Chapter 4. Modern World – II Textbook Solutions

NIOS Class 10 Social Science Chapter 4 Question Answer

INTEXT QUESTIONS 4.1

1. Which two natural resources played an important role in the birth of the Industrial Revolution in England?

Ans: Coal and Iron.

2. How the development of the means of transport and communication assisted the merchants?

Ans: They provided a faster and more reliable means of transporting raw materials and factory-made products to their destination, speeding up business transactions.

3. What were the reasons to employ children in coal mines and factories?

Ans: Children were employed because their small size helped them move better in the horizontal and narrow coal mines. Plus, they were paid very low wages compared to older men and hence were preferred in factories.

4. Match the column:

(a) James Watt	(i) Iron Industry
(b) Samuel Crompton	(ii) Electric Motor
(c) Henry Cort	(iii) Steam Engine
(d) Michael Faraday	(iv) Spinning Jenny
	(v) Spinning Mule
	(vi) Flying Shuttle

Ans:

(a) James Watt	(iii) Steam Engine
(b) Samuel Crompton	(v) Spinning Mule
(c) Henry Cort	(i) Iron Industry
(d) Michael Faraday	(ii) Electric Motor

INTEXT QUESTIONS 4.2

1. Define Imperialism.

Ans: Imperialism is defined as the practice of extending control or rule over the political and economic life of another country.

2. Mention two advantages of the growth of transportation in the colonies which helped in the spread of Imperialism.

Ans: The two ways were:

(a) It made the flow of goods easier, from the colonies to the imperial country.
(b) Troops could be easily sent to colonies and keep them under control.

3. What was the Slave Trade?

Ans: The importing of people from Africa by the Europeans to work as slaves on their plantations in their colonies in America was the Slave Trade.

4. Choose the right answer:

(a) Which of the following was known as the Dark Continent?

(i) Africa

(ii) Asia

(iii) Europe

Ans: (i) Africa

(b) Meiji Restoration took place in which country?

(i) Cambodia

(ii) Sri Lanka

(iii) Japan

Ans: (iii) Japan

(c) Opium War was fought in?

(i) India

(ii) China

(iii) Burma

Ans: (ii) China

(d) Which was not a French colony?

(i) Vietnam

(ii) Morocco

(iii) Kenya

Ans: (iii) Kenya

INTEXT QUESTION 4.3

1. Name at least four Balkan states.

Ans: Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro.

2. Which countries formed the Triple Alliance?

Ans: Germany, Austria, and Italy.

3. Give at least three causes of World War I.

Ans: The main causes of World War I were:

(a) The rise of Germany as an industrial nation led to its growing need for raw materials, and imperialist rivalry for colonies began with England and France.
(b) System of Alliances divided Europe into two hostile camps – Triple Alliance and Triple Entente – leading to tension and conflicts.
(c) The resurgence of nationalism in the Balkan States known as the Pan-Slav Movement. People now wanted to be independent and remain under foreign control.

4. Name two countries which adopted dictatorial governments after 1920.

Ans: Italy and Germany.

5. What was the main cause of the Great Depression of 1929?

Ans: Overproduction resulted in the declining prices of commodities, leading to a fall in share prices. The banks closed down, and people lost their lifelong savings. This was the Great depression of 1929.

6. When and where was the UN formally constituted?

Ans: The UN was formally constituted on 24 October 1945 at a conference held in San Francisco, USA.

TERMINAL EXERCISES

1. How the inventions in the textile industry revolutionised the production of cotton cloth?

Ans: Dramatic changes in the social and economic structure took place as inventions and new technology created the factory system of large-scale machine production and greater economic specialisation. James Hargreaves invented a hand-powered spinning wheel, the Spinning Jenny, to create multiple spools of thread at once. After the invention of the Spinning Jenny, cotton textiles became the key industry of this period.

2. What were the various factors – political, economic, geographical and technological – which contributed to industrialisation in England?

Ans:

Technological: Many innovations, inventions, and technological changes took place during this period. It helped to make the industrialised countries more powerful and efficient. Now production could be done much faster and in large quantities, which made things cheaper. These inventions had maximum impact on the textile and transport industries.
Political: The favorable political conditions in England further helped in the growth of the Industrial Revolution. Acts like the removal of trade barriers and a common market aided the merchants.
Geographical: England enjoyed a geographical advantage over other countries. It had a secure island location with easy proximity to the sea. But at the same time, it was isolated from the rest of Europe and hence progressed unhindered. Waterways like canals, rivers, and the sea helped England to have the largest free trade area, without tolls or barriers.
Economic: Through the Enclosure Acts, the lands that had earlier belonged to the community were combined into larger areas. Now, only a few people were needed to work on the farms so a large number of people started migrating to cities for employment. This provided cheap and abundant labour to work in the factories.

3. State both the advantages and the disadvantages in the society with the coming of the Industrial Revolution.

Ans: The Industrial Revolution also encouraged the movement of the masses towards cities, which gave birth to an urban society. The workers now live close to the workshops or the factories where they were provided employment opportunities. But the working conditions in the factories were miserable, along with poor housing, hygiene, and health conditions. The factory owners had only one motive, and that was to make a profit. Hence, he forced the workers to work for long hours on low wages – sometimes 12 to 14 hours daily. Women and children were paid very low wages. The factories were poorly ventilated, noisy, dirty, damp, and dark.

4. Why did the industrialised countries start fighting amongst themselves for the control of the areas where the Industrial Revolution had not taken place?

Ans: These countries needed a constant supply of raw materials and a ready market for selling the finished goods. So they began to extend control over areas that were not industrialised. The capitalists, too, needed new places and new industries to invest their surplus capital since these needs could not be fulfilled in their own countries or in neighboring areas. This practice of extending control or rule over the political and economic life of another country.

5. What made Japan join the race for colonies?

Ans: The Meiji Restoration began in 1868 with an era of ‘enlightened rule’ which transformed Japan from a closed feudal society to the first industrialised nation. She had few natural resources of her own and needed both overseas markets and sources of raw materials.

6. Mention both the positive and the negative effects of Imperialism on the colonies.

Ans: Some of the positive effects of Imperialism on the colonies were the introduction of transportation and communication, such as railway lines, canals, telegraphs, and telephones. It also led to the growth of political consciousness and the feeling of nationalism in the colonies. It led to development in modern education and science, which helped the nations to develop after they gained their independence.

Imperialism had a disastrous effect on the colonies. The indigenous industries were ruined, and the natural resources were ruthlessly exploited. China was divided into spheres of influence and thrown open to international trade. The whole of Africa, except for Liberia and Ethiopia, was divided amongst the European nations. A large number of Africans were sold as slaves. In South Africa, the ‘white’ European community ill-treated the ‘black’ based on their dark skin. This is called racial discrimination or apartheid, which was the worst impact of Imperialism.

In India, the Europeans came as traders but became rulers. They destroyed our prosperous economy. India, which was an exporter of textile became a buyer of finished goods and an exporter of raw materials. Besides, heavy taxation led to the poverty of the masses.

7. Examine the consequences of World War I.

Ans: A million people, including innocent civilians, lost their lives. There was large-scale damage to property in most of the European countries. The total expenditure was estimated at a staggering figure of 180 billion dollars. The economy of most of the countries was shattered, resulting in social tension, unemployment, and poverty.

The Treaty of Versailles shattered Germany politically, economically, and militarily. Germany was found guilty of aggression and was asked to pay a huge amount of money as compensation for the war. Germany was deprived of all its colonies. Much of her territories in Europe were given to Belgium and Poland.
The Treaty of St. Germain separated Hungary from Austria, and Hungary was made an independent state. Austria had to give part of its territories to Czechoslovakia, Rumania and Yugoslavia.
The Treaty of Sèvres broke up the Ottoman Empire.
By the end of the war, the Hohenzollern Dynasty of Germany and Hapsburg Dynasty of Austria were removed, and the Republic Government was set up.
Monarchy was also abolished in Turkey after a Revolution in 1922.
Two new states – Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia – were created out of the territories taken from the defeated powers.
Baltic States such as Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland were made independent states.
The states of Romania and Poland were enlarged in size.

8. How did the Appeasement Policy by the western powers lead to the rise of Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany?

Ans: Being capitalist countries, they wanted to check the spread of Communism. So they adopted a

systematic policy of favoring Italy and Germany, who were anti-communists. This policy is referred to as the Appeasement Policy.

The German army, which was restricted to 100,000 soldiers after World War I, increased its strength to 800,000 soldiers without any protest from the Western powers.
Even when Hitler put aside the Treaty of Versailles and annexed the Rhineland and Austria, the Western powers remained silent.
During the Civil War in Spain, Hitler supplied arms and ammunition to overthrow the democratically elected Government in Spain.
When the whole world sent support to the existing government, England and France did not take any action.
This Appeasement Policy reached its climax when Hitler invited the Prime Ministers of Britain and France to Munich in August 1938.
The Munich Pact was signed by them in 1938, allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland in the Northern part of Czechoslovakia.
Later, the whole of Czechoslovakia was annexed. The Policy of Appeasement strengthened the fascist powers.

9. Describe the course of events during World War II.

Ans: The fascist countries wanted to re-divide the world for imperialist gains and thus came into conflict with the established power. Both Italy and Germany had suffered huge losses after World War I, but were both anti-communists.

As the European Powers wanted to check the spread of Communism, they supported these fascists and nazis in their quest against communism.
Hitler supplied an army during the Civil War in Spain in support of the fascist leader under General Franco against their elected leader.
England and France remained silent supporters, even though the Soviet Union requested them to take action.
Instead, they signed the Munich Pact in 1938, which allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland in the Northern part of Czechoslovakia.
Later, the whole of Czechoslovakia was annexed. The Policy of Appeasement strengthened the fascist powers.
Britain and France wanted Germany and Italy to act against the Soviet Union.
To stall these plans, the Soviet Union signed a pact with Germany by which both agreed not to attack one another.
However, when Germany attacked Poland on 1st September 1939, Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939. Thus, World War II started.

10. What are the main objectives of the United Nations?

Ans:

The UN had a major objective of maintaining international peace and security.
It also had another major objective to develop friendly relations among nations based on equality and achieve international cooperation in solving economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems.
Promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms for the people of the world was one of the aims of the UN.
It was also to act as a common platform for harmonising the activities of various nations for the attainment of the objectives of the UN.