Question and Answer forum for K12 Students
Laxmi The compilation of these History Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” How true is this statement! The emergence of the novel was a giant leap in the education and development of our society. Novels are not just stories, they inspire courage, empathy, imagination, etc. Let us learn about the history of novels.
The compilation of these New Questions and Ideas Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
In the later Vedic period, complex rituals and sacrifices were advocated but these were not acceptable by common people. The people got confused by the superstitious beliefs the sacrificial ritual was also found to be too expensive for the people. Hence, Jainism and Buddhism were started. So, do you want to understand the thinking of the human heart and mind? From where the peace was born. Then let’s know about Buddhism and Jainism.
Around 2500 years ago Gautama was born in a Lumbini garden near Kapilavastu who was the founder of Buddhism. He was a Kshatriya and belonged to Satya Gana. By seeing the sight of an old man, the deceased man, a corpse, and an ascetic he went away from this worldly life.
In search of knowledge and the truth, he left home at the age of 29. For several years he wandered and met several teachers and discussed with other thinkers but could not get enlightenment. At last at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, he got Nirvana under a peepal tree at the age of 35. Then he came to be known as Buddha or the ‘Enlightened one’.
Mahavir was a Kshatriya prince and famous thinker of Jains. He was a contemporary of Buddha. He left home at the age of 30 and got enlightenment after 12 years. His followers were named Jainas. Jainas is derived from the term Jina which means conqueror.
In Prakrit, he taught the men and women who wanted to understand the truth. The three principles of Jainism are right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct which are known as Titrants. Jainas had to lead a very simple life, even if for food they had to beg and they had to detect celibacy. The written teachings of Mahavir are presently available at a place called Valabhi in Gujarat.
The text in the Upanishads contains the conversations between teachers and students. The actual meaning of is Upanishads is “approaching and sitting near”. These all are part of the important elaboration of the later Vedic texts. Thus its graphics and assumptions were called Vendita.
The main aim of Upanishads is to generate a desire among people for knowledge to achieve Moksha. It focused on the fact the knowledge of Atman should be taught. It is related to Paramatma. Maximum Upanishads intellectuals were men, especially Brahmins, and rajas. Gargi was one of the female thinkers who is famous for her learning and participated in debates that were held in royal courts.
Both Buddha and Mahavir felt that only those who left their homes only they can get true knowledge so for then they formed sangha. The rules for this Sangha were mentioned in a book named Vinaya Pitaka.
Example:
Question 1.
Which questions are there that Upanishadic thinkers wanted to know?
Solution:
They wanted to know the life after the death. Some of them desired to know why sacrifices should be done. They sensed that in the universe something permanent should be there which should have lasted even after death. In Upanishads, their idea is recorded.
The compilation of these History Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
India is the birthplace of four major religions in the world i.e. Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism. But how did Jainism and Buddhism start? Who are Buddha and Mahavir? What’s a Sangha? What are Upanishads? Let’s study more about New Questions and Ideas.
The compilation of these New Kings and Kingdoms Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
What do you know about kings and kingdoms? As citizens of modern India, we hardly have witnessed any real kings, who wore crowns. However, our past is glorified with many such kings and kingdoms. A kingdom is actually a piece of land only which is ruled by either a King or a queen. In ancient India, there were many new kings and kingdoms. Let’s find out more about New Kings and Kingdoms.
There were appearances of New Kings and Kingdoms. In different regions of the Indian subcontinent, there were big landlords and warrior chiefs by the 7th century. They were mainly Samantas or subordinate to a king. Hence, all the existing kings often acknowledged them. The kings received a lot of gifts from them. The kings also received military support from them.
The king at the top of the hierarchy accepted and held big titles like Maharaj-Adhiraj. These mighty kings shared their power with their Samanthas and with an association of peasants. There were many producers who were convinced to surrender. The resources were usually obtained from what they produced. Then they used these resources to establish the king financially and for the construction of temples and forts. Therefore, these resources were important.
For Eras, the dynasties like Gujara–Pratihara, Rashtrakutas, and Pala fought for control over the Kanuj. The war had three parties involved. Therefore, it is known as a tripartite struggle. It was a long-drawn conflict. Almost every year, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni raided the subcontinent and looted the temple also.
They looted various temples like Somanath, Gujarat, and Mahmud. Other kings like Chauhan were also engaged in warfare. They ruled over the region around Delhi and Ajmer. The Chauhans were engaged in conflict with the Chalukyas of Gujarat and the Gahadavalas of western UP. Prithviraj 3 was a popular Chauhan ruler. In 1191, he defeated Afghan ruler Gohri. However, in 1192, he lost to him.
The Chola Dynasty was in power from the latter half of the 9th century to the beginning of the 13th century. Cholas are the successors of Vijayawada. They conquered the neighbouring regions. They were from a small family of Uraiyur. This kingdom grew to a new size and power.
Rajaraja was the most powerful Chola ruler. He extended control over most of the areas. His son, Rajendra, occupied Srilanka along with those countries of Southeast Asia. They continued to hugely expand the kingdom by raiding the Ganga Valley. The Chola empire’s bronze statues and temples stand as a testimony to its art and architecture.
Example:
Question 1.
In the Chole Empire, what are the required qualifications to become a member of the committee of the Sabha?
Answer:
The following qualifications were necessary to become a member of the committee of the Sabha in the Chole Empire:
The compilation of these History Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
Many new dynasties after the 17th century looked in the Indian sub-continent like the Gujara-Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas, Cholas, and Chauhan. Between the 7th to 12thcenturies in different parts of the subcontinent several major ruling dynasties emerged. Let’s study more about New Kings and Kingdoms.
The compilation of these New Empires and Kingdoms Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
You should read history because by reading history only you can able to know about the study of past events because it is important for any society and human being. Do you know about the New Empires and Kingdoms in ancient times? Many New empires emerged after the demises of Mauryas. A powerful New Empire named as Gupta dynasty has emerged in the 3rd century AD. Let’s find out more about New Empires and Kingdoms.
The period for the Gupta age is between 320-540 AD. In this time actually in India rapid development took place in different fields like in the field of art, architecture literature, philosophy, trade, science, and agriculture. Therefore, this age is called the golden age of Indian history.
From the archaeological and literary sources, we know about Guptas. Prayaga prashasti pillar inscription at Allahabad and the rock-cut temples of Ajanta or poems by court poet Harisena, etc. come from archaeological sources.
Samudragupta distributed the information on gold and silver coins. The accounts of the writers like Fa-Xion also mentioned coins and literary sources. Some other sources are also there such as the works of Kalidas, Raghuvansa, Meghadoot, and Abhijnana Shakuntalam.
Rulers of Gupta Empire
Sri Gupta is the founder of the Gupta dynasty. However, Chandragupta was the first powerful ruler. In 320 AD he ascended the throne. He had the matrimonial alliance with the Lichchhavi princess. So, in the history of the Gupta Empire, this was the main turning point.
Samudragupta is the son of Chandragupta. Next, he became the commanding ruler. The Allahabad pillar has his glory and conquest described. This includes his court poet and Harissa.
Next, after him, Chandragupta Vikramaditya came who is the reason behind the spread out and strengthen of Gupta Empire. In his rule, he visited India and occupied Saka territories. This way, the expansion of rule over the Indian subcontinent continued.
Administration and Military System of Gupta Empire
The king basically ruled the central government. A group of ministers helped the king in decision-making. The lower level administration had a district or group of villages. Gramadhyksha headed each of the villages. The Mahasenapatis played an important role. They lead the contingents of Calvary and elephants. They advised the kings about several matters.
Science, Art, and Paintings of Gupta Empire
Famous astronomers and mathematicians like Aryabhatta and Varahmihira wrote their work. Vishnu temple at Tigwa, Shiva temple at Bhumara, and Parvati temples were built at that time. The Buddhist cave in Ajanta and Bagh caves at Gwalior were of that period which is excellent for Indian art. Under the time of Guptas, Buddhism and Hinduism flourished well. At that time, the Sanskrit language reached its excellence.
Examples:
Question 1.
Do you think ordinary people could read & understand prashaastis? If no, then give the reasons.
Answer:
The prashaastis were written in the Sanskrit language so the ordinary people would not have understood this.
Question 2.
What is the name of three authors who wrote about Harshavardhan?
Answer:
Banabhatta, Xuan Zang, and Ravikirti are the three authors who wrote about Harshavardhan.
The compilation of these History Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
In History, you’ve probably studied a lot of empires and kingdoms. But do you know what is the Gupta Dynasty? What were times like back then? Let’s find out more about New Empires and Kingdoms. Let’s start with empire meaning.
The compilation of these Nazism and the Rise of Hitler Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
Nazism or National Socialism is the ideology propagated by the Nazi Party aka the National Socialist Party of workers in Germany. These socialists have different political beliefs. Nazism was started by Adolf Hitler in the 1920s and lasted till the end of World War II in 1945. The Holocaust stained his hands with the blood of millions of people. He caused a lot of distress to a lot of people. Let’s find out more facts and ideologies about Nazism and the rise of Adolf Hitler.
Adolf Hitler was born on 2oth April 1889. He was born in a small Austrian town, Braunau am Inn which is located in Upper Austria on the German – Austrian border. He dreamt of becoming an artist but his father didn’t encourage him. Hitler applied at the Vienna Academy of fine arts after his father’s death but was rejected. His mother died shortly after and he moved to Vienna. He began to develop his political views of uniting Germany and Austria. Later on, he moved to Germany in the year 1913.
He was loyal to Germany. In 1914 world war 1 took place and Germany needed soldiers. Hilter quickly enlisted in the army. He served in both France and Germany and was highlighted for his bravery. He was injured in a war which took place in Somme in the year 1916. Again, he got wounded in a British gas attack. While recovering, Germany surrendered. This made Hitler and others angry as he this as a betrayal of the undefeated German army by Jews and socialists. Hence, he decided to go into politics.
Due to the loss, Germany had to sign the Treaty of Versailles. The conditions of the Treaty of Versailles were unacceptable. However, Germany was forced to sign it. Germany lost a lot of its territories and had to pay a high amount of reparations. Hitler resented it. Hitler was still working in the army. He was sent to report on the German Workers’ Party which was later renamed the Nazi Party. Here, he found people with nationalist and anti – Semitic views, he agreed with them and joined their party.
Since Hitler had good public speaking skills, it helped him to rise the ranks of his new party. Hitler was famous amongst the German people due to his speeches. The party founder Anton Drexler and the party executive got jealous of Hitler and tried to weaken his position by forming an alliance with another party. Hitler resigned and agreed to rejoin only when he was given complete control.
On 8th November about two thousand Nazis marched to the center of Munich, where they confronted the police, which resulted in the death of 16 Nazis and four police officers. Hitler was arrested. He was sentenced to five years. However, Hitler only served for nine months. In prison, he wrote his autobiographical book Mein Kamph which means my battles. In his book, he expressed his political views. He also portrayed his hate for the Jewish community. After its publication, Hitler’s views got more exposure.
Hitler became the most popular politician and let the Nazi party become the largest party in Germany with 37% votes. German President Von Hindenburg’s made Hitler the Chancellor. Hitler had dictatorial powers by March.
The ideology propagated by the Nazi party is Nazism. Nazi’s believed that all Jewish people should die, the Aryan race is the superior race. A lot of books were burned by Nazis because they thought that those books shouldn’t be read by the German population. They burned around 25000 books which included books from Jewish authors like Einstein and Sigmund Freud, books of authors who are not Jewish were also burned.
The school played an important role in spreading Nazism. Children were thought about Hitler and his ideologies. His birthday and anniversary of taking power were celebrated.
Example:
Question:
When was Adolf Hitler born?
a. April 20, 1889
b. 21st April 1899
c. April 21, 1889
d. 20th April 1899
Answer:
Adolf Hitler was born on 2oth April 1889. He was born in a small Austrian town, Braunau am Inn.
The compilation of these History Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
All of us have probably heard about Hitler or the word “Nazi” at least once in our lifetime. Who was Hitler? and what did he do? Who is a Nazi? How did Nazism come into existence? Let’s find out more about Nazism and the Rise of Hitler.
The compilation of this Nationalism in India Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.
When the First World War broke out in 1919 in Europe it had far-reaching consequences in the entire world. It was actually could have said to ignite the fight for India’s independence! It ignited the spirit of nationalism in India due to the emergence of the Satyagraha and the Non-Cooperation Movement. Let us take a look.
Nationalism was evolving in new areas in 1919 and, new social groups and new modes of struggle were developing. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) came to India and along with him the idea of satyagraha focused on the power of truth and the urgency of searching the truth.
The idea imposed the power of truth and encouraged people to find the truth. He believed that physical force was not the required step to fight the colonialists. In 1916, He travelled to Champaran, Bihar to encourage the peasants to struggle against the oppressive plantation system.
In 1917, Crops field in Kheda district of Gujrat, but the government denied to remit land revenue and pressurized on its full collection. In 1918, Gandhi came in between the dispute which involved the workers and mill owners of Ahmedabad. He advised workers to go on a strike and to demand a 35% increase in wages. This brought him close to the people with the workers also.
After the enactment of The Rowlatt Act,1919 Gandhiji lost his patience and wanted to enforce non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust law.
6th April 1919 was confirmed as Satyagraha Day when people all over the country observed fast. On 10th April, the police in Amritsar fired upon a peaceful procession, provoking widespread attacks on banks, and this incident is famously known as Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre.
After the widespread Satyagraha movement, it was still limited to cities and towns. Mahatma Gandhi then launched the Khilafat movement. The only way possible for this was coming together of Hindus and Muslims.
A Khalifa Committee was formed under the leadership of Maulana Azad, Ajmal Khan, and Hasrat Mohani. The idea was to bring about unity and develop feelings of nationalism among the masses.
The nationalist movement spreads when people from different religions and communities begin to develop a sense of collective belongingness. Through this, an identity of a nation is characterized. This image of Bharat Mata was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1870 when he wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ for our motherland.
During the Swadeshi Movement, a tri-color (red, green, and yellow) flag was designed in Bengal. It had eight lotuses representing eight provinces and a crescent moon representing Hindus and Muslims.
Example:
Question:
Describe briefly any three economic effects of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Answer:
The three economic effects of Non-Cooperation were: