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Solutions for History & Civics, Class 10, ICSE
(A) The peace treaties signed after the end of the First World War sowed the seeds for the Second World War.
(R) The Second World War was a continuation of the First World War.
(A) is true but (R) is false
Explanation — Many of the unresolved issues and tensions from the First World War, including the punitive terms of the peace treaties, directly contributed to the outbreak of the Second World War.
(A) The Treaty of Versailles was signed to end the First World War and prevent further wars.
(R) The Treaty of Versailles sowed seeds of bitterness and conflict which finally culminated in the Second World War.
(R) is the reason for (A)
Explanation — The Treaty of Versailles was signed to end the First World War and to establish a framework for peace that would prevent future wars. However, the treaty's harsh terms, particularly those imposed on Germany, led to widespread resentment and economic hardship, which contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the outbreak of the Second World War.
(A) Hitler wanted to re-establish the prestige of Germany after the First World War.
(R) Hitler flouted the military clauses in the Treaty of Versailles and declared re-armament.
(A) is the reason for (R)
Explanation — Hitler sought to restore Germany’s power and status on the world stage, which he believed had been unjustly diminished by the Treaty of Versailles. In pursuit of this goal, Hitler flouted the military clauses in the Treaty of Versailles and declared re-armament.
(A) Britain and France followed the policy of appeasement towards dictatorial countries like Germany and Italy.
(R) They wanted to check the rising tide of Communism and Bolshevism.
(R) is the reason for (A)
Explanation — By appeasing the fascist regimes in Germany and Italy, Britain and France hoped to avoid the influence of Communism and Bolshevism.
Arrange the following events in chronological order.
(i) Treaty of Versailles
(ii) Hitler's invasion of Poland
(iii) Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour
(iv) Japanese invasion of China
(i), (iv), (ii) and (iii)
Study the picture on the right and answer the questions:
(a) Identify the object in the picture. Which country was responsible for its production?
(b) Where was this object used for the first time? How did it bring an end to the War?
(c) How can a future war be avoided following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi?
(a) The object in the picture is the Atom Bomb. It was produced by the United States of America (USA).
(b) The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan by the USA. It destroyed half of the city killing thousands of people. Still Japan refused to surrender. After that another atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city Nagasaki. This made Japan surrender on the terms of Potsdam declaration bringing an end to the Second World War.
(c) The Gandhian strategy is the combination of truth, sacrifice, non-violence, selfless service and cooperation.
Thus, a future war can be avoided by following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939 for the following reasons:
On September 1, 1939, the German armies marched into Poland. The invasion of Poland marked the beginning of the Second World War.
The Treaty of Versailles was responsible for the Second World War because of the following reasons-
Italy wanted to revive the glory of the Old Roman empire. She joined the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1937 and formed a ten years alliance with Germany in 1939 to strengthen her position. Mussolini established dictatorship in Italy. Italy demonstrated her imperialistic designs by attacking Abyssinia.
In Germany, Hitler wanted to re-establish the prestige of Germany in the international field. He flouted the military clauses in the Treaty of Versailles and declared re-armament. In 1938, he annexed Austria and dismembered Czechoslovakia.
Thus, Mussolini and Hitler drove the countries of the world towards another World War.
Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis was the alliance between Italy, Germany, and Japan who fought against Allied forces in World War II. It created a defense alliance between the countries and was largely intended to deter the United States from entering the conflict.
Italy joined the Allies in the First World War to gain territories of Turkey and Germany. But she could get no part of the German and Turkish colonial empire. So, she felt cheated. Further, Italy was ruled by Mussolini and Germany was ruled by Hitler. The ideologies of both leaders were similar. They glorified wars and wanted to make their country powerful. Hence, Italy joined the side of Germany and Japan in the Second World War.
Hitler's invasion of Poland in September, 1939 was the immediate cause of the Second World War.
On December 7, 1941, Japan under the Premiership of General Tojo, ordered a surprise aerial attack on the Pearl Harbour. This incident caused America to declare war on Japan, Germany and Italy.
The USA warned the Japanese people and the government to stop the fighting and surrender. But when Japan refused to surrender, the USA dropped atom bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
V-J Day stands for Victory over Japan Day.
Japan surrendered to the Allies after the USA dropped atom bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945.
Two important consequences of the Second World War were-
Defeat of the Axis Powers — The Axis Powers made remarkable success initially but were defeated by the Allied Powers.
Formation of the UN — The United Nations Organisation was established to bring peace and avoid another world war.
After the Second World War, the USA and the erstwhile USSR emerged as two great powers representing contrasting ideologies. They divided the world into two rival blocs —
There was a state of extreme political tension between the two but no armed conflict. This is known as the Cold War.
During the Cold War, the two major blocs, the Democratic and Capitalist Bloc or the western bloc led by the USA and the Communist bloc or the Eastern Bloc led by the USSR, had distinct views about each other:
(a) The League suffered an early blow when the USA did not join the League. Even those who joined the League were not interested in the principle of collective security.
(b) The humiliating terms of the Treaty of Versailles gave rise to the spirit of revenge and aggressive nationalism in Germany leading to the Second World War in the following ways:
(c) Appeasement meant accepting the hostile demands of an aggressive nation to gain peace.
The League of Nations was unable to eliminate power struggles leading to another World War. In this context describe how the following were connected with the Second World War:
(a) Japanese invasion of China.
(b) Ideological differences between nations.
(c) Hitler's invasion of Poland.
(a) Japanese policy of expansion was one of the causes of the War.
(b) Ideological differences between nations refer to the ideologies of fascism and nazism in Italy and Germany, respectively. Fascism and Nazism believed in the following-
The ideology of fascism and nazism was extremely aggressive and led to the Second World War.
(c) Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939 for the following reasons:
(a) After the defeat of Germany, the Allied powers turned their attention towards Japan.
(b) At the end of World War II, Germany was divided into zones, each zone under the army of each of the Allied Powers.
(c) Towards the end of the War, the apparent harmony between the USA and the Soviet Union declined and old suspicion and ideological differences came to the forefront.
(a) The Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) were defeated in the Second World War. In November 1942, the Allied forces (Britain, France, The Soviet Union and The USA) recaptured African territories lost by France. This was followed by their victory over Italy and then Germany.
After the defeat of Germany, the Allied powers turned their attention towards Japan. Japan had won and had occupied most of South East Asia. The British forces liberated Myanmar, Malaya, Philippines and Singapore. In the Potsdam Conference held on July 26, 1945, the Allied Powers asked Japan to surrender but Japan refused. Consequently, America dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan offered to surrender on the terms of Potsdam declaration and the war came to an end.
After the war, Germany was divided into zones, each zone under the army of each of the Allied Powers. Japan and Italy also became very weak. Unlike Germany, they were not divided into zones to be governed by conquering forces. The American army was to occupy Japan until 1952. All lands acquired and seized by Japan since 1895 were taken away.
(b) Towards the end of the War, the apparent harmony between the USA and the Soviet Union declined and old suspicion and ideological differences came to the forefront.
(c) The horrors of the two World Wars and the failure of the League of Nations led to a meeting of the Big Three — Roosevelt (President of the USA), Churchill (Prime Minister of Britain) and Stalin (Premier of the USSR) at Yalta in February 1945. They resolved to convene a conference of the representatives of all nations at San Francisco to draw up the 'Charter of the United Nations.' This led to the establishment of the United Nations Organisation on October 24, 1945.
Look at the newspaper clipping given below and answer the questions that follow:
(a) Japan declared war against which country? Where did Japan order an attack? What were the consequences of the bombing of Hawaii?
(b) Japan made two crucial mistakes during this attack. What were these mistakes and what were the consequences of these mistakes?
(c) How was this attack finally avenged by the USA?
(a) Japan ordered an attack on the U.S.A on December 7, 1941. It was aimed at neutralizing the U.S. Pacific Fleet and securing Japan’s dominance in the Pacific. The attack was on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The consequences of the attack on the USA were following:
(b) The Japanese made following two crucial mistakes at Pearl Harbour:
(c) This attack was finally avenged by Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In August 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These bombings, which caused enormous destruction and loss of life, led to Japan’s unconditional surrender.
The Second World War was different from the First World War in the following ways:
The USA and the the Soviet Union emerged as the two super powers of the world after the Second World War. But ideological differences and suspicion of each other led to Cold War between them. Shortly after the war, the Soviet Union developed their own atomic bomb triggering a nuclear arms race with both countries developing even more powerful nuclear weapons than those used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Since then, other nations namely the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea have developed nuclear weapons.
Thus, we can say that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan by the United States of America during the Second World War heralded an era of Nuclear Warfare.
Causes of the Russia–Ukraine War
1. Political Causes —
(i) Opposition to NATO Expansion: Russia strongly opposed Ukraine's efforts to join NATO, fearing Western military presence near its borders.
(ii) Pro-Western Government in Ukraine: After the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution, Ukraine’s new leadership shifted away from Russian influence and moved closer to the European Union and the West.
(iii) Loss of Russian Political Influence: Russia wanted to regain influence over Ukraine, which it sees as part of its geopolitical sphere.
2. Military and Strategic Causes —
(i) Security Concerns: Russia viewed Ukraine’s growing ties with the West as a threat to its national security.
(ii) Build-up of Russian Troops: Russia stationed large numbers of troops along Ukraine's borders, preparing for conflict under the pretext of national defense.
(iii) Use of Proxy Forces: Russia supported armed separatist groups in Eastern Ukraine (Donetsk and Luhansk) to destabilize the region and weaken Ukraine.
3. Economic Causes —
(i) Control over Natural Resources and Trade Routes: Russia is interested in Ukraine’s strategic location, fertile land, and energy pipelines that supply gas to Europe.
(ii) Preventing Ukraine’s EU Integration: Russia feared losing trade influence if Ukraine fully integrated into the European Union’s economy.
4. Historical and Cultural Causes —
(i) Claim over Historical Unity: Russia claims that Ukraine is historically a part of Russian civilization, questioning its independence and nationhood.
(ii) Annexation of Crimea (2014): Russia had already seized Crimea from Ukraine, which escalated tensions and was seen as the first major step toward conflict.