage (2) Trellis drainage (3) The Brahamaputra (4) The Mahanadi
(3) Rectangular drainage (4) Radial drainage 11. The Brahmaputra (Tsang Po) river rises in:
3. Which one of the following drainage patterns (1) Sikkim (2) Tibet
develop on a strongly jointed rocky terrain?
(3) Bhutan (4) Nepal
(1) Radial (2) Centrifugal
12. Which one of the following statements about the
(3) Trellis (4) Rectangular river Narmada is not true?
4. What is an upland that separates two drainage (1) It flows through a rift velly
basins known as?
(2) It flows through a gorge near Jabalpur
(1) Drainage basin (2) Drainage system
(3) It plunges over steep rocks at the Dhuadhar
(3) Water divide (4) River system falls
5. Meanders are formed in which one of the following (4) Its tributaries are Tungabhadra and Musi
courses of a river?
13. Which of the following rivers rises in the highlands
(1) Upper course of Chhattisgarh?
(2) Mouth (1) Mahanadi (2) Godavari
(3) Lower course (3) Chambal (4) Damodar
(4) Both upper and middle 14. The Wainganga and the Penganga are tributaries
6. Which one of the following drainage patterns does of which of the following rivers?
the Ganga river form?
(1) The Mahanadi (2) The Narmada
(1) The Trellis Pattern
(3) The Godavari (4) The Krishna
(2) The Radial Pattern
15. Which of the following is not a tributary of river
(3) The Dendritic Pattern Krishna?
(4) The Rectangular Pattern (1) Tungabhadra (2) Koyna
7. The river Indus originates in: (3) Wardha (4) Bhima
(1) Nepal (2) Bhutan 16. Which type of lakes contain water only during the
(3) Tibet (4) Bangladesh rainy season?
8. Alaknanda and Bhagirathi converge to be called (1) Oxbow lakes
as Ganga at: (2) Lagoons
(1) Haridwar (2) Kedarnath (3) Lakes in basins of inland drainage
(3) Badrinath (4) Devaprayag (4) Glacial lakes

146 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

17. Which is the largest freshwater lake in India? 4. Brahmaputra is slightly longer than the Indus, and
(1) Wular Lake (2) Dal Lake most of its course lies outside India.
5. Godavari basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh,
(3) Bhimtal (4) Nainital
Gujarat and Maharashtra.
18. In which of the following states is Sambhar Lake
Fill in the blanks
situated?
1. Most of the Himalayan rivers are ........................
(1) Rajasthan (2) Uttar Pradesh It means that they have water throughout the year.
(3) Bihar (4) Jammu and Kashmir 2. A large number of Peninsular rivers are seasonal,
19. Why have the river banks attracted settlers from as their flow is dependent on .................. .
ancient times? 3. Yamuna flows parallel to the Ganga, as a right bank
(1) Water is a basic natural resource tributary, meets the Ganga at ................................
4. The Narmada and Tapi are the only long rivers,
(2) Rivers provide water for irrigation
which flow west and make ........................ .
(3) Rivers provide facilities for inland navigation 5. Mahanadi rises in the highlands of ...........................
(4) All the above It flows through Orissa to reach the Bay of Bengal.
20. Which of the following is not one of the causes of Match the columns
river pollution?
1.
Column-I Column-II
(1) Dumping of garbage
(1) Indus (i) rises from a spring near
(2) Aquatic organisms and algae Mahabaleshwar
(3) Discharge of untreated sewage (2) Brahma- (ii) rises in the Amarkantak
(4) Discharge of industrial effluents putra hills in Madhya Pradesh
(3) Narmada (iii) rises from the slopes of
True or false the Western Ghats, in
1. The area drained by a single river system is called the Nashik district of
drainage. Maharashtra
(4) Godavari (iv) rises in Tibet, east of
2. In their middle and lower course, the Himalayan
Mansarowar Lake
rivers form meanders, oxbow lakes, and many other
(5) Krishna (v) rises in the Brahmagri
depositional features in their floodplains.
range of the Western
3. The Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Ghats
Jhelum join together to enter the Indus near Karachi (6) Kaveri (vi) rises in Tibet, near Lake
in Pakistan. Mansarowar

EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans. 1 2 4 3 3 3 3 4 2 2 2 4 1 3 3 3 1 1 4 2
True or false
1. False 2. True 3. False 4. True 5. False
Fill in the blanks
1. Perennial 2. rainfall 3. Allahabad 4. estuaries 5. Chhattisgarh
Match the columns
1. (1) ® vi ; (2) ® iv ; (3) ® ii ; (4) ® iii ; (5) ® i ; (6) ® v

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 147

 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 2
Short answer type questions 5. Write a note on the river Krishna and its tributaries.
1. What are perennial and non-perennial rivers ? Give Long answer type questions
reasons why the Himalayan region consists of
1. What are the differences between the Himalayan
perennial rivers.
rivers and the Peninsular rivers ?
2. Why is the Godavari often referred to as the 'Dakshin
2. Write a note on the Indus River System.
Ganga' ? Write a note on the river Godavari and its
tributaries. 3. Write a note on the Brahmaputra River System.

3. What is a lagoon ? How does it differ from a lake ? 4. Name any two major river systems of the Peninsular
region. Describe any one in detail.
4. Where are India's most of the freshwater lakes
located and why ? 5. Why are rivers important for a country's economy ?

148 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:
(i) Which one of the following describes the drainage patterns resembling the branches of a tree?
(1) Radial (2) Dendritic (3) Centrifugal (4) Trellis
Ans. Dendritic
(ii) In which of the following States is the Wular Lake located?
(1) Rajasthan (2) Uttar Pradesh (3) Punjab (4) Jammu and Kashmir
Ans. Jammu and Kashmir
(iii) The river Narmada has its source at:
(1) Satpura (2) Brahmagir (3) Amarkantak (4) Slopes of the Western Ghats
Ans. Amarkantak
(iv) Which one of the following lakes is a salt water lake?
(1) Sambhar (2) Dal (3) Wular (4) Gobind Sagar
Ans. Sambhar
(v) Which one of the following is the longest river of the Peninsular India?
(1) Narmada (2) Krishna (3) Godavari (4) Mahanadi
Ans. Godavari
(vi) Which among the following rivers flows through a rift valley?
(1) Damodar (2) Tungabhadra (3) Krishna (4) Tapi
Ans. Tapi
2. Answer the following questions briefly.
(i) What is meant by a water divide? Give an example.
Ans. Any elevated area such as a mountain or an upland that separates two drainage basins is called a water
divide. An example of water divide is the Western Ghats.
(ii) Which is the largest river basin in India?
Ans. The Ganga river basin is the largest river basin in India.
(iii) Where do the rivers Indus and Ganga have their origin?
Ans. Indus rises in Tibet near Lake Mansarowar. Ganga has Bhagirathi as the head water which is fed by the
Gangotri glacier.
(iv) Name two headstreams of the Ganga. Where do they meet to form the Ganga?
Ans. The two headstreams of the Ganga are the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi and they both meet to form the
Ganga at Devaprayag.
(v) Why does Brahmaputra in the Tibetan part have less silt despite a longer course?
Ans. Called river Tsang Po in Tibet, Brahmaputra has very little volume of water. So it obviously carries little
silt. But once it enters India, Brahmaputra is fed by heavy rains, and it carries lot of water and silt.
(vi) Which two peninsular rivers flow through troughs? What features do they form while entering the sea?
Ans. The two rivers that flow through troughs are Narmada and Tapi. They form estuaries while entering the
sea.
(vii) Give five economic benefits of rivers and lakes.
Ans. Role of rivers in the economy :
(a) Rivers create alluvial soils.
(b) River irrigation is the backbone of agriculture in areas that have insufficient rainfall.
(c) Many industrial processes depend on river water as a coolant and for generation of hydroelectricity.
(d) Rivers provide inland channels for transport.
(e) Rivers provide fisheries, scope for developing adventure sports like rafting and entertainment joints. Lakes
like the Sambhar Lake provide edible salt. They also help develop tourism and provide recreation.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 149

 Class-IX

3. Below are given names of a few lakes of India. Group those under two categories - natural and created
by human beings.
(a) Wular (b) Dal (c) Nainital (d) Bhimtal
(e) Gobind Sagar (f) Loktak (g) Barapani (h) Chilika
(i) Sambhar (j) Rana Pratap Sagar (k) Nizam Sagar (l) Pulicat
(m) Nagarjuna Sagar (n) Hirakud
Ans. Natural Lakes : Wular, Dal, Nainital, Bhimtal, Chilika, Pulicat, Sambhar, Barapani, Loktak
Created by human beings : Gobind Sagar, Hirakud, Rana Pratap Sagar, Nagarjuna Sagar, Nizam Sagar
4. Discuss the significant differences between the Himalayan and the Peninsular rivers.
Ans. The Indian rivers are divided into two major groups :
(a) The Himalayan rivers and (b) The Peninsular rivers.
Points of difference :
(a) The Himalayan rivers mostly originate in the Himalayan ranges whereas the Peninsular rivers mostly originate
in the Western Ghats.
(b) The Himalayan rivers are perennial whereas the Peninsular rivers are seasonal
(c) The Peninsular rivers have shorter and shallower courses in comparison to the Himalayan rivers.
5. Compare the east-flowing and the west-flowing rivers of the Peninsular Plateau.
OR
Why are the rivers of Penisula seasonal ? Give two differences between the west-flowing and east-flowing
rivers of Peninsular Plateau.
Ans. The major rivers of the peninsular are the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna etc. are flowing eastward
and merges into the Bay of Bengal. Only the river Narmada and Tapti are flowing towards west and merge
into the Arabian Sea. The essential differences between the two rivers are as follows :
East flowing Rivers West flowing Rivers
1 The east-flowing rivers have deltas at 1 The west flowing rivers do not have deltas at
their mouth. their mouth. They form estuaries.
2 All rivers east flowing drain into the 2 All west flowing rivers merges into the
Bay of Bengal. Arabian Sea.
3 All there rivers p assed through a varied 3 These rivers are flowe d through the rift valley.
topography, i.e. hills, plains, plateaus etc.
4 Most rivers are fed by many east-west-flowing 4 A few small tributaries joining at right angles
long tributaties. are only found.

6. Why are rivers important for the country's economy?

Ans. Rivers are the lifelines of a nation. Rivers have been of fundamental importance in the settlement and progress
of man throughout the human liistory. The rivers form broad, fertile alluvial plains that have been the cradle
of human civilisation. Water from the river is a basic natural resource, essential for various human activities.
They provide water for domestic use. Rivers provide water for irrigation that helps to develop agriculture
in the surrounding area. The fertile soil of the riverine plain, abundant supply of water and the flat land
provides opportunities for the development of agriculture. In an agricultural country like India, rivers play
a major role in shaping the country's economy. Rivers supply water for industrial use. Rivers provide for
a cheap mode of transportation, inland navigation. Hydro-electricity harnessed from river water supplies
power to our industries, to our homes and to our agricultural fields. Integrated water management of rivers
through River Valley Projects by building dams provide hydro-electricity, water for irrigation, inland navigation,
fishing, recreation etc. Hence, rivers are of great importance in the flourishing of a country's economy.

150 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

MAP SKILLS
1. (i) On an outline map of India mark and label the following rivers : Ganga, Satluj, Damodar, Krishna, Narmada,
Tapi, Mahanadi, and Brahmaputra.
(ii) On an outline map of India mark and label the following lakes : Chilika, Sambhar, Wular, Pulicat, Kolleru.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 151

 Class-IX

Important Notes

152 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

CHAPTER 10 PEOPLE AS RESOURCE

"This chapter is an effort to

explain population as an
asset for the economy rather
than a liability. People as a
resource is way of referring
to a country's working
people in terms of their
existing productive skills
and abilities. "

1. Introduction
'People as Resource' is a way of referring to a country’s working people in
terms of their existing productive skills and abilities. Looking at the
Skilled
population from this productive aspect emphasises its ability to contribute people
to the creation of the Gross National Product. Like other resources
population also is a resource — a 'human resource'. This is the positive side
of a large population that is often overlooked when we look only at the Training Knowledge
negative side, considering only the problems of providing the population /Sharing base

with food, education and access to health facilities.

2. Human capital formation Fig.1 People as resources
When the existing 'human resource' is further developed by becoming more
educated and healthy, we call it 'human capital formation' that adds to the
productive power of the country just like 'physical capital formation'.
Investment in human capital (through education, training, medical care)
yields a return just like investment in physical capital. This can be seen
THE
directly in the form of higher incomes earned because of higher productivity
of the more educated or the better trained persons, as well as the higher
SPOT P
productivity of healthier people.
LIGHT
The population of India is the second
Not only do the more educated and the healthier people gain through
largest in the world (China being the
higher incomes, society also gains in other indirect ways because the
largest), currently at 1.39 billion
advantages of a more educated or a healthier populations preads to those people. This is about one sixth of the
also who themselves were not directly educated or given health care. world's population. Despite
In fact, human capital is in one way superior to other resources like land occupying just 2.4% of the world's
and physical capital: human resource can make use of land and capital. land area, India supports over 17.5%
Land and capital cannot become useful on its own. of the world population

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 153

 Class-IX

THE 3. Large population - A liability or an asset

SPOT P Normally a large population has been considered a liability rather than an
LIGHT asset. But a large population need not be a liability. It can be turned into a
Human being is a positive asset and productive asset by investment in human capital (for example, by spending
a precious national resource which resources on education and health for all, training of industrial and
needs to be cherished, nurtured and agricultural workers in the use of modern technology, useful scientific
developed with tenderness and researches and so on).
care, coupled with dynamism.
4. Virtuous and Vicious cycle
Investment in human resource (via education and medical care) can give
high rates of return in future. This investment on people is the same as
investment in land and capital. A child, too, with investments made on her
Poverty
education and health, can yield a high return in future in the form of higher
Malnutrition
earnings and greater contribution to the society. Educated parents are
Vicious Diseases
found to invest more heavily on the education of their child. This is because
Cycle
they have realised the importance of education for themselves.
Burden on
system
Intervention They are also conscious of proper nutrition and hygiene. They accordingly
look after their children’s needs for education at school and good health. A
Healthy Kids
virtuous cycle is, thus, created in this case. In contrast, a vicious cycle may
be created by disadvantaged parents, who themselves uneducated and
Virtuous lacking in hygiene, keep their children in a similarly disadvantaged state.
Better
Cycle
Economy Better Countries, like Japan, have invested in human resource. They did not have
Healthcare
any natural resource. These countries are developed/rich. They import
the natural resource needed in their country. How did they become rich/
Fig.2 Vicious & Virtuous cycle developed? They have invested on people, especially in the field of education
and health. These people have made efficient use of other resources, like
land and capital. Efficiency and the technology evolved by people have
made these countries rich/developed

5. Economic activities by men and women

The various activities have been classified into three main sectors i.e.,
primary, secondary and tertiary.
Primary sector includes agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing,
poultry farming, mining, and quarrying. Manufacturing is included in the
secondary sector.
Trade, transport, communication, banking, education, health, tourism,
services, insurance etc. are included in the tertiary sector. The activities in
this sector result in the production of goods and services.
These activities add value to the national income. These activities are called
economic activities. Economic activities are :
(i) Market activities involve remuneration to any one who performs i.e., activity
performed for pay or profit. These include production of goods or services
Fig.3 Various types of activities including government service.

154 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(ii) Non-market activities are the production for self-consumption. These can
be consumption and processing of primary product and own account
production of fixed assets.
(a) Due to historical and cultural reasons there is a division of labour
between men and women
Women generally look after domestic chores and men work in the fields.
Women are not paid for their service delivered in the family. The household
work done by women is not recognised in the National Income.
Women are paid for their work when they enter the labour market. Their
earning like that of their male counterpart is determined on the basis of
education and skill.
A majority of women have meagre education and low skill formation. Women
are paid low compared to men. Most women work where job security is
not there. Various activities relating to legal protection is meagre.
Employment in this sector is characterised by irregular and low income. In
this sector there is an absence of basic facilities like maternity leave, childcare
and other social security systems.
However, women with high education and skill formation are paid at par
with the men. Among the organised sector, teaching and medicine attract
them the most. Some women have entered administrative and other services
including job, that need high levels of scientific and technological
competence.

1. (a) Has the literacy rate of the population increased since 1951?
(b) In which year India had the highest literacy rates?
(c) Why literacy rate is high among the males of India?
(d) Why are women less educated than men?
(e) How would you calculate literacy rate in India?
(f) What is your projection about India's literacy rate in 2010?

6. Quality of population & it's importance

The quality of population depends upon the literacy rate, health of a person
indicated by life expectancy and skill formation acquired by the people of
the country. The quality of the poulation ultimately decides the growth rate
of the country. Illiterate and unhealthy population are a liability for the
economy. Literate and healthy population are an asset.
(A) Education
Education helps individual to make better use of the economic opportunities
available before him. Education and skill are the major determinants of the
earning of any individual in the market. Education opens new horizon,
provides new aspiration and developes values of life for an indivudual.
Education contributes towards the growth of society also. It enhances the
national income, cultural richness and increases the efficiency of governance.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 155

 Class-IX

90
80
70
60
50 Person
Male
40
Female
30
20
10
0
1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 2017 2018

Fig.4 Literacy rates in India

1. (a) Yes.
(b) In 2001.
(c) Males in India are provided better educational opportunities.
(d) Because of sex discrimination, females are not treated at par with
males. Females are not provided equal educational opportunities.
(e) Literacy Rate = Total literate people in the age group of 7 years and
above
Total number of people in the age group of 7 years and above
(f) India's literacy rate may rise to nearly 75 percent.

Steps taken for promotion of Education

Education enhances national income, cultural richness and increases the
efficiency of governance.
(i) There is a provision made for providing universal access, retention
and quality in elementary education with a special emphasis on girls.
(ii) There is also an establishment of pace setting of schools like Navodaya
Vidyalaya in each district. Vocational streams have been developed to
equip large number of high school students with occupations related
to knowledge and skills. The plan outlay on education has increased
from Rs 151 crore in the first plan to Rs 99,300 crore in 2020–21.
The expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP rose from
0.64% in 1951–52 to 3.1% in 2019–20 (B.E.) and has remained
stagnant around 3% from past few years.
(iii) The Budgetary Estimate as stated in the Budget Documents of Union
State Governments, Reserve Bank of India, the expenditure on
Fig.5 School children
education as a percentage of GDP has declined to 2.8% in 2020–21
(B.E.)

156 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(iv) The literacy rates have increased from 18% in 1951 to 85% in 2018.
Literacy is not only a right, it is also needed if the citizens are to
perform their duties and enjoy their rights properly. However, a vast
difference is noticed across different sections of the population. Literacy
among males is nearly 16.1% higher than females and it is about
14.2% higher in urban areas as compared to rural areas. As per
2011 census, literacy rates varied from 94% in Kerala to 62% in
Bihar.
(v) The primary school system (I–V) has expanded to over 7,78,842,
lakh in 2019–20. Unfortunately this huge expansion of schools has
been diluted by the poor quality of schooling and high dropout rates.
(vi) “Sarva Siksha Abhiyan is a significant step towards providing elementary
education to all children in the age group of 6–14 years by 2010...
It is a time-bound initiative of the Central government, in partnership
with the States, the local government and the community for achieving
the goal of universalisation of elementary education.” THE
(vii) Along with it, bridge courses and backto-school camps have been
initiated to increase the enrolment in elementary education. Mid-day
SPOT P
LIGHT
meal scheme has been implemented to encourage attendance and
India’s Green R evolution is a
retention of children and improve their nutritional status. These policies
dramatic example of how the input
could add to the literate population of India.
of greater knowledge in the form of
(viii) The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education in the age group
improved production technologies
of 18 to 23 years is 27% in 2019–20, which would be broadly in line
can rapidly increase the productivity
with world average. The strategy focuses on increasing access, quality, of scarce land resources. India’s IT
adoption of state-specific curriculum modification, vocationalisation revolution is a striking instance of
and networking on the use of information technology. There is also
how the importance of human
focuse on distance education, convergence of formal, non-formal, capital has come to acquire a higher
distance and IT education institutions. position than that of material, plant
and machinery.

Year Number of Number of Students Teachers

Colleges Universitie
1950-51 750 30 2,63,000 24,000
1990-91 7,346 177 49,25,000 2,72,000
1998-99 11,089 238 74,17,000 3,42,000
2010-11 33,023 523 186,70,050 8,16,966
2012-13 37,204 628 223,02,938 9,25,396
2014-15 40,760 711 265,85,437 12,61,350

Discuss this table and answer the following questions.

1. Is the increase in number of colleges adequate to admit the increasing
number of students?
2. Do you think we should have more number of universities?
3. What is the increase noticed among the teachers in the year 1998-99.
4. What is your idea about future colleges and universities?

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 157

 Class-IX

(B) Health

The health of a person helps him to realise his/her potential and the ability
to fight illness. He/She will not be able to maximise his/her output to the
overall Indeed; health is an indispensable basis for realising one’s well-
being. Henceforth, improvement in the health status of the population has
been the priority of the country. Our national policy, too, aims at improving
the accessibility of healthcare, family welfare and nutritional service with a
special focus on the underprivileged segment of the population. Over the
last five decades, India has built a vast health infrastructure and has also
developed the manpower required at primary, secondary and tertiary sector
in government, as well as, in the private sector.

Outcome

These measures, which have been adopted, have increased the life
expectancy to over 68.3 years in 2014.

(i) Infant mortality rate (IMR) : Infant mortality rate is the death of a
child below one year of age. IMR has come down from 147 in 1951 to
34 in 2016.

(ii) Crude birth rates : Birth rates is the number of babies born for
every 1,000 people during a particular period of time.

Crude Birth rates have dropped to 20.4 and death rates to 6.4 within
the same duration of time.

(iii) Death rate is the number of people per 1,000 who die during a
particular period of time. Increase in life expectancy and improvement
in childcare are useful in assessing the future progress of the country.

(iv) Increase in longevity of life is an indicator of good quality of life marked

by self-confidence.

(v) Reduction in infant mortality involves the protection of children from

infection, ensuring the nutrition of both the mother and the child, and
childcare.

1. Yes.

2. No.

3. The number of teachers in 1998-99 increased by 21,000 when compared

with that in 1996-97.

4. The number of colleges and universities in future will increase.

158 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

7 Unemployment

THE
In case of India we have unemployment in rural and urban areas. However,
the nature of unemployment differs in rural and urban areas. In case of SPOT P
rural areas, there is seasonal and disguised unemployment. Urban areas LIGHT
The total employment is thus 90.5
have mostly educated unemployment. Seasonal unemployment happens
%, out of which about 93% are
when people are not able to find jobs during some months of the year. employed in the various segments of
People dependant upon agriculture usually face such kind of problem. the unorganized (informal) sector,
There are certain busy seasons when sowing, harvesting, weeding and and the remaining 7% in the private
(corporate) sector and public sector.
threshing is done. Certain months do not provide much work to the people
dependant on agriculture.

(a) In case of disguised unemployment people appear to be employed.

They have agricultural plot where they find work. This usually happens
among family members engaged in agricultural activity.

The work requires the service of five people but engages eight people.
Three people are extra. These three people also work in the same plot as
the others. The contribution made by the three extra people does not add
to the contribution made by the five people. If three people are removed
the productivity of the field will not decline. The field requires the service of
five people and the three extra people are disguised unemployed.

In case of urban areas educated unemployment has become a common

phenomenon. Many youth with matriculation, graduation and post
graduation degrees are not able to find job. A study showed that
unemployment of graduate and post-graduate has increased faster than
among matriculates.

Tertiary
Sector
(Services)
trade, market
transport, education
1. What is the percentage increase in dispensaries from 1951 to 2001? culture, health
Secondary Sector
(Production of goods)
2. What is the percentage increase in doctors and nursing personnel from industries, construction, print
Primary Sector
1951 to 2001? (Basic production)
agriculture, forestry, mining, fishery

3. Do you think the increase in the number of doctors and nurses adequate Fig.6 Sectors of employment
for India? If not, why?

4. What other facilities would you like to provide in a hospital?

5. Discuss about the hospital you have visited?

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 159

 Class-IX

(b) Drawbacks of Educated Unemployment

A paradoxical manpower situation is witnessed as surplus of manpower in

certain categories coexist with shortage of manpower in others. There is
unemployment among technically qualified person on one hand, while there
is a dearth of technical skills required for economic growth.

(c) Drawbacks of Unemployment

Unemployment leads to wastage of manpower resource. People who are

an asset for the economy turn into a liability. There is a feeling of
hopelessness and despair among the youth. People do not have enough
money to support their family. Inability of educated people who are willing
to work to find gainful employment implies a great social waste.

Unemployment tends to increase economic overload. The dependence of

the unemployed on the working population increases. The quality of life of
an individual as well as of society is adversely affected.

When a family has to live on a bare subsistence level there is a general

decline in its health status and rising withdrawal from the school system.

Hence, unemployment has detrimental impact on the overall growth of an

economy. Increase in unemployment is an indicator of a depressed economy.
It also wastes the resource, which could have been gainfully employed. If
people cannot be used as a resource they naturally appear as a liability to
the economy.

(d) The employment scenario in the three sectors

Fig.7 Educated unemployment
Agriculture, is the most labour absorbing sector of the economy. In recent
years, there has been a decline in the dependence of population on
agriculture partly because of disguised unemployment discussed earlier.
Some of the surplus labour in agriculture has moved to either the secondary
or the tertiary sector. In the secondary sector, small scale manufacturing is
the most labour- absorbing. In case of the tertiary sector, various new services
are now appearing like biotechnology, information technology and so on.

1. 370 per cent

2. 715 per cent increase in case of doctors and 3982 per cent in case of
nursing personnel.
3. No, because the number of doctors and nurses per thousand of population
is very low compared to advanced countries.
4. There should be sufficient number of doctors, nurses and beds in a hospital.
Besides, a hospital must be equipped with all modern facilities.
5. I have visited a MCD hospital in Delhi. The hospital had all basic facilities.

160 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

IMPORTANT TERMS

BRIDGE COURSE

This is a higher education programme specifically designed to assist a student with an initial educational level to
attend higher level courses in less time than an entry-level student would require.

DEPRESSED ECONOMY

An economy in which economic activities of all types are operating at a lower level than is normal or expected.

ECONOMIC OVERLOAD

When less number of employed people are supporting more number of unemployed people are supporting
more number of unemployed people, there will be economic overload.

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT

A measure of the value of the total final production in a country in a given year.

LITERACY RATE

This is the percentage of people above the age of 7 years with the ability to read and write with understanding.

NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA

Schools set up to provide good quality modern education to the talented children predominantly from the rural
areas.

POPULATION QUALITY

This is the overall qualitative functioning of the population that signifies its social, ecoomic and cultural gorwth
and output. This depends one the literacy rate, health and skill formation acquired by the population.

VICIOUS CYCLE

A condition in which an unfavourable circumstance or result gives rise to another that subsequently supports the
first unfavourable condition.

VIRTUOUS CYCLE

A condition in which an unfavourable circumstance or result gives rise to another that subsequently suppourts
the first favourable condition.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

This is an education that prepares people for specific trades, crafts and careers at various levels from a trade to
a craft or a professional position in engineering, accountancy, nursing, medicine and other professions like
architecture, pharmacy, law etc.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 161

 Class-IX

EXERCISE # 1
Multiple choice questions 7. Which of the following countries have invested in
human resource?
1. People as a resource refers to their
(1) Pakistan (2) India
(1) educational skills
(3) Sudan (4) Japan
(2) productive skills
8. Which of the following activity falls under primary
(3) health skills sector?
(4) none of the above (1) mining

2. Investment in human capital is expenditure on (2) agriculture

(1) education (2) training (3) both (1) & (2)

(3) medical care (4) all the above (4) none of these

3. Investment in human resource via____________ can 9. The activities which add value to the national income
give high rates of return in the future. are called

(1) education (2) medical (1) National activities

(3) both (1) & (2) (4) none of these (2) Non Economic activities

(3) Economic activities

4. Normally a large population is considered a/an
(4) Secondary activities
(1) liability (2) asset
10. These activities are for self-consumption.
(3) income (4) useful
(1) Market activities
5. Educated parents tend to invest heavily on the
education of their child because (2) Non Market Activities

(1) they have ample amount of money (3) Primary Activities

(2) they want to look rich (4) All of these

11. Which of the following is an asset for the economy?

(3) they have realised the importance of education
for themselves (1) Literate population

(4) they want their children to go abroad (2) Healthy population

6. A vicious cycle is created by (3) Both (1) & (2)

(1) disadvantaged parents (4) None of these

(2) advantages parents 12. Which of the following statements holds true for
Education?
(3) educated parents
(1) Education contributes towards the growth of
(4) educated children society.

162 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

(2) Education enhances cultural richness. 18. Seasonal unemployement is found in

(3) Education increases the efficiency of (1) urban areas

governance.
(2) rural areas
(4) All of these
(3) in remote areas
13. Which of the following is a significant step towards (4) both in rural and urban areas
providing elementary education to all the children
in the age group of 6-14 years? 19. Disguised unemployment occurs when the number
of persons working on a farm is
(1) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
(1) only what is required
(2) Adult Education Programme
(2) more than required
(3) Mid-day meal
(3) less than required
(4) None of the above
(4) None of the above
14. Which five year plan endeavoured to increase the
20. If a person in rural areas cannot find jobs during
enrollment in higher education of the 18 to 23 years
some months of the year, which type of employment
group from present by end of the plan period?
is this called?
(1) 5th Plan (2) 12th Plan
(1) Structural unemployment
(3) 3rd Plan (4) 1st Plan
(2) Cyclical
15. Increase in longevity of life is an indicator of
(3) Seasonal unemployment
(1) good quality of life
(4) None of these
(2) improvement in health sector
True or false
(3) better HDI (Human Development Index)
1. Human capital is the stock of skill and productive
(4) all of these knowledge embodied in them.

16. Infant mortality rate refers to the death of a child 2. Land and capital can become useful on its own!
under the age of 3. Countries like Japan have invested in natural
(1) 1 year (2) 2 years resource. They did not have any natural resource.
Now these countries are developed/rich countries.
(3) 3 years (4) 4 years
4. Non-market activities are the production for self-
17. The persons who are not working by choice are consumption.
covered under
5. Health enhances the national income, cultural
(1) seasonal unemployment richness and increases the efficiency of governance.
(2) disguised unemployment Fill in the blanks
(3) educated unemployment 1. When the existing 'human resource' is further
(4) none of the above developed by becoming more educated and healthy,
we call it '.......................................... '.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 163

 Class-IX

2. ....................... parents are found to invest more Match the columns

heavily on the education of their child.
Column A Column B
3. The household work done by .......................... is (1) Primary (i) trade, transp ort,
not recognised in the National Income. Sector communication etc.
(2) Secondary (ii) production for self-
4. The ......................... of population depends upon Sector consumption
the literacy rate, health of a person indicated by (3) Tertiary (iii) agriculture, forestry,
life expectancy and skill formation acquired by the sector animal husbandry etc.
people of the country. (4) Economic (iv) activity performed for
activities pay or profit
5. Education and skill are the major determinants of (5) Market (v) activities which add
the ................... of any individual in the market. activites value to the national
income
(6) Non- (vi) Manufactu-ring
market
activities

EXERCISE # 1 ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans. 2 4 3 2 3 1 4 3 3 2 3 4 1 2 4 1 4 2 2 3

True or false
1. True 2. False 3. False 4. True 5. False
Fill in the blanks
1. human capital formation 2. Educated 3. women 4. quality 5. earning
Match the columns
(1) ® (iii) ; (2) ® (vi) ; (3) ® (i) ; (4) ® (v) ; (5) ® (iv) ; (6) ® (ii)

164 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

EXERCISE # 2
Short answer type questions Long answer type questions

1. People are the greatest resource that a country 1. How the investment in Human Capital can be of
has. Explain. immense importance for a society as a whole? State
any four advantages.
2. Define human resource. When does a human
resource become human capital? 2. Explain difference between vicious and virtuous
cycle of life with reference to human resource.
3. How is human resource different from other
resources like land and physical capital ? 3. How did Japan emerge as a developed country
inspite of its poor natural resource?
4. How does an improved quality of human resource
help in establishing a virtuous cycle? 4. What is an economic activity? What are various
activities undertaken in the primary sector,
5. Differentiate between Market Activities and Non-
secondary sector and tertiary sector?
Market Activities.
5. Why are women employed in low paid work ?
6. Why are domestic services performed by women
not treated as economic activities? 6. How does Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan help in improving
elementary education in India?
7. What is the Mid-day meal scheme? What are its
objectives? 7. Describe the steps taken to promote higher
education in India.
8. What part does health play in the individual’s
working life? 8. What is the difference between disguised
unemployment and seasonal unemployment ?
9. What is meant by unemployment? Name the types
of unemployment that exist in rural as well as urban 9. Why is educated unemployed, a peculiar problem
areas. of India ?

10. How does unemployment have a detrimental impact 10. Discuss about the employment scenario in the three
on the overall growth of an economy? sectors in India.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 165

 Class-IX

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

1. What do you understand by 'people as a resource'?
Ans. People as a resource is a way of referring to the country's working population in terms of their existing
productive skills and abilities.
2. How is human resource different from other resources like land and physical capital?
Ans. Human resource is different from other resources like land and physical capital. Human resource refers
to human capital which can make use of land and capital. Land and capital cannot become useful on their
own.
Population becomes a human resource when there is investment made in form of education, training and
medical care. On the other hand, land is a natural resource. And physical capital includes tools, machines,
buildings, raw materials, etc. Land and physical capital, therefore, are tangible.

3. What is the role of education in human capital formation?

Ans. Education is the most important component of human resource development. The role of education in human
capital formation can be judged from the following facts :

(i) Education increases labour productivity.

(ii) Education modifies /improves human behaviour.

(iii) It develops personality and sense of national consciousness among the people which are important for
rapid economic growth.

(iv) It promotes science and technology.

4. What is the role of health in human capital formation?

Ans. Role of Health in Human Capital Formation: Unhealthy persons become a liability and healthy persons prove
an asset for the economy. Therefore, improvement in the health status of the population is regarded very
essential. Improved health contributes to economic growth in the following ways :

(i) It reduces production loss caused by worker's illness.

(ii) It increases the efficiency of workers.
(iii) It permits the use of natural and other resources.

(iv) It increases the enrollment of children in schools and makes them better able to learn.
5. What part does health play in an individual's working life?
Ans. Role of health in an individual's working life. Health is a yardstick of one's well-being. Efficiency of a person
largely depends on his health. If a person falls sick quite often, he will not be able to do his job/work efficiently.
Therefore, his income will be low. Because of low level of income, he will not be able to get proper food
and proper education for his children. This will further reduce his efficiency of work and thereby income.
In fact, good health improves the quality of life.

166 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

6. What are the various activities undertaken in the primary sector, secondary sector and tertiary sector?
Ans. Classification of Economic Activities. The economic activities of an economy can broadly be classified into
three main producing sectors. These are :
Primary sector : Primary sector produces goods by exploiting natural resources. Therefore, the activities
of this sector include agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing, poultry and mining.
Secondary sector : It converts raw materials into finished goods. It includes all manufacturing and construction
activities.
Tertiary sector : This sector includes trade, transport, communication, banking, education, health, tourism,
insurance etc. i.e. all those producing services.
7. What is the difference between economic activities and non-economic activities?
Ans. Difference between Economic and Non-Economic Activities.

Economic Activities Non-Economic Activities

1 Economic Activities bring income to their 1 Non-Economic Activities do not bring income to
performers. their performers.
2 Income accruing from economic activities is 2 These activities are not accounted in the
included in the country's national income. national income.

8. Why are women employed in low-paid work?

Ans. Women in India are generally employed in low-paid work. This is because of the reason that most women
have meagre education and low skill formation as compared to men. They work under insecure working
conditions. Besides, Indian women prefer to work at nearby places only. Also, maternity leave. All these
factors force them to work at low wages. However, women with higher education and skill formation are
paid at par with men.

9. How will you explain the term unemployment?

Ans. Unemployment is said to exist when people who are willing to work at the current prevailing wages cannot
find work/job. If some one is not interested in doing work at the ongoing wage rate or outside his/her domestic
domain he/she will not be counted as unemployed.

10. What is the difference between disguised unemployment and seasonal unemployment?

Ans. Disguised Unemployment When more persons are working in a job than actually required, the situation
is termed as disguised unemployment. For example, if in an agricultural activity eight people are engaged
but this work/activity actually requires the services of five people, then three persons are extra. If these
three people out of eight are withdrawn, total production will remain unaffected.

Seasonal Unemployment.

Seasonal unemployment occurs when people are able to find jobs only during some months of the year.
This kind of unemployment is generally found in the agricultural sector.

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 167

 Class-IX

11. Why is educated unemployment a peculiar problem of India?

Ans. Problem of Educated unemployment. The joblessness among the educated, i.e. matriculates and above, is
called educated unemployment. Unemployment problem signifies the wastage of human resources. If
unemployment is high among the educated persons the quantum of wastage of resources will be greater.
This is due to investments in education and skill formation. There is a feeling of hopelessness among the
educated youth. India has to spend a lot of money on education every year. People who should have been
assets for the economy have turned into a liability. In this way educated unemployment is one of the big
problems for India.

12. In which field do you think India can build the maximum employment opportunity?

Ans. India can build the maximum employment opportunity in the agricultural sector. Agriculture is the most labour
absorbing sector of the economy. Multiple cropping may help a lot in this regard.

13. Can you suggest some measures in the education system to mitigate the problem of the educated unemployed?

Ans. Measures to Reduce Educated Unemployment. The education system in India is not employment oriented.
There is too much emphasis on general education rather than vocational education. More employment exchange
offices may be opened in the country. Though these employment exchanges do not directly provide employment,
they are of great assistance in directing the educated job seekers to the possible areas of employment.

14. Can you imagine some village which initially had no job opportunity but later came up with many?

Ans. There was a village inhabited by several families, Initially the village was self-reliant in the sense that each
family produced all goods to meet the needs of its members. But later, it came up with many job opportunities.
One of the families decided to send one of its sons to an agriculture college. After completing his education,
he became an agro-engineer in the village.

Inspired by this, all the families of the village requested the panchayat to open a school in the village. The
panchayat opened a school with the help of the government and a teacher was recruited for the school.
After some time, one of the families sent its daughter for training in tailoring. After getting necessary training,
she started stitching clothes for the villagers. Thus, there was another job - that of a tailor in the village.
In this way, many jobs were created in the village.

168 OVERSEAS www.allenoverseas.com

 Social Science-1

Important Notes

www.allenoverseas.com OVERSEAS 169