IX Social Studies

Our National Flag
The Indian National Flag is the symbol of the land and

people of India. Our National Flag is a tricolour panel made up
of three rectangular panels or sub-panels of equal widths. The
colour of the top panel is India saffron (Kesaria) and that of the bottom is India green.
The middle panel is white, bearing at its centre the design of the Ashoka Chakra in navy
blue colour with 24 equally spaced spokes. The Ashoka Chakra is visible on both sides
of the Flag in the centre of the white panel. The Flag is rectangular in shape with the
ratio of the length to the height (width) being 3:2.
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan explained about the National Flag in the Constituent
Assembly which adopted it, “Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation or
disinterestedness. The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct.
The green shows our relation to the soil, our relation to the plant life here on which all
other life depends. The Ashoka Wheel is the wheel of the law of dharma. Truth or satya,
dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling principles of those who work under this
flag. Again, the wheel denotes motion. There is life in movement. India must move and
go forward.”
If done properly, there is no restriction on the display of the National Flag by
common people, private organizations or educational institutions. Consistent with
the dignity and honour of the Flag as detailed in the Code of India, anyone may hoist/
display the National Flag on all days and occasions, ceremonial or otherwise.
Where the practice is to fly the Flag on any public building, it must be flown on
the building on all days including Sundays and holidays and, except as provided in the
Code, it shall be flown from sunrise to sunset irrespective of weather conditions. The
Flag may be flown on such a building at night also but this should be only on very
special occasions.
The Flag must not be used as a drapery in any form except in State/ Military/
Central Paramilitary Forces funerals. In such cases also the Flag must not be lowered
into the grave or burnt in the pyre. The Flag must not be draped over the hood, top,
sides or back of a vehicle, train or boat. It must not be used or stored in such a manner
as may damage or soil it. When the Flag is in a damaged or soiled condition, it must not
be cast aside or disrespectfully disposed of but be destroyed as a whole in private,
preferably by burning. The Flag must not be used as a covering for a building. Although
the Flag can be used as a costume or uniform, it should not be used as undergarments
or below the waist. It must not be embroidered or printed upon cushions, napkins,
etc. Lettering of any kind must not be put upon the Flag. It must not be used in any
form of advertisement. Showing disrespect or insult to the National Flag is a punishable
offence.
The National Flag must not be flown from a single masthead simultaneously
with any other flag. There must be separate mastheads for different flags. The flag mast
should be in white colour. When a foreign dignitary travels in a car provided by
Government, the National Flag is flown on the right side of the car and the Flag of the
foreign countries on the left side of the car.
In the event of the death of the President, the Vice-President or the Prime
Minister, the National Flag is half-masted throughout the country.
Over the last five decades, several people including members of the armed
forces have laid down their lives to keep the tricolour flying in its full glory. We must
salute and cherish our National Flag.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Class IX
Editors
Sri C.N. Subramanyam, Prof. S. Padmaja, Dept.of Geography,

Eklavya, M.P. Osmania University, Hyderabad.
Prof. G. Omkarnath, Dept.of Economics, Dr. I.Thirumali, Senior Fellow,
University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad. ICSSR, New Delhi.
Prof. I.Laxmi, Dept. of History, Sri Arvind Sardana, Director,
Osmania University, Hyderabad. Eklavya, M.P.
Dr. K. Narayana Reddy, Asst. Prof. Dr. C.S. Bala Chandran,

Dept.of Geography, O.U, Hyderabad. Cultural Geographer, Bangalore.
Dr. M.V. Srinivasan, Asst. Prof. Prof. K.Vijaya Babu, Dept. of History,
DESS, NCERT, New Delhi. Kakatiya University, Warangal.
Sri K. Suresh, Sri A. Satyanarayana Reddy, Director,
Manchi Pustakam, Hyderabad. S.C.E.R.T. , A.P., Hyderabad.
Sri Alex. M.George, Dr. Sukanya Bose, Consultant,
Eklavya, M.P. NIPFP, New Delhi.
Dr. N. Chandrayudu, Asst.Prof.
Dept. of Geography, S.V.University, Tirupati.
Textbook Development Committee
Sri A. Satyanarayana Reddy, Director, Sri B. Sudhakar, Director,

S.C.E.R.T. , A.P., Hyderabad. A.P. Govt. Textbook Press, Hyderabad.
Dr. N. Upendar Reddy,
Professor & Head C&T Dept., S.C.E.R.T., A.P., Hyderabad.
Published by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad.

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Title Page 200 G.S.M. White Art Card
ii
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1
CHAPTER
Our Earth
1
We live on this Earth along with
millions of other animals, plants and
micro-organisms. We human beings
arrived on this earth about one lakh
years ago. More than any other animal,
human beings have been trying to
make the Earth a better place to live
in. We have been constantly trying to
change ourselves and our
surroundings. In this process we have
entered into conflict with other
inhabitants of the Earth and amongst
ourselves. But, above all we have tried
to understand our earth and our
activities so that we can live a better
life. For long we have looked at the
Earth as a storehouse of resources
which we can exploit and use at will.
Fig. 1.1: Carl Sagan, a scientist pointed out that
all of human history has happened on that tiny
Gradually we are realising the fallacy
pixel shown here inside a yellow circle which is our of this viewpoint. Our reckless
only home, Earth. This photo taken from the space exploitation of the Earth has meant the
is known as “Pale Blue Dot”. destruction of forests, rivers, hills,
fellow animals and even fellow humans. This has resulted in what many are calling
the ‘environmental crises’ like global warming and poisoning of our soils, water
and air. Today, more than at any other time we need to build a new understanding of
the Earth, how it works and what we do on it and what we do with each other.
In class VI to VIII you had studied about diverse people living in different kinds
of lands in different times, how they used the forests, soils, water and minerals of
the earth. In the following four chapters we will study about the Earth as a large
interconnected system we will see how the rocks, soils, minerals, water, air,
sunshine, forests, animals and humans interact with each other and change each
other constantly.
Free distribution by A.P. Government 1

Our Universe, the Sun and the Earth
For thousands of years humans have been looking into the sky and trying to
understand the objects that shine there –the stars that remain fixed vis a vis each
other and the Sun, the Moon and the planets which keep moving across the sky.
What are these and in what ways are they related to us? How do they affect us?
Many people studied these objects very carefully, noting down all movements and
happenings in the sky and tried to figure out what they are and how they move and
work. Initially people thought that earth was firm and stationary and all others went
round it. Since things have been like this for thousands of years they also thought
that the earth, the stars and sun have been like this for ever and will be like this for
ever – without any change. About five hundred years ago, scientists came up with a
new understanding – that the Earth is not in the middle of everything, that it is
actually moving around the Sun and that the sun itself is also moving and that the
countless stars in the sky are actually so many suns. During the last hundred or so
years people have even figured out that stars are born, they grow old and even die!
Scientists have figured out that the stars are actually part of larger groups called
galaxies and that there are millions of galaxies in the universe. Now they are of the
view that the universe itself started some 13.7 billion years ago with a ‘Big Bang’
and that it may end several billion years later.
From this were formed galaxies and within the galaxies were formed stars and
around many stars planets formed and went around them. In our lives things move
very fast, things change every moment. However, these astronomical changes take
place over thousands and even millions of years.
Today human beings are investigating and trying to understand these very distant
and complex phenomena! To study all this several spaceships have been sent into
the sky, human beings have even landed on the moon. Spaceships have landed on
nearby planet - Mars and
some have even gone Why do you think people today are curious to know
beyond the end of our about the secrets of distant stars and galaxies and
Solar System. the beginning of the universe?
In short, the Sun and Initially people thought that the earth was in the
the Earth are a part of a centre of the universe and human beings the most
much, much larger important creation. What difference does it make
universe which is to us to know that we are a small insignificant speck
constantly moving and
in this vast universe?
changing! The earth and the
life on it are products of Read about the Solar system and the planets that go
these changes and are around the Sun in Chapter X ‘Stars and the Solar
influenced by them!! System’ of Class VIII Science textbook for more
details.
2 Social Studies Our Earth

Earth as a Planetary Body
Like all planets in our solar system, the Earth
rotates on its own axis and goes around the Sun
in a definite orbit. The orbit is the path of the
Earth around the Sun. This orbit is on a uniform
plane which is called the plane of the orbit. Look
A these pictures of the Earth, Sun and the orbit.
Which one do you think is the correct picture?
A. A circular path
B. An elongated oval path
C. A scaled oval path (Sun in the middle
and 1.4 cm on one side and 1.5 cm on the other
side)
Actually, the Earth's orbit is nearly circular
(as in figure C), and the difference between
B Earth's farthest point (about 152 million km)
from the Sun and its closest point (147 million
km) is very small. Earth travels around the sun
at a speed of 1,07,200 kilometres per hour! At
this speed, it takes 365¼ days to complete one
revolution. We call this a ‘year.’ You have studied
in class VIII about the energy received by
C different parts of the Earth from the Sun and how
this travel of the Earth around the Sun causes
Fig. 1.2: Earth’s orbit
the seasons like winter and summer.
Tick the factors which cause the formation of The Word Earth
seasons on the earth:
English word “eorthe”
- Daily rotation of the earth on its axis. meaning ‘ground, soil, dry
- Monthly movement of the Moon around the land.’ (Dictionary
Earth. Online.com)
- Rotation of the Sun on its axis. Indian languages have
multiple words for ‘earth.’
- Revolution of the Earth around the Sun.
Sanskrit terms include
- Tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation to its orbital plane. bhoomi, pruthivi, dharani,
- Spherical shape of the Earth. avani etc. Many Indian
- Earth’s distance from Sun during the annual languages use variations of
revolution. these Sanskrit words.

The evolution of the Earth
Scientists are still debating how our Earth was formed. Most scientists are of
the view that Earth began to form around four and a half billion years ago. The
Earth has reached its present form through several phases. It began as a ball of
swirling dust and clouds, and passed through a molten stage. At that time the Earth
was very hot and was constantly bombarded by massive rocks and other materials
from the space. In this way the size of the Earth grew. The Earth was so hot that it
was molten (in hot liquid form). If you boil a thick soup containing many substances
you may observe that the heavier particles tend to go to the bottom and lighter
particles come to the top. These lighter particles cool at the top and form a layer
of crust (like the cream of milk). Similarly, while heavier substances formed the
part of the molten core, lighter substances rose to the surface and cooled. Slowly
an upper crust of lighter and cooler materials formed covering the molten interior.
As the Earth's interior continued to cool, it contracted and the outer crust
wrinkled forming ridges (mountains) and basins (low areas which became oceans
later).
The atmosphere of the Earth consisted of different kinds of gases including
water vapour. Most of these gases were such that life as we know it today could not
have survived on it. It didn’t have oxygen
Do you think the Earth was created
which is necessary for us. It took a long time
for the air we breath to develop. suddenly or do you think it was
formed by long drawn and complex
The rain filled the great basins on the
processes?
Earth's crust with water. Thus, the oceans
were formed. Some people believe that our being
For perhaps one half of the long span of on this earth is the result of a series
Earth's history, the planet Earth remained of fortuitous accidents – it is quite
barren and lifeless. Then life appeared in the possible that there may not have been
oceans. It slowly evolved into diverse plants any life on the earth. Do you agree?
and animals including human beings over Give your reasons.
millions of years.
Internal Structure of the Earth

Let us look at the internal structure of the Earth we live on. We can see the
continuity from the early days of the formation of the earth as we try to look deep
inside the Earth! It took us years of scientific investigation and analysis of data to
form an understanding of the interior of the Earth. The main reason for this is that
even the deepest mines we have dug do not go beyond a few kilometres under the
surface while the radius or the distance to the centre of the earth is over 6000
kilometres!

The earth is made up
of three main layers
1. Crust
2. Mantle
3. Core
1. Crust: We live
on the outer part of the
earth which is called the
crust. You saw in the last
section how this layer
3.b was formed. This layer
Inner goes up to a depth of 30-
1 3.a Core 100 kms. The crust
Crust Outer
2 mostly consists of
Core
Mantle various kinds of rocks.
2. Mantle: It is 100-
Fig. 1.3: The interior of the earth.
2,900 kms in thickness.
The upper part of the
mantle is a pliable layer over which the crust floats. This consists mainly of chemicals
called silicates.
3. Core: The core is 2,900 to 6376 kms in thickness. It is composed of dense
and heavy substances like iron and nickel. It can be divided into two sub layers.
Outer Core: 2,900 to 5,100 kms composed of liquid metallic material like
nickel and iron.
Inner Core: The solid inner core (5,100 – 6,376 kms) of the earth is made up
of Iron compounds and heavy substances like gold.
Interestingly matter from deep inside the mantle shoots up through volcanoes
and fissures on ocean floors and cools down to form the earth’s crust. In many
regions on the earth part of the earth’s crust enters into the mantle and once again
becomes molten. This constant process of formation and destruction of the crust
explains the fact that our Earth is still very active. The crust on which we live is still
being changed by earthquakes, volcanoes,
Do you know? subduction of land and rise of mountains due
The crust forms only 1% of the volume to processes happening deep down the earth.
of the earth, 16% consists of the mantle
and 83% makes the core. We cannot hope to travel to the
The thickness of the crust is just about mantle to study it. But we can study
the thickness of the shell of an egg, if we substances from the mantle. Can
assume that the size of the earth is equal you tell what these substances would
to the size of an egg! be and how we can get them?

Movements of the Earth’s crust
The shapes and positions of the continents may seem
fixed at the time-scale of human experience. However,
when you look at how old Earth is, continents have
moved, collided, merged and then been torn apart
again. Mountains have risen and been razed to the
ground, oceans have formed and dried up, valleys have
been carved, and so on during the course of earth’s
eventful history.
In the early 20th century, a German
meteorologist and geophysicist Alfred
Wagener introduced the theory of
Continental drift to describe and partially
explain the present arrangement of
continents and ocean basins. He
postulated a massive super
continent, which he called
Pangaea (Greek for "whole
land"), as having existed 220
million years ago and then
breaking apart into several large
sections. He suggested
that these sections
moved away from
each other. Over
millions of years,
some continents
collided with others.
They are still moving
around.
Pangaea is a
hypothetical
continent from
which present
continents origi
nated by the drift of
Mesozoic era to the
Fig. 1.4: Stages of present. Wagener
continental drift hypothesised that

the supercontinent of Pangaea broke up to form:
1. Laurensia (present North America, Greenland, and all of Eurasia north of
Indian subcontinent) and
2. Gondwana-land (present South America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Arabia,
Malaysia, East Indies, Australia and
Look carefully at the map of the Antarctica).
world, do you find some continents These two blocks were separated by a long
looking as if they are two pieces of shallow inland sea called the Tethys Sea.
a jigsaw puzzle? Name those It took millions of years for the
continents. continents to reach the present shapes and
In which direction Australia is positions on the globe. Even today many of
moving? the continents are moving very slowly, pushing
each other – we will read about this in greater
In which direction India is moving? detail in the next chapter.
The Earth’s Grid System

So far we saw the process of the formation of the Earth and its internal structure.
Now we will see how it is shown on maps and globes.
Using an atlas to find latitude and longitude of places
You can find the latitude information in a well-produced atlas or online using
Google Earth. Here is one example of how to find the latitude and longitude
information in the back of the atlas where places are listed alphabetically, similar
to the way words are listed in a dictionary.
Example: Find the latitude and longitude information for Kobe.
Find the place name ‘Kobe’ in the list. Next to that, you will find information
about that place. This is a typical atlas listing:
Place Country
name name Latitude Longitude
Kobe Japan (60) 34.41N 135.12E
Page
number
The atlas you use may present the information slightly differently, but these
elements will be there.
Now, find the latitude and longitude values for the other places in the list of
earthquake-prone places. Locate them on a world map. This will also help you
understand the Pacific Ring of Fire and its earthquake-prone places.
On a globe, a network of latitudes and longitudes is drawn. This is called the
'Grid'. With the help of the grid, we can locate places, and learn much about them –
how hot or cold it would be there, in which direction should we go to reach it, and
what time it would be there at any moment.
In earlier classes we have studied about hemisphere. Let us revise it in the

image below.
Northern hemisphere Western hemisphere
Southern hemisphere Eastern hemisphere

With the help of the above maps complete the following table.
Hemisphere Continents
Northeren hemisphere
Western hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Eastern hemisphere
Latitudes
The horizontal circle that goes round the Earth exactly in the middle, at equal distance
from the north and south poles is called the ‘equator’, because it divides earth into (two)
equal parts. This is the circle designated as 0° latitude. Following the way angles are
designated in geometry, latitudes are expressed in degrees (°), minutes ('), and seconds ('').
In many atlases you will not find the minutes and seconds. Look at the fig.1.5.
From the equator, going towards the poles are a series of parallel circles. Each circle

is called a latitude. ‘Latitude’ comes to us from the Latin word ‘latitudo’ meaning
‘width’ – these lines show us the width of the map. Latitude values range from 0°
(equator) to 90°North (the North Pole) and 90°South (the South Pole). There is
no latitude less than 0° nor greater than 90°. Every latitude must be designated
with direction – N for ‘north’ or S for ‘south.’For the equator, there is no north or
south designation.
Fig. 1.5: Latitudes

Some latitudes are given special names. These are related to the patterns of
sunlight falling on Earth that you would have studied when you learned about the
seasons and Earth’s revolution around the sun.
Equator is the largest among all the latitudes. All other latitudes on either side
gradually become smaller towards poles. At the poles, the 90°N and 90°S are not
circles at all! They are just points.
That half of Earth between the equator and north pole is called the northern
hemisphere – ‘hemi’ means half, hemisphere means half a sphere. The half that is
between the equator and the south pole is called the southern hemisphere. Counting
from one pole to the other, there are 180 main latitudes (not counting the equator).
Longitudes
Latin gives us the word ‘longitudo’ meaning length, from which we get
longitude. Longitudes show us the ‘length’ or ‘height’ of a map. Longitudes are
not full circles. They are semi-circles connecting pole to pole. Every longitude
cuts across every latitude.
The longitude that passes through the astronomical observatory at Greenwich,
England is called the 0° meridian, Prime meridian, or Greenwich meridian.

‘Greenwich’, though it is spelled that way,
is pronounced GREN-ich, with accent on
GREN.
Several countries tried to fix a longitude
that passes through their own territory as the
0° longitude. However, England decided that
the Greenwich meridian will be the 0°
longitude. They ruled a large part of the
world at that time. So, everyone else ended
up following their system.
There are 360 longitudes. We organize
the main longitudes into two groups: 0° to
180° going east which are the east
longitudes, and 0° to 180° going west which
are the west longitudes. 0° and 180°
longitudes do not have direction markers.
Other longitudes have direction markers; for
example: 28°E for 28° East longitude,
127°W for 127° West longitude, and so on.
Each degree of longitude, just like a latitude,
can also be divided into minutes (') and
seconds ('').
The longitude (180°) directly opposite
to 0° longitude is called the anti-meridian
(anti, means opposite to).The east
longitudes form the eastern hemisphere and
the west longtitudes form the western Fig. 1.6: Longitudes
hemisphere.
After all this, remember: latitudes and
longitudes are imaginary lines! Other names
Longitudes and the question of time Latitudes are also called ‘parallels’ because
they are parallel to each other! Simple!
It takes 4 minutes for the sun’s position
Longitudes are also called ‘meridians.’ We
to move 1° of longitude. This means that get meridian from the Latin meridianus
the time is different for each degree of meaning noon, that is when the Sun is
longitude. Here is an example: When the directly overhead (noon) at a given
sun is directly overhead at 10°E longitude, longitude. So, longtitudes are related to
the local time is 12:00 (noon). But it is time.

11:56 am (ante meridiem) at 9°E and 12:04 pm (post meridiem) at 11°E. Obviously,
this can cause a lot of confusion.
Therefore, the world is divided into 24 time zones starting from the Greenwich
meridian, going east and west. The width of each time zone is 15° of longitude.
This means the difference between one time zone and the next is 1 hour (15° of
longitude x 4 minutes per ° longitude = 60 minutes). As you go east from
Greenwich meridian, you add time; as you go west of the Greenwich meridian you
subtract time.
When it is noon (12:00 in the day) on Monday at 0° longitude, it is midnight
(12:00 night) at the opposite longitude (the anti-meridian). Just to the west of
180°, the Tuesday is just beginning, while to its east Monday is just ending.
Notice that if you follow the
Time and travel calculated time zone boundaries, some
You know that the earth rotates on its axis. countries would have more than one time
And longitudes are imaginary lines we have zone with less than one hour division; for
made. Hence there is a difference in the time example India would have two half-hour
as you travel from east to west or west to time zones. That means, the time between
east. When you are travelling East to West western and eastern parts of India would
you gain time of 4 minutes as you cross every be different by half hour, with the far-
longitude. But if you are travelling from west flung northeast even more different. This
to east you lose 4 minutes as you cross every is considered too complicated to be
longitude. These are referred as EGA and useful.
WLS (EGA - East Gain Add, WLS - West Lost In such situations, some countries
Subtract). choose the time along one of the
meridians that pass through their territory
and follow the time of that meridian for the whole country. This time is called
standard time. For India, it is Indian Standard Time (IST), for Pakistan it is Pakistan
Standard Time, and so on.
The advantage of this is that in India, for example, wherever you are, it is the
same time. In countries which span a large number of longitudes, keeping time is
more complex. They may divide their country into more convenient time zones,
usually with one hour difference between one time zone and the next.
Do you know?
To avoid confusion of time from place to place 82O 30’ Eastern longitude is taken
as standard Meridian of India and serves as the Indian Standard Time (IST). The
exact difference between Greenwich and IST is 5½ hours.

Using your atlas, find out how many standard time zones these countries
have: USA, Australia, Russia, Japan, Zimbabwe, and Chile.
Swathi works for a call centre in Hyderabad. Her clients are in the USA. She
answers clients’ questions about the computer problems. She always works
during the night. Why is this? Use geography to find out!
Tease your brain!
When it is 12 noon in Greenwich (0°), what is the local time at:
(a) Mumbai (73° E) (b) Chicago (87°30' W) (c) Sydney (151° E)
Key words
1. Big bang 2. Grid 3. Gondwana
4. Prime meridian 5. Time zones 6. Standard time.
Improve your learning

1. Look at the map of India in an Atlas and identify latitude and longitude for the
following places:
Kanyakumari _______ and ______
Imphal _______ and ___________
Jaisalmer ____________ and ________
Pune _____________ and _____________
Patna _____________ and ________________
2. Identify the words that match with Latitude and Longitude (parallel lines, vertical
lines, horizontal lines)
3. Look at the world map of time zone in the text page 13.
a) If you travel from Vijayawada to Paris to which time zone are you moving? ______
b) If you are travelling from Hyderabad to Tokyo which time zone are you
moving? __________.
4. Why is it difficult to study the formation of the earth and its structure?
5. Read the paragraph under the heading of “ Internal structure of the earth” and answer
the question.
How can you say the earth is still very active?
6. What is grid and how does it help us ?
7. Differenciate between a. Local and Standard time b. Equator and Prime meridian
8. If every state follows its local time then what problems will rise?
9. With the help of your teachers find out the standard meridian of given countries.
1. Nepal 2. Pakistan 3. Bangladesh 4. England 5. Malasiya 6. Japan

World - Time Zones

CHAPTER
2 The Natural Realms of the Earth
People who study the Earth – the Earth Scientists – usually talk of four natural
realms on the Earth. Realms are areas which have some common features. The
earth scientists thus talk of 1. Lithosphere, 2. Hydrosphere, 3. Atmosphere and 4.
Biosphere.
You have read much about many of these in the earlier classes but here we will
see some broad features of these spheres or realms and how they are interrelated
and also how human beings interact with them.
1. Lithosphere: It is the solid crust or the hard top part of the Earth. It is
made up of rocks and minerals and covered with a thick layer of soil. (In Greek
‘Litho’ means stone or rock and ‘sphaira’ means sphere or ball.) It is not a smooth
surface as you see on the globe, but has high mountains, plateaus or high lands, low
plains, deep valleys and very deep basins which are filled with water (oceans). Many
of these features are shaped by wind and water. Portions of this crust, in the form
of dust etc., are mingled with the air too. When the lithosphere heats due to sunrays
or cools down, it influences air and water too. We and most other living beings live
on this realm. We use the rocks and soils and other things found in this hard crust,
in many ways.
2. Hydrosphere: The realm of water
is called Hydrosphere. (It comes from the You have read about mining of
Greek word ‘hudor’ meaning water.) Some minerals like baryte or coal. In what
part of the water is found deep down under ways do you think this affects
the earth among rocks (ground water or lithosphere, hydrosphere and
mineral water). It comprises various sources atmosphere?
of water and different types of water bodies Human beings consume a lot of
like rivers, lakes, seas, oceans etc. medicines like anti biotics to cure
3. Atmosphere: The thin layer of air sickness. How do you think it
that surrounds the earth is Atmosphere (It affects the lithosphere and
is a combination of two Greek words hydrosphere and biosphere?
‘atmos’ means vapour). It consists of a large You may have noticed that many of
number of gases including oxygen, nitrogen, the ‘scientific’ terms use Greek
carbon dioxide, water vapour, etc and also words. Why do you think they do
dust particles. this? Discuss with your teacher.
14 Social Studies The Natural Realms of the Earth

4. Biosphere: The realm of life including bacteria which live high on
atmosphere or in deep oceans constitutes the Biosphere. (From the Greek word,
‘bios’ means life.) As you may have noted above, life needs the presence of all the
three –realms – land, water and air.
Now you can realise that these ‘realms’ are very deeply interrelated and influence
each other. We will study about the first realm Lithosphere in greater detail. The
remaining will be studied in the next chapters.
Lithosphere
What kinds of questions do you think would be answered in this section? Tick
them in the list given below:
• How it rains. • How volcanoes erupt and earthquakes occur.
• Why are there mountains. • Why are there valleys and gorges along rivers.
• How the winds blow. • How are deltas formed.
Landforms
Lithosphere deals with the land we live upon. As you saw in the last chapter the
crust of the earth is uneven, the very low basins are now filled with oceans and then
there are the continents. These are called by geographers as the ‘first order’
landforms or the primary division of the earth’s crust into oceans and continents.
Fill up this empty map of the world by naming the continents and colouring them
brown and naming the major oceans and colouring them blue.
Map 1: World Map - Continents and Oceans
The surface of the continents is not even – they have plain low lands, plateaus
and high mountains. These are also in a way a result of the internal processes of
the earth as you see below. These landforms like mountains, plains and plateaus
are called ‘Second Order landforms’.

The Jigsaw Puzzle and the Moving Plates!
In the previous chapter we saw how many continents look like pieces of jigsaw
puzzle (Fig. 1.4); how scientists thought that in the beginning, probably all continents
were held together and how they broke up and gradually drifted and came to their
present places. After years of careful study geologists have concluded that all the
continents and even the oceans are actually situated on massive base of rocks called
‘plates’. There are about six major plates on the Earth and Do you know?
several minor ones. (The major plates are African, North
Tectonics comes from the
American, South American, Indo Australian, Antarctic,
Greek word – ‘tekton’ meaning
Eurasian and Pacific Plates. Among the minor plates are
carpenter or builder. It is
the Nazca and Arabian plates). What is special about these
related to the Sanskrit word
‘plates’? These plates actually ‘float’ on the mantle. They
‘takshan’ again meaning
are constantly being pushed and therefore keep moving
carpenter.
slowly. They move so slowly that we can’t feel the
movement. As a result of this movement one plate pushes another neighbouring
plate. The region where the two plates meet and push each other, a lot of pressure
is exerted by each of them on the other. One plate is pushed under into the mantle
while the other plate is pushed up to form a chain of mountains. This movement of
plates is called ‘plate tectonics’. This process causes earthquakes etc. Now why
are these plates being ‘pushed’? Who pushes them?
Map 2: Map of World plates
Sea floor spreading: Geologists studying the crust under the sea have
discovered that under some oceans like the Pacific Ocean there are mid ocean
ridges or ranges. These are formed by lava rising up from the mantle. The eruptions
on the ridge create new ocean floor made of basalt rocks, which then spreads
laterally from the ridge. Thus the mid-ocean ridges contain the newest crust formed
on the planet. This fresh crust is being slowly pulled away from the ridge widening
the ocean basin. This leads to what is called ‘sea-floor spreading’.

Drama at the margins:
warping, stretching of continent
The margins of the plates or the
boundaries where the plates
meet are the sites of highest
geologic activity. We saw how
Stage-1 : Continental cracks due to pressure of new crust is formed leading to
conventional currents sea-floor spreading along the
mid ocean ridges. Similarly in
formation of rift valley other margins of the plates
where one plate meets another,
often the incoming plate dips
under the stable plate. In fact
the incoming plate actually
Stage-2 :The cracked portion of the crust goes into the mantle of the
colapses to form the rift valley or depression
earth and becomes molten due
to the heat of the mantle. The
ancient ocean plate thus going under into the
mantle actually pulls the rest of
the plate with it. This in turn
pulls the newly formed sea
floor near the ocean ridges.
mid-ocean ridge
For example, the Indian plate
Stage-3 : Oceans takes the place of
depression, still the magma keeps rising to (on which the Deccan plateau
form the cracks or fault of south India ‘rides’) pushes
the Eurasian plate and goes
older ocean
under it just where the
Himalaya mountains are. Just
imagine – one day in very
distant future the land you are
Stage-4 Ocean at present standing upon will go under the
Himalayas and join the molten
Fig. 2.1: Sea floor spreading
mantle! In fact the Himalaya
Locate the Himalayas, Andes, and Rockies mountains. Why were they formed
in those locations? Suggest reasons.
Are all rocks on the earth formed in the mid-ocean ridges?
Geologists have found fossils of sea animals on the Himalayas. Some of these
are actually worshipped in many homes as ‘salagramas’. How do you think these
fossils are there on the Himalayas?
Why do you think we don’t feel any of these mighty changes taking place on the earth? Is
it because they don’t affect us? Do you think these changes affect us at all?

mountains were formed by this process of the Indian plate pushing into the Eurasian
plate (just as if you spread a sheet of cloth on a table and push it from one side it
will fold and form mountain like formations). Many of the plate boundaries are
also charecterised by volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. They are the most
earthquake prone and volcano prone zones.
Slow Movements and Sudden Movements
In the above section we saw two kinds of changes in the Lithosphere - first the
very slow movements leading to the formation of the crust, movement of the
continental plates and their eventual return to the Mantle. Second, the sudden and
dramatic eruption of volcanoes and earthquakes. The sudden movements can be
destructive and cause much damage. At the same time they also lead to changes in
landforms.
Volcanoes: See the figure
of a volcano. Volcanoes are Volcanic bombs
Layers of lava and Lava
places on the earth’s surface
ash from past Central vent
where molten material from the eruptions
mantle erupts on the Earth’s Side vent
surface. This molten material is
also accompanied by steam,
smoke and various forms of
gases from the depths of the ’s Cr
ust
E arths
earth. The smoke, ash and dust
spreads out in the atmosphere Magma
chamber
while the molten materials cool
and form hard rocks called
‘Igneous rocks’.
Some part of the lava may Fig. 2.2: Structure of the Volcano
not reach the surface and may
cool under the surface and become rocks. These are called ‘intrusive landforms’.
They are usually covered with older rocks and are exposed sometimes due to
Important volcanoes in the

world
Stromboli - Sicily
Mt Pelee - West Indies
Mount Vesuvius - Italy
Fujiyama - Japan
Cotopaxi - Equador
Mayon - Philippines
Barren, Narcondam - India
Fig. 2.3: Stromboli Volcano (most active volcano in the Kilimanjaro - Tanzania
world or light house of The Mediterranean sea)
erosion of the covering rocks. A part of the lava which pours on the surface of the
earth forms the ‘extrusive landforms’. Not all of them come from volcanoes –
some of them are poured out of fissures on the earth’s surface and spread all around
Write an imaginary description of them. Such flows of lava for example occurred
damages that occur due to many times on the Deccan leading to the
Volcanic eruption in an area. formation of the extensive lava plateau.
The Pacific Ring of Fire

For many decades,
geologists noted the high
number of earthquakes
and volcanic activity
occurring around the
‘Pacific Rim’ – the edge of
the Pacific Ocean basin.
About three quarters of all
active volcanoes in the
world lie within the Pacific
Rim. The theory of plate
tectonics provided the
explanation for this
pattern. Plate boundaries
are found all the way
around the Pacific basin. It Map 3: The Pacific Ring of Fire
is along these plate
boundaries that many volcanoes and earthquakes occur, giving it the name ‘The
Pacific Ring of Fire.’
External processes
We saw how rocks and mountains rise up due to the internal processes. External
forces like water and air are working vigorously to wear away the surface and the
interaction of these constructive and destructive forces gives rise to the great
diversity of present day landforms. These external processes on one hand wear
away the surface of the rocks and mountains, then they transport the worn out
particles and deposit them in low lands and basins. The process of wearing away
and deposition causes a general leveling of the surface.
This shaping of the landforms by wind and water are called ‘Third Order
Landforms’ by geographers. These land forms include the features like carved
mountains, valleys, deltas, sand dunes etc. Processes like weathering, erosion,
transportation and deposition are largely responsible for these landforms.

It is known as denudation process. Denudation is a continuous process. The
lowlands what we see today were once mountains and plateaus. Landforms
continuously keep on changing due to denudation activities. But these changes occur
very slowly. The structure of mountains, plateaus and plains keep on changing through
process known as erosion cycle or geomorphic cycle.
How air and water transform the surface of the Earth?
Rocks were formed out of molten materials coming from the mantle of the
Earth. These rocks over millions of years have been shaped into valleys and plains
of loose soil, river valleys cut into mountains and plateaus, etc. Now, how did this
happen?
Actually the hard primary rocks are broken into smaller pieces, these smaller
pieces are cut off from the parent rock and carried lower down to other places and
deposited there. This process is formally defined as follows:
i) Weathering : The gradual disintegration of rocks by atmospheric forces or
weather forces. The rocks when exposed to heat expand and contract when cooled
down. This happens every day during day and night and through year after year in
summer and winter seasons. As surface rock contracts and expands and contracts
again, it gradually becomes brittle and begins to break down. Water and moisture in
the air also help this process. Water reacts with the chemicals of the rocks and
further weakens the rock. These processes by which the rocks are weakened and
broken are called ‘weathering’. Look at a large cracked rock and you will find that
the colour of the internal core of the rock is different from the outer layer – the
colour of the outer layer changes due to this
process of weathering. You will find it easier to Why do you think the rock is
chip small pieces of rock from the outer layer harder inside than outside?
rather than from the core of the rock.
ii) Erosion: Flowing water and wind have great power and can slowly wear away
or cut away the rocks and soil cover in higher places. Water acts in many ways, as
rain, river, flowing ground water, sea waves, glaciers etc. Wind too takes many forms
like storms, gusts, steady winds, etc. The active wearing away of the earth’s surface
by these moving agents is called erosion.
iii) Transportation: The eroded material in the form of small rocks, gravel,
mud, fine soil etc. carried by winds and water is called transportation. Rivers and
winds and even waves cut soil and rocks from one place and take them to distant
places – sometimes hundreds of kilometers.
iv) Deposition: When the rivers and winds slow down, they do not have the
force to carry the material any more and they dump them. This dumped debris help
to form plains and river basins. Much of it is actually transported by rivers to the
sea, where layer after layer of these deposits accumulate in the bottom and over
time get transformed into ‘sedimentary rocks’.

All four aspects of this process are taking place simultaneously in different
parts of the world at different rates, depending on the nature of the slope, the structure
of the rocks, the local climate and interference by humans.
Work of Water
Can you recount the course of a river
from its source to its end – and guess how it
will erode, transport and deposit rock
materials?
The work of a river begins from its very
source, in the high mountains. The flow of a
river is very swift as it descends the steep
slopes and it exerts a great force in cutting
the mountain vertically. As a result a deep
valley develops, narrow at the bottom and
wide at the top. This is usually called a V
shaped valley. In this stage water has such Fig. 2.4: V Shaped valley
force that it can move even very heavy and hard rocks.
Fig. 2.5: Grand Canyon
Do you know?
Biggest Canyon in the world is on river
Colorado. The Grand Canyon is 466 kms
inlength. Its depth is 1.6 kms and width
is 188m to 29km.
Gorges are suitable for construction of
dams – can you tell why this is so?
In some cases where the rocks are very hard, the river cuts a very narrow valley,
the sides are so steep that ‘Gorges’ are formed. The Byson gorge in A.P. on the
Godavari, Indus Gorge in Kashmir are examples of this. Another important erosion
form is Canyon. A Canyon is characterized
by steep like side slopes and may be as deep
as a gorge. A gorge is almost equal in width
at its top as well as its bottom. In contrast a
canyon is wider at its top than at the bottom.
The water falls are most numerous in
the mountain areas where changes of slope
are more abrupt. The water falls with great
force and dig out the rock beneath to form a
Fig. 2.6: Angel waterfall ‘plunge pool’.
As the river enters the plain the slope is
Explain how the waterfalls are
gentle and the river also slows down. Now it
useful.
does not have the force to carry heavy particles
and deposits them on its banks or on its bed. Collect the information about the
Sometimes when the river is in flood it has waterfalls in Andhra Pradesh.
greater force and cuts the soil (called silt) and Collect some of the pictures of
when it is not in flood it deposits silt. A layer of waterfalls.
sidement is thus deposited during each flood
gradually building up a fertile flood plain. This Do you know?
is how vast flood plains like the Ganga Plain or 1. Highest waterfall in the world is
the Krishna-Godavari plains were made. When Angel falls - height is 979 mts, on
the flood water comes again, the river bed may river Churun, in Venezuela.
have become too high as a result of the
2. Second highest waterfall in the
deposition. Then it changes its course and cuts
world is Tugela falls - height is 947
new path. This results in the river constantly
changing its course in a plain. In its flood plain mts - on river Tugela, in South
the river often forms meanders – gentle turns Africa.
like a snake (See fig. 2.8). Due to deposition 3. Highest waterfall in India is Jog fall
along the sides of the meander the ends of (or) Jerosoppa - height is 253 mts -
meander loop comes closer and closer. In due on river Sharavathi, in Karnataka.
course of time the meander loop cuts off from
the river and forms a cut off lake which is called
ox-bow lake.
Oxbow lakes
Fig. 2.7: Formation of flood plain

Fig. 2.8: Meanders
When a river reaches the sea, the fine material which has not yet dropped is
deposited at its mouth forming a delta. The word Delta is originated from the Greek
alphabet delta ( ).

Compare the action of the river in the mountains and in the plains in what ways
are they similar and different. How are the two related to each other?
Why is a flood plain more suited to human habitation compared to mountains?
What are the dangers of living on the flood plains?
Recall the life of people in any hills or flood plain you may have read of.
Work of Glaciers
Do you know?
In very cold regions like the Himalayas or
the Alps it snows heavily – they get snow fall The largest delta in the world is
instead of rainfall. This snow accumulates and Sunderbans. It is formed at the
hardens into ice. As it accumulates it flows mouths of rivers Ganga and
slowly down till it reaches warm area where Brahmaputra. The rivers Krishna
and Godavari together make two
the ice melts and a small river starts. This is
large deltas in Andhra Pradesh.
how the river Ganga is formed from Gangotri
Look for these on a map of India.
Glacier in the Himalayas. Slow moving of
mass of ice (a river of ice) is called Glacier. The movement of glacier is very slow
unlike water flow. The movement would be a few centimeters a day or even less
or more. Glaciers move basically because of the force of gravity.
A glacier erodes through a process called ‘plucking’ in which it lifts pieces of
rock and transports them. These pieces of rock and the moving ice together act
like a sandpaper on the surface of the rock over which they flow. Just as a sandpaper
removes small particles of the wood, the glacier acts as an abrasive and erodes the
bed rock. Through this dual process of
Fig. 2.9: Glacier
plucking and abrasion, glaciers create a U
shaped valley.
As the glacier melts and becomes water,
it does not have the force to carry the large
rocks which it leaves behind in the form of
huge rugged boulders. Smaller particles and
pebbles are left on the bed of the glacier. The
glacier brings with it small pebbles, cobbles,
sand etc. All this debris known as till is
acquired by the glacier from mountainous
slopes, side valley, floors etc. The till which
cannot be carried by a glacier is deposited at
various parts of the glacier. The deposition
of this till is called moraines.
Melting of glacier

Work of waves
The erosion and deposition by the sea waves
gives rise to coastal landforms. As sea waves
continuously strike at the rocks, cracks develop
in them over time. Gradually hollow like caves
are formed on the rocks. As these cavities
become bigger and bigger only the roof of the
caves remain thus forming ‘Sea Arches’. Further
erosion breaks the roof and only walls are left.
These walls like features are called stacks.
The steep rocky coast rising almost
vertically above sea water is called Sea cliff.
When sea cliffs weather further they form
rugged capes and bays. A cape is head land
cutting out into the sea. A bay is wide mouthed
recess in the line of the coast. The sea waves
deposit sediments along the shores forming Fig. 2.10: Coastal landforms
beaches etc.
Work of wind
In the previous section we saw the action of water on the lithosphere. In this
section we shall see the action of atmosphere – particularly the winds. Wind is a
dominant agent in the hot deserts. About 1/5th of the world’s land is made up of
deserts. Some are rocky, others are stony whereas others are sandy. Strong winds
carry sand and fine soil which strike the large rocks. These too act as abrasive
sandpaper and erode the hard rocks. The wind action creates a number of interesting
erosional and depositional features in the desert.
Mushroom Rock: Winds erode the lower section of the

rocks more than the upper part. Therefore such rocks have
narrower bottom and wider top. It looks like mushrooms.
So it is called mushroom rocks.
Fig. 2.12: Inselberg

Inselberg: The isolated residual hills rising abruptly from
the ground are called inselberg or Island Mountain. They
Fig. 2.11: are characterised by their very steep slopes and rather
Mushroom rock rounded tops
Sand Dunes: Due to weathering and persistent wind action, there is a large
accumulation of fine sand in many deserts. These form ‘sand dunes’. These are
unstable hills of sand which move with strong winds. They form a number of
shapes as they move and settle down.
The fine dust blown beyond the desert limit is deposited on neighbouring
lands. Usually this is yellow in colour and is very fertile. This soil is called ‘Loess’.
Loess is in fact fine loam, rich in lime, very coherent and extremely porous. The
plains formed by the deposition of loess are called Loess Plains.
Fig. 2.13: Various types of sand dunes in Sahara desert
Compare the Loess Plains with Delta. What

similarities and differences do you see between
them?
Action of Vegetation and Human beings

In this section we shall briefly examine the impact of biosphere on
Lithosphere. In what ways do you think vegetation – trees, plants and grass affect
rocks? They contribute to the weathering of rocks by driving roots into fine cracks
or holes in the rocks. They also enable water and moisture to enter into the rocks
which further enable weathering. On the other hand the plant or grass cover on
soils prevent easy denudation or
Can you discuss in the class how the transportation of soil by wind or water.
following human actions impact the
Human beings especially after the
lithosphere?
Industrial Revolution have had a major
i. Mining ii. Building cities with bricks
role in transforming the crust on which
and cement iii. Agriculture iv. Dams
we live.
CHAPTER
Hydrosphere
3
It has been raining for thousands of years. Did you ever doubt why the water in
seas and oceans never dried up? Less than 1% of water that reaches the earth is
useful to human beings. Can this water meet the necessities of all living beings?
To know the answers to all these questions let us read about the Hydrological
cycle.
Hydrological Cycle
Water is a cyclic renewable resource. It can be used and reused. Water
undergoes a cycle from oceans to land and then from land to the oceans. The
water cycle has been working for billions of years and all the life on earth depends
on it.
Hydrological cycle is the circulation of water in different forms i.e., the liquid,
solid and the gaseous phases. It also refers to the continuous exchange of water
between the oceans, atmosphere, land surface, sub surface and all organisms.
The hydrological cycle sometimes is expressed mathematically as
RF = RO + ET
Where RF (Rain Fall) includes all types of precipitation, RO is run off, ET is
Eavapo transpiration.
There are six stages of water cycle.
Evaporation Transportation Condensation
Precipitation Runoff Groundwater
Evaporation: Water is transferred from the surface to the atmosphere through
evaporation, the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas. The sun’s
heat provides energy to evaporate water from the earth’s surface. Land, lakes,
rivers and oceans send up a steady stream of water vapour. Plants also lose water
to the air through transpiration.
Transportation: The movement of water through the atmosphere specifically
from over the ocean to over land, in the form of clouds. Clouds are propelled
from one place to another by either upper air circulation, surface-based circulations
like land and sea breezes or other mechanisms.
Condensation: The transported water vapour eventually condenses, forming
tiny droplets and clouds.
Lakes
Rivers
Fig. 3.1: Hydrological cycle
Precipitation: The primary mechanism for transporting water from the

atmosphere to the surface of the earth is precipitation. When the clouds meet cool
air over land, precipitation in the form of rain, sleet or snow, is triggered and water
returns to the land (or sea).
Run off: Most of the water which returns to land flows down hills as run off.
Some of it penetrates and charges groundwater while the rest, as river flow, returns
to the oceans where it evaporates.
Groundwater: Under special
circumstances, groundwater can even flow Reservoir Percentage
upward in artesian wells. The flow of of the Total
groundwater is much slower than runoff. Oceans 97 . 25 %
The hydrological cycle is not a simple Icecaps and glaciers 2 . 05 %
circulation of water between ocean,
Groundwater 0 . 68 %
atmosphere and the land. There are a number
Lakes 0 . 01 %
of sub-cycles operating within it.
Soil moisture 0 . 005 %
Water Sources Atmosphere 0 . 001 %
97.25% of water is saline ocean waters Rivers 0 . 0001 %
and only 2.75% is fresh water. The greatest
Biosphere 0 . 00004 %
portion of the fresh water (68.7%) is in the
28 Social Studies Hydrosphere

form of ice and permanent snow cover in the Antarctica, the Arctic and in the
mountain regions, 29.9% exists as fresh ground waters. Only 0.26% of the total
amount of fresh water on the earth is concentrated in lakes, reservoirs and river
system, where it is most easily accessible for our economic needs and absolutely
vital for water ecosystems.
Oceans
Continents and oceans are the first order relief features of the earth. The huge
water bodies are called oceans. The geographers have divided the oceanic part of
the earth into five oceans namely The Pacific Ocean, The Atlantic Ocean, The Indian
Ocean, The Southern Ocean (Antarctic Ocean), and The Arctic Ocean.
The word ‘sea’ is often used interchangeably with ‘ocean’, but strictly speaking
a sea is a body of saline water, partly or fully enclosed by land.
The major oceanic divisions are defined in part by the continents, various
archipelagoes and other criteria. See the table below for more information; note
that the table is descending order in terms of size.
Rank Ocean Notes
1 The Pacific ocean Separates Asia and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea together) from the Americas.
2 The Atlantic ocean Separates the America from Europe and Africa.
3 The Indian ocean Washes upon Southern Asia and separates Africa and Australia.
4 The Antarctic ocean Sometimes considered an extension of the Pacific, Atlantic and
(Southern ocean) Indian oceans which encircles Australia.
5 The Arctic ocean Sometimes considered a sea of the Atlantic, which covers much
of the Arctic and washes upon North America and Eurasia.
Do You Know? Formal oceanographic investigation

Millions of years ago oceans were began only with the British expedition of
combined together? The single super Challenger, the first successful world wide
ocean was known as ‘panthalsa’. deep-sea expedition.
Relief of the Ocean

The ocean basins are in many ways similar to the land surface. There are
submarine ridges, plateaus, canyons and terraces found within oceans. Ocean floor
is divided into four parts.
1) Continental Shelf: The continental shelf with depth up to 200 mts
occupies about 7.6% of the ocean area. It is the border zone between land and sea.
The largest continental shelf is Siberian shelf in the Arctic Ocean, stretching to
1,500 kms in width.

Continental Shelf is important because:
Fish wealth is more in this region.
Rock petroleum, natural gas are found here.
Building seaport is possible here.
Continental Shelf
Continental Slope
Deep Sea Plain
Submarine Canyon
Mid Oceanic Ridge
Guyots
Oceanic Trenchs
Fig 3.2: Ocean floor
2) Continental Slope: The Continental slope is spread from 200 mts to 3,000
mts depth, with complex relief. It comprises of 15% of the ocean area. The
continental slope boundary indicates the continents. Submarine canyons are
observed in this region. These are formed by erosion process of glaciers and rivers.
3) Deep Sea plain (or) Abyssal Plain: Deep sea plains are gently sloping
areas of the ocean basins. These are the flattest and smoothest regions of the world.
The depths vary between 3000-6000 mts. It covers about 76.2% of the ocean basin.
4) Oceanic deeps (or) Trenches: These are the large narrow trenches that
plunge as great ocean deeps to a
depth of 6,000 mts. Contrary to our Do You Know?
expectations, most of the deepest Isobaths – A line joining points on
trenches are not located in the midst the sea bed at an equal vertical
of oceans. They are found more distance beneath the surface.
close to the continents. That is why Sometimes referred to as depth
they are very significant in the study contours.
of plate movements. As many as 57
deeps have been explored so far.
Do you know major ocean trenches?
Sl. No Name of the trench Ocean Depth (mts)
1 Challenger (or) Mariana The Pacific Ocean 11,022
2 Puertorico (or) Naves The Atlantic Ocean 10,475
3 Java The Indian Ocean 7,450

Salinity of the Ocean
Did you ever take food without salt? Was it tasty? Did early human beings use
salt in their food? Where is salt available other than ocean? Is salt used just for
taste or for any other reasons? Is water salty in your village tank? Then why is
ocean water salty? Do you know that taking salt as basis Mahatma Gandhi had lead
civil disobedience movement (or) Dandi march which was one of the biggest
freedom movements?
Did you ever wonder why the oceans are filled with salt water instead of fresh
water? Just where did the salt come from and is it the same salt you find in the
dining room table? Most of the salt in the oceans come from land. Over millions
of years rain, rivers and streams have washed over rocks containing the compound
Sodium Chloride (NaCl), and carried into the sea. You may know Sodium Chloride
by its common name table salt. Some of the salt in the oceans come from under
sea volcanoes and hydro thermal vents. When water evaporates from the surface
of the ocean, the salt is left behind. After millions of years the oceans have developed
a noticeably salty water.
Salinity is the term used
to define the total content of
dissolved salts in sea water.
It is calculated as the amount
of salt (in grams) dissolved
in 1,000 gms of sea water. It
is usually expressed as parts
per thousand (%0) or PPT.
Generally speaking the
average salinity of the oceans
is 35%0 or about 35 parts of
salt in 1,000 parts of water.
All sea water contains large
amounts of dissolved
mineral matter of which
Sodium Chloride or common
salt alone constitutes 77.8%.
Do You Know?
River water contains 2%0
of sodium chloride.
Fig. 3.3: Water Salinity
Factors affecting salinity in surface layers of Ocean:
1. Evaporation and precipitation.
2. In coastal regions by the fresh water flow from rivers and in Polar regions by
the process of freezing and thawing of ice.
3. Winds by transferring water to other areas.
4. The ocean currents.
Do You Know?
Highest Salinity in Water bodies Lowest Salinity in Water bodies
1) Lake Van – Turkey – 330%0 1) Baltic Sea – 3-15%0
2) Dead Sea – Israel – 238%0 2) Hudson Bay – 3-15%0
3) Great Salt lake – USA – 220%0
Give the reasons for the low

Isohaline: A line joining the points in the
salinity of Baltic sea.
ocean having the same degree of salinity.
Ocean Temperature
When compared to land the temperature in oceans does not show much variation.
But these little variations show great impact. For example, the activeness of South
West monsoon in India is affected by ‘El Nino’ and ‘La Nino’. These are the effects
caused by the changes of temperature in The Pacific Ocean. The ocean temperature
is influenced by latitudes, winds, ocean currents, unequal distribution of land and
change of seasons.
Normally, the temperature in the
Do You Know?
oceans varies from – 20C to 290C.
Can you imagine why the temperature Highest temperature is recorded in Inland Seas.
does not go beyond above limits? The temperature is highest in Red Sea i.e., 380C.
Vertical Distribution of
Temperature: As one goes deep inside the oceans, the temperature decreases.
The fall in temperature is very steep for the first kilometre. After that there is a
steady decline upto a depth of 5 kilometres. Below that the temperature is steady
at about 20C.
Ocean Currents
The ocean current is the general movement of a mass of water in a fairly defined
direction over great distance. The ocean currents are sometimes called ocean rivers.
Ocean currents may be classified, based on temperature, as cold currents and warm
currents.

Generally warm currents flow towards the poles, cold currents flow towards
the Equator. Ocean currents are classified as stream and drift based on speed. The
ocean water current which flows speedily is called a stream and that which flows
slowly is called a drift.Ocean currents are caused by following factors.
1. Centrifugal Force: The Centrifugal force at the equator is greater than that
at the poles because the great circles at the time of revolution coincide with the
equator. The variation of these forces make the equatorial water to move towards
the poles.
2. Effect of Winds: The stresses due to wind and the wind movement modifies
the theoretical direction of currents. Due to the frictional gliding of winds water is
dragged along the wind direction. Thus a 50 miles per hour wind will produce a
current whose velocity is 0.75 miles per hour.
3. Precipitation: The equatorial areas receive the greatest rainfall hence the
sea level is higher. As a result water moves north and south from the equator.
4. Solar Energy: Heating by solar energy causes the water to expand. That is
why, the ocean water is about 8 cm higher in level near the equator than in the
middle latitudes. This causes a very slight gradient and water tends to flow down the
slope.
Salinity, density differences, melting of ice also affect the ocean currents.
Ocean as a Resource
Most life on earth is under the water. Human being still have not finished
identifying all different forms of life in oceans. Human beings have depended on
oceans for their food and livelihood from the ancient times. Oceans provided
abundant food resources like fish and salt. We also use the sand, gravel etc. for our
industries or housing. Humans extract minerals like chlorine, fluorine, iodine from
it. Ocean waves are used for generating power. Ocean floor is mined for oils. Oceans
also provide with gems and
pearls. For centuries we have
created our civilisations on
its shores and traded across
each other travelling over
them.
Yet today Oceans have
also fallen victim to our
exploitation. Many large fish
likes whales have been
disappearing. Oceans have
also become dumping ground
for our plastic and other
Fig. 3.4: Petroleum drilling at Bombay High forms waste.

Do You Know?
Access of Pure Water
68.7% Ice and snow
29.9% Underground water
1.4% Rivers, lakes and reservioers
100.0% Total
Key words
1. Stream 2. Drift 3. Ocean currents 4. Transpiration

1. Find the odd one out and give explanation for your choice.
a) evaporation b) condensation c) salination d) precipitation
a) tectonics b) centrifugal force c) solar energy d) precipitation
2. Correct the false statements.
a) Oceans trenches can be located near the continents
b) Relief features of the oceans are like plains
c) Most salt in the seas are washed into it from the land over centruries
d) Temperature of ocean water remains the same across the globe
3. Describe any one impact of ocean currents for the region you live.
4. Do you think description of blue planet is accurate? Describe anyone way your
activity impacts its oceans.
Project
Prepare a list of currents which are found in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Identify the cold currents in different oceans.
The Pacific Ocean The Atlantic Ocean The Indian Ocean
Warm Cold Warm Cold Warm Cold
currents currents currents currents currents currents

CHAPTER
4 Atmosphere
In the previous chapters you read about Lithosphere, Hydrosphere. In this

chapter we will read about Atmosphere.
We breathe in air with oxygen. We can’t live without it. When we breathe out
we give out carbon dioxide. Also atmosphere makes life possible due to other
reasons too. For example, it prevents harmful rays of the sun from reaching us.
Green plants take in carbon dioxide, use sunlight and water to photosynthesise,
and we end up getting delicious fruits, vegetable, grains etc. from them. These
give us proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, fats, minerals, and other nutrients that
we need to live. It is the atmospheric winds, which transport water from the
oceans deep into the continents in the form of rain. Without this, many rocks
would not erode. This means we would not have many kinds of soils. So, we
would not be able to grow different kinds of crops.
We couldn’t enjoy the cooling monsoon rains, the scents of fragrant flowers,
and the sounds of music without the atmosphere to help us. We can’t fly the
beautiful kites. Birds can’t fly or soar in the sky. Flags would not flutter.
So, what is this wonderful and awesome thing called the atmosphere?
Fig. 4.1: A picture of Earth taken from about 322 km above the Earth. The
atmosphere is that thin blue band between Earth and the black colour of space
36 Social Studies Atmosphere

The atmosphere is a sea of gases surrounding Earth. In a sense, we are all
swimming in a sea of gases (just as fishes are swimming in a sea of water). When
we compare the size of Earth, the atmosphere is a very thin blanket surrounding
Earth. The atmosphere is about 1,000 kms thick. The space agency of the USA,
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) gives this description:
if Earth is the size of a basketball, the atmosphere would be like a thin sheet of
plastic wrapped around it.
What will happen if water vapour is not Being composed of gases, the
present in air? atmosphere exhibits all the properties of
gases – it compresses and expands and it
Our skin dries up more during winter. has no shape. (Gas can be stuffed more and
Why? more into a small space like you do it in
your cycle tube – this is compression of gas.) There are many gases in the
atmosphere, but oxygen (about 21% by volume) and nitrogen (about 78% by volume)
dominate. Other gases are in very small percentages; these include, argon, neon,
carbon dioxide (about 0.03% by volume), methane, ammonia, ozone etc.
Water vapour accounts for about 0.4% by volume over the whole atmosphere,
but most of it is close to the surface (within about 6 km above Earth). Yes, water
vapour is a gas! No, the clouds that you see in the sky are not water vapour, they are
water droplets.
Apart from these gases, the atmosphere also has fine dust particles; these are
called particulates. Particulates may come from natural processes (for example:
sand storms over deserts and natural forest fires) and from human activity (for
example: burning forests, burning petroleum, and industrial emissions).
These particulates can change atmospheric conditions that may be beneficial
to life on Earth. Have you ever seen a beautiful, bright orange sunrise or sunset?
particulates in the atmosphere cause that bright colour! And that rainfall you love
to play in? The hail stones you love to
List out some of the ways in which
collect and eat? The particulates make these
particulates in the atmosphere are also possible. The particulates also can
beneficial to us and harmful to us. cause problems by altering temperature and
Why is atmosphere important for us? rainfall patterns. For example: they can
Can you imagine why life is not make it difficult for people to breathe, they
possible on the Moon? can settle on leaves and make it difficult
for plants to breathe and photosynthesise.
Structure of the Atmosphere

Just like the interior of the earth in arranged as layers, atmosphere too is
arranged into various layers, having different compositions. Can you imagine the
layers? It is not an easy job to study about the structure of the atmosphere which is

very windily spread. Scientists are finding about it through air balloons, satellites
etc. On the basis of chemical composition the atmosphere is divided into two broad
layers:
1) Homosphere
2) Heterosphere
Homosphere: The homosphere extends up to a height of 90 kms. It consists
of three layers. Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere. It is characterised by
uniformity in composition of gases like nitrogen, oxygen, argan and carbondioxide.
Heterosphere: The layer above 90 kms of the atmosphere is called
heterosphere. It has a heterogenous composition and hence the name heterosphere.
It has two layers called Thermosphere and Exosphere.
Atmosphere can also be divided into various layers based on density and
temperature.
Fig. 4.2: Structure of the atmosphere
1. Troposphere: The troposphere is the lower most layers of the atmosphere.

Its average height is 13 kms and extends roughly to a height of 8kms near the poles
and about 18 kms at the equator. Thickness of the troposphere is greatest at the
equator because heat is transported to great heights, by strong convectional currents.
It contains about 75% of the total gaseous mass of the atmosphere and
practically all the moisture and dust particles. The entire weather phenomenon
happens in this sphere. The temperature in this layer decrease as we go higher
which is called as Normal Lapse Rate. Condensation, evaporation, precipitation,
rainfall, cyclones etc. occur in this layer.
2. Stratosphere: This layer extends up to a height of 50 kms. This layer is
almost free from clouds and associated weather phenomenon, making conditions
most ideal for flying jet aircrafts. One important feature of stratosphere is that it
contains ozone layer. The temperature increases as there is increase in altitude.
3. Mesosphere: It extends up to a height of 80 kms. Meteorites burn up in this
layer on entering from the space. Temperature starts decreasing with the increase
in altitude.
4. Thermosphere: It extends up to 400 kms. In thermosphere, temperature
rises rapidly with increase in height. It contains electrically charged particles known
as ions. Radio waves transmitted
In which layer is the life present? from the earth are reflected back to
the earth by these ions. It is also
About which layer do we have very less
called as Ionosphere.
knowledge?
5. Exosphere: It is the upper
Which layer of the atmosphere is ideal for most layer of the atmosphere. This
flying jet aircrafts? Why? is the highest layer and very little is
known about it.
Pressure Belts and Planetary Winds

Air Pressure: The air around us is composed of gas molecules (very tiny
particles). These molecules are constantly pushing each other or any object that
comes their way. This push affect them exert together on any object is described
as Air Pressure. Thus air exerts pressure not only from the top but also from the
bottom and the sides of an object if it is exposed to air on those sides.
The pressure of air increases if there are more molecules present – so more
of them will be exerting push. This usually happens on the surface of the earth – as
the earth pulls most of the air molecules to its surface due to its gravitational pull.
However, this changes when the air is heated up. When gas molecules are heated
up (usually due to the heating of the Earth’s surface) they get a lot of energy and
start moving very fast. This initially would mean an increase in pressure as they
will be pushing the object more. However, the energised molecules start flying off
higher and higher. Remember they have more energy now to defy the pull of the
earth! When more molecules go to higher reaches of the atmosphere, the place
near the earth has less of them – this means less pushing around or less pressure.

That is why geographers say that when it gets hot, the air pressure becomes low
and when it becomes cool, air pressure increases. In simpler terms: if one increases,
the other decreases – this is called an inverse relationship.
When heated air rises, it starts losing the energy (in the form of heat) that it got
from Earth’s surface. When the energy decreases, the molecules slow down,
become more sluggish, and get closer to each other – air becomes cooler and
denser. Dense air starts falling back towards Earth’s surface due to gravity. They
don’t have enough energy to fight gravity any more! Wherever this cool air descends,
air pressure increases.
That is not all. When any part of the earth heats up and causes low pressure, it
means that there is more vacant space and less molecules. Now air from other
parts where the pressure is higher moves towards this vacant place. It is not difficult
for them for they have to only move along the earth’s surface and thus need not go
too much against gravity. That is why we say that wind flows from high pressure
areas to low pressure areas.
Pressure Belts
The Earth’s surface does not heat uniformly. Land heats up faster than sea.
Land deep inland heats up faster than land near the sea. So the air above the land
gets heated more quickly. Water takes more time to heat. So the air above water
gets heated more slowly.
However, when it comes to cooling, land cools faster and water cools down
slower in comparison to each other. So the heating and cooling is happening at
different rates in different places. Therefore, the pressures are also varying from
place to place.
There’s even more! You have learned the relationship between latitudes and
seasons. You learned that the tropical latitudes receive the most intense amount of
solar radiation are hotter than temperate or polar latitudes that receive less intense
solar radiation. Hence, the tropics are hotter than the rest of the world. So, with
temperature variation there is pressure variation around the world.
Just as water moves from a higher place to a lower place and heat moves from
warmer objects to cooler objects, air moves from areas of higher pressure to areas
of lower pressure. When air moves like that, we call it wind.
If it moves at a slow pace and we feel comfortable in it, we call it a breeze. If
the wind comes in a short and fast burst, we call it gust. If it moves very fast and
blows things around, we call it storm. Along the Andhra Pradesh coast, we experience
cyclones which are very high-speed winds.
Winds are moving all over the world. At the equator, the high temperature heats
up the atmosphere and the hot air rises, creating lower pressure at the Earth’s surface
around the equator. This low-pressure belt (it is like a belt around Earth!) is called

equatorial low pressure belt or the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (shortened to
‘ITCZ’). As this air rises, it cools and starts descending. But it cannot come back in
the same path that it took when it went up. As it reaches the upper heights of the
atmosphere, the air spreads away from the equatorial region towards northern and
southern hemisphere. As it spreads, it also starts descending – it is cooler, denser,
and so starts to sink back to Earth. Where it descends, we find the pressure is
higher is called sub tropical high pressure belt.
Having come down, as the air hits Earth’s surface it splits into two parts -- one
part again rushes towards the equatorial lower pressure area. When they get there,
they get heated again and rise. Thus, the equatorial cycling of wind continues.
The other part is pushed towards the next higher latitudes where the pressure is
lower. Just for reference here, let us call these winds “A.” (Remember, “A” is not
an official name for these winds, we are using it just for convenience here.)
Fig. 4.3:Pressure Belts and Planetary winds

The air in the areas of the north pole and south pole are so cold that the air
there is at higher pressure (polar high pressure belt) than in the area of latitudes
along the Arctic Circle (in the north) and the Antarctic Circle (in the south) (sub
polar low pressure belt). So, the polar winds rush towards these lower pressure
areas. There, they meet the “A” winds.
Fig. 4.4: Diagram showing Coriolis effect
Normally we would have expected the winds to move in a straight line from
north to south, or south to north from the temperate zone to the tropic zone.
(remember that temperate zones are there both to the south and north of the Equator.)
But actually the winds move slightly to the right (towards east) in the northern
hemisphere and to the left (towards the west) in the southern hemisphere. This is
because of the impact of Earth’s rotation on its own axis. This effect is called
Coriolis effect, having ‘0’ effect near the equator and maximum effect near the
poles.
Thus, the atmosphere is always in circulation all around the world. The winds
play a very important role in the weather and climate patterns around the world.
They have also played a very important role in history. For example, Vasco da Gama
found the sea route to India using winds to power his ships. He was able to transport
and trade large quantities of pepper, cinnamon etc. to Portugal because of this. In
this way, these winds also were crucial to the establishment of the Portuguese rule
over Goa.

Remember, there are also many small local variations in the wind patterns.
Classification of Winds
Depending upon the wind speed, their features, their directions, the way they
occur, winds are classified into three types.
A. Planetary winds - Occuring on the planet as a whole through out the year.
B. Seasonal winds - Restricted to regions or seasonal in character.
C. Local winds - Local in character.
A. Planetary Winds: The winds that blow continuously and regularly above
the world pressure belts are known as planetary winds. These are of 3 types -Trade
winds, Westerlies and Polar winds. Trade winds in the tropics, westerlies in the
temperate belt, polar winds in the polar belt. Trade winds are Easterly in direction
i.e moving from East to West. They are
Observe the figure 4.3 and describe from North East trades in Northern
which pressure belt to which pressure hemisphere and South East trades in
belt are the Westerlies, trade winds and Southern hemisphere. Westerlies, on
polar Easterlies are blowing. the other hand blow from West to East,
that’s why they are called westerlies.
They are South West in Northern hemisphere and North West in Southern
hemisphere. Polar regions experience once again Easterlies.
Effects of Planetary Winds: You would have noted that the pressure and wind
systems are actually the impact of Lithosphere and Hydrosphere on Atmosphere.
These winds play a crucial role of transporting heat and moisture across the world.
That is why no part of the world gets too cold or too hot for life to survive. Had
there been no atmosphere (as on the Moon) it would have got intolerably hot in day
time or in the tropics and intolerably cold in night or in the Polar regions. However,
these winds do not distribute heat or moisture uniformly – which is why we have
some parts of the earth quite hot and some parts cooler and some parts with high
rainfall and some which are deserts.
B. Seasonal Winds: The rainfall which occurs in India is mainly due to seasonal
winds. All factors in the country are related to monsoons. Monsoon is derived
from Arabic word Mausam.
Existence of monsoon is due to differential cooling of land and sea. Summer
monsoon develops over north-western India, while south-east trades cross the
equator. As a result of coriolis effect, it becomes south west monsoon over
peninsular India and adjacent countries. In winter reversal of pressure belts i.e
north-east trade winds cross the equator. As a result of coriolis effect it becomes
north-west monsoon over the north, north-east Australia.
C. Local Winds: The local winds blow due to local variation in the temperature
and pressure, and influence a very small area. Hot local winds raise the temperature

of the area. Cold local winds sometimes bring the temperature of the affected area
below the freezing points. These local winds blow in the lower layer of the
troposphere. The mountain and the valley breezes, as well as sea and land breezes
are also one class of local winds. These winds respond to local pressure gradients
(pressure changes) set up by heating or cooling of the lower atmosphere.
Hot Local Winds
1. Chinook : These winds move down the Rocky mountains in the USA-Canada and part
of North America. Many people believe that the word Chinook means “snow eater”.
Fig. 4.5: Chinook
Actually it is the name of a native American tribe, called the Chinook, people who lived
in the region where these winds are observed. It keeps the grass lands clear from snow
during much of the winter. Similar winds that occur in Europe are called Foehn. They
blow along the northern slope of the Alps. It melts the snow, makes the weather pleas-
ant and helps in early ripening of the grapes.
2. Loo: These are hot and dry winds blowing in the plains of northern India from the
west to east in the months of May and June. It may cause sunstroke to people because
of high temperature.
Simmon in Arabian desert, Yoma in Japan, Norwester in New Zealand are some of
the other examples of hot winds.
Cold Local Winds
1. Mistral: The most famous is the mistral that blows from the Alps over France to-
wards the Mediterranean Sea. It is channeled through the Rhome Valley. It is very cold
and dry wind.

2. Puna: This is the cold local wind in the Andes region.
3. Pampero: These are the cold polar winds blowing very fast in the pampas
region of South America.
Weather and Climate

Perhaps you have heard of a cricket match being postponed due to ‘bad’ weather
(rain). You may have had to postpone your own games due to rain or excessive heat
saying, “The weather is not suitable.”
You may have also heard people say, “This year, the monsoons are on time.”
The prices of most fruits go up when they are ‘not in season’ but come down when
they are ‘in season.’ You may also have heard things like, “The climate in north
India is not suitable for me!”
These two words, weather and climate are very important concepts in geography.
They shape our lives in many ways. And many people confuse the terms and say
‘weather’ when they mean ‘climate’ and vice versa. You will know the difference by
the end of this section.
This mixture of gases and particulates that we call the ‘atmosphere’ is not sitting
still. It is very dynamic; it moves up and down and horizontally in all directions. As
it does this, its characteristics change – it may get warmer or cooler, wet or drier
etc. When we describe the condition of the atmosphere for small period of time
(usually about 10 days at most). Weather can change daily; even within a day!
Climate is a description of the average atmospheric conditions for areas over
a long period of time. Climatic descriptions are based on decades of atmospheric
data and finding the averages of them. Climate descriptions tell us what conditions
are for a given time of year, but not on specific days.
How do we describe the atmosphere? We use (a) temperature, (b) pressure,
(c) wind, (d) humidity, and (e) precipitation. These are called the elements of
weather. We use these to describe climate also, as you will see soon; so these are
also elements of climate. You have just learned about pressures and winds above.
Let us take a look at the o ther elements now.
Temperature: In class VIII you learned about the temperature of the
atmosphere. There, you compared temperature patterns for Panaji, Shimla, and
Delhi. You also learned that Shimla, being at a higher altitude than Panaji and
Delhi, had cooler temperatures. On Earth’s surface, as you go higher in altitude,
the temperatures decrease.
Humidity and Precipitation
In this section we will see how water cycle works in the atmosphere. You can
see how hydrosphere and atmosphere interact with each other. Water vapour is a

very important component in the atmosphere. In most places, amount of water
vapour in the atmosphere varies over time and as part of changing weather patterns.
In many places, in winter, it is dry and cold. In such places, our skin may feel itchy,
dry, and it may crack. You will probably have experienced cracked lips for which
you may have used lip balm, vaseline, or oil of some kind.
Combined with high temperature, it is water vapour that causes you to feel
sultry and sweaty. When this happens we say it is ‘very humid’ or ‘the humidity is
high.’ But not all places are similar in this respect. Some places feel very dry
(example: deserts). The moisture (water vapour) in the atmosphere is derived from
water bodies through evaporation and from
plants through transpiration. Humidity is the Do You Know?
amount of water vapour in the air. In high
Hygrometer is an Instrument that
humidity, our sweat doesn’t cool us because it
measures the water vapour content
cannot evaporate. In low humidity, we also feel
(Humidity) of the air.
more thirsty.
Remember those particulates you learned about earlier? Recall how they help
in rainfall.
We express humidity not directly, but using the concept of relative humidity.
Relative humidity is the ratio between two things:
1. The maximum water vapour that the air can hold at a given temperature and
pressure, and
2. The actual amount of water vapour it holds at any given time.
For example, at 20oC temperature air can contain 80 gms of water vapour per
cubic meter. If the actual water vapour present is only 40 gms, the relative humidity
is 50%. Relative humidity increases with decrease of temperature or addition of
water vapour. Relative humidity decreases with increase of temperatures and
decrease of water vapour. The critical temperature at which saturation level reached
is called dew point. Have you seen dew drops? Where are they found? If the
atmosphere has 100% relative humidity, it is known as saturation level.
Condensation
Condensation is the opposite of evaporation, as it involves conversion of water
vapour into droplets of water or crystal of ice. When the relative humidity exceeds
100%, the excess of water vapour present in the atmosphere gets condensed as
minute droplets of water. For example when air at a temperature of 20oC contains
49 gms of water vapour per cubic meter and gets cooled to 10oC it can hold only
40 gms of water vapour at saturation level. The excess of 9 gms of water vapour

gets condensed. Condensation can take place only when minute solid particles are
present in the atmosphere. Condensation can also take place on a contact surface.
For example, did you observe what happens when cold water is filled in a glass?
Condensation occurs on the outer side of the glass, as moisture in the air is getting
in contact with a cold surface. When water vapour condenses on surfaces such as
plants, we get dew.
The dust particles attract water molecules from the water vapour in the
atmosphere. This causes condensation (condensation means becoming denser) of
the vapour into droplets. Millions and millions of these droplets, together, appear
as different kinds of clouds. If the clouds are cold enough, they may also contain
ice crystals. Clouds are classified into different types on the basis of their forms
and heights at which they are found. For example, Cirrus clouds (at higher level),
cumulus clouds (at middle level), stratus (at lower level), nimbus (rain bearing,
and vertical clouds).
With condensation, the droplets get heavy and fall to Earth as precipitation
(from the Latin praecipitatio meaning to fall headlong, to plummet) – in the form
of rain, snow, hail, etc. If these droplets condense very close to Earth’s surface,
the droplets are lighter and we get fog.
Forms of Precipitation
Rainfall is the most common form of precipitation. When condensation takes
place at temperature below freezing point, water vapour condenses directly into
ice crystals. These may fall down on the earth as powdery mass or flakes of snow.
This form of precipitation is called snowfall. Snowfall is quite common in middle
and high latitudes, and mountain regions.
When rain falls through a cold layer of air near the earth’s surface, rain drops
get frozen into ice and fall down. This form of precipitation is called sleet.
When there are strong vertical currents in the atmosphere, condensation takes
place at high altitudes at low temperature. Ice crystals grow in size gradually but
do not fall down owing to ascending currents. Eventually, the ice crystals grow to
large size of a few centimeters in diameter and fall down as solid masses. This
form of precipitation is called hail stone. Hail stone causes damage to crops and
buildings.
Types of Rainfall
On the basis of origin, rainfall may be classified into three main types:
1) Convectional Rainfall
2) Orographic Rainfall
3) Cyclonic Rainfall
Convectional Rainfall: This type of rainfall occurs when moist air over the
heated ground becomes warmer than the surrounding air and is forced to rise,
expand, cool and yield some of its moisture. Convectional rainfall is common in
low latitudes and on summer days in interior part of the continents, and usually
come in the form of short heavy showers just after the hottest part of the day,
sometimes accompanied by thunder and lightening.
Fig. 4.6: Conventional rainfall
Orographic Rainfall: ‘Orographic’ rainfall is also sometimes called

‘orogenic’ rainfall. We get this term from the Greek oros, meaning ‘mountain.’
This occurs when moist wind is forced to rise over mountain or other elevation in
its path. Thus the windward sides of many mountain ranges receive heavy
precipitation; whereas the leeward sides along which the air moves down receives
less rain fall. Such situation occurs widely along the western coast of India.
The moist air from the Arabian Sea is forced by the Western Ghats to rise up
resulting in expansion, cooling, and rainfall. On the other side of the Western
Ghats, the descending wind is devoid of moisture and hence, does not give the rain
in the central part of Deccan Plateau. Hence this region is dry and is known as
rain-shadow region.

Fig. 4.7: Orographic Rainfall
Cyclonic rainfall: This type of rainfall is associated with the passage of a

cyclone or a depression. There are two types of cyclones – the tropical cyclones
and the temperate cyclones. The term cyclone is derived from the Greek word
‘kyklon’, meaning ‘revolving.’
Tropical cyclones are warm-core vortex circulation of tropical origin with a
small diameter (some hundreds of kilometers) often of an approximately circular
shape, minimum surface pressure (less than 900 mb) with sustained maximum
winds of at least 33m/sec.
They are developed on the
warm sea surface (26oC to
27oC) and move towards the
land. The winds are lifted up
by the moving of cyclones.
The uplifted air gives heavy
rainfall. Temperate cyclones
occur when the cold, dry,
denser air masses converge
with warm, wet, lighter air
masses. The warmer air, being
lighter, is lifted up by the
denser cold air and it results
in the rainfall.
Fig. 4.8: Tropical Cyclone

Rainfall across the globe:
1. Between the latitudes 10o and 30o N and S of the equator, due to the trade
winds, rainfall is heavier on the eastern coasts, and decreases towards the
west.
2. Between the latitudes 40o and 60o N and S of the equator due to the westerlies,
the rainfall is heavy on the west coast, and decreases towards the East.
3. Low pressure areas especially around the equator, receive high rainfall than
high pressure areas.
4. The rainfall is more over the oceans than on the continent.
Key words
1. Convectional currents 2. Inter Tropical Convergence Zone.
3. Coriolis effects 4. Relative humidity
5. Leeward side 6. Tropical Cyclones

1. Explain the composition of the atmosphere.
2. Discuss the structure of the atmosphere with a diagram.
3. Differentiate weather and climate.
4. Compare and contrast convectional and orographic rainfall.
5. Describe distribution of world rainfall.
6. How do the climatic changes influence the human life?
7. Explain relative humidity?
8. Why does the amount of water vapour decrease rapidly with altitude?
9. What is coriolis force? And explain its effects.
10. Identify the given local winds in the world map?
a) Chinook b) Loo c) Simoon d) Yoma
e) Norwester f) Mistral g) Puna h) Pampero
Project
1. Collect weather information over media such as newspapers, TV, Radio etc. for
understanding weather phenomenon.
2. Collect through the newspapers from July to December and note the news about
extreme rainfall in different parts of country.

CHAPTER
Biosphere
5
The Earth is a unique planet, in that it has life thriving on it. It is inhabited by
countless forms of life from microscopic bacteria to great banyan trees and animals
like elephants, tigers and blue whales and of course human beings. The fact that the
earth has a combination of land, air and water, and a moderate temperature due to a
moderate distance from the Sun, has made life possible on it. We saw in an earlier
lesson that life thrives only in the intersection of the three spheres – lithosphere,
atmosphere and hydrosphere. According to many geographers, life itself constitutes
a separate sphere called ‘biosphere’.
All forms of life have an integral connection with the land, air, water and sunshine
around them. They draw their sustenance from them and in turn affect them in
significant ways.
Various forms of life are not only related to the three spheres around them, but
also to each other. They are part of a complex ‘food chain’ – that is one kind of life
becomes the food for another kind.
Many of the life forms also are
Can you say how plants are dependent symbiotic, that is they live by exchanging
upon air and water and how they affect essential substances with each other.
the two in return? Let us consider some examples:
In what ways are insects like mosquitoes The primary food producers are the
and butterflies dependent upon rocks or plants which produce food with the help
soil and upon water? How do they affect of sunlight. The plants themselves draw
them in return? their vital nutrients from the soil,
especially from organic compounds
formed due to decay of other plants and animals. They also depend upon nitrogen
stored in the soil by bacteria. The food produced by the plants are eaten by animals,
usually called ‘herbivores’ or plant eating animals like deer, cattle, goats, elephants
etc. Living beings like dogs, cats, fishes, birds, tigers etc. eat the flesh of herbivorous
animals and in this way are indirectly dependent upon plants. Bacteria and fungi
help in decomposition of dead trees and animals and breaking them down into
organic compounds which the plants draw upon for their growth. Thus the cycle of
life goes on.
Any disturbance in this cycle can create what is called an ‘ecological crisis’.
For example if a particular species which feeds upon a particular kind of plant is

exterminated, it would result in unchecked growth of that plant. It may grow so
much that it may intrude into the area of other plants and stop them from growing.
Another example of disturbance is mixing of some poisonous substances in
air or water or soil. Many industries use chemicals and metals which they allow to
flow into the streams and rivers. This leads to a large increase in the levels of such
chemicals in the water. These metals like mercury are consumed by microorganisms
in water and in turn become the food of a large number of fishes. When human
beings consume these fishes they too absorb quantities of mercury that are
detrimental to their health.
Let us look at another example. Vultures feed upon dead animals like cattle.
Vultures eating dead carcass used to be a common sight in villages and towns some
twenty years ago. However, people started noticing that vultures have virtually
disappeared and are sighted very rarely. Investigations suggest that farmers use a
particular chemical called Diclofenac to treat cattle. When the cattle die their
flesh retains this chemical. When their flesh is consumed by vultures, diclofenac
leads to kidney failure in them and they die within a week or so. In this way vultures
have come very close to extinction.
Since all living and non-living things on the earth are in one way or the other
connected to each other, changes affecting one, in due time affects all others too.
Natural Vegetation
Natural vegetation is generally classified into three broad categories: forests
in areas of sufficient rainfall and sunshine; grasslands in regions of moderate rains;
and shrubs in dry regions. In very cold regions we have tundra vegetation consisting
of small shrubs, moss and lichens. Let us study some of these in greater detail.
As you may remember, there are different kinds of forests, depending upon
climate of the place.
Tropical Evergreen Forests
These forests are also called tropical rainforests. These thick forests occur in
the regions near the equator and close
to the tropics. These regions are hot
and receive heavy rainfall throughout
the year. As there is no particular dry
season, the trees do not shed their
leaves altogether. This is the reason
they are called evergreen. The thick
canopies of the closely spaced trees
do not allow the sunlight to penetrate
inside the forest even in the day time.
Hard wood trees like rosewood,
ebony, mahogany are common here. Fig. 5.1: Tropical Evergreen Forests
52 Social Studies Biosphere

Tropical Deciduous Forests
Tropical deciduous are the
monsoon forests found in the
large parts of India, northern
Australia and in central America
(Fig. 5.2).These regions
experience seasonal changes.
Trees shed their leaves in the dry
season to conserve water. The hard
wood trees found in these forests
are sal, teak, neem and shisham.
Hard wood trees are extremely
useful for making furniture,
Fig. 5.2: Tropical Deciduous Forests transport and constructional
materials. Tigers, lions, elephants,
langoors and monkeys are the common animals of these regions.
Temperate Evergreen Forests
The temperate evergreen forests are
located in the mid latitudinal coastal region
(Fig. 5.3). They are commonly found along
the eastern margin of the continents, for
example in South East USA, South China and
in South East Brazil. They comprise both hard
and soft wood trees like oak, pine, eucalyptus
etc.
Fig. 5.3: Temperate

Evergreen Forests
Temperate Deciduous Forests
As we go towards higher latitudes, there
are more temperate deciduous forests (Fig.
5.4). These are found in the North Eastern
part of USA, China, New Zealand, Chile and
also in the coastal regions of Western
Europe. They shed their leaves in the dry
season. The common trees are oak, ash,
beech, birch etc. Deer, foxes, wolves are
Fig. 5.4: Temperate deciduous forests the animals commonly found. Birds like
pheasants, monals are also found here.
Mediterranean Vegetation
You have learnt that most of
the east and north east margins of
the continents are covered by
temperate evergreen and
deciduous trees. The west and
south west margins of the
continents are different. They have
Mediterranean vegetation.
Mediterranean trees adapt
themselves to dry summers with
the help of their thick barks and
wax coated leaves which help them
reduce transpiration. This is Fig. 5.5: Mediterranean vegetation
mostly found in the areas around
the Mediterranean sea in Europe, Africa and Asia, hence the name. This kind of
vegetation is also found outside the actual Mediterranean region in California in
the USA, south west Africa, south western and South America and South west
Australia. These regions are marked for hot dry summers and mild rainy winters.
Citrus fruits such as oranges, figs, olives and grapes are commonly cultivated here
because people have removed the natural vegetation in order to take up agriculture.
There isn’t much wildlife here.
Coniferous Forests
In the higher latitudes (50° –
70°) of Northern hemisphere the
spectacular Coniferous forests are
found (Fig.5.6). These are also
called as Taiga. These forests are
also seen in the higher altitudes.
These trees are found in the
Himalayas in abundance. They are
tall, softwood, evergreen trees.
These woods are very useful for
making pulp, which is used for
manufacturing paper and newsprint.
Match boxes and packing boxes are
also made from softwood. Chir,
Fig. 5.6: Coniferous forests
pine, cedar are the important trees
in these forests. Silver fox, mink, polar bear are the common animals found here.

Look around in your surroundings and find out Grasslands
the articles made of hard wood and soft wood. Tropical grasslands: These
Find out and learn few names of trees of your grow on either side of the
locality. equator and extend till the tropics
(Fig. 5.7). This vegetation grows
in the areas of moderate to low
amount of rainfall. The grasses
grow very tall, about 3 to 4 metres
in height. Savannah grasslands of
Africa are of this type. Elephants,
zebras, giraffes, deer, leopards
are common in tropical
grasslands.
Temperate grasslands:
These are found in the mid-
Fig. 5.7: Tropical grasslands latitudinal zones and in the
interior part of the continents
(Fig. 5.8). Usually, grass here is
short and nutritious. Wild
buffaloes, bisons, antilopes are
common in the temperate region.
These ar known as Steppes.
Thorny bushes: These are
found in the dry desert like
regions. Tropical deserts are
located in the western margins of
the continents. The vegetation
cover is scarce here because of
Fig. 5.8: Temperate grasslands
scanty rain and scorching heat.
Identify the desert regions in the world map. Tundra Vegetation: If you
reach the polar region you will
find the place extremely cold. The growth of natural vegetation is very limited
here. Only mosses, lichens and very small shrubs are found here. These grow during
the very short summer. This is called Tundra type of vegetation. This vegetation is
found in the polar areas of Europe, Asia and North America. The animals have
thick fur and thick skin to protect themselves from the cold climatic conditions.
Seal, walruses, musk-oxen, Arctic owl, Polar bear and snow foxes are some of the
animals found here.

Human Society and Environment
Down the ages, human societies have been interacting with the environment
and in this process changing it. Hunters and gatherers used stone tools and tools
made of wood etc. to hunt animals and gather tubers and fruits. They learnt to use
fire – by lighting sticks and grass – the first sources of energy to be used. Thus
began the tale of human endeavour to alter the environment to satisfy their needs.
Human beings also began investigating into the nature of the environment around
them in order to be able to change and use them for their purposes. Thus the building
of knowledge of the environment is an essential part of human beings interaction
with the natural world.
When human beings began to practise agriculture and animal husbandry, they
began to change their environment even more. The building of cities and the use of
metals like bronze and iron further changed human interaction with the environment.
Before long, people began building tanks to store water, canals to divert water
to fields, and even dams across streams and rivers.
People also built roads connecting distant places and sailed in ships and boats
across seas and oceans. In this way human societies established themselves not
only on every continent (except the Antarctic) but over the seas and oceans too.
Gradually human population grew so much so that human beings became the
dominant species on the earth. It is estimated that during BC 10,000 i.e., the time
when cultivation started, the total population of human beings worldwide was about
40 lakhs. It reached to 50 crores in 1750;100 crores in 1800; 250 crores during
1950 and to 700 crores during 2010. It is estimated to reach 1000 crores by 2100.
This increase in population creates great pressure on earth as well as its resources.
This means that almost the entire earth would be reshaped to suit the needs of
humans.
Can you discuss how human beings would
This process of reshaping the have impacted the land, water, plants and
surface of the earth received a great animals around them when they began
push with the industrial revolution agriculture and animal herding?
and process of colonisation.
What sources of energy would they have
Industrial production needs raw
used and how would they have obtained
materials on an unprecedented scale
them?
and industrial countries began to
search for diverse kinds of raw Can you say what kinds of changes will
materials and sources of energy all building of cities have on the land and water
over the globe. They ‘explored’ the around them?
world and made inventories of all In what way do you think this would have
possible resources. They dug deep affected the land scape and water cycle?

wells and tried to find out what lay underneath and also explored high above in the
atmosphere. Soon systematic mining, cutting of forests, building of factories and
fields and roads took place all over the earth. Nations began to wage wars with each
other to gain control over these resources.
Such intense human industrial activity has profound impact on the air, water
and the land around us. Let us try to think of some of these.
Industries – Pollutants and Effluents
Modern industries and transport systems use immense amount of energy which
is derived basically from coal and petroleum (which are called fossil fuels as they
are remains of forests of lakhs of years ago buried underground). The burning of
fossil fuels release large quantities of carbon dioxide and other chemicals like
nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals. They
also cause the release of sulfuric, carbonic, and nitric acids, which cause what are
called ‘acid rains’. Acid rains are caused by the mingling of acidic particles of
atmosphere with rain increasing the acid content of rain water.
In addition to burning of fossil fuels,
KYOTO PROTOCOL modern industries release enormous
amounts of waste materials in the form of
A conference was held in the city of Kyoto in solid, liquid and gaseous waste
Japan under United Nations Organisation in contaminating air, water (both surface
December 1997 to protect mother earth
water like rivers and underground water of
from global warming. The countries that
wells) and soil.
attended realised the effect of Green House
Gases and signed a declaration called Kyoto The cumulative impact of such
Protocol. The main aim of this is to bring pollution is gradually poisoning of our
down the release of Green House Gases to environment. One important impact is the
less than 5.2%. According to this declaration, change in worldwide climate also called
this aim should be achieved between 2008- ‘global warming’. Let us read about this in
2012. greater detail in Class IX biological
science at Chapter X.
Depletion of Resources
Industrialisation, rapid population growth and urbanisation all have meant
unprecedented exploitation of natural resources like minerals, forests, soil, water,
air etc. besides sources of energy (coal, petroleum etc.) stored in the earth for
billions of years. This has resulted in rapid deforestation and decline of reserves
of minerals, oil and groundwater. Many scientists have argued that the present way
of life is not ‘sustainable’ for if we use so much natural resources, nothing will be
left for our children and grand children.

All the living beings on the earth Do You Know?
depend on the environment and have to
live according to the environment. But, 1. Approximately 13-15 tonnes of effluents,
for their enjoyment and development sewage water reach Kolleru lake daily from
human beings are destroying nature. its nearby towns and villages.
The commercial activities carried on 2. One study found taht the radiation
by human beings are affecting every life released by cell phone towers affects the
and every matter on the earth. If this life of honey bees. This leads not only to
continues like this it is dangerous not scarcity of honey but also affects
only to animals but also to human pollination and bio diversity and here
beings themselves. agricultural products.
Key words
1. Food chain 2. Hard wood trees 3. Acid rains
4. Ecological crises 5. Tundra

1. Life itself constitutes a seperate sphere called ‘Biosphere’. Explain.
2. Why is ecological crisis created in modern times? What are its effects?
3. Natural vegetation depends upon the climate of the place. Write different kinds of
forests and climatic conditions of their existence?
4. How can we protect natural resources?
Project
Visit any nearby industrial establishment and observe what kinds of smoke, liquid
and solid wastes come out of the compound. Find out from the nearby residents
about their impact on plants and animals. Based on the information collected, prepare
a report and present in the class.

CHAPTER
Agriculture in India
6
Types of Farming
Agriculture is an age-old economic activity in our country. Over these years,
cultivation methods have changed significantly depending upon the characteristics
of physical environment, technological know-how and socio-cultural practices.
Farming varies from subsistence to commercial type. At present, in different
parts of India, the following farming systems are practised.
Subsistence Farming - It is in two forms. They are Simple Subsistence
Farming and Intensive Subsistensive Farming.
1. Simple Subsistence Farming: Agriculture is practised on small patches
of land with the help of primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks, and
family/community labour. This
type of farming depends upon
monsoon, natural fertility of the
soil and suitability of other
environmental conditions to
the crops grown. It is a ‘slash
and burn’ agriculture (Shifting
agriculture). You have read
about it in previous classes.
2. Intensive Subsistence
Farming: It is practised in the
areas of high population density
Fig. 6.1: Preparation of land for agricutlure. on land. It is labour intensive
farming, where high doses of
Name some of the states of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for
India where such farming is obtaining higher production.
practised? Commercial Farming: The main
characteristic of this type of farming is the use
of higher doses of modern inputs, for example High Yielding Variety (HYV)
seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides in order to obtain higher
productivity. The degree of commercialisation of agriculture varies from one

region to another. For example, rice is a commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab,
but in Odisha, it is a subsistence crop. Plantation is also a type of commercial
farming. In this type of farming, a Give some more examples of crops which
single crop is grown on a large area. may be commercial in one region and may
In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, provide subsistence in another region?
banana, etc.. are important plantation
crops.
Cropping Seasons
Agriculture crops depend on seasons and natural resources such as soil, water
and sunshine for cultivation. Temperature and humidity conditions are important.
Some crops can be cultivated only in specific season regardless of the availability
of water and other inputs. Therefore in any region different crops are grown in
different seasons.
India has three cropping seasons – rabi, kharif and zaid.
Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in
summer from April to June.
Some of the important rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard.
Availability of precipitation during winter months due to the western temperate
cyclones helps in the success of these crops. However, the success of the green
revolution in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan has
also been an important factor in the growth of the above mentioned rabi crops.
Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the
country and these are harvested in September-October. Important crops grown
during this season are paddy, maize, jowar,
bajra, red gram, green gram, black gram, urad, Look at the Map of Major
cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean. paddy producing states
at the end of the chapter
In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, and shade them.
there is a short season during the summer
months known as the Zaid season. Some of the
crops produced during ‘zaid’ are watermelon,
muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder
crops.
Major Crops
A variety of food and non food crops are
grown in different parts of the country
depending upon the variations in soil, climate
and cultivation practices. Major crops grown
in India are paddy, wheat, millets, pulses, tea,
coffee, sugarcane, oil seeds, cotton and jute,
etc.
60 Social Studies Agriculture in India
Paddy : It is the staple food crop of a majority of the people in India. Our
country is the second largest producer of paddy in the world after China. It is a
kharif crop which requires high temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity with
annual rainfall above 100 cm. In the areas of less rainfall, it grows with the help of
irrigation. Paddy is grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal
areas and the deltaic regions. Development of dense network of canal irrigation
and tubewells have made it possible to grow rice in areas of less rainfall such as
Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan.
Wheat: This is the second most important cereal crop. It is the main food
crop, in north and north-western part of the country. This rabi crop requires a cool
growing season and a bright sunshine at the time of ripening. It requires 50 to 75
cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over the growing season. There are two
important wheat-growing zones in the country – the Ganga-Satluj plains in the
northwest and black soil region of the Deccan. The major wheat-producing states
are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
Maize: It is a crop which is
High Yielding Varieties used both as food and fodder. It is
High Yielding Varieties of seeds and fertilizers were the a kharif crop which requires
key elements of new agriculture technologies. The HYVs temperature between 21°C to
seeds grew well when fertilizers and water were used; 27°C and grows well in old alluvial
they had larger amounts of grain and shorter stalks soil. In some states like Bihar
and a short period maturity in most cases. The short maize is grown in rabi season also.
period maturity also enables double cropping -farmers Use of modern inputs such as HYV
can use their lands more than once in a year. seeds, fertilisers and irrigation
This policy was initially implemented in Punjab, have contributed to the increasing
Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and in some districts production of maize. Major
of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The HYV seeds maize-producing states are
required a lot of water and these areas were already Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
irrigated. The new variety of wheat was grown in Andhra Pradesh and Madhya
Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, while rice Pradesh.
was grown in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Millets: Jowar, bajra and ragi
are the important millets grown in India. Though, these are known as coarse grains,
they have very high nutritional value. For example, ragi is very rich in iron, calcium,
other micro nutrients and roughage. Jowar is the third most important food crop
with respect to area and production. It is a rain-fed crop mostly grown in the moist
areas which hardly needs irrigation. Maharashtra is the largest producer of jowar
followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Bajra grows well on
sandy soils and shallow black soil. Rajasthan is the largest producer of bajra followed
by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana. Ragi is a crop of dry regions
and grows well on red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. Karnataka is
the largest producer of ragi followed by Tamil Nadu.
Pulses: India is the largest producer as well as the consumer of pulses in the
world. These are the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet. Major pulses that
are grown in India are red gram, black gram , green gram, masur, peas and gram.
Pulses need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions. Being leguminous
crops, all these crops except arhar help in restoring soil fertility by fixing nitrogen
from the air. Therefore, these are mostly grown in rotation with other crops. Major
pulse producing states in India are Distinguish which of these pulses are
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, grown in the kharif season and which
Rajasthan, Maharashtra and are grown in the rabi season?
Karnataka.
Food Crops other than Grains
Sugarcane: It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop. It grows well in hot
and humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and an annual rainfall
between 75cm. and 100cm. Irrigation is required in the regions of low rainfall. It
can be grown on a variety of soils and needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting.
India is the second largest producer of sugarcane only after Brazil. It is the main
source of sugar, gur (jaggary), khandsari and molasses. The major sugarcane-
producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.
Oil Seeds: India is the largest producer of oilseeds in the world. Different oil
seeds are grown covering approximately 12 per cent of the total cropped area of
the country. Most of these are edible and used as cooking mediums. However,
some of these are also used as raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics
and ointments.
Groundnut is a kharif crop and accounts for about half of the major oilseeds
produced in the country. Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of groundnut
followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Linseed and mustard
are rabi crops. Sesamum is a kharif crop in north and rabi crop in south India.
Castor seed is grown both as rabi and kharif crop.
Tea: Tea cultivation is an example of
plantation agriculture. It is also an important
beverage crop introduced in India initially
by the British. Today, most of the tea
plantations are owned by Indians. The tea
plant grows well in tropical and sub-tropical
climates endowed with deep and fertile
well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic
matter. Tea bushes require warm and moist
frost-free climate all through the year.
Frequent showers evenly distributed over
the year ensure continuous growth of tender
leaves. Tea is a labour intensive industry. It Fig 6.2 Tea plantation
requires abundant and skilled labour. Tea is processed within the tea garden to
restore its freshness. Major tea producing states are in the hill regions of Assom,
West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. India is one of the leading producer as well
as exporter of tea in the world.
Coffee: India produces about four per cent of the world’s coffee production.
Indian coffee is known in the world for
its good quality. The Arabica variety
initially brought from Yemen is
produced in the country. This variety
is in great demand all over the world.
Intially its cultivation was introduced
on the Baba Budan Hills and even today
its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri
in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Horticulture Crops: India is one
of the leading producer of fruits and
Fig 6.3 Coffee plant vegetables in the world. Tropical and
temperate fruits like mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and
West Bengal; oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya); bananas of Kerala,
Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu; lichi and guava of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar;
pineapples of Meghalaya; grapes of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra; apples, pears,
apricots and walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are in great
demand the world over.
India produces about 1/6 of the world’s vegetables. It is an important producer
of pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato.
Non-Food Crops
Rubber: It is an equatorial crop, but under special conditions, it is also grown
in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It requires moist and humid climate with rainfall
of more than 200 cm. and temperature above 25°C. Rubber is an important
industrial raw material. It is mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Andaman and Nicobar islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya. India is among the
world’s leading natural rubber producers.
Fibre Crops: Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre
crops grown in India. The first three are derived from the crops grown in the soil,
the latter is obtained from cocoons of the silkworms fed on green leaves specially
mulberry. Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as
sericulture.
Cotton: India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant. Cotton
is one of the main raw materials for cotton textile industry. India is the third-
largest producer of cotton in the world. Cotton grows well in drier parts of the
black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau. It requires high temperature, light rainfall

or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth. It is a kharif
crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature. Major cotton-producing states are –
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Jute: It is known as the golden fibre. Jute grows well on well-drained fertile
soils in the flood plains where soils are renewed every year. High temperature is
required during the time of growth. West Bengal, Bihar, Assom, Odisha and
Meghalaya are the major jute producing states. It is used in making gunny bags,
mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts. Due to its high cost, it is losing market
to synthetic fibres and packing materials, particularly the nylon. However in the
recent times the market is growing for ecofriendly, jute.
The following table shows some of the details of crops and important states which
produce most. Not all information is given. Refer an atlas and discuss with your
teacher to complete the information in the table.
Mark each crop using a particular (•, ,!", ) symbol in a India (political) map and
discuss in the classroom why only those states account for major share in production
in specific crops.
Top states in 2011 and how much Reasons both natural and
Sl. No. Crop they contribute to total grains other factors that account for
production (each in % to total) major share of production
West Bengal (16), Punjab (13),
1 Paddy Uttar Pradesh (12),
Andhra Pradesh (12) Odisha (8)
Uttar Pradesh (34), Punjab (19),
2 Wheat Haryana (13),
Madhya Pradesh (10) Rajasthan (9)
3 Millets and ther Maharashtra (19), Karnataka (18),
cereals Rajasthan (12), Andhra Pradesh (10),
Uttar Pradesh (9)
Karnataka (18), Andhra Pradesh (17),
4 Maize
Maharashtra (11), Bihar (9)
5 Pulses Madhya Pradesh (29), Maharashtra (16),
Uttar Pradesh (13),
Andhra Pradesh (10), Karnataka (8)
Uttar Pradesh (40), Maharashtra (22),
6 Sugarcane Karnataka (10), Tamil Nadu (10)
Madhya Pradesh (31), Rajasthan (18),
7 Oil seeds Gujarat (13), Maharashtra (11) and
Andhra Pradesh (6)
Gujarat (33), Maharashtra (24),
8 Cotton Andhra Pradesh (13), Punjab (8)
Haryana (8)

Importance of Agriculture
In this part, we shall try to look agriculture from an overall view for the entire
country. We would try to understand the changes that have occurred since the time
of Independence to the present and the challenges that we face today.
The food security of a nation depends on agriculture and this sector ensures
food security to the nation. A variety of raw materials required for industries are
cultivated on farms. Wheat, paddy and other food crops are cultivated by farmers.
Agriculture is a major source of livelihood for millions - giving employment to a
large section of people.
More than half the proportion of workers in India is working in agriculture and
its related activities. Also among men and women, it is the women who get
employment opportunities in agriculture. Nearly 70 per cent of working women
are engaged in agriculture.
Two kinds of people are engaged in farming – agricultural labourers and
cultivators.
Cultivators and Agricultural Labourers Cultivators are those
in 1951-2001 (%) farmers who have
some land and also use
land belonging to
others for cultivation.
Agriculture labourers
are those who are
landless labourers who
work on others lands.
Since population
also increases with
time we look at the
Cultivators Agricultural labourers
absolute numbers, the
number of people working in agriculture increased from 97 million in 1951 to
234 million in 2001. Hence the number of agricultural labourers who are seeking
a livelihood in rural areas has increased, given the fact that they have very little or
no land to cultivate. What are the other alternative job opportunities available to
them? This is a serious challenge.
Complete the bar diagram above and find out the percentage of cultivators and
agricultural labourers in 1971 and 2001 respectively.
Discuss the differences between self employment and looking for work using
examples from your region.
Do you think that some families who were earlier cultivators are becoming
agricultural labourers now? Discuss.

Indian farmers are mostly small landholders
One distinct feature of Indian agriculture is the small land holdings. Most
farmers work with only a small plot of land. Look at the following table.
Table 1: Number of farmers and land they possess in India (2010-2011)
Type and amount of land How many? How much land Average amount
operated by farmers they operate with? of land operated by
Number % Land in lakhs % farmers (acres)
(lakhs) acres
Marginal up to 2.5 acrs 924 ? 875 ? ?
Small 2.6 to 5 acrs 247 ? 868 ? ?
Semi-medium 5.1 to 10 acrs 138 10.0 927 ? 6.7
Medium 10.1 to 25 acrs 59 4.3 833 ? 14.2
Large More than 25acrs 10 ? 429 ? ?
Total 1378 100.00 3932 ? ?
Complete the data in the table and the explanation in the following passage below.
Majority of farmers operate only small plots of lands. A typical Indian marginal
farmer has only about ..... acres to cultivate. There are 924 lakh farmers so that ....% of
all farmers are marginal. If we add up the number of small and marginal farmers they
form ...% of all farmers. However even though in percentage terms medium and large
farmers is small the number in absolute terms is large. .....lakh farmers can be together
considered to be in this group. They have a powerful voice in rural areas. This group of
large and medium farmers together operate ......% of the land. Each large farmer for
example on an average operates ....acres of land. Compare this with each marginal
farmer who operates on an average ....acres of land. This inequality in distribution of
land explains the inequalities in opportunities that they experience, the poverty or
growth opportunity that they face.
In your opinion, what would be the minimum amount of land required to do
viable farming which would give a farmer a decent earnings. How many farmers
in the above table are doing viable farming?
Why only a small section of farmers have a powerful voice?
Agricultural production depends on natural factors
Agriculture crops depend on seasons and natural resources such as soil and
water and sunshine for cultivation. Temperature and humidity conditions are
important. Some crops can be cultivated only in specific season regardless of the
availability of water and other inputs. Therefore in any region different crops are
grown in different seasons. When you visit the ‘Santha’; fruit or vegetable market
in different seasons you would notice these differences.

There are also many differences in the natural conditions between different
regions in the country. You have looked at the differences between three different
regions in Andhra Pradesh i.e Rayalaseema, Telangana and Coastal Andhra. These
are differences across regions.
Besides land reforms such as abolition of Zamindari, Land ceiling Act, the
newly formed Indian government also initiated other important policy changes.
These can be seen in three phases – 1950-1965, 1966-1990 and Post 1991. Each
phase signifies different facets of Indian agriculture.
The First Phase - Increasing Irrigation and Building Dams

Between 1950 and 1965 the Indian Government invested heavily on irrigation
and power projects. It was hoped that this would raise crop production and solve
the problem of food shortage. Big dams for irrigation and electricity generation
like Bhakra-Nangal (Punjab), Damodar Valley (West Bengal), Hirakund (Odisha),
Nagarjun Sagar (Andhra Pradesh), Gandhi Sagar (Madhya Pradesh) were
constructed.
The area under cultivation and the irrigated area both went up, and crop
production increased. During this phase, government promoted the formation of
farmer cooperatives and also appointed agricultural extension officers to provide
technical support to farmers. A variety of initiatives especially for small farmers
were taken at the mandal or block level through community development
programmes.
Despite these developments food shortages continued. In 1962-65, India faced
two wars and the government spent a lot of money on the war. Also 1965 and 1966
were met with little rain and were declared as drought years. This led to decline in
the production of food grains and forced the government to import food grains.
This situation of depending on
Use an atlas of India to find the locations of other countries for food
the above mentioned dams and mark them on requirements worried the Indian
a map of India. Also label the names of the leaders. The Indian Government
began to change the policy towards
major rivers on which these dams were built.
agriculture and was called as Green
Revolution.
Second phase (1966-1990) – Green Revolution and its spread

The government introduced new kind of seeds to the Indian soil which were
invented in various agricultural research institutions in India and from other
countries. This marked the second phase of agriculture development. These new
seeds are known as High Yielding Varieties. It was also accompanied by use of
chemical fertilizers, machinery such as tractors and others besides irrigation
facilities. A variety of cooperative banks were set up in rural areas to provide

credit to farmers so that they buy raw materials such as seeds, fertilizer and
pesticides, machinery required for modern farming.
Dryland Agriculture
A little over 40% of the total cultivable land in India is irrigated. This percentage
can only go up to a maximum of 55%. The remaining 45% cannot easily be irrigated
- it would be very difficult and expensive. Thus these areas must depend solely on
rainfall. These are the drylands in our country.
Some of the main crops grown in these areas are jowar, bajra, groundnut, ragi,
cotton, soyabean, tur and gram.
Dryland areas are most suitable for certain crops. For example 84% of the
pulses grown in the entire country are from these areas. However the production
of pulses is not increasing and they are becoming more and more expensive.
What should then be done to increase production in such dryland areas? Unlike
the cultivation of HYVs in irrigated lands, dryland farming poses different
challenges. Conserving rainfall that the area receives is the first step. There are
several ways that people can stop rain water from quickly running off, so that it can
soak into the ground, and recharge the ground water. This is done through watershed
development programmes which include afforestation, bunding, building check-
dams and tanks. Also, fertility of the soil needs to be raised by adding organic
material (compost and manure).
Farmers who grow crops like gram, tur, jowar ,ragi, soyabean, groundnut, and
cotton also need support. They may need:
new varieties of seeds suitable for different In which areas were the new methods
regions, knowledge about the best ways of of agriculture first tried? Why was
growing a mix of crops on the same land, the whole country not covered?
loans to purchase inputs, support prices for Why are different methods necessary
these crops, etc. Farming of HYVs has now for dryland areas?
been adopted in dryland regions, too.
The Effects of the Green Revolution

Increase in Production
The spread of HYVs to large parts of the country and to newer crops have led to
a significant increase in crop production in the country. India became self-sufficient
in food grains.
Due to the rise in food grains production, it was no longer necessary to import
food grains from other countries. Today food materials constitute only about three
per cent of India’s imports (Bar Diagram). The production of food grains has
increased five times over the last five decades - from 51 to 242 million tonnes.
Also a large stock of food grains has built up with the government through
Food Corporation of India (FCI) that could be used in case of shortage and can
avoid drought or famine-
Bar Diagram 1 : Production of food grains (in million tonnes)
like situations in the
country. The procure
ment of food grains also
used to supply food
grains to inaccessible
areas. In the year 1967,
the total food grain stock
with the government was
only 19 lakh tonnes. By
the year 2010-11 it
increased to 220 lakh
tonnes, about one tenth
of total food grains
produced in India.
The green revolution
How increase in buffer stock
helped farmers to produce higher
would help to avoid situations of
level of foodgrains and non-
foodgrains on the same plot of land drought and famines?
they had. There was no major How farmers were able to raise
increase in the land used for higher amount of food grains on
cultivation. In 1960s, a farmer was the same plot of land over the
able to produce on an average only years?
287 kilograms of foodgrains be it In which decades the food grains
paddy or wheat on one acre of yields grow fast? What could be
cultivable land. Today the same probable reasons for this?
farmer is able to produce nearly 800
kilograms of foodgrains per acre of cultivable land.
Environmental Effects
The Green Revolution has brought in several environmental imbalances. As
mentioned earlier, it was first introduced in the northern states of Punjab, Haryana
and parts of Uttar Pradesh. We shall study some of the environmental problems of
these areas. In these states most farmers have shifted to cultivation of HYVs of
rice and wheat, which require plenty of water.
Water problems
The main source of irrigation is tubewells using groundwater. As the number
of tubewells increased over the years the groundwater level fell rapidly.
Groundwater level can be maintained as long as the use of groundwater is less than
the groundwater recharge. Groundwater recharge is a natural process and happens
each year through rainfall or flows from canals, streams and rivers. Water from
these sources slowly flows
Groundwater recharge through the various soil layers
and collects as groundwater.
The problem starts when the
groundwater use through
tubewells, etc., is more than the
groundwater recharge. In other
words, what is used up is more
than what flows into the
groundwater pool, so that the
level of groundwater of an area
falls. A fall in groundwater level
would mean that less
groundwater is available for future use.
The problem of falling groundwater level is faced by 10 out of 12 districts of
Punjab and 9 out of 12 districts of Haryana. Experts fear that Punjab agriculture is
in danger due to environmental damage over the past three decades.
Fertilizer Problems
Manure and compost contain humus and living organisms that slowly release
minerals as they decompose. Chemical fertilizers provide minerals (usually
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) which dissolve in water and are immediately
available to plants, but may not be retained in the soil for long. They may be leached
from the soil and pollute groundwater, rivers, and lakes. Chemical fertilizers (as
well as pesticides) can also kill bacteria and other organisms in soil. This means
that some time after their use, the soil will be less fertile than ever before. Without
micro-organisms, the soil will be will dependent on frequent addition of more and
more chemical fertilizers. The variety of nutrients, which are normally produced
by micro-organisms, may also be reduced. Thus, in many areas, the Green Revolution
has actually resulted in a loss of soil fertility and ever- increasing costs to farmers.
Environmental resources like soil fertility
What is fertile soil?
and groundwater are built up over many-many
years. Once destroyed it is very difficult to To be fertile, soil has to provide the roots
restore them. Similar environmental of plants with the right amounts of water,
imbalances are being faced by other regions minerals, and air. To do this, it must have
the correct texture and the correct
with large-scale use of HYVs. Given that
composition. Soil is composed of mineral
agriculture is heavily dependent on natural
particles (which come from the breakdown
resources, how do we take care of the of rocks) as well as organic components
environment to ensure future development of (which are, or have come from living
agriculture? This is a controversial question organisms). To be available to roots, the
which is currently being debated. minerals must be dissolved in the water.
Third Phase (1990s to the present) – Post Reform Agriculture
During 1967 to 1991 Indian farmers sold their produce to markets within the
country and to the government through the FCI. Also, people were dependent for
their food purchases on markets within the country. Foreign trade in farm products
was not allowed. Export of most farm products, especially foodgrains, was banned.
Imports were also not allowed. Only the government had the right to import in case
of scarcity.
We have also seen that the government supported farmers through the supply
of cheap farm inputs and by
offering to buy farm products at Why did not the Indian government
minimum support prices. Thus, allow farmers to export foodgrains
the Indian farmers, produced for during the Green Revolution years?
markets within the country, and Why should government ban exports /
required government’s support to import? How does this policy help
earn a reasonable income from Indian farmers?
farming.
Foreign Trade in Farm Products

As pointed out earlier, government took many protective measures in agriculture
prior to 1991. There has been a significant change in agriculture policy in India.
Farm products are exported from and imported into India more than in the past.
Changes in farm trade policy are not taking place in India alone. Many developing
countries in Asia, Africa and South America have made similar changes in the
policies. This is because the developed countries are putting pressure on them to
allow foreign trade. These developed countries want to sell their surplus farm
products in the developing countries that have a large number of buyers.
With the foreign trade policy changes, many crops can now be traded. For
instance, farmers can now export vegetables and fruits, sugar and jaggery. Similarly,
import of cotton, rubber, pulses, oilseeds are freely allowed. However, farmers
cannot export food grains. Since food grains are the most important food item, the
Indian government has been cautious to allow trade in food grains. Only the
government can do so, if it wishes.
Organic Farming – The experience of a farmer in Odisha
In order to overcome the ill effects of Green Revolution, farmers in India have begun
to adopt different farming practices. Let us look at an example. Aged 80, Natwarbhai
is a resident of Narishu village, near Niali in Cuttack district, Odisha. A retired
schoolteacher, he has been practising organic farming for the last decade or so, and
swears by its potential to feed India’s population. He says some of the varieties he
grows yield over 20 quintals per acre, higher than the so-called ‘high-yielding’
varieties that farmers around him get after using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
And he spends much less, since his main inputs are gobar, natural pesticides when
occasionally needed, and family labour.
Natwarbhai was earlier a ‘modern’ farmer. One day, while watching a labourer spray
Carbofuran (a highly toxic pesticide), he was horrified to see him stagger and collapse.
Rushed for treatment, the worker survived, but not Natwarbhai’s faith in the new
agriculture. Especially after the labourer told him: “I could not breathe, my head was
reeling”; and especially after, having buried the remaining stock of Carbofuran in a pit
in his fields, Natwarbhai “saw dead snails, snakes, and frogs floating in the water that
had accumulated there. “I immediately wondered what would be happening to the
earthworms and micro-organisms that I knew kept the soil alive.”
Natwarbhai switched to organic inputs, but with the high yielding varieties that the
them all, noting down their names, characteristics and productivity.
Source: Adapted from Ashish Kothari, A New Rice Every day? The Hindu, December 9, 2012.
Can organic farming produce enough food for all?
How is organic farming especially suited for small and marginal farmers? Discuss.
The developed countries are however constantly putting pressure on India to
allow greater imports of crops produced in their countries.
Foreign trade could cause farmers income to fluctuate a lot. In certain years
and for certain crops the farmers might gain from exports. In other years, farmers
could lose because of cheap imports and fall in prices of farm products. Small
farmers without much savings will not be able to bear this loss. They will get caught
in debt trap and become poorer. The government has to be very careful in allowing
trade in farm products.
Why Government buys and stores some grain?

A lot of grain comes into the market at harvest time. One problem farmers faced was
the low price of grain during this time. This means farmers were not able to sell grain
at a high enough price to be able to repay their loans and continue using the new
farming methods. They need to be protected from traders who might try to purchase
the grains at low prices.
Therefore the government decided to set a Minimum Support Price (MSP). A Minimum
Support Price is a price at which the farmers can sell their grain, if they want, to the
government. The government sets the MSP so as to cover the cost of cultivation and
allow a little bit of profit to the farmer. Because of the MSP, farmers are not forced to
sell their grains at cheaper prices to the traders.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) was formed by the government to purchase food
grains from the farmers and store them. It keeps stockpiles and supplies grain to
ration shops and other government schemes (e.g. for midday meals in schools).
Key words
1. Chemical fertiliser 2. Green revolution 3. Organic material
4. Dryland agriculture 5. Modern farming practices 6. Foreign trade policy
1. Name one important beverage crop and specify the geographical conditions
required for its growth.
2. The land under cultivation has got reduced day by day. Can you imagine its
consequences?
3. On an outline map of India show millet producing areas.
4. What is a Minimum Support Price (MSP)? Why is a MSP needed?
5. Explain all the ways the Indian government supported the Green Revolution.
6. Do you think it is important for India to be self-sufficient in food grains production?
Discuss.
7. How is dry land agriculture different from agriculture in other areas?
8. Can you recall the incident such as pesticides being found in soft drinks? How is
this related to the use of pesticides? Discuss.
9. Why is chemical fertilizer used in new farming methods? How could use of fertilizers
make soil less fertile? What are the alternative ways of enriching soil?
10. How has the Green Revolution in some areas resulted in short-term gains but long-
term losses to farmers??
11. What could be the effects of foreign trade on farmers’ income?
12. In earlier classes we have
studied about land
distribution. How does
the following image
reflect this idea. Write a
paragraph about this in the
context of Indian
agriculture.
Project
Which crops are grown in your area? Which of these are grown from HYV seeds
and which ones are grown from traditional seeds? Compare the HYV seeds and the
traditional seeds with regard to each of the following points:
(a) duration of crop (b) number of times irrigated (c) production
(d) fertilisers (e) diseases (f ) pesticides

Map - 1 Paddy producing states in India

CHAPTER
Industries in India
7
PART - I
Basic necessities for setting up factories
Industries are an essential aspect of a nation’s development. You may recall
what you studied in class VII about various kinds of manufacturing processes. The
story of the paper industry was one example. You would have noticed how factories
work and about the process of manufacturing whether at home, in a small shed or in
a large factory. In this chapter we will learn how India has grown industrially over
the years and the role of government initiatives in promoting industries.
India’s main industrial activity for a long time was handicrafts particularly textile
goods. Under the colonial rule, barring a few industries, India could not develop a
sound industrial base. It did not have the capacity to produce a wide range of goods.
Most industrial products had to be imported. After 1947, India began many initiatives
to promote industrial activities in the country. One important driving force behind
this idea was to become self sufficient in meeting our needs and to make the country
an industrially developed nation.
For factories you need machines. A modern factory manufacturing cloth, for
instance, would use loom that run on electricity as compared to hand looms. These
looms produce a large quantity of cloth in a short time. Similarly there are complex
machines to produce cement, cars, edible oils etc. To run these machines, all factories
require a source of power which is usually electricity. Hence factories require
machines and electricity to run them.
Further, all factories need raw materials from which goods can be produced.
For example, steel is required to produce cycles. There are some factories which
produce steel sheets from iron and coal. Other factories use these sheets to
manufacture steel tubes. Finally, the cycle factory uses these steel tubes to
manufacture the steel frame for the cycle. Note that the basic sources for steel are
raw materials like iron and coal. As in the above example, minerals and ores form
the basic source from which various raw materials required by factories are produced.
A large number of goods are produced by factories that are used by other
factories. These are intermediate steps in the chain of production by many factories
before we can get consumer goods that are directly used by people.
Transportation is needed to bring raw materials to factories and transfer finished
goods from them. Truck, railway, and ship are means of transport. For this you
require some essential facilities such as: a system of roads which are in good
Can you make a list of products produced condition and which link a
by factories for other factories? large number of towns and
villages in the country; a
Iron is the basic requirement for a large system of transporting
number of goods produced by various material by rail ; ports which
factories. Explain this with examples that can accommodate a large
you see around. number of ships and also
Have you seen machines used in a factory? organize the loading and
Make a collage of different kinds of unloading from them.
machines that are used. Hence, for industriali -
Make a chart to show how petroleum is the zation i.e. to develop a large
basic requirements for a large number of number of different
products. factories, we have certain
basic requirements like
Discuss what is meant by the word `basic'.
machines, electricity,
What are the basic necessities for minerals and ores, and
industries? transport facilities.
At the time of independence what were the Factories producing
objectives that were desired to be achieved these essential goods -
through industrialization? machines, electricity,
minerals and ores, and
transport facilities - are basic industries. Basic industries produce essential goods
that can form a base to support a large variety of factories.
Industrial Location
Industrial locations are complex in nature. These are influenced by availability
of raw material, labour, capital, power and market etc. It is rarely possible to find
all these factors available at one place. Consequently, manufacturing activity tends
to locate at the most appropriate place where all the factors of industrial location
are either available or can be arranged at lower cost. After an industrial activity
starts, urbanisation follows. Sometimes, industries are located in or near the cities.
Thus, industrialisation and urbanisation go hand in hand. Cities provide markets and
also provide services such as banking, insurance, transport, labour, consultants and
financial advice etc. to the industry. Many industries tend to come together to make
use of the advantages offered by the urban centres known as agglomeration
economies. Gradually, a large industrial agglomeration takes place. In the pre-
Independence period, most manufacturing units were located in places from the
point of view of overseas trade such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai etc. Consequently,
there emerged certain pockets of industrially developed urban centres surrounded
by a huge agricultural rural hinterland.
76 Social Studies Industries in India

Market !
Inputs Raw materials and
or component parts
Factors of Production: Transport Factory Outputs Market
Land, labour, capital,
entrepreneur,
infrastructure
Activity
Collect the wrappers of tea packets and tooth paste. Read the wrappers
carefully and try to relate to the question below.
________ can be considered as a product of agro based industry. _________
can be considered a product of mineral based industry.
Raw material for the tooth paste _______ and ____________ are produced
in another industry. That industry is called key or basic industry. Whereas the
tooth paste is a consumer goods and the industry producing such goods is
called consumer goods industry.
The ownership of industries could be lying with individuals or groups of
individuals such as _________________ (for the tea packets) and
____________ (tooth paste). Such an industry is called a private sector
industry whereas if the ownership belongs to the government, it will be called
as public sector industry. Two examples of public sector industries are
____________ and ____________.
Some industries are also owned by large number of people who supply raw
materials (milk / sugarcane) or supply their labour (coir) pool their resources
to run them. Such industries is called cooperative industries.
Agro Based Industries

The industries which are based on agricultural products are called agro based
industries.
Textile Industry: The textile industry occupies unique position in the Indian
economy, because it contributes significantly to industrial production (14 per cent),
employment generation (35 million persons directly - the second largest after
agriculture) and foreign exchange earnings (about 24.6 per cent). It contributes 4
per cent towards GDP. It is the only industry in the country, which is self-reliant
and complete in the value chain i.e., from raw material to the highest value added
products.
Fibre Weaving Dyeing and Garment
Spinning
production Knitting Finishing Manufacture
Raw Fibre Yarn Fabric Garments !

Value addition in the textile industry

Cotton Textiles: In ancient India, cotton textiles were produced with hand spinning
and handloom weaving techniques. After the 18th century, power-looms came into
use. Our traditional industries suffered a setback during the colonial period because
they could not compete with the mill-made cloth from England.
Today, there are nearly 1600 cotton and human made fibre textile mills in the
country. About 80 per cent of these are in the private sector and the rest in the
public and cooperative sectors. Apart from these, there are several thousand small
factories with four to ten looms.
In the early years, the cotton textile industry was concentrated in the cotton
growing belt of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Availability of raw cotton, market,
transport including accessible port facilities, labour, moist climate etc. contributed
towards its localisation. This industry has close links with agriculture and provides
a living to farmers, cotton ball pluckers and workers engaged in ginning, spinning,
weaving, dyeing, designing, packaging, tailoring and sewing. The industry by creating
demands supports many other industries, such as, chemicals and dyes, mill stores,
Look at the Map of Textile

industry at the end of the
chapter and shade them.

The first successful textile mill was established packaging materials and
in Mumbai in 1854. engineering works.
While spinning continues to
When the two world wars were fought in Europe,
be centralised in Maharashtra,
India was a British colony. There was a demand
for cloth in U.K. hence, they gave a boost to the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, weaving
development of the cotton textile industry. is highly decentralised to provide
scope for incorporating
traditional skills and designs of weaving in cotton, silk, zari, embroidery etc. India
has world class production in spinning, but weaving supplies low quality of fabric
as it cannot use much of the high quality yarn produced in the country. Weaving is
done by handloom, powerloom and in mills.
The handspun khadi provides large scale employment to weavers in their homes
Why did Mahatma Gandhi as a cottage industry. India exports yarn to Japan. Other
lay emphasis on spinning importers of cotton goods from India are U.S.A., U.K.,
Russia, France, East European countries, Nepal,
yarn and weaving khadi?
Singapore, Sri Lanka, and African countries.
Jute Textiles: India is the largest producer of raw jute and jute goods and stands at
second place as an exporter after Bangladesh. There are about 70 jute mills in India.
Most of these are located in West Bengal, mainly along the banks of the Hugli river
98 km long and 3 km wide.
Factors responsible for their location in the Hugli basin are: proximity
of the jute producing areas, inexpensive water transport, supported by a good
network of railways, roadways and waterways to facilitate movement of raw material
to the mills, abundant water for processing raw jute, cheap labour from West Bengal
and adjoining states of Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. Kolkata as a large urban
centre provides banking, insurance and port
facilities for export of jute goods.
Do you know?
The jute industry supports 2.61 lakh
The first jute mill was set up near Kolkata in
1859 at Rishra. After Partition in 1947, the workers directly and another 40 lakhs
jute mills remained in India but three-fourth small and marginal farmers who are
of the jute producing area went to engaged in cultivation of jute and mesta.
Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan). Many more people are associated
indirectly.
Challenges faced by the industry include stiff competition in the international
market from synthetic substitutes and from other competitors like Bangladesh,
Brazil, Philippines, Egypt and Thailand. However, the internal demand has been on
the increase due to the Government policy of mandatory use of jute packaging. To
stimulate demand, the products need to be diversified. In 2005, National Jute Policy
was formulated with the objective of increasing production, improving quality,
ensuring good prices to the jute farmers and enhancing the yield per hectare. The
main markets are U.S.A., Canada, Russia, United Arab Republic, U.K. and Australia.
The growing global concern for environment friendly, biodegradable materials, has
once again opened the opportunity for jute products.
Sugar Industry: India stands second as a world producer of sugar but occupies the
first place in the production of jaggery and khandsari (The raw material used in this
industry is bulky, and in haulage its sucrose content reduces). There are over 460
sugar mills in the country spread over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat along with Punjab, Haryana and Madhya
Pradesh. Sixty per cent mills are in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This industry is seasonal
in nature so, it is ideally suited to the
Where should the sugar and
cooperative sector. Can you explain why
jaggery mills be ideally located?
this is so?
In recent years, there is a tendency for the mills to shift and concentrate in the
southern and western states, especially in Maharashtra. This is because the cane
produced here has a higher sucrose content. The cooler climate also ensures a longer
crushing season. Moreover, the cooperatives are more successful in these states.
Major challenges include the seasonal nature of the industry, old and inefficient
methods of production, transport delay in reaching cane to factories and the need to
maximise the use of baggase.
Mineral based Industries

Industries that use minerals and metals as raw materials are called mineral based
industries. Can you name some industries that would fall in this category?
The minerals are widespread in Indian
subcontinent based on their geological
Look at the Map of States
structures. The minerals essential for iron and where minerals are available
at the end of the chapter and
steel industries are located predominantly in shade them.
Peninsular India.
Therefore iron and steel plants are also
distributed in the same places as the minerals
are located. The industry is dependent on power
resources which are equally essential for the
operation of industries. Conventional energy
resources of coal, petroleum, gas are also
available in the same region which further help
in mineral based localisation of industries.
Iron and Steel Industry: The iron and steel
industry is the basic industry since all the other
industries heavy, medium and light, depend on
it for their machinery. Steel is needed to
manufacture a variety of engineering goods, construction material, defence, medical,
telephonic, scientific equipment and a variety of consumer goods.
Make a list of all such goods made of steel that you can think of production and
consumption of steel is often regarded as the index of a country's development.
Iron and steel is a heavy industry because all the raw materials as well as finished
goods are heavy and bulky entailing heavy transportation costs. Iron ore, coking
coal and lime stone are required in the ratio of approximately 4 : 2 : 1. Some quantities
of manganese, are also required to harden the steel. Where should the steel plants
be ideally located? Remember that the finished products also need an efficient
transport network for their distribution to the markets and consumers.
Today with 32.8 million tons of steel production, India ranks ninth among the
world crude steel producers. It is the
largest producer of sponge iron. In spite Why is the per capita consumption
of large quantity of production of steel, of steel so low in India?
per capita consumption per annum is
only 32 kg.
Aluminium Smelting: Aluminium smelting is the second most important
metallurgical industry in India. It is light, resistant to corrosion, a good conductor
of heat, mallable and becomes strong when it is mixed with other metals. It is used
to manufacture aircraft, utensils and wires. It has gained popularity as a substitute
of steel, copper, zinc and lead in a number of industries.
There are 8 aluminium smelting plants in the country located in Odisha (Nalco
and Balco), West Bengal, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and Tamil
Nadu. In 2004, India produced over 600 million tons of aluminium.
Bauxite, the raw material used in the
smelters is a very bulky, dark reddish Look at the Map of Major
Coal fields, Mines, and Iron
coloured rock. Regular supply of & Steel factory at the end of
the chapter and shade them.
electricity and an assured source of raw
material at minimum cost are the two
prime factors for location of the
industry.
Chemical Industries: The Chemical
industry in India is fast growing and
diversifying. It contributes
approximately 3 per cent of the GDP.
It is the third largest in Asia and
occupies the twelfth place in the world
in term of its size. It comprises both
large and small scale manufacturing
units. Rapid growth has been recorded
in both inorganic and organic sectors. Inorganic chemicals include sulphuric acid
(used to manufacture fertilisers, synthetic fibres, plastics, adhesives, paints, dyes
stuffs), nitric acid, alkalies, soda ash (used to make glass, soaps and detergents,
paper) and caustic soda. These industries are widely spread over the country. Why
do you think it is so?
Organic chemicals include petrochemicals, which are used for manufacturing
of synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, plastics, dye-stuffs, drugs and pharmaceuticals.
Organic chemical plants are located near oil refineries or petrochemical plants.
The chemical industry is its own largest consumer. Basic chemicals undergo
processing to further produce other chemicals that are used for industrial application,
agriculture or directly for consumer markets. Make a list of the products you are
aware of.
Fertiliser Industry: The fertiliser industry is centred around the production of
nitrogenous fertilisers (mainly urea), phosphatic fertilisers and ammonium phosphate
(DAP) and complex fertilisers which have a combination of nitrogen (N), phosphate
(P), and potash (K). The third, i.e. potash is entirely imported as we do not have
commercially usable potash or potassium compounds in any form. India is a large
producer of nitrogenous fertilisers. There are 57 fertiliser units manufacturing
nitrogenous and complex nitrogenous fertilisers, 29 for urea and 9 for producing
ammonium sulphate as a by product and 68 other small units produce single
superphosphate. At present, there are 10 public sector undertakings and one in
cooperative sector at Hazira in Gujarat under the Fertiliser Corporation of India.
After the Green Revolution the industry expanded to several other parts of the
country. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Kerala contribute towards
half the fertiliser production.
Cement Industry: Cement is essential for construction activity such as building
houses, factories, bridges, roads, airports, dams and for other commercial
establishments. This industry requires bulky and heavy raw materials like limestone,
silica, alumina and gypsum. Coal and electric power are needed apart from rail
transportation.
The first cement plant was set up in Chennai in 1904. After Independence the
industry expanded. Decontrol of
price and distribution since 1989 Where would it be economically viable to set up
and other policy reforms led the the cement manufacturing units?
cement industry to make rapid
The industry has strategically located plants in
strides in capacity, process,
Gujarat that have suitable access to the market in
technology and production. There
the Gulf countries. Find out where the plants are
are 128 large plants and 332 mini
located in other states of India. Find their names.
cement plants in the country.
Improvement in the quality has found the produce a readily available market in
East Asia, Middle East, Africa and South Asia apart from a large demand within the
country. This industry is doing well in terms of production as well as export. Efforts
are being made to generate adequate domestic demand and supply in order to sustain
this industry.
Automobile Industry
Automobiles vehicles provide quick transport of goods and passengers. Trucks,
buses, cars, motor cycles, scooters, three-wheelers and multi-utility vehicles are
manufactured in India at various centres. After the liberalisation, the coming in of
new and contemporary models stimulated the demand for vehicles in the market,
which led to the healthy growth of the industry including passenger cars, two and
three-wheelers. This industry had experienced a quantum jump in less than 15 years.
Foreign Direct Investment brought in new technology and aligned the industry with
global developments. At present, there are 15 manufacturers of passenger cars and
multi-utility vehicles, 9 of commercial vehicles, 14 of the two and three-wheelers.
The industry is located around Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata,
Lucknow, Indore, Hyderabad, Jamshedpur and Bangalore.
Information Technology and Electronics Industry

The electronics industrys covers a wide range of products from transistor sets
to television, telephones, cellular telecom, pagers, telephone exchange, radars,
computers and many other equipments required by the telecommunication industry.
Bangalore has emerged as the electronic capital of India. Other important centres
for electronic goods are Mumbai, Delhi,
Look at the Map of Major Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow
Software Technology parks
on page 104 and shade them. and Coimbatore. 18 software technology parks
provide single window service and high data
communication facility to software experts.
A major impact of this industry has been on
employment generation. Upto 31 March
2005, the IT industry employed over one
million persons. This number is expected to
increase eight-fold in the next 3 to 4 years. It
is encouraging to know that 30 per cent of the
people employed in this sector are women.
This industry has been a major foreign
exchange earner in the last two or three years
because of its fast growing Business
Processes Outsourcing (BPO) sector. The
continuing growth in the hardware and software is the key to the success of IT
industry in India.
In this section we have seen various types of major industries, their geographical
distribution and the localising factors. However, the industries are posing
environmental threat in terms of land, air and water pollution.
Fill in the following table. For some industries, you may need to discuss with the
teacher.
Industry States in which they are Why they are concentrated

currently concentrated in those states?
Chemical Industry
Fertiliser Industry
Cement Industry
Automobiles industry
PART - II
Government and Industrial Development – The Early Years
In India a few large factories are operated by government and others are by
private companies. This kind of existence of industries run by both government and
by private industrialists has emerged because of the policy decided by Indian
Parliament.
This kind of arrangement was made keeping in view the huge amount of capital
required to set up large industries at that time in India. As we saw above for a large
number of industries to come up it is important to provide basic inputs. Hence it
was presumed that government can invest in basic goods industries and this would
also help privately-owned industries for their expansion. Also basic goods industries
not only require more money but also take a long time to be set up. Private industrial
groups or families were not willing to invest in such industries. For example, for
setting up a power plant – production of electricity, it would require five to ten
years. The government had to undertake this responsibility.
Similarly government also took the responsibility to provide infrastructure
activities – building roads, maintaining transport services such as railways, roadways,
airways, water supply, production of gas, oil and other petroleum products.
Government also introduced many restrictions so that small producers could
be helped. Many industrial activities were allowed only for small producers. For

example, production of cloth of specific quality was restricted to handlooms. Many
craft production or small scale manufacturing that people could do in their homes
or workshops were not allowed to be produced in factories.
Government made laws so that the large factory owners get prior permission-
license-to set up factories. This was done so that there would be better planning
and co ordination. Government was wary of one industrial unit dominating in
producing specific goods. In such a situation it is possible that the factory owners,
when there was no competition, may charge higher price from consumers for his
or her goods. The government regulated the quantity of goods produced by factories.
For some goods, the price at which they can be sold was also fixed.
Emerging Problems
Over the years, many of these industrial policies became hindrance to the growth
of industry. Those aspiring to set up an industrial unit were required to follow so
many procedures and had to wait for many years to get the approval from the
government offices. There were administrative hurdles, such as delays in processing
applications, which gave rise to the unhealthy practice of bribes.
There were many instances of misuse of the licensing system. Licenses were
not always given to the most efficient producers. The selection was biased in favour
of people with political connections and the economically powerful. Thus, the big
and influential people would corner not one but several licenses. Some of these
would be in very different and unrelated products. For example, a textile
manufacturer having secured a license for cement would start a cement factory,
even though the firm had no special competence in the area of cement production.
During the 1970s and 1980s many of the industrial families in India had licenses
for production of almost all major industrial goods and few new people could get
into industrial production.
All this discouraged new entrepreneurs, those who were willing to take the risk
of investing money in industrial production and who would work with latest
technology available.
Write an imaginary dialogue between the big factory and the potter’s wheel in the context of industrilation.

When government controlled the price of certain goods, the producers of these
goods felt that there was no incentive to produce more goods. Rather control on
prices led to shortage of goods. For example, to buy a scooter one had to book and
wait several years before the scooter was actually delivered. There was always a
greater demand for scooters than was available in the market. Such shortages were
also common for important basic goods like coal and cement, which in turn caused
a lot of delay to production of other goods. The shortages were blamed to the
government’s policy of control on Indian industry, particularly its licensing policy.
If only these restrictions on industry were removed, industrialists complained,
production could increase and shortages would be removed.
The protective measures towards small producers also met with little success
with many large producers producing goods clandestinely as small producers.
Another problem commonly noted for Indian industry was the lack of quality of
some of its products. For example, compared to the topmost brand of car produced
in India, there were many other car producers in the world whose cars were of
better quality and also cheaper. One of the reasons for low quality was said to be
the lack of competition among producers in the Indian industry. Even among industries
that were run by private producers, competition was limited due to the government
controls. There were controls on opening new factories and buying new machinery.
Import and export of industrial goods, including machinery and raw materials were
controlled. Private manufacturers needed the government's permission (license)
for all such activities. Prices of important industrial goods were laid down by the
government, and the producer had to sell only at that price. Many people were of
the view that Indian industry as a result of government’s controls wasn’t modernizing
fast and was producing goods at high cost and not making technological
improvements.
In the case of government industrial enterprises, government used to allocate a
specific amount every year to operate these industries. In the long run, these were
expected to become independent, generate revenue for the government. However it
was the other way around for many government run factories-these were continually
requiring government assistance and there was regular interference in running them.
Their functioning was much below what was expected.
New Policy for Industries

In the 1990s, the country began to relook at the industrial policies till then. A
new industrial policy was announced. Many activities which were earlier restricted
only for the government are now allowed for the private industries.
Government also relaxed laws so that factory-made consumer goods are also
imported from other countries. Many government rules were simplified to encourage
industrial activities in India especially new entrepreneurs.
In order to improve the efficiency of government-owned industrial companies,
government sold some of them. The financial support provided by government to
run these companies has also got reduced. These companies are also allowed to
take decisions independently without interference from government.
Private or government companies from other countries are now encouraged to
come to set up factories in India so that new technology would become common
and more goods could be exported to markets outside the country.
Impact of Industrilisation Policies

Rise in the number of industrial units. Employment has increased but less than
expected and of low paying quality. Today nearly 2 lakh large factories also called
organised manufacturing units and nearly 3 crore small (also called unorganised)
manufacturing units are operating in India. These industrial units, both large and
small, employ nearly about one-fifth of India’s 460 million workers today.
Look at the following pie charts. These show the employment in the three kinds
of economic activities as percentage of total workers at that time.
Employment in Industry, 1972-73 (in%) Employment in Industry, 2009-10 (in%)
One important point in industrial development after the new policies were
introduced period was that the role of small firms has declined with many big
industries coming up to produce factory-based goods.
Also an important goal of industrial policies in India was to generate employment
opportunities in industrial activities. Raising the proportion of people employed in
factories is also generally seen as an important indicator of economic development
of a country. Many laws were enacted in India to streamline industries so that they
provide better salary to workers, provide safety to workers at the workplace and
ensure health and medical benefits. It was envisaged that more and more industries
would get established and most workers would be earning better incomes in due
course. This did not happen in India. Even after six decades of India’s Independence,
the share of employment has not gone up as much as expected. Also a large section
of workers are employed in small industrial units which generally pay a very low
salary and devoid of workers safe working conditions and health benefits.
Also in contrast to the expectation, large industries began to replace workers
with technology. More and more automation has taken place. This has led to almost
zero additional employment in large factories.
What are the differences in employment in the
three kinds of economic activities that you notice
from these pie charts?
What is the percentage of change in employment
by industry?
Discuss with your teacher: Did we expect to see a
greater change in employment by industry that did
not happen?

It was not only the production of steel, cement and other important raw
materials increased tremendously over the last six decades. This resulted in
many other intermediate and consumer goods. Look at the following table
which show the number of different transport vehicles, pump sets produced
in India. You will notice that each good serve different purpose. Draw four
separate bar diagrams and discuss in the class the probable impact of the
increased production of each of these goods.

Table 3: Production of transport vehicles and pumps, 1950-2011
Commercial Motor cycles Pumps Tractors
Year vehicles (Million) (power driven) (million)
(million) (million)
1950-51 9 - 35 -
1960-61 28 1 105 -
1970-71 41 97 259 -
1980-81 72 447 431 71
1990-91 146 1843 19 142
2000-01 152 3756 482 284
2010-11 753 10527 3139 465
1. Can you point out some examples of increase in production of goods that are
used in the production of many products by different factories?
2. What has been the increase in production of cloth over the past 30 years? What
would be the impact of this? Discuss in your class.
3. Refer the chart that shows the production of cement and steel construct a table to
show the increase from 80-81 to present times. Discuss some positive and negative
effect of this increase in production.
Increase in the environmental problems and pollution
The production process in industries involves the use of electricity and application
of different chemicals. In the course of production, these industries release a lot of
other materials. They are causing pollution in the industrial locations. One such
instance is given in the biological science textbook at chapter X of Class IX .

Key words
1. Colonial rule 2. Consumer goods 3. Infrastructure facilities
4. Basic goods industries 5. Self sufficiency 6. Per capita consumption
7. Liberalisation
Improve your learing

1. Why government took up responsibility to set up basic goods industries?
2. Why are industries located in specific areas?
3. What are the basic goods industries? How they are different from consumer goods
industries?
4. Give a list of towns / areas in which some conventional mineral resources are found
and ask students to identify then possible industries which can be set up.
Sl. No. Minerals/ Towns/areas in which List the kind of

Resources these resources are industries that can be set
available up in this area
1 Iron ore
2 Coal
3 Jute
4 Oil
5 Natural Gas
6 Forests
7 Manganese
8 Bauxite
5. Why government in 1990s allowed private industries in many areas which were
earlier restricted only to government?
6. What is the impact of industrial development on employment generation?
7. What is the impact of industrial development on revenue?
8. ‘Industrial activities increase environmental problems.’ Discuss.
Project
Select one agro-based and one mineral based industry in your area.
(i) What are the raw materials they use?
(ii) What are the other inputs in the process of manufacturing that involve transportation cost?
(iii) Are these factories following environmental norms?

INDIA
COAL FIELDS AND COAL MINES.

CHAPTER
Service Activities in India
8
In the previous chapters you have read about two important productive activities
– agriculture and industries in India. Service activities constitute the other major
sector. What is a service activity? What is the nature of service activities in India?
How are they important for the country and challenges that we face? In this chapter
we will try to answer these questions.
What is a service activity?
1. Sarojini is a doctor working in a hospital. She goes around the wards, examines
patients, prescribes medicines and monitors their progress. What exactly does
Dr. Sarojini produce? In terms of commodities – nothing. But in terms of
services, she is helping the patients to recover and to achieve good health.
2. Soundarya sells groceries. This shop has been set up in the front portion of
her house. She opens the shop after sending her children to school and manages
this till late night. Her husband helps her in buying all the grocery items from
wholesale shops in the town. As a trader she is providing a service or doing
the work of reaching the products to the consumers.
3. Ramesh works as an accountant in a company. He has to check accounts,
verify payments and receipts, and make sure that the accounts tally with the
bills. Writing and maintaining accounts is a service or work that all business
organisations require.
4. Sampath has a mini-van. Every morning he goes to the fish market. Many
women buy fish from the fish market and use Sampath’s mini-van to travel to
their locality. He collects payments for transporting fish from market.
All the four – Sarojini, Soundarya, Ramesh and Sampath are engaged in service
activities. You will find that their activities are different from farmers, agricultural
labourers or industrial workers. (Refer Venkatapuram, Class VI or paper mill and
industrial workers, Class VII).
They are not producing something tangible like paddy or cloth. They are however
doing work that people and business require in the form of specialised services.
Service here refers to the nature of work done. This is in contrast to or different
from producing a good. ‘Service’ in this context of work doesn’t mean something
that is done free of cost or out of love and devotion. All the above people earn
money through this work. This is their livelihood.
96 Social Studies Service Activities in India

Service activities are required for agriculture and industrial activities. What
would happen to paddy and vegetables if bullock carts, trucks and buses were not
there to provide transport? How one can build buildings if there are no railways to
transport cement bags from factories to sales outlets located in towns and cities?
Even if these goods reach market, there should be a group of people who buy these
and either sell directly to consumers or to other producers such as rice mills, oil
mills etc. This means trading activity also constitutes a major segment of service
activities.
Working people engaged in service activities do not produce a commodity,
like that in agriculture or in industry. They do special kind of activities that help
agriculture and industry and also provide a lot of service that people require. Another
example is the banking and finance related service activities required by people and
business organisations. You have read about this in Class VIII chapter (Money and
Banking). Similarly there are the cell phone, internet and all other types of
telecommunication service providers
There are eight categories of service activities given below. Some detailes are
filled in, others are left out. Fill in the blank ones after discussing with your teacher.
1. Education: Institutions – schools, colleges, universities, technical
institutions come under this category. This means those who are working in
these institutions such as teachers, all the administrative staff and their
activities constitute services.
2. Health and Medical Services ........................................................................
3. Trade: A variety of selling activities both wholesale and retail that we see
around. .................................
4. Public Administration: Public services under village and town panchayats,
state and central governments come under this category. Examples: people
who work in police stations, workers of various other government departments
such as village administrative officers, revenue inspectors, tahsildars,
Collectors, those who work in all kinds of courts, assistants, clerks,
accountants, typists, peons, drivers etc.
5. Defence: Activities and people who work in all the armed forces like army,
navy and air force.
6. Financial activities: Banks and ........................................................................
7. Personal Services: Workers who do domestic work, laundry, cleaning,
dyeing services, hair dressing, running beauty parlours, tailoring shops, photo
and video studios.

8. Activities such as : People working in entertainment and information technology
industry – production of films, TV serials, those working in media, newspapers,
television channels, and advertisement agencies are also included in services.
Importance of the service sector and some challenges

In any developing country such as India, developmental initiatives involve setting
up of many establishments. This includes expansion of infrastructure facilities and
other services. Refer to the two employment charts in the previous chapter. Service
activities constitute about one-fourth of all the jobs people do in India. How are the
service jobs expanding? One possible reason could be due to improvement in general
well being of the people. When people earn better incomes, the way they spend
their income also undergoes change. They tend to spend more on service-oriented
activities such as education, entertainment, eating out and tourism. Let’s examine
some of the factors for increase the importance of the service sector.
Changes in technology and exports of services

The continuously changing technology is also one of the driving forces of service
sector. Since the early 1990s, there has been tremendous change in the
communication technology about which you have studied in Class VIII. Business
Processes Outsourcing (BPO) has brought in new kinds of employment
opportunities to many young people. BPOs employ people located here but they
provide a service to people located across the globe using telecommunication links.
Many Information Technology companies established in metropolitan cities employ
highly skilled engineers that provide specialised software services to companies
all over the world. They get projects from these companies abroad.
The entertain
ment industry creates
jobs to work in
various print media
firms, cable
television channels.
It is common to find
internet cafes and
public telephone
Call centre booths in most of the
cities and towns. The
advertising industry
has also brought new
job opportunities.
Fig. 8.1: Call Centre Many new activities

are found in banking and insurance sectors. All these are possible now due to change
in technology.
All these require not only advanced level of technological equipments such as
computers but also employ a very few highly skilled workers. In other words,
producers in the service sector use a lot of machinery and equipments, employing
less number of highly skilled people. Thus, the way service sector is growing may
not help in reducing unemployment in the country.
There are many “call centers” in big cities. If a resident of London wants
information about her bank deposits or her hospital records she may get it from
such a “call center” located in them.
I am Sarala working as specialised software engineer for the last 3 years. My
company has 120 employees on its pay roll and has a sales figure of about Rs. 50
crores. Four friends together started this company seven years ago. Many of our
colleagues regularly go abroad for providing various support services and
consultancy. I’m paid a good salary but also expected to work very long hours.
Shifting of service activities to others: “Outsourcing”

Due to changes in technology and stiff competition in industrial sector, many
industries have diverted a major section of their activities to service sector. They
don’t do it themselves but get it done from ‘outside’. For example, until a few years
before, if any company employs security staff, they used to recruit people and pay
their salary from the company’s pay-roll. Now-a-days, in order to reduce cost and
avoid paying health, pension and provident fund benefits to workers, a large number
of industries outsource security services to security agencies. Many manufacturing
companies outsource their work for research and development, accounting, legal
services, customer service, public relations etc.
Lack of job opportunities, hence employed in low income service

Closure of many industries particularly in textiles and other industries has forced
workers of these factories to work as small vendors, rickshaw pullers and other low
income service professions. This shift also has created unemployment in urban areas.
People from rural areas come to work in the city but there are not enough employment
opportunities in urban areas. So they either go back to agriculture sector or land up
in many unskilled low earning employment opportunities in services.

I am Aseem. I came to Delhi more than
10 years ago. I ply the rickshaw during the
day and stay on the roadside at night. Every
evening I have to pay rent to the owner. My
earnings from cycle rickshaw are not regular.
Some days I earn Rs.250 and on other days
I get hardly 100-150 rupees. These days
there’s more competition and the number
of cycle rickshaws in this area is increasing.
The following table shows the number of workers (in lakhs) employed in
different service activities in large enterprises in 1991 and 2010. Read
the table carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Service sector activities Government jobs Private jobs
1991 2010 1991 2010
Wholesale and retail trade 1.5 1.7 3.0 5.1
Transport, storage and
communications 30.3 25.3 0.5 1.7
Finance, insurance,
real estate etc. 11.9 14.1 2.5 15.5
Community, social and
personal services 92.3 90.5 14.9 21.4
Which service activity gave maximum employment in 2010?
Has the number of government jobs increased or decreased over the years?
What kind of jobs has government generated most during this period?
What kind of jobs were people able to get in the private service activities?
Are there any differences between jobs provided by the government and private
employers? Discuss.
Stress in jobs in Information Technology

Becoming software engineer has become dream of the young people in these
days. These service jobs although bring a lot of income to families but at the same
time bring stress in the new jobs that they do. Read the following statement of an IT
professional.
My lifestyle has improved due to IT. In college I had just two trousers and two
shirts. Now I don’t know how many shirts I have, I haven’t counted. I buy good
quality clothes and I don’t have to think about what I am spending. So definitely,
working in software has added comfort to my life. Earlier there were a lot of
financial problems in the family— my brothers and sisters were not able to study
properly due to this, and I am very happy that I have been able to solve this
problem. But it is a stressful and mechanical life; there is no social life. In my
hometown, there were always people around—neighbours and relatives. There
was always someone to go and talk your heart out with—but here it’s not like
that.
Desired service today
In recent times, there has been some debate about expansion of service activities
that we need to understand. Read the following two different case studies and answer
the questions that follow.
Case Study 1: Foreign Direct Investment in Retailing Activities
Since 2012, foreign companies can set up retail shops to sell goods in India.
While a few are supporting this new policy, many others are arguing against this
policy. Those who are critical about this argue that the small farmers may ini-
tially find it attractive to sell directly to the large foreign supermarkets but these
foreign investors companies will sooner or later misuse their power to buy in
large quantities and compel the farmers to sell at very low prices. About 20-40%
of agricultural goods are wasted due to lack of proper storage facilities. This is
not a small quantity which can be neglected when it comes to the improvement
of the living conditions of farmers. This wastage can be minimized if government
establishes state of the art storage facilities which only MNCs can have today.
Also that supermarkets will minimize wastage of farm produce through invest-
ment in storage facilities is not persuasive on two counts: the alleged wastage of
farm produce is exaggerated, and the big retailers have in fact not invested as
much as they were expected to do in storage facilities; there will be loss of jobs in
traditional, smaller retail sector; and they will drive out smaller retailers, result-
ing in concentration of market power in the hands of a few.
The supporters argue that there will be gainers and losers from FDI in retail,
but the overall gains will outweigh the losses. Moreover, in course of time the
losers too will benefit. It was argued that large and medium sized farmers will
initially benefit the most, while the small farmers or landless labour will be the
losers. However, the purchases by the big supermarkets will increase demand for
agricultural products, which in turn will expand agricultural output ... which in
turn may increase demand for labour. This will increase agricultural wages in the
long run.
You may recall what you learnt in class VI social studies how paddy whole-
sale traders earn their profit from farmers by lending money and get back their
produce at lower than the price prevailing in markets. The foreign retailer may
also enter into an interlinked contract with farmers, and at a lower interest rate
than charged by the moneylenders. This too is not a desirable state of affairs for
the farmer, but a lesser evil: MNCs can purchase more of the produce due to
better storage facilities and this
What do you think? Can government do will be more beneficial to farm-
ers than what they have to put
anything to address this issue?
up with moneylenders.

Case Study 2: India faces an acute shortage of skilled human resources in the
health sector, says a recent report
India faces an acute shortage of over 64 lakh skilled service professionals in
the health sector with Uttar Pradesh alone accounting for a shortfall of 10 lakh
allied healthcare professionals, according to a study. The density of doctors in
India is in 2011 was six for a population of 10,000, while that of nurses and mid-
wives is 13 per 10,000 persons. India has a doctor to population ratio of 0.5:
1000 in comparison to 0.3 in Thailand, 0.4 in Sri Lanka, 1.6 in China, 5.4 in the
U.K., and 5.5 in the U.S.
Also there is a gap of 20 lakh dental assistance-related technologists, 18 lakh
rehabilitation-related workforce, 9 lakh miscellaneous health workers and 9 lakh
surgery and anaesthesia-related professionals. There is also a shortage of around
2.4 lakh medical technologists, 2 lakh surgical and intervention technology-re-
lated health professionals, 1.3 lakh ophthalmology-related workers, 62,000 medi-
cal laboratory professionals.
The shortfall of different medical professionals has resulted in the uneven
distribution of all cadres of health workers, medical and nursing colleges, nursing
and ANM (Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife) schools, and allied health institutions
across the States with wide disparity in the quality of education. The uneven
distribution of professional colleges and schools has also led to an imbalance
both in the production capacity and in the quality of education and training, lead-
ing to poor health outcomes. By empowering allied health professionals or para-
medics, as they are known at present, they can be the leaders of change, playing
critical role in improving the reach of health services in underserved areas.
What is your opinion on foreign companies setting up retail shops in India? How
do you think that they can generate employment in India?
Talk to some retail shop owners in your neighbourhood. Discuss their opinions
on foreign retailing shops in your class.
Prepare a table with two columns and list out the advantages and disadvantages of
allowing foreign company retail stores in India.
Why is it necessary to establish more medical institutions in India?
Who, in your opinion should set up new medical institutions – private sector or
government? Why?
To sum up, in this chapter, we have looked at the importance of service activities
and how they contribute to economic development of the country. India is required
to shift people working in agriculture to industry and service jobs. This means
sufficient number of jobs will have to be generated. There should be more and
more factories established and infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, educational
institutions are to be set up. We need more good quality roads and other transport
facilities, storage facilities, credit facilities. Many industrial activities are now
depending on the service activities to face the competition. New economic policies
in India are also giving emphasis to expansion of service activities.
Key words
1. Call centers 2. Service activities 3. Outsourcing
4. Information Technology 5. Economic development 6. Retail trade

1. What is meant by the term, “service activities”?
2. List five service activities and give your reasons why they are not to be considered
as either agricultural or industrial activities.
3. How can service activities help in the overall development of a country?
4. How are agricultural and industrial activities related to services?
5. The growth of service sector is sustainable and can make India as a rich country. Do
you agree with this statement? Elaborate.
6. Why are service sector activities becoming important?
7. Service activities cannot expand beyond a level unless agriculture and industries.
Explain.
8. How can service sector reduce educated unemployment in India?
9. Is there any migration of labourers from your area? Find out the reasons for the
migration.
10. Read the 9th paragraph of this chapter; (Service activities do not produce) and answer
the following:
What are the service activities required for agriculture and industries?
Project
Discuss with any seven people identify with sector they are employed in. Write a
brief note or design a poster about their work. What relationship do you see between
their employment and place of residence?
Sl. No. Name of the Nature of work

Agriculture/ Industry/ Services
person done
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Explain your reason for the classification.

CHAPTER
Credit in the Financial System

9
In Class VIII you read about money and different kinds of accounts in a bank.
You may be aware that people borrow from many sources like their friends, relatives,
money lenders, banks etc. Agricultural labourers borrow from their employers and
work for less than market wages. Different kinds of credit arrangements are an
important component of financial system of a country and play crucial role. In this
chapter we will read about some aspects of credit system.
Bank deposits as money
Modern forms of money include currency - paper notes, coins and bank deposits.
You read about this in Class VIII.
Banks accept the deposits and also pay an amount as interest on the deposits. In
this way people's money is safe with the banks and it earns an interest. People have
the right to withdraw the money as and when they require. Since the deposits in the
bank accounts can be withdrawn on demand, these deposits are called demand
deposits.
Demand deposits offer another interesting facility. It is this facility which lends
it the essential characteristics of money (that of a medium of exchange). You have
read of payments being made by cheques or by electronic means instead of cash.
Since one can withdraw money in cash or make payments by cheque. It makes these
deposits work like any other form of money such as currency notes. Since demand
deposits are accepted widely as a means of payment, along with currency they
constitute money in the modern economy.
You must remember the role that the banks play here. But for the banks, there
would be no demand deposits and no payments by cheques against these deposits.
The modern forms of money - currency and deposits - are closely linked to the
working of the modern banking system.
This entire system is
Why are demand deposits considered as supervised by the government’s
money? Reserve Bank of India so that the
The deposits kept at the bank are also insured promise made by the banks to
by the government? Find out the details. honour withdrawals in cash or
Do you think fixed deposits that people keep payment by cheque is always kept.
The government has to ensure that
with banks will easily work like money?
people’s trust in the money kept
Discuss.
with the banks in the form of

demand deposits or as fixed deposits is always maintained and their money is
available for use and accepted by all. The Reserve Bank issues guidelines for this
system and examines it working so that people’s trust is maintained. Similarly the
government has to ensure that the supply of notes and coins is in adequate amount
and in good condition so that people don’t face problems in the currency being
used.
Loan Activities of banks
People make deposits People take loans

business
harvest
salary
People get interest People pay interest
Fig 9.1 : Circular flow of money - Public bank
What do the banks do with the deposits which they accept from the public?
There is an interesting mechanism at work here. Banks keep only a small proportion
of their deposits as cash with themselves. For example, banks in India these days
hold about 15 percent of their deposits as cash. This is kept as provision to pay the
depositors who might come to withdraw money from the bank on any given day.
Since, on any particular day, only some of its many depositors come to withdraw
cash, the bank is able to manage with this cash. This is how banking started because
banks all over the world found that they could keep their promise of paying cash
on demand by keeping only a small fraction of the money in cash.
Banks use the major portion of the deposits to extend loans. There is a huge
demand for loans for various economic activities. We shall read more about this
in the following sections. Banks make use of the deposits to meet the loan
requirements of the people. In this way, banks mediate between those who have
surplus funds (the depositors) and those who are in need of these funds (the
borrowers). Banks charge a higher interest rate on loans than what they offer on
deposits. The difference between what is charged from borrowers and what is paid
to depositors is the primary source of income for banks.
106 Social Studies Credit in the Financial System

What would happen if all the depositors Why people require credit
went to ask for their money at the same Compared to past, people’s need for
time? credit has increased. This may be due
Talk to someone who has taken a bank to a variety of reasons. In agricultural
loan. What was the purpose and how did practices earlier most of the inputs
she approach the bank? were supplied by the farmers
themselves. They used their own cattle
Interview a bank manager. What are the
for ploughing, family members for work
loans that they have given? Are there any
and sow seeds and manure their farms.
activities for which they would not give
The new farming practices require
loans?
substantial amount of cash in hand – to
Apart from banks people keep deposits in buy seeds, fertiliser, pesticides, and to
other institutions such as housing pay for ploughing, threshing, harvesting
societies, companies, post office and hired workers.
schemes etc. Discuss how is this
The increased availability of
different from bank deposits?
consumer goods in the market and
arrangements for finance has also
increased the variety of credit arrangements. We get a variety of goods – ranging
from essential food grains to utensils, home appliances and furniture etc. now on
credit. Manufacturers and sellers of these goods encourage people and particularly
those with regular monthly incomes and having bank accounts to buy on credit and
pay in monthly installments. For example, if you purchase a television for
Rs.20,000, you can pay Rs.5000 initially and pay the rest every month over one or
two years. People also borrow to meet the payments of school/ college fees and
for health services. One of the major reasons for indebtedness is the need to borrow
for medical requirements.
As business and trade increases their requirement of loans also increases. A
substantial part is financed by borrowings from various sources. The idea is to
earn more than what they have to pay as interest. How does this work? We would
examine in some examples below.
Two Different Credit Scenarios
It is festival season two months from now and the shoe manufacturer, Alisha,
has received an order from a large trader in town for 3,000 pairs of shoes to be
delivered in a month’s time. To complete production on time, Alisha has to hire
a few more workers for stitching and pasting work. He has to purchase the raw
materials. To meet these expenses, Alisha obtains loans from two sources. First,
he asks the leather supplier to supply leather now and promises to pay him
later. Second, he obtains loan in cash from the large trader as advance payment

for 1000 pairs of shoes with a promise to deliver the whole order by the end of
the month.
At the end of the month, Alisha is able to deliver the order, make a good
profit, and repay the money that he had borrowed.
A large number of transactions in our day-to-day activities involve credit in
some form or the other. Credit (loan) refers to an agreement in which the lender
supplies the borrower with money, goods or services in return for the promise of
future payment. Alisha obtains credit to meet the working capital needs of
production. The credit helps him to meet the ongoing expenses of production,
complete production on time, and thereby increases his earnings. Credit therefore
plays a vital and positive role in this situation.
Swapna, a small farmer, grows groundnut on her 3 acres of land. She takes a
loan from the moneylender to meet the expenses of cultivation, hoping that her
harvest would help repay the loan. Midway through the season the crop is hit
by pests and the crop fails. Though Swapna sprays her crops with expensive
pesticides, it makes little difference. She is unable to repay the money to lender
and the debt grows over the year into a large amount. Next year, Swapna takes
a fresh loan for cultivation. It is a normal crop this year. But the earnings are not
enough to cover the old loan. She is caught in debt. She has to sell a part of the
land to pay off the debt.
In the rural areas, the main Fill the following table:
demand for credit is for crop
Alisha Swapna
production. Crop production
involves considerable costs on
seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, Why did they
water, electricity, repair of need credit?
equipments, etc. There is a
minimum stretch of three to
four months between the time What was
when the farmers buy these the risk?
inputs and when they sell the
crop. Farmers usually take crop
loans at the beginning of the What was the
season and repay the loan after outcome?
harvest. Repayment of the loan
is crucially dependent on the Supposing, Alisha continues to get orders from
income from farming. traders. What would be his position after 6 years?
In Swapna's case, the failure What are the reasons that make Swapna’s
of the crop made loan situation so risky? Discuss the following
repayment impossible. She had factors: pesticides, role of moneylenders and
108 Social Studies
climate. Credit in the Financial System
to sell part of the land to repay the loan. Credit, instead of helping Swapna to improve
her earnings. It left her worse off. This is an example of what is commonly called
debt-trap. Credit in this case pushes the borrower into a situation from which
recovery is very painful.
In one situation credit helps to increase earnings and therefore the person is
better off than before. In another situation, because of the crop failure, credit pushes
the person into a debt trap. To repay her loan she has to sell a portion of her land.
She is clearly much worse off than before. Whether credit would be useful or not,
therefore, depends on the risks in the situation and if there is some support in case
of loss.
People also require credit for consumption and to manage many socio-
cultural aspects. Marriages require a huge expenditure on both bride and
groom which compel families to borrow. Do you think there are other reasons
for people borrowing in your area? Find out from your parents and teachers
and discuss in the class.
Terms of Credit
Every loan agreement specifies an
interest rate which the borrower must pay
Collateral
to the lender along with the repayment of
the principal. In addition, lenders may Collateral is an asset that the
demand collateral (security) against loans. borrower owns (such as land,
If the borrower fails to repay the loan, the building, vehicle, livestock, deposits
lender has the right to sell the asset or with banks) and uses this as a
collateral to obtain payment. Property such guarantee to a lender until the loan
as land titles, deposits with banks, livestock is repaid.
are some common examples of collateral
used for borrowing.
Fig 9.2 An immovable or movable property as collateral

Sivakami, a teacher has taken a loan of Rs. 5 lakhs from a bank to purchase a
house. The annual interest rate on the loan is 12 percent and the loan is to be
repaid in 10 years in monthly instalments. She had to submit to the bank
documents showing her employment
records and salary before the bank Why do lenders ask for collateral while
agreed to give her the loan. The bank lending?
retained as collateral the papers of the How the demand for collateral affect
new house, which will be returned to poor persons capacity to borrow?
Sivakami only when she repays the entire Fill in the blanks choosing the correct
loan with interest. option from the brackets:
Interest rate, collateral and While taking a loan, borrowers look for
documentation requirement and the mode easy terms of credit. This means
of repayment together comprise what is
(low/high) interest rate, (easy/
called the terms of credit. The terms of
tough) conditions for repayment,
credit vary substantially from one credit
(less/more) collateral and
arrangement to another. Depending on the
nature of the lender and the borrower, the documentation requirements.
terms of credit vary. The next section will
provide examples of the varying terms of credit in different credit arrangements.
Variety of Credit Arrangements: Example of a Village
Vasu is a small farmer and he needs loans for cultivation on his 1.5 acres of
land. For the last few years, he has been borrowing from an agricultural trader in
the village at an interest rate of 3 percent per month i.e 36 % per year. At the
beginning of the cropping season, the trader supplies the farm inputs on credit,
which is to be repaid when the crops are ready for harvest.
Besides the interest charge on the loan, the trader also makes the farmers
promise to sell the crop to him. This way the trader can ensure that the money
is repaid promptly. Also, since the crop prices are low after the harvest, the trader
is able to make a profit from buying the crop at a low price from the farmers and
then selling it later when the price has risen.
Arun is a farmer and has 7 acres of land. He is one of the few persons to
receive bank loan for cultivation. The interest rate on the loan is 10 percent per
annum, and can be repaid anytime till 3 years. Arun plans to repay the loan after
harvest by selling a part of the crop. He then intends to store the rest of the
potatoes in a ware house in the nearby town and apply for a fresh loan from the
bank against the cold storage receipt. The bank offers this facility to farmers who
have taken crop loan from them.

Rama is an agricultural labour
List the different sources of credit in the
working in a neighbouring field.
above examples.
There are several months in the
Underline the various uses of credit in the
year when Rama has no work, and
above passages.
needs credit to meet the daily
Can everyone get credit at a cheap rate? Who expenses. Expenses on sudden
are the people who can? illnesses or functions in the family
Tick the correct option(s): are also met through loans. Rama
(a) Over the years, Rama's debt has to depend on her employer, a
- will rise. landowner, for credit. The
landowner charges an interest rate
- will remain constant.
of 5 percent per month. Rama
- will decline.
repays the money by working for
(b) Arun is one of the few persons to take a bank the landowner. Most of the time,
loan. One reason for this is Rama has to take a fresh loan,
- He is an educated person. before the previous loan has been
- Banks demand collateral which everyone repaid. At present, she owes the
cannot provide. landowner Rs. 5,000. Though the
- Interest rate on bank loans is same as the landowner does not treat her well,
interest rate charged by the traders. she continues to work for him since
she can get loans from him when
- There is no documentation work required for
in need. Rama tells us that the only
getting bank loan
source of credit for the landless
Talk to some people to find out the credit
people is the landowner-
arrangements that exist in your area. Record
employers.
your conversation. Are there any differences
in the terms of credit?
Fill the following details for Sivakami, Arun, Rama and Vasu.
Particulars Sivakami Arun Rama Vasu
Loan Amount
(in Rupees)
Duration of loan
Documents required
Interest rate
Mode of repayment
Collateral

Formal and informal sources of credit in India
In the above examples that
people obtain loans from various
s 7%
ers 3%
sources. The various types of loans
iend
can be conveniently grouped as
d Fr
Trad
formal sector loans and informal
7%
s an
rs sector loans. Among the
he
Ot
tive
Rala formalloans, the loans from banks
Moneylenders 30%
and cooperatives. The informal
loans include loans from
Cooperative societies moneylenders, traders, employers,
27% relatives and friends, etc. In the
1%
lords
Land pie-chart you can see the various
sources of credit to rural
Commercial banks
25% households in India. Out of every
100 rupee credit required by rural
families, Rs.25 was available from
commercial banks. Besides banks,
Fig 9.3 : Sources of credit for rual the other major source of cheap
Households in India in 2003 credit in rural areas is the
cooperative societies (or
cooperatives).There are several types of cooperatives such as farmer’s cooperatives,
weaver’s cooperatives etc. You will also notice money lenders are an important section
of informal credit providers in India.
From the data above (fig. 9.3) complete the following table and discuss in the class
that one can observe since 1961.
Credit Organisations Source of credit (in %)
1961 1971 1981 2003
Cooperatives and Commercial banks 10.3 24.4 58.6 ?
Government and other formal sources 5.5 7.3 4.6 ?
Total of formal organisations ? ? ? ?
Moneylenders 62.0 36.1 16.1 ?
Traders 7.2 8.4 3.1 ?
Landlords 7.6 8.6 4.0 ?
Relatives and friends 6.4 13.1 11.2 ?
Other sources 0.8 2.1 2.4 ?
Total of informal organisations ? ? ? ?
Total percentage 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

The RBI sees that the banks give
New Initiatives
loans not just only to profit-making
The RBI has now initiated processes of businesses and traders but also to small
improving the financial access to people in cultivators, small scale industries, to
rural areas. All banks would be opening rural small borrowers etc. In recent times,
accounts using Business Facilitators and besides RBI, National Bank for
Business Correspondents. These correspon- Agricultural and Rural Development
dents would encourage people in rural areas (NABARD) is another organisation that
to open bank accounts so that they can save facilitates formal credit organisations
their money and also use loan facilities of the in rural India.
bank. These facilitators would help them Even though the amount of bank
connect with the local branch. Electronic loans given for agriculture have been
identification systems would be used to open increasing in recent years, still a
these accounts. considerable section of farmers do not
Recently the government initiated get access to bank credit. You may recall
providing Unique Identification Number to from chapter on agriculture that in
every citizen of India. All those who have 2011, there were 14 crore farmers in
enrolled themselves are given a card called India. Out of this only about 5.3 crore
Aadhaar. Those who have this number can farmers have agricultural loan
open the bank account easily and also get the accounts. This means more than two-
benefits and services provided by thirds of farmers do not have access to
government. Earlier banks used to make it bank loan facilities. These nearly 9
mandatory to put a minimum amount while crore farmers have to rely on informal
opening an account. sources of credit such as money
Now-a-days bank people can open account lenders and traders. They charge
and there is no compulsion to keep any exorbitant rates of interest as you have
minimum amount. This is called no-frills seen in the earlier examples.
account.
Formal and Informal Credit: Who gets what?
There is no organization that monitors and regulates the credit activities of
lenders in the informal sector. They are able to lend at whatever interest rate they
can force upon.
There are some major differences between the way formal and informal credit
providers operate in India. While the formal credit providers follow certain rules
and regulations framed by government and in particular, the RBI and they expect
their clients also to follow certain procedures. Informal credit providers do not
follow such government rules and they evolve their own procedures. Formal credit
providers also have to follow certain expectations of government which is not
required for the informal credit providers. When the borrower could not repay as
per the agreed terms, formal credit providers cannot use any illegal ways to get

back the credit, where as informal credit providers use many coercive and illegal
ways which at times lead to borrowers committing suicides.
Compared to the formal lenders, most of the informal lenders charge a much
higher interest on loans. This means, the cost to the borrower of informal loans is
much higher. Although many states have laws to protect its people from informal
credit providers such as money lenders from charging a high interest rate, they are
not only sufficient to make the money lenders to charge low interest rates but are
yet to be enforced effectively.
Higher cost of borrowing means a larger part of the earnings of the borrowers
is used to repay the loan. Hence, borrowers have less income left for themselves.
In certain cases, the high interest rate of borrowing can mean that the amount to be
repaid is greater than the income of the borrower. This could lead to increasing
debt. Also, people who might wish to start an enterprise by borrowing may not do
so because of the high cost of borrowing.
For these reasons, banks and cooperative societies need to lend more. This
would lead to higher incomes because many people could then borrow cheaply
for a variety of different needs. They could grow crops, do business, set up small-
scale industries etc. They could set up new industries or engage in business activity.
Cheap and affordable credit for all is crucial for the country's development.
The rich households are availing cheap credit from formal lenders whereas
the poor households have to pay a heavy price for borrowing from informal sources.
The following table shows how urban families borrow from two sources in 2003
(in percentage). Read the table carefully and fill in the blanks of the passage given.
Description of the Formal Informal Total
Borrower Households Credit Credit Credit
Poor Households 15 85 100
Households with few assets 47 53 100
Well-off Households 72 28 100
Rich Households 90 10 100
The table above shows the share of formal and informal sources for people living in
urban areas. The people include both rich and poor households. You can see that .....per
cent of the credit needs of the poor households are met from informal sources. Formal
sources of credit account for only .....per cent. Compare this with the rich households.
What do you find? Only ......percent of their loans are from informal sources, while
.....per cent is from formal sources. You would find a similar pattern in rural areas.
What do all these suggest? First, the formal sector still meets only about half of the
total credit needs of the rural people. The remaining credit needs are met from informal

sources. Most of the loans from the informal lenders carry very high interest rates
and do little to increase the income of the borrowers. Thus, it is necessary that
banks and cooperatives increase their
What are the differences between formal lending particularly in the rural area, so
and informal sources of credit? that the dependence on informal sources
Why should credit at reasonable rates be of credit reduces.
available for all? Second, while formal sector loans
Should there be a supervisor such as the need to expand, it is also necessary that
Reserve Bank of India that looks into the everyone receives these loans. At
loan activities of informal lenders? Why present, it is the richer households who
would its task be quite difficult? receive formal credit whereas the poor
Do you think that the low share of formal have to depend on the informal sources.
It is important that the formal credit is
sector credit for poorer households has
distributed more equally so that the poor
been one of the factors for farmer
distress in A P? Discuss can benefit from the cheaper loans.
Self-Help Groups for the Poor

In the previous section we have seen that poor households are still dependent
on informal sources of credit. Getting a loan from a bank is much more difficult
than taking a loan from informal sources.
Bank loans require proper documents and collateral. Absence of collateral is
one of the major reasons which prevent the poor from getting bank loans. They
have few assets to keep as collateral. Informal lenders such as the moneylenders,
on the other hand, know the borrowers personally and hence are often willing to
give a loan without collateral. The borrowers can, if necessary, approach the
moneylenders even without repaying their earlier loans. However, the moneylenders
charge very high rates of interest and do not reveal of the transactions and harass
the poor borrowers. They also have ways of linking this credit to buying the produce
at a cheap rate or forcing them to provide labour.
In recent years, government and Non Government Organisations (NGOs) have
tried out some newer ways of providing loans to the poor. The idea is to organise
rural poor, in particular women, into small Self Help Groups (SHGs) and pool
(collect) their savings. A typical SHG has 15-20 members, usually belonging to
one neighbourhood, who meet and save regularly. Saving per member varies from
Rs. 25 to Rs. 100 or more, depending on the ability of the people to save. Members
can take small loans from the group itself to meet their needs. The group charges
interest on these loans but this is still less than what the moneylender charges.
After a year or two, if the group is regular in savings, the group is eligible for
loan from the bank. This bank linkage enhances the loan amount available to all the
members. Loan is sanctioned in the name of the group and it ensures that the loans
are paid back. The trust and pressure among the members makes this possible.
Important decisions regarding the savings and loan activities are taken by the group
members. The group decides the terms of credit. Also, the group members are
jointly responsible for the repayment of the loan. Any case of non-repayment of
loans by any one member is followed up seriously by other members in the group.
Because of this feature, banks are willing to lend to the poor women when organised
in SHGs, even though they have no collateral as such.
Collateral usually kept by banks is not necessary. These loans are meant to
create self-employment opportunities for the members. For instance, members
take small loans for releasing mortgaged land, for meeting working capital needs
(e.g. buying seeds, fertilizers, raw materials like bamboo and cloth), for buying
housing materials, for acquiring
assets like sewing machine, How is a loan to a SHG member different
handlooms,cattle etc. from an individual loan by a bank?
Moreover, SHGs are the building Some SHG groups charge very high interest
blocks of organisation of the rural and rates for loans to its members? Is this fair?
urban poor. Not only do women Discuss.
become financially self-reliant, the Find out: What is the role of a federation
regular meetings of the group provide of SHG groups?
a platform to discuss and act on a
variety of social issues such as health, nutrition, domestic violence, etc.
Financial Literacy
Financial Literacy is the process of equipping oneself with knowledge and

information on financial matters. Taking interest in financial literacy helps one to
have better financial planning, puts them in a better position to achieve their financial
goals and protect oneself from frauds and debt traps. It aims to inculcate savings
habits, improve the understanding of financial products leading to effective use of
financial services and thus helps better money management. Further, financial literacy
facilitates easy access to financial services.
Financial literacy material is available on the website of Reserve Bank of India
(www.rbi.org.in). The financial literacy material available now covers subjects such as
features of genuine bank notes, know your Reserve Bank, how RBI touches the life of
the common person, caution against emails/ sms offering huge sums of money from
abroad, caution against providing bank account details on interent, information of
loan products available from banks, why save with banks?, grievance redressal
mechanism, Banking Ombudsman Scheme, caution against depositing money in un-
incorporated bodies/ un-licensed entities, Deposit Insurance (Are my deposits safe
in banks?, What is Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation) etc. Financial
literacy information is available in brochures/ pamphlets prepared by RBI and other

banks. Further, RBI has developed comics on financial literacy subjects for the benefit
of the school children. ‘Raju and the Money Tree’, ‘Money Kumar and Monitory Policy’
etc. are the names of the comics that can be downloaded from the RBI website
mentioned above. In addition to the above, for the benefit of word illiterate persons in
rural, urban and remote areas, State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC), Andhra Pradesh
has prepared an audio CD on the benefits of saving with banks.
Financial Literacy is an important adjunct for promoting financial inclusion,
consumer protection and ultimately financial stability. Financial inclusion and financial
literacy need to go hand in hand to enable the common man to understand the need
and benefits of the products and services offered by formal financial institutions. In
India, the need for financial literacy is even greater considering the low levels of literacy
and the large section of the population that are still out of the formal financial set-up.
Financial literacy has assumed greater importance in recent years as financial markets
have become increasingly complex and the common man finds it very difficult to make
informed decisions. Further, in view of higher percentage of household savings in our
country, financial literacy can play a significant role in the efficient allocation of
household savings and the ability of individuals to meet their financial goals.
Key words
1. Demand deposits 2. Economic activities 3. Cooperative societies
4. Commercial banks 5. Informal sources of credit

1. Most of the credit needs of the poor households are met from informal sources.
The dependence of richer households on informal credit is less. Do you agree? Use
the data from Table 1 to support your answer.
2. How are high interest rates on loans harmful?
3. What is the basic idea behind the SHGs for the poor? Explain in your own words.
4. Talk to a banker and find out what are the purposes for which people in urban areas
generally take loans?
5. What is the difference between the bank loan and through SHG?
6. Read paragraph 3rd under the heading of ‘Self Helf Group for the Poor’ and answer
the question. How are SHGs working in your area?
Project
Is there any incident of farmers committing suicide in your area? If so, find out
reasons and make a report, discuss in the classroom by adding a few newspaper
clippings related to this issue.
CHAPTER
10 Prices and Cost of Living
You would have heard people talking of prices rising and the difficult situation
that they face. Why do people appear agitated and worried with rising prices? Does
this happen for most commodities or only for a few things? Does it affect everyone in
a similar way? These are some of the issues discussed in this chapter.
Family Budget
Your parents earn their income by doing some work – be it farming, construction
work, selling vegetables or groceries, working in an office, shop or factory etc. They
buy things for the house and spend on what the household requires. At times they
have to borrow from somebody. There’s always some plan for the expenditure and
how they would manage what is required with the money that they have. This balanc-
ing of expenditure to income is called a Budget.
Every family makes a budget – it could be written down, or done mentally. Let us
take the budget of a family that sells vegetables in the vegetable market.
Table-1 Subbamma’s Budget for January 2013

Receipts Expenditure
Earnings in a month Rs. 10,000 Food items Rs. 3000
Amount borrowed Rs. 2,500 Rent Rs. 2000
from relatives
School fees Rs. 1500
Medicines and doctor fees Rs. 2500
Bus and auto expenses Rs. 1500
Electricity, mobile& other Rs. 2000
expenses for daily needs
Total Receipts Rs. 12,500 Total Expenditure Rs.12,500
In the above table you can see income received as earnings by Subbamma’s family
is shown on the left hand side of the account, and their expenditure on the right hand
side. If you add up their expenditure it comes to Rs.12,500 - which is more than their
earnings Rs.10,000! So they had to borrow from their relatives (Rs.2500) to cover
118 Social Studies Prices and Cost of Living
this extra expenditure, when their daughter fell ill to cover expenses of medi-
cines etc. This is shown in the second row on the left. In the same way thousands
of households prepare their budgets and adjust their consumption on the basis
of the income they earn.
How changes in prices affect family budget?
Let us look again at Subbamma family’s budget. Supposing next month, their
house-owner increases the rent to Rs.2500. At the same time, bus fares and
petrol charges also increase, so his family now has to spend to Rs.2000 per month
on transport. With the new prices their cost of living has now increased by an-
other Rs.1000. How can his family manage, if there is no increase in their earn-
ings? If they have some savings, they can use that. Otherwise they are com-
pelled to borrow from friends or relatives. But they also have to repay them with
interest charges, isn’t it?
It could also be true that if Subbamma borrow from close relative, he need
not have to pay interest. If they borrow from a money lender, he will have to
repay the borrowing with some interest. If it is interest Rs.3 for every Rs.100 or
3% per month, Rs.75 would have to be added every month as interest. Suppose
Sathyanarayana family is able to repay only after six months, this means, they
have to repay Rs.2500 plus Rs.450 i.e. Rs.2950.
One way for them to adjust their budget, is to reduce some of their expenditure.
If they cut down the number of trips they use auto, or reduces purchase of some
food items, money spent on mobile phone and so on, they can adjust their
expenditure to their earnings with the new prices. Because they have reduced their
consumption of many goods, their standard of living would fall. This is due to the
increase in the cost of living.
People with fixed incomes such as pensioners or daily wage earners, manual
workers, small vendors, workers in small enterprises and in private low income
jobs, etc. are all badly affected by continuous rise in prices over a period – called
inflation. These people’s money income does not change when there is inflation.
So they are forced to cut down their own consumption. Already their standard of
living is very low; now inflation will further reduced their consumption, which
pushes them further into poverty.
People are always worried about the rise in prices, because when prices increase
it affects their consumption and they have to pay more for everything. Petrol prices
increase, bus and auto fares increase, price of groceries, vegetables and milk
increase, doctor’s fees increase, and so on.

Tomorrow is teachers’ day. Your class students give you Rs.200 send you to
the market to buy some sweets and biscuits to celebrate this day with your
teachers. When you go to the shop, you find that the price of a sweets packet is
Rs.60, and a biscuit packet is Rs.20. If you buy 2 sweets packets, how many
biscuit packets can you buy? How much should you pay?
When you come to school, your class students say, “Why did you buy such few
packets? You should have brought 5 of each.” They are surprised when you tell
them that the prices of the sweets and biscuit packets. “Last year, we paid Rs.30
for a sweets packet and Rs.10 for a biscuit packet,” one of them say.
What has happened in the last one year? Prices of both items have gone up, and
for the same amount of money, i.e. Rs.200, you can buy lesser amounts of
these commodities.
Suppose your class students asked you to buy 5 packets of both sweets and
biscuits this year also. How much would you have to pay then?
• For 5 packets sweets = Rs._______________
• For 5 packets biscuits = Rs. _______________
• Total amount you pay = Rs._______________
• How much more do you have to pay compared to last year?
The actual number of goods and services that money can buy is called the
purchasing power of money. During inflation real income or purchasing power
of money falls down. From the above example last year you could pay Rs.200
for five of each item, but now you have to pay more to buy the same items. Or
you have to buy less of both items. So:
Last year: Rs.200 = 5 packets of sweets + 5 packets of biscuits.
This year: Rs.200 = 2 packets of sweets + 4 packets of biscuits.
In other words, the purchasing power or the value of money of Rs.200 has
fallen, because you can buy less of both items with the same money, due to the
increase in their prices.
When people receive fixed income, they cannot afford to buy the same number
of goods as before. They have to reduce their consumption, buy lesser of these
goods and services. This affects their standard of living. Standard of living refers to
the quantity of material goods and services that ensures a comfortable life.

The standard of living will of course differ from one type of family to another,
from one type of profession to another, from one income group to another, and
from one country to another. For example, having a car, television and mobile
phone may not be considered as a high standard of living in United States of America
but people owning these things in India would certainly be considered as people
having better standard of living.
Not everyone is affected by rising prices. For some groups this rise in price
levels is compensated.
People working in Central and State Government offices and in some
organisations get an additional payment called “Dearness Allowance” or DA. When
prices rise by a certain percentage, their salary also increases because the
government now pays them more DA. Therefore their income also increases, along
with inflation.
People doing business activities recover the higher cost of living, by
increasing the prices of goods they sell. For example, if price of sugar increases,
the mitaiwallah will increase the prices of sweets, the chai-wallah will increase
the price of a cup of tea.
People providing services such as dry cleaners, barbers, lawyers or doctors
increase their fees when prices increase. They charge more for their services from
their customers, clients or patients.
Extremely rich persons, working in corporate sector do not get affected
by rising prices.
Not all working people get compensated easily for the rise in price of essential
goods. For instance, it is common to see agricultural labourers, construction
workers or factory workers demand their employers to raise their wages when
prices increase. Sometimes, their trade unions are compelled to go for strikes to
pay higher wages. On those occasions government intervene and negotiate with
employers and workers to arrive at increased wages. For many occupations,
government also regularly fixes wages and revises these periodically after
considering the changes in price of essential goods (except daily wage workers
and hired workers).
How Inflation is measured?
Earlier we had mentioned that continuous rise in prices of goods is known as
inflation. But you may have observed that while some prices have increased, others
have fallen. For example, the prices of mobile phone rates have been falling, other
prices are rising. So overall, can we say that there is inflation in the country or not?
Again, supposing the price of match box increases. Does it really reduce your
cost of living? Compare this with the impact of an increase in house rent, or the
price of petrol or rice. Supposing the prices of compact disk used in computers to
save data fall, how does it affect the budget of a manual worker who may never use
a computer? If the price of an industrial machine increases, how does it indirectly
affect the budget of a large number of people?
Write down the names of some goods or services that are regularly bought
by your family. Find out their price today and the price last year. What is the
difference? You can ask your parents or teachers for help.
Sl.No. Goods/Services Price last year Price this year Difference
1
2
3
4
Price Index Numbers

Change in price is measured with the help of a statistical device referred to as
‘price index’. Change in prices of one good does not affect all goods and services
in the same way. So how do we measure the overall change in prices? One way is by
using an Index Number of Prices. It is constructed in the following way:
The average price of all the goods and services selected in the first year, which
is considered as the base year, is given the number 100. If on an average, all the
prices of selected goods and services rise by 25 per cent over the previous year,
the price index for the second year will be 125. If in the next year, prices of these
items rise by 20 per cent over the previous year, the price index will now stand at
150 (20% of 125 + 25 = 150).
Let us understand this through an example. The following table shows price of
rice and cotton as paid by government organisations as part of MSP. Read the table
carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Table-2 Price Cotton and Rice (per quintal) during 2005-2011

Crop 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-2010 2010-2011
Rice Rs. 600 Rs. 610 Rs. 775 Rs. 880 Rs. 980 Rs. 1030
Cotton Rs.1980 Rs. 1990 Rs. 2030 Rs. 3000 Rs. 3000 Rs. 3000
(i) Calculate the index numbers of rice and cotton by assuming 2005-06 as the
base year
(ii) Draw a line diagram showing index number of rice and cotton. Keep the
years in x-axis and index numbers on the y-axis. Discuss how line goes up
over the years.
(iii) Compare your graph and index numbers with the graph on page 119 in this
chapter.

Index numbers tell us about changes in the sum total of a set of items over
time. They only compare these total items in one year, with the same items in
another year. In this way, the price index number shows the percentage change in
the prices of a set of goods from one time period to another. For instance, we can
compare what has happened to our household budget this year or this month,
compared to last year or last month. The difference of price level of the two years
shows by how much percentage, prices have increased in one year.
It can also be used to compare the price level in one place compared to another.
We can compare the price level in Andhra Pradesh with that of other states, like
Karnataka, or Maharashtra.
Since there are thousands of goods and services in the economy, we have to
choose which goods to include in the price index.
Price Index numbers are of different types, depending on which group of
consumers we are looking at – for example we have the Wholesale Price Index
(WPI), the Consumer Price Index (CPI). While the WPI includes all goods (capital
goods and consumer goods) and changes in their wholesale rates, the CPI measures
only changes in prices of a few selected consumer goods at the retail price. In
India, different CPIs are published by government:
a) CPI for industrial workers
b) CPI for Urban Non-Manual Employees
c) CPI for Agricultural Labourers
The reasons why there are so many CPIs is because the same set of goods are
not consumed by different types of families. For example, the types and quantities
of goods and services consumed by industrial workers in towns and cities will
differ from rural agricultural labourers. Non Manual or White Collar employees
working in offices, banks, or IT companies, consume a different set of goods
compared to agricultural labourers.
The CPIs are used to calculate the DA to be paid for government employees,
to revise legal wage rates as part of Indian government laws and also to estimate
the number of poor in India. Inflation is generally measured on the basis of changes
in WPI.
How to construct a CPI?
Let us try to construct a simple Consumer Price Index for some items that you
buy for your household consumption.
Let us take Table 3. Now write down the amount of each of the items your
parents purchased last month. Let us assume that they are buying the same amount
this month also. But this month prices have increased, so the same set of goods
will be costlier.
In this table, we have taken four goods, and their prices and quantities purchased.

We show this data for last month in the second and third column. Then we multiply
the Price with the Quantity, to get the total expenditure on each item. Then we add
up the total expenditure for all items in the last row of column 4.
Table -3 Estimating Consumer Price Index

This is an example of how CPI can be constructed. Let us assume that your family buys rice, onions,
dal, and gas cylinder.
1 2 3 4= 2 x 3 5 6 7 =5 x 6
Goods/Services Last month’s Last month’s Expenditure This month This month Expenditure
Price Rs. Quantity Last month price quantity this month
1. Rice per kg Rs.30 25 kgs Rs. 750 Rs.40 25 kgs Rs. 1000
2. Onions per kg Rs. 10 5 kgs Rs. 50 Rs.20 5 kgs Rs. 100
3. Dal per kg Rs. 75 4 kgs Rs. 300 Rs.85 4 kgs Rs. 340
4. Gas cylinder Rs. 400 1 Rs. 400 Rs.410 1 Rs. 410
Total Expenditure Rs. 1500 Total Expenditure Rs. 1850
In the same way in column 5 we show the price of the same items of this
month, and in column 6 we show the quantities purchased this month. Let us keep
these quantities the same as last month. Again we multiply each item with its price
and show our expenditure on that good in column 7. Now adding up column 7
gives us total expenditure on these 4 goods in this month.
What do you see in Table 4? Your family had purchased these four goods last
month at Rs.1500. But for the same set of goods, you now have to pay Rs.1850
this month, because prices of all goods have increased. Compared to the previous
month they have increased by Rs.350 i.e. in percentage terms
350/1500x100=23.3%.
In other words if one assumes Rs 100 was spent by the family last month, this
month they would have to spend Rs.123.3. All families with similar consumption
pattern the affect on their budget would be similar- they would face a price rise by
23%. The CPI is calculated in the same manner assuming the importance of various
items of expenditure in a family’s budget. This figure shows the extent of increase
in your cost of living.
If the average price level of these four goods last month was 100, it has now
increased to 123.3. That means compared to last month, the price level of these 4
items of your household consumption has increased by 23.3% this month.
In the actual economy, there are thousands of goods and services being
produced and whose prices have been increasing. The government estimates the
amount by which the price level has increased in different time periods – mostly
every month and every week.
Food Inflation
Since 2009, government began to estimate a new index - Food Price Index (FPI). This
index is used to estimate rise in prices of food items called food inflation. The FPI
consist wholesale price of food materials such as rice, wheat, pulses, vegetables, sugar,
milk, eggs, meat, fish and manufactured food materials such as edible oils. In 2011-
12, edible oils accounted for higher food inflation. During that year, about 50 per
cent of India’s edible oil requirements were met through imports of crude palm oil
sunflower oil, soyabean oil and refined palmolein. When the price of these items
increased at the international level - in other countries from where we import, Indian
consumers also had to pay higher prices. Since government has to take measures to
control the rising prices, many research studies were conducted. It was found that
the change in the dietary pattern of people has changed considerably in such a manner
that their consumption of vegetables, eggs, meat and fish increased recently. Any
seasonal shortage causes a price rise since the demand for these products is quite
high. People wish to consume them even at a higher cost. It is become a part of their
regular diet.
Recent price increases

During 2009-12, prices of many essential goods went up. This you can see
from the following figures. Look at the figure carefully and answer the questions
that follow.
Wholesale price indices of Agricultural Goods

(Base year 2004-05=100)
Rice Pulses
Raw Cotton Sugar, Khandsari & Gur
Edible Oils
If a family was buying rice for Rs. 20 a kg in 2005-06, how much

would it have to pay in 2011?
In which years did the price of pulses increased considerably?
What is the percentage increase in the price of cotton?
Which commodity price has been more or less stable?

You are aware that most of petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and
kerosene are made from crude oil mostly imported from other countries. The
increase in crude petroleum prices along with metal and chemical prices has led to
inflation in India. Inflation means general increase in the price of goods and services
over a long period. Since these are basically raw materials used to produce consumer
goods in India, the increase in their price led to increase in the price of consumer
goods.
Role of government in regulating prices
When there is general inflation - a rapid rise in wholesale price index, it is
great concern for industrialists. If there is rise in food inflation - it will have direct
effect on the living standards of the common people. During high levels of inflation,
it is not only that people with low income or fixed incomes suffer and become
poor, other people would tend to put their savings money in buying land, gold or
some other unproductive purposes due to uncertainity and people’s perception that
the value of their money is declining day by day.
There is always some inflation taking place in all economies. Due to this the
consumers have to pay a higher price. Since the benefits of the increased price will
go to the workers who produce those goods, this is considered as good for the
country.
At times, traders whose main aim is to earn profit, raise prices of many goods
and particularly essential items by illegal ways. If there is no increase in wage for
workers who are also consumer in the market, they cannot buy the goods. When
these goods happen to be essentials such as wheat, rice, milk etc., this creates
problem for the people.
This necessitates the need for regulation of traders and keeping a close watch
on them by the government. The government is taking many initiatives in this
direction. You may recall Chapter on Agriculture in which you have learnt how
government helps farmers by procuring paddy and wheat through Food Corporation
of India using Minimum Support Price. This policy helps not only farmers but also
is used by the government to regulate the prices of paddy wheat in the market.
Similarly governments both at the central and state levels fix price for sugarcane
procured to make sugar in cooperative sugar mills. This also is one such a measure
used to regulate price of sugarcane in the market.
You might have studied in class VIII about public distribution system. It is used
as an important activity of the government not only to ensure food security to the
people and particularly the poor ones, but also regulate the prices of essential
items. Under PDS, the government has assumed responsibility for the supply of
essential commodities like wheat, rice, sugar, edible oils and kerosene. This scheme

is implemented by state government with the help of more than 4.5 lakh fair price
shops. The prices of goods sold through Public Distribution System (PDS) are
less than that of the market price and the difference in price – or subsidy is borne
by the government. Apart from enabling the poor to buy goods from fair price
shops, this system controls unscrupulous rise in prices of essential goods in
markets.
For preventing hoarding and keeping the prices of essential commodities within
reasonable levels, and to facilitate their availability, the government fixes the prices
and makes it mandatory for the traders to sell goods in the market at those price
levels. Those who do not follow stipulated price levels are penalised by government
through various laws. Goods such as kerosene, diesel, Liquid Petroleum Gas,
Compressed Natural Gas and Piped Natural Gas are examples of goods whose
prices are partly or solely subsidised by the government and sold under
Administrative Price Mechanism.
Whenever there is price rise, the Reserve Bank of India which is an apex body
for all the banks in India, reduces the money circulation in the economy. This it
does through regulating banks – asking banks to lend more or less or allow
depositors to withdraw less or more. The RBI along with all the banks under its
regulation control the interest payments paid to depositors or received from the
depositors. By controlling the interest rate, the amount of money circulated in the
country decline. The reduction of money people hold in the whole country decline,
results in people’s tendency to consume less, which in turn reduces the demand
for goods and thereby lowers the prices. However, it takes time to see the impact
of steps taken by RBI. At times, when the inflation is caused by rise in the prices of
raw materials, measures of RBI become difficult.
When the government decides to reduce the money in circulation, it imposes
taxes on high-income groups and on many consumer goods. The intention of the
government here also is to reduce the purchasing capacity of the people. When
people have less money to spend, their consumption will also fall, which leads to
decline in prices.
Government also uses import-export policy to regulate the prices of essential
goods. For example, when there is rise in price of food materials, exports of such
goods are banned or the quantity of goods exported is restricted. When there is
shortage of any material, government procure from other countries and distribute
at below market prices through government organisations such as National
Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and other
cooperatives. Government also use legal mechanisms whenever traders create
shortage by hoarding.

Key words
1. Standard of living 2. Inflation 3. Consumer Price Index
4. Wholesale Price Index 5. Administrative Price Mechanism

1. Why is there a need to regulate prices?
2. How are prices fixed by a seller/producer?
3. Differentiate cost of living from standard of living.
4. Who is affected most by increase in cost of living? Why?
5. Which groups can get higher incomes whenever there is inflation?
6. How is wholesale price index different from Consumer Price Indices?
7. How is food inflation different from Consumer Price Indices?
8. What are the uses of the CPI?
9. List of five problems with measuring CPI.
10. How is Administrative Price Mechanism (APM) different from Minimum Support
Price (MSP)?
11. Read sixth paragraph under the heading of ‘Role of Government in Regulating
Prices’ and answer the question.
How does the APM affect the government revenue? Discuss.
12. Take any five goods or services used by your family and construct a consumer
price index for your family based on these five goods/services.
1 2 3 4= 2 x 3 5 6 7 =5 x 6
Goods/Services Last month’s Last month’s Expenditure This month This month Expenditure
Price Rs. Quantity Last month price quantity this month
This month
1. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.
2. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.
3. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.
4. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.
5. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.
Total Expenditure Rs. Total Expenditure Rs.
CPI:______________________%
By how much has your total expenditure changed compared to last month? ______________

13. Write True or false against the statement:
(a) Inflation increases the standard of living of the people. [ ]
(b) Value of money is shown by changes in its Purchasing Power. [ ]
(c) Change in cost of living does not affect the standard of living of
pensioners [ ]
(d) Central Government workers are compensated for inflation by rise in DA [ ]
(e) WPI measures changes in the price level of only consumer goods. [ ]
14. The following table shows the wholesale Price Indices of Industrial Goods. Prepare
a line diagram and answer the questions that follow.
Year Coal Cotton Fertilizers Cement Iron, Steel &

cloth Ferro Alloys
2005-06 118 99 102 102 100
2006-07 118 97 104 119 105
2007-08 122 99 106 138 119
2008-09 151 103 107 139 137
2009-10 156 107 108 149 124
2010-11 165 115 117 151 136
(a) Which commodity’s price rose steeply over the years?

(b) What could be the reasons for a slow rise of cotton cloth and fertilizers?
(c) Does government play any role of any of the above commodities? How?

CHAPTER
11 The Government Budget and Taxation
Role of the Government

In most modern societies, the government is responsible for a number of crucial
functions. These include the more traditional functions like defending the country
and maintaining internal law and order.
In addition, the government has to take responsibility of setting up and running
schools, colleges, libraries, health centers, hospitals, post offices and a variety of
other public institutions. The public transport system and the infrastructure of roads
and railways are constructed and maintained by the government. In providing water,
sanitation, electricity facilities the government has to play an active role. Facilities
like healthcare and sanitation, electricity, public transport, schools and colleges
are known as public facilities.
The important characteristic of a public facility is that once it is provided, its
benefits can be shared by many people. You have read about this in Class VIII. For
instance, a school in a village will enable many children to get educated. Similarly,
the supply of electricity to an area can be useful for many people: farmers can run
pump sets to irrigate their fields. Factories, offices, shops and markets require a
reliable source of power to run. Students will find it easier to study and most of the
people whether in a village or a town will be benefited in some way or the other.
These public facilities have to be available to all and at an affordable rate.
Governments have the responsibility for this. It may take up the work on its own or
get it organised.
Besides the provision of public facilities, the government has the responsibility
towards protection of livelihoods. You have read about the Right to Work and the
MGNREGA in rural areas. The Act mandates that it is the responsibility of the
government to provide manual work on demand and the wages to the workers and
the capital needed are to be paid by the government. The distribution of food grains
at fair prices in the PDS shops is organised and the costs borne by the government.
As we have seen, these are critical for the food security of the poor.
The Indian government in the past has also played a major role in setting up
heavy industries such as heavy engineering, power generation, production of steel,
extraction and refining of petroleum etc. without which industrialisation would
have been very difficult. You read more about these basic industries in Chapter 7 in
this book.
130 Social Studies The Government Budget and Taxation

In your city/ town/ village, what In rural areas, investments on irrigation
are the roles that you have seen projects and agricultural extension works by the
government are crucial for farming. The
the government playing? Discuss.
government also helps farmers by selling
Collect and list out some details fertiliser at a lower price than what would have
of government expenditure from been otherwise by the factories. The government
reading the newspapers of your compensates factories to some extent so that
region. the final price of fertilizers is affordable by
Can you guess from where the farmers. This money paid by the government to
government gets money for the factories is the subsidy for fertilisers. If this
public facilities and other was not there the price charged by the factories
activities? would have been much more. Similarly the
government provides subsidies for many
Subsidies products, by compensating the producer, so that
the price is kept affordable, especially for those
Money paid by government to who need it most. In this way it subsides the price
ruduce the cost of certain important of kerosene, food grain from ration shops, LPG
goods such as fertilizers, foodgrains, gas cylinders etc. These days there’s a lot of
diesel and other important goods so debate on how effective these subsidies have
that their prices can be kept low and been. Are they benefitting people? Are there
affordable to all. better ways of organising them? You’ll read about
some of these issues in this chapter.
To fulfil the various
roles, the government must
have adequate money. The
money required for the
different functions of the
government is collected
from the people in the form
of taxes. There are a variety
of taxes that the
government collects, about
which we shall study in the
Fig. 11.1: Some government activities next sections. The taxes
collected constitute the
revenues of the government. Revenues are necessary to finance the expenditures
of the government. The Annual Budget presented before the Parliament by the
Finance Minister gives the expected expenditure by the government on its various
programmes for the coming year. It also states that how these expenditures are
going to be met through various revenue collections. Similarly in each state assembly
the state government presents the budget for that state.

Expenditures by the Government
Let us look at the actual expenditure of the Indian government to get a sense of
how and how much money the government spend on us. In 2011-12, the government
spent around Rs. 23,00,000 crores (23 lakh crores). This seems to be a lot of
money and indeed it is. Nearly one-fourth of the total spending in the Indian economy
is by the government. Rest of the three-fourth of the spending is by the private
sector – households that spend on food, education, travel, cloth, housing, health,
entertainment etc; and businesses
whether it is a manufacturing or a
service that have to spend on raw
materials, machines, other products,
wages and salaries to employees,
sales and marketing and other
expenses for running the business.
The pie-chart gives the proportion
in which this money was spent across
various expenditure heads by the
government in India in the year 2011-
12, i.e. the 1st April 2011-31st March
2012. Here the Government refers
to both Central government and all
the State governments. In the year
2011-12, 12% of the total
expenditure was on education, art and
culture. This includes both salaries of
employees, running costs of schools
and colleges, etc. as well as new investments like construction of new school
buildings, purchase of new computers, books etc.
Similarly, 4 % of total spending was on health and sanitation; 4% was on rural
development, and so on.
When you look at the pie-chart, you will notice that besides spending on
development activities, there are certain other expenditures, like administration,
pension, interest and defence. These do not contribute to development directly, but
they are necessary. To run its various departments, programmes and the organs of
the state (legislature, executive and judiciary), there are expenditures on
administration. The government also pays pensions to workers who are retired
from the government. Then, there are expenditures on interest payments. Since
every year the Indian government has to borrow some money to meet its expenditure,
it has to pay interest on its past borrowings.
How much the government spends on health versus defence depends on the
policy priorities of the government and people’s voice. Every year, around the time
of the budget and once the budget is presented you would have seen there is a lot of
media attention on these issues. Though the decisions on budgetary spending is
mostly taken by the government, consultations happen between the government
and industry groups, farmer groups, civil society activtists etc. Groups representing
certain sections of the people voice their views, demands and at times their
disagreements before the government. It is through pressures of this kind that the
people have demanded greater spending on social sectors, such as education, health,
food subsidy etc.
The check on the government on matters of budget is ensured through legislative
control. The Parliament has to debate the various issues of the budget that has been
placed before it and approve the expenditure proposals of the government. The
Parliament has to allow the government to withdraw money for its expenditures.
Similarly, no tax can be levied except by the authority of the law passed by Parliament.
Thus, as per the Constitutional requirement, the elected representatives of the people
have an important say in the budgetary decision-making.
Using the information in the above section calculate the expenditure of the
government on food subsidy? Discuss on what all was this money spent and the
purpose for this?
With the help of your teacher, try to relate some of the expenditures in the pie-
chart to the roles played by the government as discussed in Section 1.
In the year 1947-48, the budget for independent India was only Rs.197 crores.
What would be the various reasons for such a large increase in budget since then?
Why do you think the Parliament has been given power over the government’s
budget?
There have been continuous attempts by the government to reduce fertiliser subsidy.
This means that the government would no longer control the price of fertiliser.
Farmers would have to buy fertilisers at the higher market price. At present, the
government has to pay (compensate) the fertiliser producing companies for the
losses that they make. Once fertiliser subsidy is removed it is said this would
make space for other important expenditures in the government budget. Also some
argue that subsidised fertiliser does not benefit the small farmer but only
encourages the large farmers to overuse it.
Imagine you are a farmer using fertilisers in farming, and you genuinely believe
that the farmers need subsidized fertiliser. How would you argue your case? Write
a letter to the Finance Minister.
Taxes
Taxes are the main source of revenue for the government. There are a variety of
taxes collected by the government. You might have heard about some of these like
VAT (Value Added Tax), service tax, excise duty, income tax, property tax, customs
duty etc. The taxes can broadly be classified into two categories: indirect taxes and
direct taxes.
Indirect Taxes
Indirect taxes are charged on goods and services. You would have seen alongside
the printed Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of goods is written “inclusive of taxes”.
It means that the price includes taxes. Similarly, for most services like telephone
and mobile phone services the price that consumers pay includes taxes.
Let us see how the taxes work by taking the example of a few important taxes.
Excise duty is charged on goods that are produced or made in factories. Before
the goods manufactured in a factory can leave the factory gate, excise duty on the
goods produced has to be paid. The owner or the manager of the factory pays the
money (tax) to the government according to the amount of production.
Excise duty is charged from the factory itself, but in reality the tax is passed to
those who buy the goods. The factory owners sell their goods after adding to the
price what they pay in tax. The cost of manufacturing a TV is, say, Rs. 10,000. The
company paid an excise duty of Rs. 1200 to the government. This will get included
in the price at which the TV is finally sold and the consumer bears the tax.
While all taxes on goods add to the price, taxing certain goods raises the overall
prices more. For example, to manufacture bicycles, steel pipes are needed. In
order to make steel, the steel
factory needs iron and coal. If
excise duty (tax) on iron is
increased, it will have an effect
on cycles as well. The prices of
all goods made of iron will go
up. And since iron is used to
make steel, the prices of all
things made of steel will also
go up. In this way, a tax increase
on iron has far reaching effects.
Thus taxing heavily on basic
raw materials and goods used by
many other factories -
intermediate goods-sets up a
chain reaction and all things which are connected to this good, in one way or the
other are affected.
After production the goods passes through a chain of sellers (wholesaler/
distributor/ retailer). While excise duty
Petrol, diesel, etc. are used to run
is levied on manufacture of goods, sales
vehicles, motor pumps, generators sets
tax is charged when goods are sold. Next
etc. What will happen if the tax on diesel
time you receive a proper bill for your
and petrol goes up?

purchases of goods, you will see that the price includes a VAT (Value Added Tax).
VAT on your bill refers to the sales tax, which the retailer has to pay to the
government. Like the excise duty, the retailer passes on the sales tax to the consumer
and the consumer pays a higher price.
Let us look at the example of the TV mentioned earlier to see how the taxes add
up to the price. All figures are in Rupees.
The proportion earned as profits
Cost of manufacturing including Rs. and the taxes paid would vary from
profit of the manufacturer 10,000 one good to another good and also
Excise Tax 1,200 from one state to another state. The
Cost of Transport, Storage and Retail 1,000 important thing to remember is that
most goods carry an element of tax
Profit to the traders 1,000
as part of its price. Similarly, most
Sales tax 1,650
services are taxed, so that their final
Price for the consumer 14,850 price includes a tax element. The tax
on services is called service tax.
Some common examples of service
In the example of TV, what proportion of
tax include: speed post, telephone/
the cost of the TV did the consumer pay as
mobile communication, restaurants,
tax?
AC class/first class train travel.
Collect some bills which mention taxes.
Another major tax on goods,
Collectively make a collage of the taxes on
called customs duty, is charged on
goods. Make a separate collage of taxes on
goods when we import it from other
services with the help of your teacher. See
countries. For example, a person is
if there are other kinds of taxes that you
returning from a foreign trip and has
come across.
bought a new camera from abroad. At
If there are two people manufacturing the the airport in our country, she will
same goods and one of them evades paying have to pay a customs duty. Many
taxes, what advantages could he/ she get factories need machines or raw
over the other? material to be bought from foreign
If the tax on iron is increased, which other countries. On these things too,
things will this affect? Give some examples. customs duty has to be paid.
Indirect Taxes as Value Added Tax (VAT)

• Tara bought two hard drives for her school computers from Sai Ram
Computers. The bill gave the total sale value before VAT at Rs.5,000. To this
VAT was added at the rate of 5%. After adding the VAT amount of Rs.250, the
total sale price including VAT was Rs.5250.

• Sajida has bought an inverter battery for her Particulars Amount (in Rs.)
house. The shopkeeper gave Sajida a bill, Battery 9,165
which says:
Add VAT at 12.5% 1,146
• When Preeti paid for the LPG cylinder she
Total 10,311
noticed that the bill mentioned VAT as zero.
There is no VAT charged on LPG in some cities in India such as Delhi.
Over the last decade, the tax on goods has gradually been shifted towards a
Value Added Tax system, hence the name VAT. This is done for both excise and sales
tax. Let us read the following example to understand what it means.
Suppose there is a biscuit manufacturer. She regularly purchases raw materials
for production from a reliable person. The supplier from whom she purchases gives
her a bill that says:
Cost of materials Tax Total bill Paid
Raw Materials like Rs. 90 10 Rs. 100
wheat, flour, sugar etc.
Now, suppose she produces biscuits at a cost of Rs 450. This includes all the
costs that she has incurred- cost of materials, wages for staff and labour, rent for
office and factory etc. She adds Rs 50 as her own profit. So Rs.500 is the value of
the output now. She sells the biscuits to a distributor. Remember the manufacturer
will have to pay taxes on selling his biscuits. Let the tax rate be 10%. How much tax
does she have to pay?
Under the old system, the biscuit manufacturer would have to pay Rs.50 (i.e.,
10% of Rs.500) to the government. In total then, the government has collected Rs.
10 + 50 as tax. Rs10 was paid by the supplier and included in the bill that she paid.
Under the system of Value Added Tax (VAT), the producer only pays tax on the
value added. Rs.500 is the worth of the output. And Rs.100 is the worth of the input
for production (raw materials). The value added is simply the difference between
the value of output and input, which is Rs.400 in this case. At the rate of 10%, he
has to pay Rs.40 as tax. The inputs used in production that have already been taxed
once are not taxed again. In this system the government will collect Rs 10+ 40 =50
as tax, on the whole.
You can see that the tax paid by the manufacturer under Value Added Tax system
is smaller since she does not have to pay tax on inputs. Production of industrial
goods go through long chains and depend on many goods produced in different
factories. In the value added system inputs are not taxed again. Hence in this system
the total tax on goods is less and therefore it should cost less.

There is another advantage of Value Added Taxes. All producers and traders will
have to keep genuine record of their sale and purchase. Everyone has to keep proper
records and ask for bills for purchase. It
What is your opinion about the value is only on this basis they can show the tax
added taxes? Discuss. already paid on cost of inputs. The tax
department (tax inspectors) will be able
Fill in:
to match records of the seller and
The purchases by Tara, Sajida and
purchaser for verification. Non- payment
Preeti show ___________ tax rates
of tax, which is very common, is expected
across goods. (same/ different)
to be more difficult.
Can you guess why this should be so?
Direct Taxes
We pay taxes on goods and services that we buy/consume. We have seen how
the producer or the trader adds the taxes to the final prices, which consumers have
to pay. As the goods pass through a number of stages of production and sale, at each
step the taxes are paid to the government. However, the total tax is finally passed to
the consumer. Thus, taxes on goods and services are also called indirect taxes.
Consumers pay it, but indirectly.
In addition, there are taxes, which are directly charged to individuals directly
on their income or directly on the profits earned by companies and business. These
taxes have to be paid directly by the individuals or businesses to the government
and hence are called Direct Taxes.
There are two important direct taxes – Income Tax and Corporate Tax.
Companies that run factories or businesses have to pay taxes. Companies or
businesses, receive money from the sale of their products or services. After
subtracting all expenses (on raw materials, salaries etc.) from their earnings, the
portion that remains is known as the profit of that company or factory. On this
profit, corporate tax has to be paid according to the rules.
Income tax is charged on personal income of individuals. There can be a variety
of sources of individual incomes like wages, salaries and pensions. An individual
can also earn interest income on money that is kept in banks. A person might also
get rent on properties that he owns, like house rent. All these are considered as
incomes on which taxes have to be paid. Income tax is charged only for those who
earn above a certain amount. This is charged as a percentage of the income earned.
Those who earn a higher income have to pay a greater proportion of their income as
tax.

What is the fair way of collecting tax from income?
1. You might think it would be fair for everyone to pay the same amount of tax. Consider
the following three people:
Person Work Earning per month Tax as fixed amount
(in Rupees) per month (in Rupees)
Jyoti Daily wage labourer 1500 50
Asif School teacher 8000 50
Nithesh Business person 30,000 50
Would it really be fair if each of the three people has to pay the same amount? If
Jyoti cannot even afford to feed her children properly, is it fair for her to pay 50
rupees as tax?
2. You might think it would be more fair to ask each person to pay a certain percentage
of what they earn as tax. Supposing everyone paid 10% in taxes, calculate how
much each person would pay.
Person Earning per month Tax as fixed amount
Jyoti 1500
Asif 8000
Nithesh 30,000
Would this be fair? Still Jyoti may not have enough to live. Asif may not have enough
for repairing of his house. But Nithesh would have plenty of money for all basic
necessities even if he had to pay 20% of his income as taxes.
3. To make taxes more fair you might then say only people earning more than a certain
amount say Rs. 7000 per month have to pay taxes. You might also say that the
richest people should pay greater proportion of their earnings as taxes. For example
If you earn You will pay as tax
Less than 7000 0%
7001 to 15000 10%
15,001 to 25,000 20%
More than 25,000 30%
Calculate how much each person will pay.
Person Earning per month Tax as fixed amount
Jyoti 1000
Asif 6000
Nithesh 20,000 Would this be fair?

Fairness in Taxation
What kind of taxation we follow depends on the values that the society as a
whole holds. Most societies feel that it is not fair that a few people have lakhs of
rupees, while others don’t have enough to eat. The government should collect more
taxes from the rich, and the poor should not be taxed or taxed minimally. If the
society as a whole aspires, the taxes so collected can be spent, to raise the income
of the poor by providing better opportunities and living conditions. Notice that as
the incomes of the poor improve more taxes can be collected!
As in the example of Jyoti, Asif and Nithesh, in most countries across the world,
the government taxes those with a higher income at a higher rate. According to
rules of income tax, those with higher incomes have to pay greater part in tax.
Those who are less well-off pay not only lower taxes, but a smaller proportion of
their income as taxes. Hence direct taxes are preferred but in India, as you read in
the previous section, the major source of tax is indirect i.e on goods and services.
Whether rich or poor, everyone has to pay the same amount of tax when buying
something. The poor “feel the pinch” as they say.
While levying taxes on goods and services it becomes difficult to distinguish
between the poor and the rich. There is however a way by which the distinction
between some goods can be made. For example, grains, pulses, vegetables, cloth,
kerosene, cooking oil, cooking gas etc. are goods that are essential. Rich or poor,
everyone buys them but the poor spend almost all of their income on these goods.
Then there are goods and services which only the rich can purchase: cars, laptops,
air-conditioner, dining in restaurants, etc. It is difficult for the poor to afford these
luxuries. Hence one way to distinguish between the rich and the poor is not to tax
the essential things but to tax luxury items. (Remember what may be considered as
luxury may become necessities in the future as living conditions improve etc.)
The problem is that since not many people can afford to buy these luxury items,
taxing only such things cannot bring much income to the government.
There is another consideration that the government has to keep in mind in taxing
goods and services. There are a number of goods and services that are not directly
used by people, such as diesel, steel, aluminium, machines, trucks, truck tyres etc.
Such things are used in making or transporting other things. You can imagine the
large number of places - industries, factories and businesses where these might be
used. People do not buy them directly for consumption.
We saw that when tax is increased on things such as steel, diesel etc, this increase
gets added to the cost of goods which are made out of them or transported with
their help. With this, even the poor who buy grain or cloth have to pay some part of
the tax on diesel or steel. When such things are taxed, the price of many other
things goes up. Thus we often hear people saying:

“The increase in the price of We read about some of the major taxes
petrol and diesel has led to an all collected by the government. Fill in the
round increase in prices. Fruits,
table from the information given. Income
vegetables, pulses and other food
Tax: 12%; Corporation Tax: 24%; Customs
items, for example, have become
Duty: 10%; Excise Duties: 16%; Service
more expensive.”
Taxes: 5%; Sales Tax: 23%; Other Indirect
For this reason the question that Taxes:10%.
troubles everyone each year is: which Taxes Collected by the Government
taxes should be increased more?
Taxes can be collected more easily on Taxes Percentage of Total Tax
goods, but except for luxury items, Direct Taxes 36%
taxing essential goods affects the
poor greatly. Taxes charged and
collected have a strong impact on Indirect Taxes
people’s lives. The tax on income falls
more heavily on the rich and therefore
can be considered more fair. But the
taxes from income might not be
enough to cover the large government
expenditure. Any budget has to take
Total Taxes 100%
into account all these considerations.
That is why the time of the budget is 1. Which kind of taxes generates more
of great importance for everyone. revenues for the government?
2. Kanti has an income of Rs. 1,75,000 per
Collection and Evasion of Taxes year and has to pay an income tax of Rs.
The government gets money from 3000. Kamlesh's annual income is
many kinds of taxes. It has to decide Rs.3,00,000 and he has to pay an income
how much money to collect through tax of Rs.5,500.
each kind of tax. For this it has to • Who pays more income tax?
consider: how many people would • Who has to pay a larger part of the income
have to pay; whether this tax can be as tax?
collected easily; how would it affect
rich and the poor. A related question • In such a situation the person with higher
is whether people pay their taxes or income is paying a _________ (smaller/
evade it. greater/ equal) part of the income in tax.
You know that a large number people in our country depend on agriculture.
Most of them are small and medium farmers. There are also some large farmers
with high incomes. However all agriculture income is exempted from tax. Similarly
a large section of people in the country earn very low income whether from trade

or running small shops or providing labour. The income of these people would be
below the limit for income tax. Thus the percentage of total number of people who
could be paying income tax is small.
Even this small percentage of people of a large population implies that tax has
to be collected from a sizable number of people. For example in 1997 the incomes
of 114 lakh individuals were assessed for income tax. They would be living in
different places in the country. Collecting income tax is not easy. There are many
hurdles. Many people do not disclose their entire income or show it to be less than
what it actually is. This income, which is kept hidden, is known as black money.
Many factory owners, rich moneylenders, traders, those doing private business
can easily show a low income. It is easy to calculate the income of those who are
paid monthly salaries. Tax on their income is directly deducted at the source from
where they get their salaries. But many salaried persons also have other sources of
income which they keep hidden. Such people, whether they are workers, officers,
ministers or clerks, often do not disclose their income correctly. Because there is
no tax on income from agriculture many wrongly show their income as income
from land and therefore evade tax.
Thus there are many ‘tax evaders’ and the black money, that is the money on
which tax should have been paid but wasn't, goes on accumulating. To get hold of
this hoard of black money, the income tax department raids many people's places. It
has also tried to make the procedures more convenient for people to pay their own
tax. Despite these efforts a la;rge number of people do not pay income tax, or pay
less than they should.
On the other hand taxes on goods can be collected more easily since there are
fewer places from where it has to be collected. Excise duty is collected from
factories, customs duty from international airports and seaports and sales tax from
traders and shopkeepers. As compared with income tax to be paid by individuals,
the government finds it easier to keep a track of these factory records or shops.
Even here there are those who try to escape taxes by showing lower production
than has actually taken place. Sales tax is evaded on a wide scale. Some traders, by
not issuing proper bills or recording it in their official registers show much lower
sales than what actually occurred. VAT as we saw in this chapter is intended to reduce
the evasion of taxes on goods and services.
Key words
1. Annual budget 2. Black money 3. Value Added Tax
4. Corporate tax 5. Direct tax 6. Indirect tax
7. Income tax
1. Why does the government need a budget? Why does the budget talk of taxes?
2. What is the difference between income tax and excise duty?
3. Match the following:
i. Excise duty a) levied on the yearly income of individuals.
ii. Sales tax b) levied on the yearly profit of companies and business
establishments.
iii. Customs duty c) levied on the production or manufacture of goods
iv. Income tax d) levied when goods are sold.
v. Corporate tax e) levied on goods brought from abroad
4. You are expected to tax on steel, matches, clocks, cloth, iron; a tax increase on
which of these would affect the prices of other commodities the most, and why?
5. Ordinary food items, such as grain, pulses, oil are used by all. Then why is it said
that imposing tax on them will have a greater effect on the poor?
6. A group of four friends decided to stay together by contributing money towards the
rent of a house. The rent was Rs.2000 per month.
• How could this be shared among them?
• We also know that two of them earned Rs.3000 per month and the other two Rs.7000
per month. Is there some other way of sharing the cost so that each one of them
feels the same pinch?
• Which way of sharing would you prefer and why?
7. Tax on income or tax on commodities. Which of the two affects the rich more and
which affects the poor more? Explain with reasons.
8. How would VAT reduce the evasion of taxes on goods?
9. What is the difference between the Excise duty and Customs duty?
10. Is there any hike in the bus fares recently? If so, try to know the reasons for it.
11. Read the paragraph under the heading ‘Direct Taxes’ (Income Tax is charged only
for ...) and answer the following:
Why do high income earners pay more tax?
Project
Bring a few wrappers of soaps, toothpastes, tablet strips or any othe things which
contain MRP. Discuss the rate mentioned and the rate to which they are sold. Talk
about the profit that the retailer gets.

CHAPTER
Changing Cultural Traditions in Europe 1300-1800

12
The Medieval World in Europe
During the ancient period, Europe was dominated by the Roman Empire which
controlled much of Europe, Turkey and Egypt for a long time. Great cities like
Rome and Alexandria flourished. The culture that had been developed in Greece
and Rome - the sculpture, painting, buildings as well as literature, philosophy and
science was of a very high order. When the Roman Empire declined after 400 AD,
there were no large empires in Western Europe. The cities too had declined and
most people lived in villages. Trade was minimal. Europe came to be dominated by
a social system called Feudalism. Under feudalism, political power was with large
warrior-landlords who controlled the villages and peasants. The peasants were
mostly 'serfs' who were bound to their lords and had to till the lands of the lords,
work in their workshop and also fight for them in wars. They also had their own
lands and sustained their families by working on them too. The lords were constantly
at war with each other and this created a lot of insecurity for the peasants. Culture
of people came to be dominated by the Roman Catholic Church which emphasised
adherence to Christian faith. It discouraged people from thinking for themselves
and asked them to believe what the priests told them. The great cultural achievements
of the Ancient period were forgotten and lost.
This situation began to change after 1300 AD. The peasants had begun to resist
and fight against serfdom and control of the lords and the Church. For example,
there was a great revolt of the peasants in England in 1381 which ended serfdom in
England. Similar movements were taking place in other countries too. The control
of the lords and the church over people had begun to change and people enjoyed
more freedom. Long distance trade
between European countries and Periods in European History
China, Arabia, India and Egypt was
reviving and many new towns and Ancient Period - upto 400 AD
cities sprung up in Europe where Medieval Period - 400 AD to 1300 AD
traders and artisans lived. Many of Early Modern Period - 1300 to 1800 AD
these cities were politically Modern Period - 1800 to present
independent and ruled themselves Note that these are rough dates.
through municipalities. Different historians may use different dates.

A new cultural movement began to develop in Europe which is called
Renaissance or rebirth. People began to go beyond the limits set by religious priests
and raised new questions and found
new ways of answering those
questions. Traders and adventurers You have read about the zamindari system and
set out on long voyages to find out vetti in Hyderabad state in Class VIII.
new routes and lands. New trends Compare it with 'serfdom' in Europe.
in art, painting, sculpture and How do you think trade helps in the
literature developed. Science too development of towns?
developed rapidly. People also
started questioning religious Do you think there is a greater possibility of
authorities and wanted to find knowing new ideas and trying out new things
simpler and direct ways of in towns rather than villages? Discuss.
reaching God. We will study in
detail about all this in this chapter.
Renaissance
There is a vast amount of material on European history from the fourteenth
century - documents, printed books, paintings, sculptures, buildings, textiles. Much
of this has been carefully preserved in archives, art galleries and museums in Europe
and America. Historians study these to understand what was happening and how and
why they happened.
From the nineteenth century, historians used the term 'Renaissance' to describe
the cultural changes of this period. The historian who emphasised these most was
a Swiss scholar - Jacob Burckhardt (1818-97) of Switzerland. In 1860, he wrote a
book called 'The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy', in which he called his
readers' attention to literature, architecture and painting to tell the story of how a
new 'humanist' culture had
flowered in Italian towns In the view of Burckhardt, which of these would
from the fourteenth to the
be associated with modern view and which would
seventeenth century. This
be medieval view?
culture, he wrote, was
characterised by a new belief Faith in the ability of human beings to know and
- that man, as an individual, decide for themselves
was capable of making his Faith in the Religious books and priests
own decisions and developing Faith in divine revelation
his skills. He was 'modern', in
Faith in human reason
contrast to 'medieval' man
whose thinking had been
controlled by the Church.
144 Social Studies Changing Cultural Traditions in Europe 1300-1800

The Revival of Italian Cities
With the
expansion of trade
between the
Byzantine Empire
and the Islamic
countries, the ports
on the Italian coast
revived. From the
twelfth century, as
the Mongols opened
up trade with China
and as trade with
western European
countries also
increased, Italian
towns played a
central role. They no
longer saw
themselves as part of
a powerful empire,
but as independent
city states. Two of
these - Florence and
Venice - were
republics, and many
others were court
Map 1: The Italian States.
cities, ruled by
princes.
One of the most vibrant cities was Venice, another was Genoa. They were
different from other parts of Europe - the clergy were not politically dominant
here, nor were there powerful feudal
lords. Rich merchants and bankers Locate Republics and three court
actively participated in governing the cities on the out line map of Italy.
city, and this helped the idea of
citizenship to strike root. Even when
Clergy: Members of the Church - the
these towns were ruled by military
priests, bishops, cardinals and the Pope
despots, the pride felt by the towns
people in being citizens did not weaken.

Humanism and Universities
The literature of the ancient Greeks had reflected an interest in life. They had
been vitally interested in the world in which they lived. Later, students of the ancient
Greek literature, which dealt with the nature and interests of man, were called
Humanists. They became interested in this world rather than in a future life as the
scholars of the Middle Ages had been. Everything in nature, science, and the arts
that affected man now was important to the Humanists.
In 1453, Constantinople was overthrown, and the Turkish, or Ottoman Empire
took the place of the Eastern Roman Empire. Many of the educated men who spoke
Greek fled to Italy for safety. Some of them brought their Greek books with them.
This increased interest among Italians in the ancient Greek Literature and language
so that it became quite the fashion in Italy to know a little Greek.
Humanism started in Italy but soon spread into France, England, and the
Netherlands. Universities were established to teach new subject-law and religions.
Educated men became interested. One of the greatest of these was the Dutchman
Erasmus (1466-1536). He studied earnestly the New Testament in the original
Greek and the writings of the early Greek Christians. He criticised some of the
beliefs of the Church, which he said were based on superstition, in his book, Praise
of Folly. During the Renaissance, the
humanist scholars acquired the books
Who were the humanists, what did they
from the Arabs and retranslated them
teach?
into Greek and Latin and studied them.
Artists and Realism
The Humanist ideas extended to art and architecture too. In the sphere of visual
arts like painting and sculpture this took the form of 'realism'. Artists observed
nature, the people and places around them and sought to represent them as they
were. This was very different from the spirit of the religious art promoted by the
Church in the feudal times. The religious art emphasised religious themes and
depicting people and things according to some ideal forms. Art was supposed to
represent those ideals and not the reality around them. Now the artists of
Renaissance began to portray themes from around them, from Greek and Roman
literature which showed the feelings, power and strength of human beings. One
implication of this trend was to study the real world of nature and human beings.
Artists also began to study remains of Roman culture - their buildings, sculpture
etc. Their admiration for the figures of 'perfectly' proportioned men and women
sculpted so many centuries ago, made Italian sculptors want to continue that
tradition. In 1416, Donatello(1386-1466) broke new ground with his lifelike statues.
Artists' concern to be accurate was helped by the work of scientists. To study bone

structures, artists went to the laboratories of medical schools. Andreas Vesalius
(1514-64), a Belgian and a professor of medicine at the University of Padua, was
the first to dissect the human body. This was the beginning of modern physiology.
"Art" is embedded in nature; he who can extract it, has it… The
more closely your work abides by life in its form, so much the
better will it appear…No man shall ever be able to make a beautiful
figure out of his own imagination unless he has well stored his
mind by much copying from life.' - Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)
This sketch by Durer (Praying Hands) gives us a sense of Italian culture

in the sixteenth century, when people were deeply religious, but also
had a sense of confidence in man's ability to achieve near-perfection
and to unravel the mysteries of the world and the universe.
Many artists like Leonardo da

Vinci studied human anatomy
so as to make their painting and
sculpture realistic.
Painters found that
knowledge of geometry
helped them understand
perspective, and that by noting
the changing quality of light,
their pictures acquired a three
dimensional quality.
Perspective - a way of
depicting different things on
a painting so that we can feel
the depth in the painting.
This is done by showing
objects in front as larger and
objects behind as smaller.
The use of oil paint as a
medium for painting also gave
a greater richness of colour to
Fig. 12. 1: The statue ‘The Pieta’ by Michelangelo depicts
Mary holding the body of Jesus. paintings than before. In the
colours and designs of costumes in many paintings, there is evidence of the influence
of Chinese and Persian art. Thus, anatomy, geometry, physics, as well as a strong
sense of what was beautiful, gave a new quality to Italian art, which was to be called
'realism' and which continued till the nineteenth century.
The Church too now Leonardo da Vinci (1452-
encouraged the new art. 1519) had an amazing range of
Popes and other leaders interests from botany and
of the Church anatomy to mathematics and art.
commissioned great He painted the Mona Lisa (on
artists like Michelangelo left) and The Last Supper. One of
and Raphael to paint for his dreams was to be able to fly.
them and also design He spent years observing birds
buildings for them and in flight, and designed a flying
even make elaborate machine. He signed his name
graves and memorials for 'Leonardo da Vinci, disciple of
them. experiment'.
Architecture
The city of Rome revived in a spectacular way in the fifteenth century. The
Popes actively encouraged the study of Rome’s history. They studied the ruins of
old Roman buildings to revive the old Roman style which used tall pillars, arches
and domes in buildings. This inspired a ‘new’ style in architecture, which was actually
a revival of the imperial Roman style – now called ‘classical’. Popes, wealthy
merchants and aristocrats employed architects who were familiar with classical
architecture. Artists and sculptors were also to decorate buildings with paintings,
sculptures and reliefs. Another remarkable change was that from this time, artists
were known individually, by name, not as members of a group or a guild, as earlier.
Fig. 12.2: St Peter’s Square, Rome and the basicilca. This Church and the court in front of it
was designed by several artists including Michealngelo and Bernini. This uses many
architectural ideas from Ancient Rome.
Some individuals were skilled equally as painters, sculptors and architects.
The most impressive example is Michelangelo
Describe the different
(1475-1564) – immortalised by the ceiling he
scientific elements in the
painted for the Pope in the Sistine Chapel, the
work of sixteenth century
sculpture called ‘The Pieta’ and his design of
Italian artists. the dome of St Peter’s Church, all in Rome.

Filippo Brunelleschi (1337-1446), the architect who designed the spectacular
Duomo of Florence, had started his career as a sculptor. Italian architecture in the
sixteenth century copied many features of imperial Roman buildings.
The Printing Press

If people in other countries wanted to see paintings,
sculptures or buildings of great artists, they had to travel to Italy.
But in the case of the written word, what was written in Italy
travelled to other countries. This was because of the greatest
revolution of the sixteenth century – the mastery of the
technology of printing. For this, Europeans were indebted to
other people - the Chinese, who first developed paper and
printing with blocks.
Earlier, texts existed in a few hand-written copies. In 1455,
150 copies of the Bible were printed in the workshop of
Johannes Gutenberg Johannnes Gutenberg (1400-1458), the German who made the
first printing press. Earlier, a monk would have taken the same amount of time to
write out one copy of the Bible!
By 1500, many classical texts, nearly all in Latin, had been printed in Italy. As
printed books became available, it was possible to buy them, and students did not
have to depend solely on lecture-notes. Ideas, opinions and information moved
more widely and more rapidly than ever before. A printed book promoting new
ideas could quickly reach hundreds of readers. This also made it possible for
individuals to read books, since it was possible to buy copies for oneself. This
developed the reading habit among
There was no printing press in India during the people. The chief reason that the
same period. Let us suppose Krishnadeva Raya humanist culture of Italy spread
wrote a book. How do you think it would have more rapidly in Northern and
reached scholars in different parts of India? Western Europe from the end of
What do you think would have been the the fifteenth century is that printed
books were circulating. This also
reaction of kings and priests to the Printing
explains why earlier intellectual
Press? Would they have welcomed it or would
movements had been limited to
they have been worried by it?
particular regions.
A New Concept of Human Beings

One of the features of humanist culture was a weakening of the control of
religion over human life. Italians were strongly attracted to material wealth, power
and glory, but they were not necessarily irreligious. They considered the acquisition
of power, wealth and bodily pleasure as desirable and not something to be avoided.

There was also a concern at this time with good
manners – how one should speak politely and dress
correctly, what skills a person of culture should learn.
Humanism also implied that individuals were capable of
shaping their own lives through means other than the mere
pursuit of power and money. This ideal was closely tied
with the belief that human nature was many-sided.
Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a book on politics for
rulers of his times. He did not try to advice the rulers
about religious ideals of ruling but how real politics
functioned in society. He studied real human beings and
their actual political life. Statue of David by
Michelangelo
The Renaissance was considered a New Age, because people considered it

proper to pursue pleasure, seek wealth and comfort and also act in self interest.
This was in contrast to teachings of religions that one should not act in self
interest and forsake comfort and wealth. Do you agree with this view point of
the Renaissance humanists?
Scholars like Machiavelli began a study of human society as they were instead
of trying to just say what an ideal society should be like. Since they felt that human
beings were motivated by self interest, they studied self interest of people and how
it could be used.
The Aspirations of Women
The new ideal of individuality and citizenship excluded women. Men from
aristocratic families dominated public life and were the decision-makers in their
families. They educated their sons to take their place in family businesses or in
public life, at times sending their younger sons to join the Church. Although their
dowries were invested in the family businesses, women generally had no say in
how their husbands should run their business. Often, marriages were intended to
strengthen business alliances. If an adequate dowry could not be arranged, daughters
were sometimes sent to convents to live the life of a nun. Obviously, the public
role of women was limited and they were looked upon as keepers of the households.
The position of women in the families of merchants, however, was somewhat
different. Shopkeepers were very often assisted by their wives in running the shop.
In families of merchants and bankers, wives looked after the businesses when the
male members were away on work. The early death of a merchant compelled his
widow to perform a larger public role than was the case in aristocratic families.

A few women were intellectually very creative and sensitive about the
importance of humanist education. 'Even though the study of literature promises
and offers no reward for women and no dignity, every woman ought to seek and
embrace these studies' wrote the Venetian Cassandra
Fedele (1465-1558). She was one of a handful of
women who questioned the idea that women were
incapable of achieving the qualities of a humanist
scholar. Fedele was known for her proficiency in
Greek and Latin, and was invited to give orations at
the University of Padua.
Fedele's writings bring into focus the general
regard for education in that age. She was one of many
Venetian women writers who criticised the republic
'for creating a highly limited definition of freedom
that favoured the desires of men over those of
women'.
Another remarkable woman was the Marchesa
of Mantua, Isabella d'Este (1474-1539). She ruled
the state while her husband was absent, and the court
of Mantua, a small state, was famed for its
Isabella d'Este intellectual brilliance. Women's writings revealed
In what way do you think women of their conviction that they should have
those times have benefitted from economic power, property and education to
studying Greek and Roman books? achieve an identity in a world dominated by
men.
Debates within Christianity (Reformation)

Trade and travel, military conquest and diplomatic contacts linked Italian towns
and courts with the world beyond. The new culture was admired and imitated by the
educated and the wealthy. Very few of the new ideas filtered down to the ordinary
man who, after all, could not read or write.
You had seen earlier that the Church had dominated the religious and cultural
life of people in medieval times. In this process it had become very powerful and
rich and also corrupt. Humanist scholars began attacking this and questioning the
need for a priesthood and its interpretation of Christianity.
In the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, many scholars in universities in
north Europe and members of the Church too were attracted to humanist ideas.
Like their Italian colleagues, they too focused on classical Greek and Roman texts
along with the holy books of the Christians. In northern countries, the humanist
members of the Church called on Christians to practise religion in the way laid
down in the ancient texts of their religion, discarding unnecessary rituals, which
they condemned as later additions to a simple religion.
Theirs was a radically new view of human beings as free
and rational agents. Later philosophers were to return
to this over and over again, inspired by the belief in a
distant God who created man but allowed him complete
freedom to live his life freely, in pursuit of happiness
'here and now'. Christian humanists like Thomas More
(1478 -1535) in England and Erasmus (1466-1536) in
Holland felt that the Church had become an institution
marked by greed, extorting money at will from ordinary
people. One of the favourite methods of the clergy was
to sell 'indulgences', documents which apparently freed
the buyer from the burden of the sins he had committed.
Christians came to realise from printed translations of
the Bible in local languages that their religion did not
permit such practices. Holbein-Erasmus
The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries : A Time line
1516 Thomas More's Utopia published 1569 Gerhardus Mercator prepares

1517 Martin Luther writes the Ninety-Five cylindrical map of the earth
Theses 1582 Gregorian calendar introduced by
1522 Luther translates the Bible into German Pope Gregory XIII
1628 William Harvey links the heart with
1525 Peasant uprising in Germany
blood circulation
1543 Andreas Vesalius writes on Anatomy
1673 Academy of Sciences set up in
1559 Anglican Church estabished in England, Paris
with the king/queen as its head 1687 Isaac Newton's Principia
Mathematica published
In almost every part of Europe, peasants began to rebel against the taxes imposed
by the Church. While the common folk resented the extortions of churchmen,
princes found their interference in the work of the state irritating.
In 1517, a young German monk called Martin Luther (1483-1546) launched a
campaign against the Catholic Church and argued that a person did not need priests
to establish contact with God. He asked his followers to have complete faith in
God, for faith alone could guide them to the right life and entry into heaven. This
movement - called the Protestant Reformation - led to the churches in Germany
and Switzerland breaking their connection with the Pope and the Catholic Church.
In Switzerland, Luther's ideas were popularised by Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531)

and later by Jean Calvin (1509-1564). Backed by merchants, the reformers had
greater popular appeal in towns, while in rural areas the Catholic Church managed
to retain its influence. Other German reformers, like the Anabaptists, were even
more radical: they blended the idea of salvation with the end of all forms of social
oppression. They said that since God had created all people as equal, they were not
expected to pay taxes and had the right to choose their priests. This appealed to
peasants oppressed by feudalism.
A major achievement of the reformists was to translate the Bible into the
popular languages of the people and printing large quantities and making them
available to all people. Earlier Bible was only in Latin which ordinary people did
not understand.
The ideas of Reformation took hold of many people in Germany, Holland,
France and England. In all these countries people with diverse faith or
interpretations of Christianity emerged. Thus the monopoly of the Catholic Church
was for ever broken.
The Catholic Church itself did not escape the impact of these ideas, and began
to reform itself from within. In Spain and in Italy, churchmen emphasised the need
for a simple life and service to the
What were the issues on which the poor. In Spain, Ignatius Loyola, in an
Protestants criticised the Catholic Church? attempt to combat Protestantism, set
up the Society of Jesus in 1540. His
Do you see any similarity between the
followers were called Jesuits, whose
Bhakti movement in India and the Protestant
mission was to serve the poor and to
movement? Do you also see any
widen their knowledge of other
differences between the two of them? cultures.
Beginning of the Modern Science
The Middle Ages had accepted as authority the knowledge of the past handed
down from former generations. Most men were not interested in investigating the
world in which they lived. The few who were interested used strange mixtures of
magic and superstition. But Roger Bacon was a serious searcher for truth. He
performed some experiments with metals and chemicals and probably had a crude
microscope. He worked out theroies that suggested the practical usefulness of
many inventions that have since been made, including steamships, automobiles
and airplanes. Despite Bacon’s work, the true scientific spirit did not develop until
late in the Renaissance.
Long after Roger Bacon, a Polish astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-
1543), made use of the scientific method. He built an observatory from which he
patiently studied the heavens. He concluded that the old theory of the universe was
wrong. This theory, taught by the Hellenistic geographer Ptolemy said that the
earth is the center of the universe and the stars, sun, and planets revolve around

it.Copernicus claimed that the earth is one of a number of planets that revolve
around the sun. The Church rejected the new theory as contrary to the teachings of
the Bible and the Church. It seemed
to rob man of his dignity because
he was no longer in the very heart
of a universe that had been made
for him.
Galileo (1564-1642), an
Italian genius, perfected a
telescope that made it possible for
him to see a ship fifty miles away
as clearly as though it were only five
miles away. This instrument also
aided in the study of astronomy.
Galileo was a very popular and
brilliant lecturer and writer.
Discussing the theories of
Copernicus, he told his audiences
how he himself had seen the moons Fig. 12.3: Galileo expalining his theories of
universe with telescope.
of Jupiter and the revolution of the
planet on its axis. For this work he was summoned to appear before a Church court,
where he was compelled to take back all his teachings or suffer long imprisonment
and probably torture. It is said that as he left the trail he was heard to mutter, “But
the earth does move.” Galileo also discovered
certain laws of the pendulum which made it Who were the chief Renaissance
possible to develop more satisfactory clocks. scientists, and what work did each
In experiments from the Learning Tower of Pisa of them contribute to science?
he proved that heavy and light objects fall at
the same speed.
Explorations of sea routes
During the Renaissance, Europeans extended their limited knowledge of
Geography. There were several reasons for this. The compass and the astrolabe,
which helped sailors the direction they were going and their location, had been
invented. Ships were improved so that they were more seaworthy. The more
thoughtful sailors now doubted that they would fall off the edge of the earth if they
went too far out to sea. Better maps were made for their guidance, too.
Constantinople fell into the hands of the Turks in 1453 and the trade routes between
the West and East were closed. All these conditions stimulated an interest in
geography and willingness, sometimes even an eagerness, to explore the new sea
routes.

Map 2: Geographical explorations.

The navigators of Portugal and Spain played an important part in the
geographical explorations. Prince Henry the navigator of Portugal discovered a
sea route to western coast of Africa. Finally, Bartholomew Diaz, a very able
Portuguese navigator sailed around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern most
point of Africa. Vasco Da Gama went around Africa and landed in Calicut, India in
1498. India had finally been reached by sailing around the vast African continent.
Christopher Columbus determined to find new route to the east. He
believed that the eastern shores of Asia lay across the dark Atlantic, and so he set
out with three small ships to get there. After a long, dangerous voyage, Columbus
reached land on an island on October 12, 1492. He thought he had reached the
East Indies and called the natives, Indians. Amerigo Vespucci an Italian sailor,
followed Columbus. He confirmed that the new world discovered (America) by
Columbus was quite different from Asia.
Ferdinand Magellan a sailor of Spain made the voyage round the world with
the help of Spanish King Charles I. He crossed the Atlantic, went around the
southern tip of South America and sailing
through the straits, he reached the Pacific Read the map 2 and prepare a list
Ocean and landed at the Islands of Philippines. of exlplorations of sea routes.
This voyage was great landmark in the history
of exploration of the sea routes.
Was there a European 'Renaissance' in the Fourteenth Century?
Let us now reconsider the concept of the 'Renaissance'. Can we see this period
as marking a sharp break with the past and the rebirth of ideas from Greek and
Roman traditions? Was the earlier period (twelfth and thirteenth centuries) a time
of darkness?
Recent writers, like Peter Burke of England, have suggested that Burckhardt
was exaggerating the sharp difference between this period and the one that preceded
it, by using the term 'Renaissance', which implies that the Greek and Roman
civilisations were reborn at this time, and that scholars and artists of this period
substituted the pre-Christian world-view for the Christian one. Both arguments
were exaggerated. Scholars in earlier centuries had been familiar with Greek and
Roman cultures, and religion continued to be a very important part of people's
lives.
To contrast the Renaissance as a period of dynamism and artistic creativity,
and the Middle Ages as a period of gloom and lack of development is an over-
simplification. Many elements associated with the Renaissance in Italy can be
traced back to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It has been suggested by some
historians that in the ninth century in France, there had been similar literary and
artistic blossoming.

The cultural changes in Europe at this time were not shaped just by the 'classical'
civilisation of Rome and Greece. The archaeological and literary recovery of Roman
culture did create a great admiration of that civilisation. But technologies and skills
in Asia had moved far ahead of what the Greeks and Romans had known. Much
more of the world had become connected, and the new techniques of navigation
enabled people to sail much further than had been possible earlier. The expansion
of Islam and the Mongol conquests had linked Asia and North Africa with Europe,
not politically but in terms of trade and of learning skills. The Europeans learned
not just from the Greeks and Romans, but from India, Arabia, Iran, Central Asia and
China. These debts were not acknowledged for a long time because when the history
of this period started to be written, historians saw it from a Europe-centred
viewpoint.
An important change that did happen in this period was that gradually the 'private'
and the 'public' spheres of life began to become separate: the 'public' sphere meant
the area of government and of formal religion; the 'private' sphere included the
family and personal religion. The individual had a private as well as a public role.
He was not simply a member of one of the 'three orders'; he was also a person in
his own right. An artist was not just a member of a guild, he was known for himself.
In the eighteenth century, this sense of the individual would be expressed in a
political form, in the belief that all individuals had equal political rights.
Another development was that the different regions of Europe started to have
their separate sense of identity, based on language. Europe, earlier united partly by
the Roman Empire and later by Latin and Christianity, was now dissolving into
nation states, each united by a common language.
Key words
1. Feudalism 2. Serfs 3. Renaissance 4. Humanism
5. Realism 6. Reformation 7. Protestant

1. Discussion on Renaissance in this chapter was mostly in the context of
_______ (England/Italy/France/Germany)
2. Write a sentence or phrase about the changes in ideas listed below during
Renaissance.
a. Humanists: from ________ to ___________
b. Books: from ____________ to ___________
c. Paintings: from ___________ to ____________
d. Human beings: from ___________ to ___________-
e. Women: from _____________ to ____________

3. How did printing of the Bible influence the ideas about God and Church?
4. Compare the modren Italian towns with that of the Medival towns. Do you notice
any changes in their present names?
5. Which elements of Greek and Roman culture were revived in the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries?
6. Why were Italian towns the first to experience the ideas of humanism?
7. What were the features of humanist thought?
8. The following graph indicates the increase in book production. What can you tell
about it?
9. Do you agree with the following statement; "Printed books continue to dominate
our lives" Give reasons for your answer.
10. Write an account of how the world appeared different to seventeenth century
Europeans.
11. Mention two outstanding features of the renaissance architecture.
Project
1. Collect pictures of great Renaissance artists and prepare an album.
2. Prepare a play on debate between Galileo and a priest who did not believe that the
earth went around the sun.
3. Study the various ways in which we use products of the printing press today and
prepare a detailed report.

CHAPTER
CHAPTER
Democratic and Nationalist Revolutions
17th and 18th Centuries 13
England – The Glorious revolution
England like any other country of Europe was ruled by Kings and Queens at the
beginning of 17th century. All the regions of Britain (England, Wales, Scotland and
Ireland) had been united by the Tudor dynasty kings. The Tudors refused to accept the
authority of the Pope who was the head of Roman Catholic church. This was in a sense
beginning of British nationalism - the idea that the British were a distinct people who
should have autonomous of the Pope and Roman Catholic Church. Soon however, a
conflict emerged between the Parliament and the King as to who had the supreme
power in the kingdom; landowners and merchants, elected representatives to the
Parliament; and the king needed the approval of such Parliament to levy any tax. Let us
see how this conflict paved the way for a democratic government in Britain.
In 1603 James I of Stuart Dynasty became the King of England. He disputed the
powers of Parliament to question him. He believed that the
absolute powers of the king were given by God and Kings ruled
by Divine Right and therefore they should not be controlled
by the Parliament. He was succeeded by Charles I, who
dissolved the Parliament and ruled for 11 years without
Parliament. In 1640, he was forced to convene the Parliament
for giving special grants as he needed money to fight some
wars. This Parliament which continued from 1640 to1660 (and
hence called the Long Parliament) decided to control the
despotism of the King and his ministers. The Long Parliament
punished the ministers and officers of Charles I. It abolished
the special courts created by the King. Charles I took advantage
Charles I
of differences within the Parliament and tried to arrest his
opponents. A Civil War started between
parliamentary party and the king's party, which Civil War: internal war in a country
lasted for 5years. Ultimately, Charles I was
defeated and executed in 1649 and England became republic. This experiment of
republican government did not last long and eventually in 1688, William of Orange
and his wife Mary (grand daughter of Charles I) were invited by the Parliament to
occupy the throne of England. A new arrangement was worked out by which ministers
were responsible to the Parliament. And the powers of the King were restricted. Thus

Parliament supremacy was established and paving way for democracy. Now the
power of the king was not a divine right but it was conferred by Parliament. The
supreme power was transferred to Parliament. All this took place without shedding
a drop of blood or firing a single shot. This transformation therefore is known as
'Glorious' or 'Bloodless Revolution'.
You may remember that the people with land and property only could vote in
the elections to the Parliament. The seats in different areas had not been allocated
according to the population. As a result many low population areas had many seats
while high population areas did not have any seat. The common people of England
began to agitate for the right to vote and for reforms in the system. In 1832, the
voting rights were extended to more people
Write an imaginary dialogue between
and some of the anomalies were removed.
persons from a king’s party and
The right to vote was gradually extended to
parliamentary party in our context
different sections of the population and
eventually to all adults by 1928. Thus What was the effect of the Civil war
Parliamentary form of government in on the king and the people of the
England grew in stages. England?
American Independence 1774-1789

England had developed colonies on the eastern coast of North
America. Thirteen states of colonisers had been established there.
Most of them were occupied by people from England who had
settled in America to cultivate land, run small workshops and
conduct trade. The English Parliament assumed powers to make
laws for the American states but the people of those states did not
vote for the Parliament. The Parliament often passed laws that
favoured English traders and factories at the cost of the people of
the colonies. The American colonies therefore raised the slogan
'No Taxation Without Representation' In 1774, representatives
from all colonies except Georgia met in protest at a Congress at Thomas Jefferson
Philadelphia. They requested King George III to restore to the
colonies their previous rights. The King's attempts to suppress the colonies led to
armed clashes between the British and the American soldiers. The Second Congress
also tried for a peaceful solution. They appealed to the King not to impose taxes
without their consent. The King regarded this as an act of rebellion and declared
war in April 1775. The Americans finally won the war in October, 1781with the
military assistance of France. The War of Independence came to an end with the
signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783). By this
Republic: Where the head of the state
treaty, Britain recognised the independence of its
is a democratically elected president,
thirteen colonies.
not a monarch.
160 Social Studies Democratic & Nationalist Revolutions 17th & 18th Centuries
The Declaration of Independence was
adopted on 4th July 1776, during the Third
Congress at Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson
was the author of the Declaration. It declared
that all men are created equal and are endowed
by the Creator with certain inalienable rights,
including life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
In 1789, the national government of the
United States of America adopted a
Republican Constitution. The division of
Fig. 13.1: The first image is called powers between states and federal
‘Columbia’. This was replaced with government was introduced with the efforts
Statue of Liberty to symbolise USA.
of Jefferson. A Bill of Rights was adopted
guaranteeing the freedom of speech, religion, and rule of law were enacted. This
paved way for the establishment of the United States of America (U.S.A.).
French Revolution
In 1774, Louis XVI ascended the throne of France. He was 20 years old and
married to the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette. Upon his accession the new
king found an empty treasury. Long years of war had drained the financial resources
of France. Added to this was the cost of
maintaining an extravagant court at the immense
1st estate
palace of Versailles. Under Louis XVI, France
Clergy helped the thirteen American colonies to gain
their independence from the common enemy,
Britain. The war added further to the debt. To
2nd estate meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of
Nobility maintaining an army, the court, running
government offices or universities, the state was
forced to increase taxes. Yet even this measure
3rd estate would not have sufficed. French society in the
Big businessmen, merchants, eighteenth century was divided into three estates,
court official, lawyers etc. and only members of the third estate paid taxes.
The society of estates was part of the feudal
Peasants and artisans
system that dated back to the middle ages of
Small peasants, France before 1789.
landless labourers and servants
The chart shows how the system of estates
in French society was organised. Peasants were
A Society of Estates.
about 90 per cent of the population. However,
Note that within the Third Estate some only a small number of them owned the land they
were rich and others poor.
cultivated. About 60 per cent of the land was owned by gentry, the Church and other
richer members of the Third Estate. The members of the first two estates, that is,
the clergy and the aristocracy, enjoyed certain privileges acquired by birth. The
most important of those was the exemption from paying taxes to the state. The
nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges. These included feudal dues, which they
extracted from the peasants. Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord -
to work in his house and fields and to serve in the army or to participate in building
roads.
The Church too extracted its share
New words
of taxes called ‘tithes’ from the peasants,
and finally, all members of the Third Livres - Unit of currency in France,
Estate had to pay taxes to the state. dis continued in 1794.
These included a direct tax, called ‘taille’
Clergy - Group of persons invested
and a number of indirect taxes which
with special functions in the
were levied on articles of everyday church.
consumption like salt or tobacco. The Tithes - A tax levied by the church,
burden of financing activities of the comprising one-tenth of the
state through taxes was borne by the agricultural produce.
Third Estate alone. This problem was Taille - Tax to be paid directly to the
compounded by failure of crops and state.
increased sufferings of the poor during
those years.
Fill in the blank boxes in the figure below with appropriate terms from among
the following: Food riots, scarcity of grain, increase number of death,
rising food prices, weaker bodies.
The poorest can no

longer buy bread
Disease
epidemics
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 which had become
prosperous and had access to education and new ideas.
The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of new social groups,
collectively termed the middle class. They earned their wealth through expanding
means of overseas trade and from the manufacture of goods such as woollen and
silk textiles. In addition to merchants and manufacturers, the Third Estate included
professions 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. Philosophers such as John Locke and
Jean Jacques Rousseau envisaged a society based on freedom and equal laws and
opportunities for all. In his Two Treatises of Government, Locke 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. In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed
a division of power within the government between the legislature, 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 and its guarantee of individual rights was an important example for
political thinkers in France.
The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-
houses and spread among people through books and newspapers. These were
frequently read aloud in groups for the benefit of those who could not read and
write. The news that Louis XVI planned to impose further taxes to meet the expenses
of the state generated anger and protest against the system of privileges.
The Outbreak of the Revolution
Louis XVI had to
increase taxes for
reasons you have
learnt above. How do
you think he could
have gone about doing
this? In France of the
Old Regime, the
monarch did not have
the power to impose
Fig. 13.2: Opening ceremony of the Estates General at Versailles taxes according to his
on 5th May 1789.
Fig. 13.3: The Tennies Court Oath.
Sketch of a large painting by Jacques-Louis David. The painting was intended to hung in
National Assesmbly.
will alone. Rather he had to call a meeting of the Estates General which would then
pass his proposals for new taxes. The Estates General was a legislative body to
which the three estates sent their representatives. However, the monarch alone
could decide when to call the meeting of this body. The last time it was done was in
1614.
On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estates General
to pass proposals for new taxes. A resplendent hall in Versailles was prepared to
host the delegates. The First and Second Estates sent 300 representatives each,
who were seated in rows facing each other on two sides, while the 600 members of
the Third Estate had to stand at the back. The Third Estate was represented by its
more prosperous and educated members. Peasants, artisans and women were denied
entry to the assembly. However, their grievances and demands were listed in some
40,000 letters which the representatives had brought with them.
Voting in the Estates General in the past had been conducted according to the
principle that each estate had one vote. This time too Louis XVI has determined to
continue the same practice. But 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 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.
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 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.
While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a Constitution,
the rest of France seethed with turmoil. A severe winter had meant a bad harvest;
Manor: An estate consisting of the lord's the price of bread rose. Bakers exploited the
lands and his mansion. situation and hoarded supplies. After
Chateau : Castle or stately residence spending hours in long queues at the bakery,
belonging to a king or a nobleman. crowds of angry women stormed into the
shops. At the same time, the King ordered
troops to move into Paris. On 14 July, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed
the Bastille, a hated prison that had come to represent the absolutist monarchy.
In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that the lords of the
manor had hired bands of brigands who were on their way to destroy the ripe crops.
Caught in a frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks
and attacked chateau. They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents
containing records of manorial dues. A large number of nobles fled from their
homes, many of them migrating to neighbouring countries. Faced with the power
of his revolting subjects, Louis XVI finally accorded recognition to the National
Assembly. He accepted the principle that his powers would from now on be checked
by a Constitution. 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.
France Becomes a Constitutional Monarchy

The National Assembly completed the draft of the Constitution in 1791. Its
main object was to limit the powers of the monarch. These powers instead of
Judiciary Executive Legislature

Control
National Assembly
Judge King
(745 members)
VETO
ol
ntr VOTE
Co
Ministers
Electors The political system
VOTE
(50000 men) under the

Constitution of
1791
VOTE
(about 4 million of a
ACTIVE CITIZENS: Entitled to vote. population of 28 million)
(about 3 million men,

PASIVE CITIZENS: No voting rights. women, children and youth
below 25 age)

being concentrated in the hands of one person, were now separated and assigned to
different institutions - the legislature, executive and judiciary. This made France a
constitutional monarchy.
The above figure explains how the new political system worked. The
Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly,
which was indirectly elected. That is, citizens voted for a group of electors, who in
turn chose the Assembly. Not all citizens, however, had the right to vote. 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.
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.
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.
11. Every citizen may speak, write and print freely; he must take responsibility for the abuse of such
liberty in cases determined by the law.
12. 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.
17. 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.
(Note: Important rights are given)
The Constitution began with
Compare the political rights which the
a Declaration of the Rights of
Constitution of 1791 [See box on page 159]
Man and Citizen. Rights such as
gave to the citizens with Articles from 1 to 6 of
the right to life, freedom of
the Declaration (see page 160). Are the two speech, freedom of opinion,
documents consistent? Do the two documents equality before law, were
convey the same idea? established as 'natural and
[Look at chart on page 159 ] Which groups of inalienable' rights. This means
French society would have gained from the that the rights belonged to each
Constitution of 1791? Which groups would have human being by birth and could
had reason to be dissatisfied? not be taken away. It was the duty
of the state to protect the
Imagine the impact of the events in France on
citizen's natural rights.
neighbouring countries such as Prussia, Austria-
Hungary or Spain, all of which were absolute The situation in France
monarchies. How would the kings, traders, continued to be tense during the
peasants, nobles or members of the clergy here following years. Although Louis
have reacted to the news of what was happening XVI had signed the Constitution,
he entered into secret
in France?
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.
Large sections of the population were convinced that the revolution had to be
carried further, as the Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer
sections of society. Political clubs became an important rallying 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.
Convent: Building belonged to a The members of the Jacobin club
community devoted to a religious life. 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.
In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an insurrection of a large number
of Parisians who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food. On
the morning of August 10 they stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the
king's guards and held the king himself as hostage for several hours. Later the

Assembly voted to imprison the royal family. Elections were held. From then on,
all men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote.
The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21 September 1792
it abolished the monarchy and declared France a Republic. As you know, a republic
is a form of government where the people elect the government including the head
of the state. Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were sentenced to death by a
court for treason in 1793.
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 - ex-nobles and clergy, members of other political
parties, even members of his own party who did not agree with his methods - were
arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a revolutionary tribunal. If the court found
them 'guilty' they were guillotined.
Robespierre's government issued laws Guillotine: beheaded by a machine
placing a maximum ceiling on wages and
prices. Meat and bread were rationed. Peasants were forced to transport their grain
to the cities and sell it at prices fixed by the government. The use of more expensive
white flour was forbidden. All citizens were required to eat the pain d'égalité
(equality bread), a loaf made of whole wheat. Churches were shut down and their
buildings converted into barracks or offices. Robespierre pursued his policies so
relentlessly that even his supporters began to demand moderation. Finally, he was
convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested and on the next day sent to the guillotine.
A Directory Rules France
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. Napoleon
finally captured powers declared himself the Emperor of France. Most democrats
saw this as a betrayal of France revolution.
Through all these changes in the form of government, the ideals of freedom,
of equality before the law and fraternity remained inspiring ideals. These ideals
motivated political movements in France and the rest of Europe during the following
century.
Women and French Revolution
From the very beginning women were active participants in the events which
brought about so many important changes in French society. They hoped that their
involvement would pressurise the revolutionary government to introduce measures
to improve their lives. Most women of the Third Estate had to work for a living.
They worked as seamstresses or laundresses, sold flowers, fruits and vegetables at
the market, or were employed as domestic servants in the houses of prosperous
people. Most women did not have access to education or job training. Only daughters
of nobles or wealthier members of the Third Estate could study at a convent, after
which their families arranged a marriage for them. Working women had also to
care for their families, that is, cook, fetch water, queue up for bread and look after
the children. Their wages were lower than those of men.
In order to discuss and voice their interests women started their own political
clubs and newspapers. About sixty women's clubs came up in different French cities.
The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most famous of
them. One of their main demands was 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.
In the early years, the revolutionary government did introduce laws that helped
improve the lives of women. Together with the creation of state schools, schooling
was made compulsory for all girls. Their fathers could no longer force them into
marriage against their will. Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely
and registered under civil law. Divorce was made legal, and could be applied for by
both women and men. Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or
run small businesses.
Women's struggle for equal political rights, however, continued. During the
Reign of Terror, the new
government issued laws
ordering closure of women's
clubs and banning their
political activities. Many
prominent women were
arrested and a number of
them executed. Women's
movements for voting rights
and equal wages continued
through the next two
Fig. 13.4: Parisian women on the way to Versailles.
hundred years in many
This print is on the many political representations of the
events of 5th October 1789 when women marched and countries of the world. The
brought the king back with them to Paris. fight for the vote was carried
CHAPTER
19th Centuary 14
Nationalism - Rise in European States
In the previous chapter we studied about democratic revolutions – most of these
were also nationalist in character. Europe at that time was divided into small kingdoms
and large empires. The democratic and nationalist movements sought to establish
powerful states which were based on the active participation of citizens who felt that
they shared a common history, culture and economic life. The end result of these changes
was the emergence of the nation-state in place of the multi-national dynastic empires
of Europe.
The concept and practices of a modern state, in which a centralised power exercised
sovereign control over a clearly defined territory, had been developing over a long
Map 1: Europe after the Congress of Vianna - 1815.

period of time in Europe. But a nation-state was one in which the majority of its
citizens, and not only its rulers, came to develop a sense of common identity and
shared history or and descent. This commonness did not exist from time
immemorial; it was forged through struggles, through the actions of leaders and
the common people.
The political and constitutional changes that came in the wake of the French
Revolution led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French
citizens. The revolution proclaimed that it was the people who would henceforth
constitute the nation and shape its destiny. The revolutionaries further declared
that it was the mission and the destiny of the French nation to liberate the peoples
of Europe from despotism, in other words to help other peoples of Europe to
become nations.
The French Revolution gave the term ‘nation’ its modern meaning . A nation is
not the territory that the people belonging to it inhabit but people themselves. France
was not merely the territories known as france but the ‘French people’. From this
followed the idea of sovereginity, that a nation recognises no law or authority above
its own. And if a nation is sovereign, that means the people constituting the nation
are the source of all power and authority. There cannot be any rulers above the
people, only a republic in which the government derives its authority from the
people and is answerable to the people. It is interesting to remember that when
Napoleon became emperor he called himself the ‘Emperor of the French Republic’.
Such was the strength of the idea of people’s sovereignty. It was this idea of the
people being the sovereign that gave France her military strength. The entire nation
was united behind the army which consisted of revolutionary citizens. In a war in
which almost all of Europe was ranged against France, she would have had no chance
with just a mercenary army.
Jacobin clubs: Club for
Under the Jacobin constitution, all people
were given the right to vote and the right of radical democracy thinkers.
insurrection. The constitution stated that the government must provide the people
with work or livelihood. The happiness of all was proclaimed as the aim of
government. Though it was never really put into effect, it was the first genuinely
democratic constitution in history. The government abolished slavery in the French
colonies. Napoleon’s rise to power was a step backward. However, though he
destroyed the Republic and established an empire, the idea of the republic could
not be destroyed. After the defeat of Napoleon, the old ruling dynasty of France
was restored to power. However, within a few years, in 1830, there was another
outbreak of revolution. In 1848, the monarchy was again overthrown though it soon
reappeared. Finally, in 1871, the Republic was again proclaimed.
The Revolution had come about with the support and blood of common people
– the city poor and peasants. In 1792, for the first time in history, workers, peasants
and other non-propertied classes were given equal political rights.
The right to vote and elect representatives did not solve the problems of the
common people. The peasants got their lands. But to the workers and artisans – the
172 Social Studies Democratic & Nationalist Revolutions 19th Centuary

people who were the backbone of the revolutionary movement – the Revolution
did not bring real equality. To them, real equality
In what ways do you think could come only with economic equality. France
Napoleon’s conquests would have soon became one of the first countries where
helped in the emergence of
the ideas of social equality, of socialism, gave
nationalism in those countries?
rise to a new kind of political movement.
Kingdoms of Europe
If you look at the map of mid-eighteenth-century Europe you will find that
there were no ‘nation-states’ as we know them today. What we know today as
Germany, Italy and Switzerland were divided into kingdoms, duchies and cantons
whose rulers had their autonomous territories. Eastern and Central Europe were
under autocratic monarchies within the territories of which lived diverse peoples.
They did not see themselves as sharing a collective identity or a common culture.
Often, they even spoke different languages and belonged to different ethnic groups.
The Habsburg Empire that ruled over Austria-Hungary, for example, was a patchwork
of many different regions and peoples. It included the Alpine regions – the Tyrol,
Austria and the Sudetenland - and Bohemia, where the aristocracy was predominantly
German-speaking. It also included the Italian-
How did nationalism and the idea speaking provinces of Lombardy and Venetia.
of the nation-state emerge? In Hungary, half of the population spoke Magyar
Discuss the importance of while the other half spoke a variety of dialects.
language and popular traditions In Galicia, the aristocracy spoke Polish. Besides
in the creation of national these three dominant groups, there also lived
within the boundaries of the empire, a mass of
identity.
subject, peasant peoples –
Some important years Bohemians and Slovaks to the north,
1797 - Napoleon invades Italy; Napoleonic wars Slovenes in Carniola, Croats to the
begin. south, and Roumans to the east in
1814-1815- Fall of Napoleon; the Vienna Peace Transylvania. Such differences did
Settlement. not easily promote a sense of
1821 - Greek struggle for independence begins. political unity. The only tie binding
1848 - Revolutions in Europe; artisans, industrial these diverse groups together was a
workers and peasants revolt against common allegiance to the emperor.
economic hardships; middle classes demand The Aristocracy and the New
constitution and representative
Middle Class
governments; Italians, Germans, Magyars,
Poles, Czechs, etc. demand nation-states. Socially and politically, a
1859-1870- Unification of Italy. landed aristocracy was the dominant
1866-1871- Unification of Germany. class on the continent. The
1905 - Slav nationalism gathers force in the Habsburg
members of this class were united
and Ottoman Empires. by a common way of life that cut

across regional divisions. They owned estates in the countryside and also town-
houses. They spoke French for purposes of diplomacy and in high society.
Aristocratic families were often connected by ties of marriage. This powerful
aristocracy was, however, numerically a small group. The majority of the population
was made up of the peasantry. To the west, the bulk of
the land was farmed by tenants and small owners, while Serfs: Who were bound to the land
in Eastern and Central Europe the pattern of of a particular lord and could not
landholding was characterised by vast estates which migrate without his permission.
were cultivated by serfs.
Western and parts of Central Europe witnessed growth of industrial production
and trade. This meant the growth of towns and the emergence of commercial classes
whose existence was based on production for the market. Industrialisation began in
England in the second half of the eighteenth century, but in France and parts of the
German states it occurred only during the nineteenth century. In its wake, new
social groups came into being: a working-class population, and middle classes, the
others were industrialists, businessmen, various kinds of professionals. In Central
and Eastern Europe these groups were smaller in number till late nineteenth century.
It was among the educated, liberal middle classes that ideas of national unity and
the abolition of aristocratic privileges gained popularity.
Liberal Nationalism
Ideas of national unity in early-nineteenth-century Europe were closely allied
to the ideology of liberalism. The term ‘liberalism’ derives from the Latin root
liber, meaning free. For the new middle classes liberalism stood for freedom for
the individual and equality of all before the law. Politically, it emphasised the concept
of government by consent. Since the French Revolution, liberalism had stood for
the end of autocracy and privileges of the Church, a constitution and representative
government through parliament. Nineteenth-century liberals also stressed the
inviolability of private property.
Yet, equality before the law did not necessarily stand for universal suffrage.
You will recall that in revolutionary France, which marked the first political
experiment in liberal democracy, the right to vote and to get elected was granted
exclusively to property-owning men. Men without property and all women were
excluded from political rights. Only for a brief period under the Jacobins did all
adult males enjoy suffrage. However, the Napoleonic Code went back to limited
suffrage and reduced women to the status of a minor, subject to the authority of
fathers and husbands. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
women and non- propertied men organised opposition
movements demanding equal political rights. In the economic Suffrage: The right to vote
sphere, liberalism stood for the freedom of markets and the
abolition of state-imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and capital.
During the nineteenth century this was a strong demand of the emerging middle
classes.
In what ways do you think the old Let us take the example of the German-
kingdoms prevented the growth of speaking regions in the first half of the
trade and industry? nineteenth century. Napoleon’s administrative
measures had created a confederation of 39
In what ways would liberal states out of countless small principalities.
democracy have helped to develop Each of these possessed its own currency, and
trade and industry in those countries? weights and measures. A merchant travelling
in 1833 from Hamburg to Nuremberg to sell
his goods would have had to pass through 11 customs barriers and pay a customs
duty of about 5 per cent at each one of them. Duties were often levied according to
the weight or measurement of the goods. As each region had its own system of
weights and measures, this involved time-consuming calculation. The measure of
cloth, for example, was the elle which in each region stood for a different length.
An elle of textile material bought in Frankfurt would get you 54.7 cm of cloth, in
Mainz 55.1 cm, in Nuremberg 65.6 cm, in Freiburg 53.5 cm.
Such conditions were viewed as obstacles to economic exchange and growth
by the new commercial classes, who argued for the creation of a unified economic
territory allowing the unhindered movement of goods, people and capital. In 1834,
a customs union or zollverein was formed at the initiative of Prussia and joined by
most of the German states. The union abolished tariff barriers and reduced the
number of currencies from over thirty to two. The creation of a network of railways
further stimulated mobility, harnessing economic
Do you think our country has
interests to national unification. A wave of economic
a liberal democratic political
nationalism strengthened the wider nationalist
system? Give your reasons. sentiments growing at the time.
A New Conservatism after 1815
Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, European governments were driven
by a spirit of conservatism. Conservatives believed that established, traditional
institutions of state and society – like the
Hold a debate in the class between those monarchy, the Church, social hierarchies,
who agree with conservatism and those property and the family – should be
who agree with liberal democracy on preserved. Most conservatives, however,
what is best for the welfare and did not propose a return to the society of
development of people in Europe or in pre-revolutionary days. Rather, they
realised, from the changes initiated by
India.
Napoleon, that modernisation could in fact
Why do you think conservatism needs strengthen traditional institutions like the
to curb freedom to express ones monarchy. It could make state power more
opinion and criticise? effective and strong. A modern army, an
Can you guess what aspects of the Code efficient bureaucracy, a dynamic
of Napoleon would the kings reject and economy, the abolition of feudalism and
what aspects would they have accepted? serfdom could strengthen the autocratic
monarchies of Europe.
In 1815, representatives of the European powers – Britain, Russia, Prussia
and Austria – who had collectively defeated Napoleon, met at Vienna to draw up a
settlement for Europe. The Congress was hosted by the Austrian Chancellor Duke
Metternich. The delegates drew up the Treaty of Vienna of 1815 with the object of
undoing most of the changes that had come about in Europe during the Napoleonic
wars. The Bourbon dynasty, which had been deposed during the French Revolution,
was restored to power. France lost the territories it had annexed under Napoleon.
A series of states were set up on the boundaries of France to prevent French
expansion in future. The main intention was to restore the monarchies that had
been overthrown by Napoleon, and create a new conservative order in Europe.
1.Silence is the first
‘The most important question of commandment of this
learned society.
today’s meeting: How long will 2.To avoid the eventuality
whereby a member of this
thinking be allowed to us?’ club may succumb to the
temptation of speech,
muzzles will be distributed to
members upon entering.’
Fig. 14.1: The Club of Thinkers, anonymous caricature dating to 1820.

The plaque on the left bears the inscription: ‘The most important question of today’s
meeting: How long will thinking be allowed to us?’
The board on the right lists the rules of the Club which include the following:
1. Silence is the first commandment of this learned society.
2. To avoid the eventuality whereby a member of this club may succumb to the
temptation of speech, muzzles will be distributed to members upon entering.
What is the caricaturist trying to depict?
Conservative regimes set up in 1815 were autocratic. They did not tolerate
criticism and dissent, and sought to curb activities that questioned the legitimacy
of autocratic governments. Most of them imposed censorship laws to control what
was said in newspapers, books, plays and songs and reflected the ideas of liberty
and freedom associated with the French Revolution. The memory of the French
Revolution nonetheless continued to inspire liberals. One of the major issues taken
up by the liberal-nationalists, who criticised the new conservative order, was
freedom of the press.
The Romanticism and National Feeling
The development of
nationalism did not come about
only through wars and territorial
expansion. Culture played an
important role in creating the idea
of the nation: art and poetry,
stories and music helped express
and shape nationalist feelings.
Romanticism, a cultural
movement which sought to
develop a particular form of
nationalist sentiment. Romantic
artists and poets generally
criticised the glorification of
reason and science and focused
instead on emotions, intuition and
mystical feelings.
Fig. 14.2: The Massacre at Chios, Eugene Delacroix, 1824. The emphasis on vernacular
The French painter Delacroix was one of the most language and the collection of
important French Romantic painters. This huge painting local folklore was not just to
(4.19m x 3.54m) depicts an incident in which 20,000 recover an ancient national spirit,
Greeks were said to have been killed by Turks on the island but also to carry the modern
of Chios. By dramatising the incident, focusing on the nationalist message to large
suffering of women and children, and using vivid colours,
audiences who were mostly
Delacroix sought to appeal to the emotions of the
illiterate.
You read in class VIII about how Indian nationalists also sought to revive and give
importance to folk arts in India. Why do you think they thought this was important?
Hunger, Hardship and Popular Revolt

The 1830s were years of great economic hardship in Europe. The first half of
the nineteenth century saw an enormous increase in population all over Europe. In
most countries there were more seekers of jobs than employment. Population
from rural areas migrated to the cities to live in overcrowded slums. Small
producers in towns were often faced with stiff competition from imports of cheap
machine-made goods from England, where industrialisation was more advanced
than on the continent. This was especially so in textile production, which was
carried out mainly in homes or small workshops and was only partly mechanised.
In those regions of Europe where the aristocracy still enjoyed power, peasants
struggled under the burden of feudal dues and obligations. The rise of food prices
or a year of bad harvest led to
widespread pauperism in town and
country.
The year 1848 was one such year.
Food shortages and widespread
unemployment brought the population
of Paris out on the roads. Barricades
were erected and Louis Philippe was
forced to flee. A National Assembly
proclaimed a Republic, granted
suffrage to all adult males above 21, and
guaranteed the right to work. National
workshops to provide employment
Fig. 14.3: Peasants’ uprising, 1848.
were set up.
The Revolts : 1830 and 1848
As conservative regimes tried to consolidate their power, liberalism and
nationalism came to be increasingly associated with revolution in many regions of
Europe such as the Italian and German states, the provinces of the Ottoman Empire,
Ireland and Poland. These revolutions were led by the liberal-nationalists belonging
to the educated middle-class elite, among whom were professors, school teachers,
clerks and members of the commercial middle classes.
The Bourbons were restored to the throne of France, as we have seen, when the
Congress of Vienna placed Louis XVIII on the throne. Louis was not an autocratic
ruler like his brother, Louis XVI. According to a charter of 1814, he had ruled with
the consent of a parliament. France was satisfied so long as Louis ruled, but in
1824 a third brother came to the throne as Charles X (1820-1830). He had been an
active foe of the Revolution and now he tried to restore special privileges to the
nobles and the clergy. When the Chamber of Deputies objected to his measures, he
set aside the Charter of 1814 and attempted to rule as he pleased. This bought on an
open revolt in which Charles was forced to abdicate and Louis Philippe, a distant
cousin, became king (1830-1848).
The revolt against Charles X in 1830 touched off a series of revolts. Holland
and Belgium, as you remember, had been united by the Congress of Vienna. This
was one of those unions that showed the lack of wisdom on the part of the men of
Vienna. The two countries were different in nationality, language, and religion.
Moreover, the Dutch people had more power in the government than the Belgians
had. In 1830 the Belgians revolted and set up and independent nation. The great
powers looked with disfavour upon this, but there was not much that they could do.
France had her hands full with her own revolution, and Austria was far away. At last
the independence of the Belgians was accepted. They set up a constitutional
monarchy similar to that of France under Louis Philippe.
The revolt spread to Poland, most of which had been given to Russia by the
Congress of Vienna. The Polish situation was different from that of Belgium because
it involved Russia, one of the great powers. The Poles received no help from their
neighbours, and though they fought hard, they were defeated. As a result, the Tsar
made Poland a part of Russia. Hundreds of Poles were put to death and everything
possible was done to wipe out all national spirit among them.
Fig. 14.4: The revolting French people in Paris.

Revolts of 1848
As in 1830, so in 1848 revolution started in France. Louis Philippe was
supposed to have a constitutional monarchy. In fact he was called the ‘citizen king’
at the time of his coronation, and the ceremony, he was crowned ‘by the grace of
God’ and ‘by the will of the nation.’ Yet as time passed, his government grew more
and more reactionary, until by 1848 he had aroused much opposition to his rule.
His opponents were very numerous. The king’s chief minister was unpopular and
the king had to dismiss him. A riot broke out in front of the home of the dismissed
minister and the king’s soldiers fired on the mob, killing twenty-three of them. The
mobs grew so violent that Louis Philippe decided that flight was the only thing left
for him. Hearing the cries ‘Long live the Republic’ he slipped out of country as his
cousin, Louis XIV, had tried to do and went to England.
In Paris, where the revolutionary spirit was especially strong, street fighting
continued. Working men demanded jobs, and for sometime a provisional
government attempted to give them work. The leader in this experiment was Louis
Blanc, a Socialist. Dishonesty and greed made
Explain why Charles X and Louis the plan unworkable and violence continued. The
Philippe fled from France. government troops finally defeated the
insurgents and imposed severe punishments.

Women and the Revolutions of 1848
The issue of extending political rights to women was a controversial one within
the liberal movement, in which large numbers of women had participated actively
over the years. Women had formed their own political associations, founded
newspapers and taken part in political meetings and demonstrations. Despite this
they were denied suffrage rights during the election of the Assembly. The Frankfurt
Parliament that convened in the Church of St Paul, women were admitted only as
observers to stand in the visitors’ gallery.
Germany – Can the Army be the Architect of a Nation?
After 1848, nationalism in Europe moved away from its association with
democracy and revolution. Nationalist sentiments were often mobilised by
conservatives for promoting state power and achieving political domination over
Europe.
This can be observed in the process by which Germany and Italy came to be
unified as nation-states. As you have seen, nationalist feelings were widespread
among middle-class Germans, who in 1848 tried to unite the different regions of
the German confederation into a nation-state governed
by an elected parliament. This liberal initiative to nation-
building was, however, repressed by the combined forces
of the monarchy and the military, supported by the large
landowners called junkars of Prussia.
Describe the caricature. How does it

represent the relationship between Bismarck
and the elected deputies of parliament? What Caricature of Otto von Bismarck
interpretation of democratic processes is the in the German reichstag
artist trying to convey? (Parliament), from Figaro,
Vienna, 5 March 1870.
Fig. 14.5: The proclamation of

the German empire in the Hall of
Mirrors at Versailles.
At the centre stands the Kaiser and
the chief commander of the
Prussian army, General von Roon.
Near them is Bismarck. This
monumental work Anton von
Werner (2.7m x 2.7m) was
completed and presented by the
artist to Bismarck on the latter’s
70th birthday in 1885.

Prussia before 1866
Conquered by Prussia in Austro-Prussia War, 1866
Austrian ternitories excluded from German Confederation 1867
Joined with Prussia to form German Confederation,1867
South Geman states joining with Prussia to form German Empire, 1871
Won by Prussia in Franco-Prussia War, 1871
Map 2: Unification of Germany (1866-1871)
From then on, Prussia took on the leadership of the movement for national
unification. Its Prime Minister, Otto von Bismarck, was the architect of this process
carried out with the help of the Prussian army and bureaucracy. Three wars over
seven years – with Austria, Denmark and France – ended in Prussian victory and
completed the process of unification. In January 1871, the Prussian king, William
I, was proclaimed German Emperor in a ceremony held at Versailles.
The nation-building process in Germany had demonstrated the dominance of
Prussian state power. The new state placed a strong emphasis on modernising the
currency, banking, legal and judicial systems in Germany. Prussian measures and
practices often became a model for the rest of Germany.
Unification of Italy
Like Germany, Italy too had a long history of political fragmentation. Italians
were scattered over several dynastic states as well as the multi-national Habsburg
Empire. During the middle of the nineteenth century, Italy was divided into seven
states, of which only one, Sardinia-Piedmont, was ruled by an Italian princely house.
The north was under Austrian Habsburgs, the centre was ruled by the Pope and
the southern regions were under the domination of the Bourbon kings of Spain.
Even the Italian language had not acquired one common form and still had many
regional and local variations.
During the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini had sought to put together a coherent
programme for a unitary Italian Republic. He had also formed a secret society

called Young Italy for the dissemination of his
goals. The failure of revolutionary uprisings both
in 1831 and 1848 meant that the mantle now fell
on Sardinia-Piedmont under its ruler King Victor
Emmanuel II to unify the Italian states through war.
In the eyes of the ruling elites of this region, a
unified Italy offered them the possibility of
economic development and political dominance.
Prime Minister Cavour who led the movement
to unify the regions of Italy was neither a
revolutionary nor a democrat. Like many other
wealthy and educated members of the Italian elite,
he spoke French much better than he did Italian.
Through a tactful diplomatic alliance with France
engineered by Cavour, Sardinia-Piedmont
succeeded in defeating the Austrian forces in Fig. 14.6: Giuseppe Mazzini and
1859. Apart from regular troops, a large number the founding of Young Italy
of armed volunteers under the leadership of in Berne 1833.
Print by Giacomo Mantegazza.
Giuseppe Garibaldi joined the fray. In 1860, they
marched into South Italy and the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and
succeeded in winning the support of
the local peasants in order to drive out
the Spanish rulers. In 1861 Victor
Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of
united Italy. However, much of the
Italian population, among whom rates
of illiteracy were very high, remained
blissfully unaware of liberal nationalist
ideology. The peasant masses who had
supported Garibaldi in southern Italy
had never heard of Italia, and believed
that ‘La Talia’ was Victor Emmanuel’s
wife!
Do you think Italy became a

true nation state with its
unification under King Map 3: Italitan States before
Emmanuel II? Give your Unification 1858.

Key words
1. Despotism 2. Nationalism 3. Liberalism
4. Bureaucracy 5. Romanticism 6. New Middle Class
Improve your leaning

1. Choose the correct options.
• Democratic and nationalist movements assumed that a nation has a
________________ (shared history; shared culture; shared economy; all the
above; none of the above)
• Jacobin clubs were established in different countries by ________________
(peasants; royalty; middle class; army)
• During the mid 18th century the land was owned by ___________ and cultivated
by ____________ (middleclass, army, aristocrats, tenants)
2. After reading about mid-eighteenth century Europe what similarities or difference
amongst people existed in the context of: language, ethnicity, trade practices.
3. Do you agree with the statement: “when the emergence of nation states the
dominance of Aristocracy declined and middle class increased”. Give reasons.
4. Write an imaginary dialogue between Mazzini and any of the Indian nationalist you
have studied?
5. Mark sentences that describe conservatives and liberals. Try to identify examples
in our contemporary context.
6. Draw a table to show the differences and similarities in the nation building process
of France, Germany and Italy.
7. Explain what is meant by 1848 revolution of liberals. What were the political, social
and economic ideas supported by the liberals?
8. Briefly trace process of Germany unification.
9. Locate some changes on Europe map drawn up by the Vienna Congress.
Project
Compare the map of Europe of Mid 18th Centuary (1815) with that of the present
map of Europe and note down the changes you find, in a note book.

CHAPTER
Industrialisation and Social Change
15
The transformation of industry and the economy in Britain between the 1780s
and the 1850s is called the ‘first industrial revolution’. This had far-reaching effects
in Britain. Later, similar changes occurred in European countries and in the USA.
These were to have a major impact on the society and economy of those countries
and also on the rest of the world. However the industrialisation that occurred in
different countries followed different patterns depending upon their own historical,
social and geographical features.
This early phase of industrial development in Britain is strongly associated
with new machinery and technologies. These made it possible to produce goods on
a massive scale compared to handicraft and handloom industries. This chapter
outlines the changes in the cotton
and iron industries. Steam, a new
source of power, began to be used Fig. 15.1: Industries in London
on a wide scale in British at the time of Industrial Revolution.
industries. Its use led to faster
forms of transportation, by ships
and railways. Many of the
inventors and businessmen who
brought about these changes were
often neither personally wealthy
nor educated in basic sciences like
physics or chemistry.
Industrialisation led to greater
prosperity for some. But, in the
initial stages it was linked with
poor living and working conditions
of millions of people, including
women and children. This sparked
off protests, which forced the
government to enact laws for
regulating conditions of work. The
term ‘Industrial Revolution’ was
used by European scholars –
Georges Michelet in France and
184 Social Studies Industrialisation and Social Change

What were the difficulties faced Friedrich Engels in Germany. It was used for the
by women and children during first time in English by the philosopher and
industrial revolution? economist Arnold Toynbee (1852-83), to
describe the changes that occurred in British
industrial development between 1760 and 1820.
Why Britain?
Britain was the first country to
experience modern industrialisation. It had
been politically stable since the seventeenth
century, with England, Wales and Scotland
unified under a monarchy. It became the
pioneer of the European countries to
experience the process of change in
production and reaping its fruits, and was
looked upon as the ‘Workshop of the World’.
It was due to many favourable conditions or
pre-requisites that were present in England
towards setting up of flourishing industries.
The other countries experienced the change
later.
It was blessed with modest climate,
which suited very much to cotton industry.
There was no scarcity of water power. There
was no dearth of raw material in England.
Coal and iron were available in abundance,
and side by side. The coal fields were larger
and closer to important harbours than in any
Map 1: Britain(England): The Iron Industry other Europian countries, like France or
Germany, and so, it was convenient for
transport by water.
“ On the basis of iron, coal, and textiles” Fisher compliments, ‘Britain built up
a type of civilaisation which has been copied all round the world”.
Raising capital was not a problem in England as the wealth was available in
abundance, and again, it was due to many reasons. Britain was known for its
commercial pursuits with other countries from the begining of the seventeenth
century, and earned huge profits.
But, mere availability of wealth is of no use, unless it is invested in the right
way. The part played by the Bank of England in speeding of the use of capital is in
no way to be underestimated. The rise of London money market, joint-stock banks,
and Joint Stock Corporation made the finance simple and easy.
Workers also were available from different sources in large numbers in England
to be employed in the newly set up factories or industries for carrying out the
production on a large scale. British population was also growing. The old and
unprofitable system of agriculture was replaced by improved methods of cultivation
i.e., by scientific rotation of crops. This increased the food supply, and consequently,
the population. It was further facilitated by the immigration of some continental
European Labour into England in the eighteenth century. The gradual destruction
of old peasant farming, due to enclosure movement, supplied the agricultural labour
to the newly set up industries.
It was well equipped by eighteenth century for sea - borne trade. It had a good
number of ports. Inland transport was improved and modernised by building a net
work of roads and canals. It was fortunate in
having a handful of remarkable Scots and Discuss the developments in Britain
English who succeded in inventing machines and in other parts of the world in 18th
to be applied in the process of production, centuary that encouraged British
and thus tranforming the economic life of the Industrialisation
country.
Coal and Iron

England was fortunate in that coal and iron ore, the staple materials for
mechanisation, were plentifully available, as were other minerals – lead, copper
and tin – that were used in industry. However, until the eighteenth century, there
was a scarcity of usable iron. Iron is extracted as pure liquid metal from the ore by
a process called smelting. For centuries, charcoal (from burnt timber) was used
for the smelting process. This had several problems: charcoal was too fragile to
transport across long
distances; its impurities
produced poor-quality iron; it
was in short supply because
forests had been destroyed for
timber and it could not
generate high temperatures.
The solution to this
problem had been sought for
years before it was solved by
a family of iron-masters, the
Darbys of Shropshire. In the
course of half a century, three
generations of this family –
grandfather, father and son, all
called Abraham Darby – Fig. 15.2: The Cast Iron Bridge near Coalbrookdale,
designed by the third Darby.
brought about a revolution in the metallurgical industry. It began with an invention
in 1709 by the first Abraham Darby (1677-1717). This was a blast furnace that
would use coke, which could generate high temperatures. Coke was derived from
coal by removing the sulphur and impurities. This invention meant that furnaces no
longer had to depend on charcoal. The melted iron that emerged from these furnaces
permitted finer and larger castings than before.
The process was further refined by more inventions. The second Darby (1711-
68) developed wrought-iron (which was less brittle) from pig-iron. Henry Cort
(1740-1823) designed the puddling furnace (in which molten iron could be rid of
impurities) and the rolling mill, which used steam power to roll purified iron into
bars. It now became possible to produce a broader range of iron products. The
durability of iron made it a better material than wood for everyday items and for
machinery. Unlike wood, which could burn or splinter, the physical and chemical
properties of iron could be controlled.
Britain was lucky in possessing excellent coking coal and high-grade iron ore
in the same basins or even the same seams. These basins were also close to ports.
There were five coastal coalfields which could deliver their products almost straight
into ships. As a result ship building and
Why is high quality steel and iron the shipping trade increased.
necessary for industrialisation? Discuss The British iron industry
in the class. quadrupled its output between 1800
and 1830, and its product was the
Why do you think the mining of iron ore
cheapest in Europe. In 1820, a tonne
and coal received equal importance?
of pig iron needed 8 tonnes of coal to
Why do you think the early industrial make it, but by 1850 it could be
centres were situated near the iron and produced by using only 2 tonnes. By
coal mines? 1848, Britain was smelting more iron
than the rest of the world put together.
Cotton Spinning and Weaving

The British had always woven cloth out of wool and flax (to make linen). From
the seventeenth century, the country had been importing bales of cotton cloth from
India at great cost. As the East India Company’s political control of parts of India
was established, it began to import, along with cloth, raw cotton, which could be
spun and woven into cloth in England.
Till the early eighteenth century, spinning had been so slow and laborious that
10 spinners (mostly women, hence the word ‘spinster’) were required to supply
sufficient yarn to keep a single weaver busy. Therefore, while spinners were
occupied all day, weavers waited idly to
Write two impotant inventions which receive yarn. But a series of technological
revolutionised the textile industry. inventions successfully closed the gap

between the speed in spinning raw
cotton into yarn or thread, and of
weaving the yarn into fabric. To make it
even more efficient, production
gradually shifted from the homes of
spinners and weavers to factories.
From the 1780s, the cotton industry
symbolised British industrialisation in
many ways. This industry had two
features which were also seen in other
industries. Raw cotton had to be
entirely imported and a large part of the
finished cloth was exported. This
sustained the process of colonisation,
so that Britain could retain control over
the sources of raw cotton as well as the
markets. The industry was heavily
dependent on the work of women and
children in factories.
Steam Power
Map 2: The cotton industries in
Steam power was first used in
mining industries. As the demand for coal and metals expanded, efforts to obtain
them from ever-deeper mines intensified. Flooding in mines was a serious problem
and steam engines were used to drain the mines. But the technology was still very
imperfect to be used on a large scale.
James Watt’s (1736-1819) invention converted the steam engine from being a
mere pump into a ‘prime mover’ capable of providing energy to power machines in
factories. Backed by the wealthy manufacturer Matthew Boulton (1728- 1809),
Watt created the Soho Foundry in
Birmingham in 1775. From this
foundry James Watt’s steam
engines were produced in
steadily growing numbers. By the
end of the eighteenth century,
Watt’s steam engine was
beginning to replace hydraulic
power. In 1840, British steam
engines were generating more
than 70 per cent of all European
power. Fig. 15.3: James Watt’s Steam Engine.

Transportation
The need to transport raw materials and manufactured products led to the
improvement of roads and the digging of canals in England. Mc Adam devised the
method of making ‘pakka’ or ‘macadamamised’ roads.
Canals were initially built to transport coal to cities. This was because the
bulk and weight of coal made its transport by road much slower and more expensive
than by barges on canals. The demand for coal, as industrial energy and for heating
and lighting homes in cities, grew constantly. The making of the first English canal,
the Worsley Canal (1761) by James Brindley (1716-72), had no other purpose
than to carry coal from the coal deposits at Worsley (near Manchester) to that city.
After the canal was completed the price of coal fell by half. Thousands of
kilometres of canals were built by 1830 and were used to transport commodities
cheaply. They were mostly built by landowners to enhance the value of their
properties.
The first steam locomotive, Stephenson’s Rocket, appeared in 1814. Railways
emerged as a new means of transportation that was available throughout the year,
both cheap and fast, to carry passengers and goods. They combined two inventions,
the iron track which replaced the wooden track in the 1760s, and haulage along it
by steam engine.
The invention of the railways took the entire process of industrialisation to a
second stage. The first railway line connected the cities of Stockton and Darlington
in 1825, a distance of 9 miles that was completed in two hours at the speed of upto
5 mph. The next railway line connected Liverpool and Manchester in 1830. Within
20 years, speed of 30 to 50 miles an hour was usual.
In the 1830s, the use of canals revealed several problems. The congestion of
vessels made movement slow on certain stretches of canals, and frost, flood or
drought limited the time of their use.
Who were the inventors?

It is interesting to find out the individuals who brought about these changes. Few of
them were trained scientists. Education in basic sciences like physics or chemistry was
extremely limited until the late nineteenth century, well after the technological inventions
described above. Since these breakthroughs did not require a full knowledge of the laws of
physics or chemistry on which they were based, advances could be and were made by brilliant,
intuitive thinkers and persistent experimenters. They were helped by the fact that England
had certain features which other European countries did not. Dozens of scientific journals
and published papers of scientific societies appeared in England between 1760 and 1800.

There was a widespread thirst for knowledge even in the smaller towns. This was met by
the activities of the Society of Arts (founded in 1754), by travelling lecturers, or in
‘coffee houses’ that multiplied through the eighteenth century.
Most inventions were more the product of determination, interest, curiosity, even
luck, than the application of scientific knowledge. Some inventors in the cotton industry,
like John Kay and James Hargreaves, were familiar with the skills of weaving and carpentry.
Richard Arkwright, however, was a barber and wig-maker, Samuel Crompton was not
technically skilled and Edmund Cartwright studied literature, medicine and agriculture,
initially wished to become a clergyman and knew little of mechanics.
By contrast, in the area of steam engines, Thomas Savery, an army officer, Thomas
Newcomen, a blacksmith and locksmith, and James Watt, with a strong mechanical bent,
all had some knowledge relevant to their inventions. The road-builder John Metcalf,
who personally surveyed surfaces for roads and planned them, was blind. The canal builder
James Brindley was almost illiterate, with such poor spelling that he could never spell
the word ‘navigation’, but he had tremendous powers of memory, imagination and
concentration.
Changed lives
In these years, therefore, it was possible for individuals with talent to bring
about revolutionary changes. Similarly, there were rich individuals who took risks
and invested money in industries in the hope that profits could be made and that
their money would ‘multiply’. In most cases this money – capital – did multiply.
Wealth, in the form of goods, incomes, services, knowledge and productive
efficiency, did increase dramatically.
There was, at the same time, a massive negative human cost. This was evident
in broken families, new addresses, degraded cities and appalling working conditions
(B)
(A)
Fig. 15.4: (A) Coalbrookdale, Carpenters’ Row, cottages built by the company for workers
in 1783; (B) The houses of the Darbys; painting by William Westwood, 1835.

in factories. The number of cities in England with a population of over 50,000
grew from two in 1750 to 29 in 1850. This pace of growth was not matched with
the provision of adequate housing, sanitation or clean water for the rapidly growing
urban population. Newcomers were forced to live in overcrowded slums in the
congested central areas of towns near factories. The rich inhabitants escaped this
situation, by shifting their homes to the suburbs where the air was cleaner and the
water safe to drink.
The Workers
A survey in 1842 revealed that the average lifespan of workers was lower than
that of any other social group in cities: it was 15 years in Birmingham, 17 in
Manchester, 21 in Derby. More people died, and died at a younger age, in the new
industrial cities, than in the villages they had come from. Half the children failed
to survive beyond the age of five. The increase in the population of cities was
because of immigrants, rather than by an increase in the number of children born
to families who already lived there.
Deaths were primarily caused by epidemics of disease that sprang from the
pollution of water, like cholera and typhoid, or of the air, like tuberculosis. More
than 31,000 people died from an outbreak of cholera in 1832. Until late in the
nineteenth century, municipal authorities were negligent in attending to these
dangerous conditions of life. The medical knowledge to understand and cure these
diseases was unknown.
Women, Children and Industrialisation

The Industrial Revolution was a time of important changes in the way that
children and women worked. Children of the rural poor had always worked at home
or in the farm at jobs that varied during the day or between seasons, under the
watchful eye of parents or relatives. Likewise, in villages women were actively
involved in farm work; they reared livestock, gathered firewood and spun yarn on
spinning wheels in their homes.
Work in the factories, with long, unbroken hours of the same kind of work,
under strict discipline and sharp forms of punishment, was completely different.
The earnings of women and children were necessary to supplement men’s meagre
wages. As the use of machinery spread, and fewer workers were needed,
industrialists preferred to employ women and children who would be less agitated
about their poor working conditions and work for lower wages than men.
They were employed in large numbers in the cotton textile industry in
Lancashire and Yorkshire. Women were also the main workers in the silk, lace-
making and knitting industries, as well as (along with children) in the metal
industries of Birmingham. Machinery like the cotton spinning jenny was designed
to be used by child workers with their small build and nimble fingers. Children

were often employed in textile
factories because they were
small enough to move between
tightly packed machinery. The
long hours of work, including
cleaning the machines on
Sundays, allowed them little
fresh air or exercise. Children
caught their hair in machines or
crushed their hands. Some died
when they fell into machines as
they dropped off to sleep from
exhaustion.
Coal mines were also
dangerous places to work in.
Roofs caved in or there could Fig. 15.5 : Woman in gilt-button factory, Birmingham.
be an explosion, and injuries In the 1850s, two thirds of the workforce in the button
trade was women and children. Men received 25
were therefore common. The
shillings a week, women 7 shillings and children one
owners of coal mines used shilling each, for the same hours of work.
children to reach deep coal
faces where the approach path was too narrow for adults. Younger children worked
as ‘trappers’ who opened and shut doors as the coal wagons travelled through
mines, or carried heavy loads of coal on their backs as ‘coal bearers.’
Factory managers considered child labour to be important training for future
factory work. The evidence from British factory records reveals that about half
of the factory workers had started work when they were less than ten years old
and 28 per cent when they were under 14. Women may well have gained increased
financial independence and self-esteem from their jobs; but this was more than
offset by the humiliating terms of work
they endured, the children they lost at Mention two important industrialisation
birth or in early childhood and the effects on women and children’s life.
squalid urban slums that industrial work
compelled them to live in.
Industrialisation in Germany and France

While industrialisation began early in England in the 18th century, it was not
until 1850s and 1870s that industrial production became prominent in Germany
and France. As you may remember, Germany was not yet united till 1870 and
France was still undergoing turmoil of wars and revolutions. Unlike Britain which
had extensive colonies, Germany and France lacked colonial resources. They thus
had to make up for these disadvantages.

In both the countries industrialisation
received a boost by the introduction of railways
Discuss the effects of early
in 1830s. Railways stimulated trade,
industrialisation on British town communication and economic growth. By
and villagers and compare these 1850 the various German states had
with similar situation in India. constructed half as much railways as Britain
and twice as much as France.
Prussia, exploited its rich coalfields (Silesia and the Rhineland -the Ruhr) and
iron deposits (Bohemia) in order to create a flourishing steel industry. Alfred Krupp
had established a small iron foundry at Essen in 1810. By 1870 Krupp of Essen,
had been transformed into a giant company employing thousands of workers and
making a fortune for the Krupp family with its railway locomotive and armaments
production. In turn, the invention of the electric dynamo by Werner Siemens in
1866, laid the foundations of a new electrical industry in which Germany would
lead the world. The defeat of France in 1870 and the creation of a united Germany
in 1871 stimulated industrialisation even further, because the new politically united
Germany could now exploit the rich iron-fields of Lorraine taken from France.
Condition of child labourers

The horrible condition of child labourers is ‘When the works were stopped for the
stated in the evidence collected by a repair of the mill, or for any want of
committee of British Parliament in 1816. cotton, did the children afterwards
The following information was collected make up for the loss of that time?’
from a one-time master of apprentices in ‘Yes.’
a cotton mill. He was asked questions by
the committee on the condition of child ‘Did the children sit or stand to work?’
labourers in his factory. ‘Stand.’
‘At what age were they taken?’
‘Those that came from London were from ‘The whole of their time?’
about eight or ten to fifteen.’ ‘Yes.’
‘Up to what period were they
‘Were there any seats in the mill?’
apprenticed?’
‘None. I have found them frequently
‘One –and-twenty.’
upon the mill-floors, after the time they
‘What were the hours of work?’ should have been in bed.’
‘From five O’clock in the morning till eight
at night.’ ‘Were any children injured by the
‘Were fifteen hours in the day the regular machinery?’
hours of work?’ ‘Very frequently.’
‘Yes.’

German industrialisation was greatly Compare the industrialisation in
facilitated by the German government which not Germany and France. Identify
only provided a large market for its industries similarities and differences.
besides investing in building roads and railways
Why do you think France lagged
and developing mines. The German army
required huge quantities of arms and behind in industrial development?
ammunitions and many of the leading What factors enabled Germany to
industrialists focused on the armament industry. outstrip England and France in
The government also controlled working class industrialisation?
movement with a heavy hand and at the same
time provided for many social benefits and insurance for the workers. This enabled
the factory owners to control their workers and pay less.
German industry also benefitted from the technical developments achieved by
Britain and USA. They directly borrowed the new technology which other countries
had developed over a long time. For this of course they needed heavy capital
investment which they received from large banks. Thus German industries developed
as large concentrated units and even surpassed British industries in size and scope.
German industrialisation initially had to contend with the leadership of Britain
over many key sectors like cotton textiles and machine building. However, soon
Germany developed iron and steel, chemical and electrical industries which were
new generation industries and overtook Britain in these areas. By the beginning of
20th century, Germany had developed a powerful industrial base and was challenging
Britain as Europe’s major industrial power. Britain was still producing more coal,
but Germany was producing more steel. What was worrying about this situation for
Britain and France was the fact that a great proportion of this industrial production
was used to build up Germany’s military and naval power.
France, in contrast was slow in industrialising. Even by the end of 19th century
she remained a rural country with a large majority of people cultivating small plots
of land. Manufacturers found The Krupp Family
it more profitable to give out
work to rural workers who The Krupp family established what was to become the
worked at home rather than to world's largest arms factory. This first factory specialised
set up factories in towns. in field gun manufacture and, by 1887, it supplied arms
Such rural domestic to forty six different countries.
production began to decline During World War I the Krupp factories made guns for
after 1850 resulting in the German artillery.
economic adversity for the The Krupps supported Hitler in the German general
people. Machines in towns election of 1933. As Nazi Germany occupied
began to take over much of the neighbouring countries, Alfred Krupp seized new land
work and only delicate hand to make more factories. Many of these factories used
work was given out to rural slave-labour from the Nazi concentration camps.
workers. Much of French
industrialisation was a result of the spread of railway and road networks after 1860 which
created a wide market for its industrial goods.
France also did not develop Banks which could mobilise large amount of capital and
lend them to industrialists. As a result most of French manufacturers depended upon family
resources. They remained small companies as a result. It also made them slow in adopting
new ideas and technologies.
Heavy industry based on iron and coal was slow to develop in France as she did not
have good reserves of coal and depended upon expensive imports. Thus French
industrialisation remained focused on consumer products like textiles, which were
basically small scale enterprises. This was in contrast to the German and British Industrial
situation where heavy industries predominated.
Key words
1. Industrialisation 2. Transformation 3. Industrial Revolution
4. Steam Power 5. Hydraulic Power

Fill in the blanks with correct options:
1. Britain did not depended on different parts of the world for ______ and
___________ (labourers; raw material; capital; inventions)
2. Two important types of transport during the Industrial revolution were _____ and
______(road; air; water; rail)
3. Write two sentences each on following aspects in the context of Industrial revolution:
a) technology b) financing and money
c) agriculture revolution d) transport systems
4. What do you think is special about inventions happening during the industrial
revolution?
5. How were the lives of different classes of British women affected by the industrial
revolution?
6. Compare the effects of the coming of the railways in different countries in the
world.
7. What were the relative advantages of canal and railway transportation?
8. Locate the places where iron and textile industries are mainly concentrated in England
during industrial revolution.
9. Prepare a table on invention during the time of Industrial Revolution.
Project
Mention the consequences of the industrial revolution in the economic field. Write a
report and present in your class.

CHAPTER
16 Social Protest Movements
Industrialisation and the emergence of nation states changed the lives of people in
very basic ways, the way people worked, their entitlement to necessities of life and
dignity, their relation to their own work and its products, their families and neighbourhood.
To many people, especially the poor peasants and crafts persons and also industrial
workers, it meant an end to dignified and secured life. They had to now work in factories
with hundreds and thousands of other workers under control of unsympathetic foremen
and managers. They did not have any aware over what they produced, when and how they
worked. The meagre wages and impermanence of
work created tremendous discontent among the
people. Things became especially difficult when
the factory owners tried to cut down wages or
retrench workers or increase workload on them.
The early decades of industrialisation
coincided with the spread of new political ideas
pioneered by the French Revolution (1789-94).
The movements for ‘liberty, equality and
fraternity’ showed the possibilities of collective
mass action. They created democratic institutions
NCERT Class XI Page207
like the French parliamentary assemblies of the
1790s and checked the worst hardships of war by
controlling the prices of necessities like bread.
Industrialisation also deeply troubled artists
and intellectuals. Human values associated with
agricultural or craft production and community
life of villages were lost. The overwhelming
emphasis on reason and science and technology
rather than feelings and emotions, the awesome
impact of large scale industrialisation coupled
with the squalor and poverty in which the working
people lived – left deep mark on the thinking of
the people. Some of them studied economics and
social history to understand the challenges of
industrialisation. Others turned to poetry and art Fig. 16.1: Lane in poorer
for inspiration for alternative virtues. quarters of London. French
artist Dore 1876.
196 Social Studies Social Protest Movements
Industrialisation also gave birth to new social groups which increasingly wanted
to play an important role in the society. While it gave power and influence to the
industrial capitalists and large landowners, it also gave rise to organised working
class movement. Workers realised their power when they united as they could bring
the entire economy to a standstill. They were
In what ways do you think ideas also inspired by the ideas of French Revolution
of liberty, equality and fraternity and Socialism. Similarly, women who till then
would have helped to inspire were confined to homes came out demanding
protest movements? equal status and role in society, economy, polity
Do you think people have and culture. They often joined hands with other
achieved these three ideals in the social movements like socialism and
democratic nationalism to push their cause.
21st century?
In this chapter we will look at some of these
Do you see any social movements
developments and try to see how they
which are still inspired by these influenced the course of modern world,
ideas around you? especially India.
Early Worker’s Movements in England

In England, political protest against the harsh working conditions in factories
kept increasing. The working population agitated for the right to vote. The
government reacted by repression and by new laws that denied people the right to
protest.
England had been at war with France for a long time – from 1792 to 1815.
Trade between England and Europe was disrupted, factories were forced to shut
down, unemployment grew and the price of essential items of food, like bread and
meat, soared to heights beyond the level of average wages. Parliament in 1795
passed two Combination Acts which made it illegal to ‘incite the people by speech
or writing to hatred or contempt of the King, Constitution or Government’ and
banned unauthorised public meetings of over 50
Why do you think workers would
persons. Protest, nonetheless, continued against
have supported the ending of the
‘Old Corruption’. This term was used for
Corn Laws and why do you think privileges linked to the monarchy and
the landowners supported them? Parliament. Members of Parliament –
In India too such laws which landowners, manufacturers and professionals –
protected our farmers from were opposed to giving the working population
competition from import of the right to vote. They supported the Corn Laws,
cheap agricultural products are which prevented the import of cheaper food
being ended. Do you think such until prices in Britain had risen to a certain level.
imports will benefit the poor As workers flooded towns and factories,
people in India? they expressed their anger and frustration in
numerous forms of protest. There were bread

or food riots throughout the country from the 1790s onwards. Bread was the staple
item in the diet of the poor and its price governed their standard of living. Stocks
of bread were seized and sold at a price that was affordable and morally correct
rather than at the high prices charged by profit-hungry traders. Such riots were
particularly frequent in the worst year of the war, 1795, but they continued until
the 1840s.
Another cause of hardship was the process known as ‘enclosure’ – by which,
from the 1770s, hundreds of small farms had been merged into the larger ones of
powerful landlords. Poor rural
families affected by this had sought To what extent do you think breaking the
industrial work. But the introduction machines helped the workers?
of machines in the cotton industry
The government passed a law which
threw thousands of handloom weavers
out of work and into poverty, since provided for capital punishment for those
their labour was too slow to compete who broke machines. Do you think this
with machines. From the 1790s, these was justified?
weavers began to demand a legal When new machines are brought in a
minimum wage, which was refused by factory, some workers are usually
Parliament. When they went on rendered jobless. Why do you think this
strike, they were dispersed by force. happens? Can there be ways of improving
In desperation, in Lancashire, cotton technology without creating
weavers destroyed the powerlooms unemployment for workers?
which they believed had destroyed
their livelihood.
In Yorkshire, shearing-frames were destroyed by croppers, who had traditionally
sheared sheep by hand. In the riots of 1830, farm labourers found their jobs
threatened by the new threshing machines that separated the grain from the husk.
The rioters smashed these machines. Nine of them were hanged and 450 were sent
to Australia as convicts.
Luddism
The movement known as Luddism (1811-17), led by the charismatic General
Ned Ludd, exemplified another type of protest. Luddism was not merely a backward-
looking assault on machines. Its participants demanded a minimum wage, control
over the labour of women and children, work for those who had lost their jobs
because of the coming of machinery, and the right to form trade unions so that they
could legally present these demands. The workers who still did not have any powerful
trade union to fight for their rights, fought by threatening to damage the machines
and stocks of the factory owners. In many cases the factory owners agreed to
negotiate with the workers and offer better terms. Workers and even many middle
class persons like shop keepers and master craftsmen thought that the machines

were unnecessary and were being
introduced to rob people of their
livelihoods. Hence there was much
social support to such protests. In many
places the radical workers acted
spontaneously in the name of General
Ludd and in other places there were
secret organisations which acted in a
planned and coordinated manner.
Socialism
Even as Luddism was being
suppressed by the government and the
army, a new ideology was developing
which was to give the workers a new
social goal. This was the idea of
Fig. 16.2: An illustration from 1812 named Frame Socialism. What is Socialism? It is a
Breaking showing Luddists. doctrine that calls for public rather than
private ownership or control of property and natural resources. According to the
socialist view, individuals do not live or work in isolation but live in cooperation
with one another. Further, everything that people produce is in some sense a social
product, and everyone who contributes to the production of a good is entitled to a
share in it. Society as a whole, therefore, should own or at least control property
for the benefit of all its members.
In this way socialism contradicts the basic idea of capitalism which is based
on private ownership of the means of production and free play of market in
determining what is to be produced and who is to be given a share of the produce.
Socialists complain that capitalism necessarily leads to unfair and exploitative
concentrations of wealth and power in the hands of the relative few. The rich then
use their wealth and power to reinforce their dominance in society. Because such
people are rich, they may choose where and how to live, and their choices in turn
limit the options of the poor. As a result, terms such as individual freedom and
equality of opportunity may be meaningful for capitalists. But for the working
people, who must do the capitalists’ bidding if they are to survive, they can only
hollow. As socialists see it, true freedom and true equality require social control
of the resources that provide the basis for prosperity in any society.
Socialists also believe that given such unequal distribution of resources, there
cannot really be genuine free competition as the rich and powerful manage to tilt
the balance in their favour by hook or crook.
Some elements of socialist ideas can be seen in many thinkers down the ages,
like Plato or Thomas Moore. These ideas became powerful when they were

combined with the ideas of French Revolution.
Babeuf and other radicals complained that the
Revolution had failed to fulfil the ideals of
liberty, equality, and fraternity. Adherence to
“the precious principle of equality,” Babeuf
argued, requires the abolition of private property
and common enjoyment of the land and its fruits.
Such beliefs led to his execution for conspiring
to overthrow the government. However, his
ideas inspired a generation of social protest
movements against the factory system.
Another early socialist thinker was Saint-
Simon of France who did not call for public
ownership of productive property. But he
advocated for public control of property through
central planning, in which scientists,
industrialists, and engineers would anticipate
social needs and direct the energies of society Fig. 16.3: Poster from a magazine that
to meet them. Such thinkers emerged in England mobilises workers
too, the home of Industrial Revolution. Here a small industrialist named Owen was
appalled by the conditions of the workers and the wealth of the capitalists. He
called for building cooperative villages, in which everything would be owned in
common and people would work in cooperation with each other and share the
products of their labour. However, these ideas remained idealistic or utopian as
most people felt that these were good ideas which could not be implemented given
the massive growth of industrial production.
Karl Marx and Fredric Engels formulated a new theory of socialism based on
their study of the working of industrial capitalist production. They argued that
capitalism is both a progressive force in history and an exploitative system that
alienates capitalists and workers alike from their true humanity. It is progressive
because it has made possible the industrial transformation of the world, thereby
unleashing the productive power to free everyone from necessity. Yet it is
exploitative in that capitalism condemns the proletarians, who own nothing but
their labour power, to lives of grinding labour while enabling the capitalists to reap
the profits. Marx believed that industrial production will make it impossible for
people to live and work on a small scale; they will have to cooperate with countless
number of people to produce even their basic needs. Thus production has been
made into an all-society affair rather than a matter of one family or a small farm or
one village. This has given human beings tremendous power in their hands to better
their own lives, provided they are able to do it in collective interest.
Marx and Engels argued that the workers who produced in the factories, had no
property and were at the same time crucial for the production to happen. Yet they
are exploited so that the capitalist
system continues to make profit. This
will necessarily force the workers to
fight not only for better wages but for
ending the capitalist system itself. If
the workers could take over all
factories and other resources and ran
them for common benefit, the
foundations of a new and equitable
Karl Marx Friedrich Engels
society could be established. He
argued that workers should organise themselves and throw out the capitalists just
like the people did away with the feudal lords and kings in the French Revolution.
Workers should take over the state apparatus and establish a worker’s state which
should own all factories and land and organise production on a planned basis to
benefit all.
The ideas of Marx and Engels made a great impact on radical thinkers and
activists at the end of 19th century and inspired major social movements in the
20th century. At the same time many other radical thinkers disagreed with Marx
on a number of issues and they propounded new theories like Anarchism.
Socialism came to India from very early days. Swami Vivekananda was himself
deeply influenced by the ideas of Socialism which were growing in Europe and
America when he visited those continents. As the nationalist movement grew in
strength, many nationalists were also influenced by socialism. Russian Communist
Revolution in 1917 was the source of great inspiration for Indian nationalists,
particularly as the revolutionary government declared that it will support all
nationalist causes. Many leaders like
M N Roy, Bhagat Singh, Jawaharlal Nehru
In what way did Marx’s Socialism etc. were enthusiastic socialists. As
disagree with Luddism? factory production developed in Indian
Why did Marx consider factory cities too, many leaders organised trade
production as superior and desirable? unions among the workers. They too were
What was the main difference between influenced by the ideas of Marxism and
Marx and the earlier socialists? went on to found the Communist Party
of India in the 1920s.
Women’s Movement
During medieval and early modern times women the world over including
Europe were dominated by men. They did not have access to property or civil
rights like voting, etc. They were mostly confined to domestic work like cooking,
bringing up children and taking care of the elderly at home and assisting men at
work. This began to change with industrialisation as women began to be employed

in factories in large numbers. As women came out of family to work and earn they
developed a new identity about themselves and their role in the society. They
began to assert the principle of equality of all human beings, whether they were
women or men.
When the French Revolutionaries were preparing the Declaration of Rights
of Men in 1791, many French women protested against this and drafted a separate
Declaration of the Rights of Women. It declared - “Women are born free and
remain equal to men in rights. Social distinctions may only be based on common
utility… All citizens including women are equally admissible to all public dignities,
offices and employments, according to their capacity, and with no other distinction
than that of their virtues and talents”. Of course this declaration was never passed
by the French Assembly. However, the principles that women should be treated as
equals of men, that they should have right to participate in government through
voting and holding public posts remained as the goals of women’s movement in
Europe and America.
The movement for extending the right to vote to all sections of the population
gained momentum in 1830 to 1870. In countries like England, women too came
out in large numbers demanding right to vote. They were called ‘women’s
suffragists’. They held demonstrations, meetings and wrote in newspapers, etc.
and made appeals to the Parliament. Russian Revolution was the first to grant
such rights to all women in 1917. The right to vote was extended to some women
in England in 1918 and to all adult women by 1928. Gradually this was accepted
by most democratic countries.
As women participated more and more in public matters, they realised that
unequal treatment of women continued in most sectors, whether education, or
health or property rights or employment. Many women writers like Virginia Woolf
wrote about how men dominate over women and how women have themselves
become tools of this domination. A new phase of women’s movement developed
after the Second World War which focused attention of gaining equality of women
in all aspects of life. They campaigned against cultural and political inequalities,
which they saw as inextricably linked. The movement encouraged women to
understand aspects of their own personal lives as deeply politicised, and reflective
of an unequal distribution of power between men and women. If first-wave
feminism focused upon absolute rights such as suffrage, second-wave feminism
was largely concerned with other issues of equality, such as the end to
discrimination in all aspects of life including education and health.
You would have read about the struggles of social reformers in 19th century
India to end practices like Sati, killing of girl children at birth, enforced widowhood
for life etc. and also to extend modern education to women. The growth of education
among women enabled many women to take part in public life and organise other
women like themselves. This gave rise to women’s movement in India too.

Women participated in the national movement and leaders like Gandhiji
specially emphasised the importance of women in the movement. Thousands of
women joined the freedom movement and helped to shape the ideas of the
nationalists. As a result when India became independent women were given complete
legal equality vis a vis men. It also sought to end discriminations against them in
property laws etc.
Even though legal equality was achieved real equality still deludes women all
over the world including India and new wave of women’s movement is on to
understand the reasons for this and also to bring about real and effective equality.
Key words
1. Socialism 2. Luddism 3. Orientalists
4. Feminism 5. Captialism 6. Revolutionaries

1. Which of the following statement about lives of industrial workers are correct?
And correct the false statements
Workers controlled the industries
Living conditions of the workers were comfortable
Low wages was one of the reasons for discontent among the workers
During the phase of industrialisation there was emphasis on emotions and feeling
Romantic writers and artists tried to highlight values of closeness to nature as
described in folk tales and folksongs
2. List some of the problems faced by workers of those times. Discuss if such problems
exist in our times too.
3. Write a paragraph comparing the ideas of capitalism and socialism. How were they
similar or different?
4. How was the idea of equality being similar or differently challenged by women and
workers movements?
5. Draw a poster to illustrate the ideas of “liberty, equality and justice” within the
context of workers, and women. Identify occasions where these ideas are being
violated.
6. Locate the countries in the world map in which the protest movements took place.
Project
Do you find any such social protest movements around you? Interview with the
leaders of that movement and prepare a report and present in your class.

CHAPTER
Colonialism in Latin America,
17 Asia and Africa
Expansion of Europe and Early Colonialism

Look at the map of the world given below. It shows the world as known to the
Europeans some 600 years ago.
Map 1: Map of
world known to
Europeans in 1400
known as Genoese.
Some 600 years ago the people of the world travelled very little. They usually
travelled on the backs of horses or camels or by small boats and ships which only
sailed along sea coasts. However, the contact between peoples and countries began
to increase as traders travelled far and wide to buy exotic goods and sell them at
high prices. Silk and porcelain ware from China, cotton textiles, steel and spices
from India, fruits and scents from Arabia and wine from Europe were some of the
most sought after goods all over the world. The traders usually purchased and sold
them in exchange for gold and silver and made huge profits. So much so that some
of them were richer than kings.
Most of the trade routes connecting Europe and Asia around 1400 were
controlled by Muslim kingdoms, especially the Ottoman Empire which was
constantly at war with the European
Which of the continents were they
Christian powers. The Italians were able
not familiar with at all?
to work out an understanding with the
Which were the continents whose
Arab traders who brought Asian goods
coastal areas were known to them
to the Alexandria (in Egypt) and sold
but not the interior regions?
them to the Italians. As traders and
204 Social Studies Colonialism in Latin America, Asia and Africa
governments of western Europe like Holland, Spain, Portugal and England realised
the importance of this trade, they wanted to find faster and easier routes to countries
like India and China, without passing through regions controlled by Italian traders.
The Portugese for example, wanted to find a route around Africa to reach India.
The Spanish wanted to know if it was possible to reach India by crossing the Atlantic
Ocean. They invested huge fortunes by hiring experienced sea mariners and giving
them ships and other resources to explore. This
Why do you think the Italians were led to the discovery of Central America by
controlling the trade with Asia in Christopher Columbus in 1492 and of sea route
1400 and not other Europeans like to India around Africa by Vasco Da Gama in
Protugese or Spanish? 1498. Columbus was working on behalf of the
Spanish queen while Vasco da Gama was working
Why were the Portugese and
for the Portugese king. Soon English and Dutch
Spanish keen to find other routes governments too were sending their sailors to
to reach Asia? these regions.
European Colonies in America
Columbus landed up on what today are called the West Indies – the islands off
the coast of South America. He had thought that he had reached India and called the
local people ‘Indians’. (That is why the original inhabitants of America are called
Native Indians today.) These were simple tribal people who welcomed the visitors
and gave them food and shelter. However Spaniards repaid them by enslaving and
plundering them – converting them into slave labourers to grow food and mine
gold. Eventually virtually all native people of the islands died or were killed.
After Columbus the Spanish government sent several expeditions to conquer
America and plunder it. They
expected to find gold and
silver mines and vast
quantities of these precious
metals with local kings.
Cortez, a Spanish conqueror
led an expedition to massacre
the people and plunder
Mexico. He eventually killed
the local king and put an end
to the independent rule of
Mexico. Similarly another
conqueror named Pizarro
plundered and conquered Peru.
Fig. 17.1: Columbus before the Queen, as Not to be left behind the
imagined by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, 1843. English landed in North

America and began to set up colonies of English farmers along the eastern coast.
The native Americans mostly acted in friendship and extended help and cooperation
to the Europeans. This was the time when in England the small peasants were being
deprived of their land by landlords. Many of these peasants migrated to North
America and wished to settle down there. They forcibly deprived the native
Americans of their land and massacred them and drove them into the interior.
As the news of the natural resources of America reached the people of Europe,
a stream of land hungry settlers set out to America. They drove off the native people
and took over their lands.
Once the initial spree of massacre and plunder subsided the Europeans wanted
to settle and exploit the natural resources of America. However, they needed servile
labour to do the work. They realised that the native Americans could not be easily
enslaved. They therefore began to transport large number of African slaves who
had been captured from the interiors of Africa by European (especially Portugese)
traders and their agents. These African slaves were transported to America under
very inhuman conditions and sold to large landlords and others. About 15 to 20
million African slaves were thus forcibly taken away to America. They were made
to work on sugar cane farms, corn fields, tobacco fields and cotton fields. Their
produce was taken over and sold in different countries including England and France
for huge profits.
Fig. 17.2:Illustration showing 292 slaves being stowaged in the lower deck of ship
‘Latin’ America
During the three hundred years period from 1500 to 1800, most of Central and
South America was brought under the control of Spain and Portugal. Since Spanish
and Portugese languages are considered off shoots of Latin, these countries are
called “Latin American” countries. As about half of the original inhabitants of the
continent had been killed or died of diseases brought by Europeans, a large number
of people from Europe settled there who also purchased slaves from Africa. The
residents of these countries today are a mix of native Indians, Spanish and Portugese

settlers and descendents of African
slaves. A large number of people are
descendents of mixed parents –
Europeans who married Indians or
Africans.
Look at the map of South America

around 1800 to identify the
countries controlled by the
Portuguese
Spain
France
different powers.
Dutch
UK
Argentina
Paraguay
We saw that a large number of native
Liga Federal
Chile Indians had been killed. Many small
Republic of Entire Rios
Colombia
tribal communities survived in deep
Peru
Brazil
forests while other communities came
Bolivia
Ecuador
under the control of the Spanish. They
Venezuela
Uruguay
were heavily taxed, and had to provide
Map 2: labour supply to the mines and farms
South America - 1800.
owned by the Spanish. Most of their
temples were destroyed and they were
all converted to Roman Catholic religion. There were several small and large
rebellions in 17th and 18th centuries by the Indians in South America, but these
were mercilessly crushed as they lacked the arms and ammunitions which the
Spanish had.
In most of the Spanish ruled countries all power was concentrated in the hand
of Supreme Council located in Madrid (capital of Spain). This council appointed
high officials and nobles from Spain to govern the colonies. The Catholic Church
also played an important role in the governance of the colonies. Then there were
the Spanish settlers who controlled the land and mines of these countries. Some of
them were large landlords who had vast estates called ‘haciendas’. Haciendas were
estates of thousands of acres which contained silver and copper mines, agricultural
lands and pastures and also factories. They were owned by landlords who employed
peons or unfree Indians and African slaves to work on them. Besides these there
were ordinary Spanish who had settled as small
Why do you think the Spanish
farmers and animal herders. However, the settled
Settlers were not allowed
Spanish did not have any role in the
positions of importance in the
administration of the colonies which were
government of the colonies? controlled by the Spanish from Europe.
During the course of time, the Spanish landlords and farmers developed trade
and industry in these countries and exported large amounts of agricultural produce
like sugar and meat besides some metals like tin and copper.

The economies of the colonies were controlled by Spain in such a way as to
serve as source of inexpensive labor and natural resources, and never planned to
spark internal development. This situation led to monopolistic trade-relations for
the benefit of the economies of the colonial powers. To ensure these monopolistic
privileges, the colonial powers forcibly shaped the social and economical dynamics
of the colonies.
The colonies were forced to develop cultivation of commercial crops like
sugarcane or tobacco or cotton, which were sold cheaply to the dominant countries.
They were not allowed to develop industries or trade with other countries. Growing
commercial crops on a large scale at low costs was possible because of the large
estates which used unfree labour. These estate owners had no incentive to use modern
methods of cultivation or production as they had a supply of cheap forced labour.
The profits accumulated by the local elites were used up in luxurious goods
display, rather than saving and investing in production. This sustained a very unequal
agrarian social structure which also meant acute poverty for the majority of the
people.
The colonial system also placed
a lot of control on the colonial You studied about the zamindari system in
economy. Strict laws and other the Nizam state in Class VIII. Compare the
measures of social control were Zamindari system in the Nizam state and the
established in the colonised haciendas of South America. What
countries. Even the manufacture of similarities and differences do you find
minimal industrial products such as between them?
nails were forbidden, artificially Try to formulate the grievances of the
increasing the dependence of the
following people of the Latin American
colonies. Thus colonial control
colonies:
forced a kind of ‘underdevelopment’
of the colonies – prevented them 1.Spanish settlers who owned haciendas
from developing themselves by 2.Small Spanish farmers settled in America
investing in productive sectors. 3.Native Americans
The people of the Spanish 4.African slaves settled in Latin America
colonies including old Spanish
settlers disliked the control
exercised by Spanish nobles over them and a series of revolts broke out against
Spain from 1810 in Latin America. They were greatly influenced by the Declaration
of Independence by the north American colonies and French Revolution. Between
1816 and 1826 most of the Latin American countries became independent. Simon
Bolivar led a revolutionary army which was supported by black slaves and small
farmers and also many people from Europe who supported freedom and democracy
under the influence of French Revolutionary ideas. This army liberated Venezuela.
Another revolutionary army led by San Martin liberated Chile, Peru and Argentina
by 1817 and Brazil
which was a colony of
Portugal became
independent in 1822.
Thus ended the colonial
rule of European powers
over much of South
America.
By 1820s United
States of America had
emerged as a major
economic and political
power. It began to regard
the South America as a
sphere of its influence
and actively discouraged
Fig. 17.3: An Inca site of worship known as Machu Pichu in any European power to
today’s Peru establish control over
this area. The President of USA James Munroe formulated the ‘Munroe Doctrine’
according to which no European power would be allowed to build colonies in the
American continents and US will not interfere in the affairs of Europe or colonies
in other continents. Read below an extract of Munroe’s speech of 1823:
“The occasion has been judged proper for asserting, as a principle in which
the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that the American
continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed
and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future
colonisation by any European powers.”
You may note that Munroe was not supporting the right of the American colonies
to freedom but asserting the rights and interests of US. While it asserts that
European powers should not consider colonising any American country it allows
an American country to colonise these countries.
Britain which had a powerful navy supported the Munroe doctrine. Britain was
keen that the American colonies were not under political control of any European
power so that they would be free to trade with England and purchase its industrial
goods.
Thus even though the direct colonial rule ended, many remains of the old
colonial rule remained. Thus the Latin American countries had a social system
which consisted of very large landlords on the one hand and a large number of
slaves, semi slaves and poor small farmers on the other hand. There were also

villages of poor Indian communities. Industry Why do you think the Latin American
and trade was under the control of the countries remained undeveloped
landlords who had not little interest in despite getting independence from
developing them as they received sufficient
colonial rule?
incomes by exploiting servile labour. Thus in
many ways old colonialism continued to In what way did the Munroe doctrine
influence the Latin American countries. The protect the independence of Latin
dependence upon developed industrial America? Did it also limit their
countries like Britain and US, very high levels freedom?
of social and economic inequality and very How did Britain gain from the
high incidence of poverty due to landlessness Munroe doctrine?
has continued to keep these countries
undeveloped.
European Colonialism in Asia
Most countries of Asia, like India, China and Japan were different from Latin
American countries in many ways. Most of the Asian countries were densely
populated by prosperous peasant communities and were governed by powerful
empires defended by vast armies. Thus when the European powers sought to attack
the Mughal Empire, they were repeatedly defeated by Mughal armies. However,
the Europeans were able to establish power over some important ports like Goa
from where they controlled the oceanic trade. The Portugese for example established
in 16th century a ‘seaborne empire’ over the Indian Ocean. All ships travelling on
the Arabian Sea or Indian Ocean or Bay of Bengal had to pay a special tribute to the
Portugese and if they did not, they were attacked and looted.
The Portugese control of the seas was finally broken by other European powers
like Holland and England which too were reaching Asia for trade. Holland and
England had set up their own East India Companies in 1600-1602 to handle trade
with Asian countries. The Companies were keen to purchase produce from Asian
countries like cotton and silk textiles, spices, steel etc. which were in great demand
in Europe and fetched very high profit. The first Dutch expedition for example,
fetched about 400% profit on its investment!
The European companies had established
trading posts in different port cities of India, Dutch: The people of Holland are called
Africa and Indonesia. Some of them like the ‘Dutch’. The official name of Holland
Holland established political control over today is Netherlands.
some port cities in Indonesia.
Soon objections began to develop in Europe over the activities of these
companies. They were buying commodities from India with precious metals like
gold and silver thus draining Holland and England of their accumulated wealth. It
was felt that India will become richer at the cost of European countries as a result

of this trade. Hence there was a great pressure
on the Companies to finance their trade in Asia
itself.
The Dutch Company responded to this
change by conquering extensive lands in
countries like Indonesia which did not have very
powerful kingdoms then. They could pressurize
the local people to sell their products at a cheap
price to the Company which also had a
monopoly as it did not allow other countries to
trade with them. In 1800 the Dutch Government
disbanded the Company and established direct
rule over Indonesia. Since the government was
in deep financial crises it wanted to use
Indonesia as a source of revenue. The Dutch
forced the native people to deliver products like
coffee, sugar and spices as taxes. This was sold
Fig. 17.4: Dutch imperial imagery in international markets by the government
representing the Dutch East Indies (1916)
which earned huge profits. As much as 25% of
The text reads Our most precious jewel.
the Dutch government budget came from these
profits. This caused untold hardships for the native people who could not grow
necessary food grains or obtain even minimum prices for their commercial
produce. This resulted in acute poverty and famines. They rose in many revolts
which were brutally suppressed. This policy was also criticised by many people in
Holland.
The government finally ended the system of forced delivery of produce in
1870. It now encouraged Dutch capitalists to invest in Indonesia to set up
‘plantations’ in which a single crop (like rubber, pepper or sugarcane) was
extensively planted and managed by Dutch planters. The Dutch introduced coffee,
tea, cocoa, tobacco and rubber and large expanses of land became plantations. The
plantations were worked by semi-servile workers under overseers. Many of them
were even brought from distant countries like India. The produce of the plantations
were sold by the owners in international markets especially in Europe. They also
invested in mining tin and petroleum. To facilitate the transport of these goods the
government invested heavily in railway, as well as telegraph lines etc. The Dutch
Indonesia produced most of the world's supply of quinine and pepper, over a third
of its rubber, a quarter of its coconut products, and a fifth of its tea, sugar, coffee,
and oil. The profit from the Dutch East Indies helped Holland to develop industries
and made it one of the world's most significant colonial powers. This power was
ended by Japan during the second World War between 1939-45. Indonesia became
independent after the world war along with India.

Colonial Expansion in India
You have read about British conquest of India in the earlier classes. This is to help you
to remember some of the important stages of this conquest. The Portugese had
established control over some ports like Goa in the early 15th century. Other European
powers began to trade with India by the end of 16th century by establishing their
trading outposts. Till Aurangzeb was alive, no European power could think of building
political power in India. As the Mughal empire declined after 1700, the European
companies gradually sought to establish political control over parts of the coastal
regions. They began in South India, where the English gained control over Madras
and the French over Pondicherry. They also fiercely fought with each other and wanted
to establish monopoly trade with India. The English eventually succeeded in defeating
the Nawab of Bengal and establishing political control over Bengal in 1757. This laid
the foundation of British rule in India. The Company used the revenue of Bengal to
finance its purchases in India and also used political power to force Indian artisans
and farmers and traders to sell their goods at a very cheap price to it. This helped the
company to make huge profits.
China
China like India was one of the most populous countries of the world and had a
powerful empire. It was also further east of India and the Europeans could not
establish control over it the way they could conquer Latin America or Indonesia.
Chinese rulers realized the danger of allowing Europeans to trade freely in China
and permitted them to trade only in one city with specially designated traders. They
could not even move about the empire and were confined to their residential quarters.
In this way the authorities sought to reduce the threat posed by the European traders.
The European traders found the trade in Chinese silk and tea very profitable but
since the Chinese did not want any European goods, they had to use silver and gold
to pay. As we saw earlier this
policy was opposed in Europe
as it caused drain of precious
metals from Europe. The
European traders hit upon an
item which was in great demand
in China but was produced in
India. This was opium. The
English encouraged Indian
peasants to produce large
quantities of opium and
purchased it from them at very
low prices. This opium was
smuggled illegally into China Fig. 17.5: British navy in the first Opium war.
and sold there. In return the Europeans
purchased silk and tea which they sold in
Europe. In this way they did not have to pay
the Chinese in silver. As the smuggling of
opium increased, the Chinese authorities
suspended all trade with European traders
even in the one city they had allowed it. This
led to what are called the Opium Wars
which were fought between China and
England which was supported by the other
European powers between 1840-42. China
was defeated by England which imposed a
series of unequal treaties. These treaties
allowed England to trade with china without
restrictions and allowed the English to
establish trading enclaves in China in which
only English laws could be in force.
England also forced China to give it the
most favoured nation treatment, by which
Fig. 17.6: Watercolour on paper titled any concession given to any other country
‘Macao street scene’ from 1840. Macao would be automatically apply to England
was one of the port cities in China where too.
Europeans were allowed to conduct trade.
With this began the loss of
independence of China even though the Emperor’s rule continued till 1911. We
can see that unlike India or the Latin American countries, China was not brought
under direct political control of any European power. However, it was made to
serve the interests of these powers through unequal treaties which forced China to
accept terms that were favourable to the European countries. China thus had to pay
heavy war indemnity to the Europeans, allow free trading rights to them, keep the
import duties to the minimum, allow the European powers to establish settlements
on Chinese soil in which their laws applied and not the Chinese laws etc. Thus
while the Chinese government was responsible for handling the day to day
administration of the country, the economy came under the control of the Europeans
who could now sell their produce in China, purchase raw materials for their
industries at low costs and at the same time ensure that local industries did not
develop in China.
You may remember that England was not the only country to trade with China.
Other European countries like France, Germany, Russia etc. forced the Chinese
government to recognise certain parts of China as areas of special influence of
these countries, where they had a free entry but not the other countries. This was a
kind of partitioning of China without actually doing so. Thus China came to be
controlled economically and politically not by one country but by several European
countries. These European countries were joined by a new power that had emerged
in Asia itself – Japan. Japan had a political revolution in 1861 and had begun a
programme of rapid industrialisation and modernisation. Japan too was seeking
colonies from where it could get cheap raw materials and where it could sell its
industrial products. It waged a war against China in 1894-95 and forced China to
cede much territory and pay damages to Main products imported by western
Japan.
countries from China was _________.
In this way various European powers
and Japan carved their spheres of influence The product that western countries tried
in China. That is why China is considered to sell in China was ______.
a semi-colony and not a full fledged Asian country that tried to influence
colony of any particular country. trade in China was _______.
Colonialism in Africa
Till almost the middle of 19th century the Europeans showed little interest in
establishing colonial power in Africa. Between the 16th and early 19th century it
was just used as a source of slaves who were sold off in America. Some powers
like England used crucial parts of African coast like the Cape of Good Hope as
landing points to refresh supplies to their ships on their way to India and China.
These powers were of the view that Africa had little to offer the colonial powers in
terms of trade.
Explorations: Europeans had called Africa a ‘Dark Continent’ as they had
very little information about the interiors of the continent. The entire continent
was on a high plateau with a very narrow coastal region. Most of the rivers flowed
through the plateau and reached the coasts through narrow gorges and steep water
falls. Thus European traders had avoided the interior regions. Throughout the 19th
century and especially after 1850 European countries sent expeditions to explore
the interiors of Arica, prepare maps of the places, natural features like rivers and
mountains, mineral sources, forests and products and the people living there. They
used this valuable information to make plans for conquering and colonising these
interior regions. The most famous of the European explorers were David
Livingstone and H. M. Stanley, both of whom mapped vast areas of Southern Africa
and Central Africa on behalf of Belgium. Arduous expeditions in the 1850s and
1860s by Richard Burton, John Speke and James Grant located the great central
lakes and the source of the Nile. By the end of the 19th century, Europeans had
charted the Nile from its source, traced the courses of the Niger, Congo and
Zambezi rivers, and realised the vast resources of Africa. Many of these explorers
were also linked to various Christian churches who were keen to spread Christianity
among the people of Africa.
As industrialisation proceeded in different countries of Europe like England,
France, Belgium, Germany, Italy etc. after 1850, they desperately sought markets

for their products in Africa. They also realised that Africa had many important
industrial raw materials to offer like copper, tin, rubber, palm oil, cotton, tea, cocoa
etc. The European manufacturers also looked upon Africa as a major market for
their produce. Many of these countries like Germany and Italy were late entrants
to nation building and industrialisation and were keen to establish the power of
their states by acquiring more colonies than other European powers. Africa was
the only continent with large population and natural resources which was left for
Europe to colonise.
A virtual ‘Scramble for Africa’ began in 1870s. In 1870s only about 10% of
Africa was under colonial powers and within forty years almost the entire continent
with the exception of Ethiopia and a couple
Scramble for Africa: It is used to of small states. Ethiopia was able to
describe the frantic claim of African decisively defeat Italy in a war and thus
teritories by the European Countries. became the only traditional non-European
empire to defeat an European army.
Look at the Map of Africa in

1913 to see the extent of colonial
possessions of the European
powers in Africa.
Compare the map with a
modern map of Africa.
Make a list of the large
African countries and write
against their names the countries
that had colonised them. Map 3:
Africa - 1913.
Modern Country Colonial power in 1913

South Africa
Egypt
Nigeria
Ghana
Libya
Algeria
Angola
Congo

As time proceeded the competition between the European powers for colonies
and territories escalated and could no longer be peacefully ‘managed’ through
negotiations. Thus the First World War broke out in 1914 which was the most
destructive war humanity had seen till then.
The Experience of Colonisation – Some case studies
Congo
From 1869 to 1874, Stanley, the explorer was secretly sent by King Léopold
II of Belgium to the Congo region, where he made treaties with several African
chiefs and persuaded them to give up territories to him. To this territory he added
the kingdom of Katanga by killing its king. By 1882 Leopald’s African territories
grew up to 2,300,000 square kilometres, about 75 times larger than Belgium. It
was called the Congo Free State. Léopold II
personally owned the colony and used it as a
source of ivory and rubber. The Congo Free State
imposed a reign of terror on the colonised people,
including mass killings and forced labour. Each
person in the village was forced to supply a quota
of rubber and the hands of those who didn’t fulfill
this quota was cut off. Up to eight to ten million
of the estimated 16 million native inhabitants died
between 1885 and 1908. Leopald amassed a huge
fortune a part of which he used to undertake many
building activities in Belgium. There was much
public criticism of this all over the world including
Belgium and the Belgian government was forced
to finally end the personal rule of its king over
Congo and bring it under the rule of the Belgian
Parliament.
A similar situation occurred in the Leopold - II
neighbouring French Congo. Most of the resource
extraction was run by concession companies, whose brutal methods resulted in the
loss of up to 50 percent of the indigenous population.
South Africa
The English had established an outpost in the Cape of Good Hope to help the
passing ships to rest and replenish food supplies. Some Dutch farmers had settled
in this area to cultivate and sell the produce to the passing ships. They came into
conflict with the local African people whom they tried to drive away from their
lands. They were called Boers. When the British began to increase their control

over the area, the Boers were
dissatisfied and migrated to
new areas and even established
independent republics. When
gold and diamond mines were
discovered in those parts (1869
and 1886), a large number of
people from Europe and Africa
and India migrated to South
Africa and wanted to gain from
the mining boom. The British
government now wanted to end
the independence of the Boers
Fig. 17.7: Boer war. and establish British power
over the mining regions. They
fought two bitter wars to gain control over much of what is today called South
Africa. These wars ended in 1902 and the British consolidated all the regions of
South Africa into one ‘Union of South Africa’. By this time South Africa had a very
mixed population of European migrants (mainly English and Dutch), Black Africans,
Indians and Chinese. The British developed a government system which favoured
the Europeans (called Whites and 20% of population) and gave them civic rights
of voting etc. and discriminated against the Blacks (75% of population) and Indians
(about 5%). Native Africans were subjected to heavy taxation, and had to remain
confined to a very small demarcated area and could not acquire land in any other
area which was reserved for the Whites. Thus whites had about 90% of all lands. A
number of discriminatory laws were passed to ensure that the Blacks and Indians
worked for the British settlers in farms and mines. They were also denied civil
rights of free movement and right to form associations to express their grievances.
This policy of discriminating against the majority of the population based on racial
differences is called Apartheid Policy. The African people fought against it for
almost the entire 29th century and finally ended it in 1994.
You would have noticed that from 1400 onwards almost the whole of America,
Africa, Asia and Australia – that is all continents other than Europe was colonised
by European powers. They established their political and economic control over
these countries and peoples, and transformed their lives. Yet they were not colonised
in the same manner or lead to similar results – you saw how in America a large part
of the native population was killed, and plundered and enslaved; how Europeans
settled down there; how they brought millions of people from other continents
like Africa as slaves to settle in America. You saw how they established control
over the people of India but did not kill off the Indians or even enslave them. Nor
did they try to settle down in India in large numbers. Rather they tried to establish

control over the natural resources of India through taxation of agriculture, purchasing
raw materials at low costs and at the same time selling their industrial products in
India. Europeans did not even establish complete political control over China but
established spheres of influences where they could trade freely.
The European powers thus changed the economic and social lives of the people
of the colonies in such a way as to suit the needs of the European powers. However
at the same time they could not stop new ideas of freedom and democracy and
nationalism from reaching the colonies. These ideas gave the people of the colonies
a new power and identity with which to fight colonialism and eventually win freedom.
Key words
1. Colonialism 2. Latin America 3. Ottoman Empire
4. Explorations 5. Apartheid 6. Haciendas
7. Munroe doctrine 8. Opium Wars
Improving your learning

1. Match the following:
i. Opium war a) Belgium
ii. Ottoman empire b) Spain
iii. Personally owned the colony c) controlled trade before colonisation
iv. Settling farmers d) China
2. How is the word ‘discovery’ and ‘exploration’ used by Europeans? What did it mean
to people who were already living in those geographical locations?
3. What role did trade play in the colonisation?
4. How did the lives of native people in different countries affect the colonisation –
write two ideas each in the context of – crops cultivated / religion / use of natural
resources – for the three continents
5. Compare the nature of colonial rule over China and India and Indonesia. What
difference and similarities do you find between them?
6. Locate the Portuguese, Dutch, British and French colonies in the world map and
filled with different colours.
Project
If you were a citizen of Britain, could you support its colonisation? As an Indian citizen
could you support or reject colonisation. Give a brief account of your views.

CHAPTER
Impact of Colonialism in India

18
In Class VIII we studied how the colonial policies had an impact on the forests, in
Andhra Pradesh. In this chapter, we will understand how forest, industrial and labour
polices affected the lives of people across different parts of the country.
How Forests Were Used Before British Rule

From time immemorial, adivasis and villagers living in and near forests got many
things they needed for their daily lives from the forests. In a way, they were the owners
of the forests. They used the forests for hunting, gathering tubers, fruits, flowers and
herbs and for grazing their cattle. In some places, they cut down and burnt the trees and
cleared the land to cultivate crops. They cut wood to build their homes and to make
implements. They took things for their personal use. If they had to sell some forest
produce, it was only to buy
other things they needed
from the market, such as salt
and iron. They did not sell the
wood and other things they
got from the forest to earn a
profit.
Although large tracts of
forests were cleared for
making fields, and there were
tensions between farmers and
tribal people, large areas of
land continued to remain
under forest cover. The
farmers and adivasis who
used these forests also Fig. 18.1: Forest in Andhra Pradesh.
protected them. When they
needed wood, they took care to cut only
old trees and allowed new trees to grow. Underline four sentences that
They did not blindly cut large tracts of represent the situation of adivasis and
forest, but only small patches so that the their use of forests before British rule.
forest would not be destroyed.

From time to time, the people living in forests gave valuable gifts of ivory,
animal skins and honey to the kings and emperors. Those who cultivated land in the
forests sometimes also paid taxes. Many adivasis farmed by shifting cultivation
also known as jhum agriculture. As long as the forest dwellers did not threaten the
security of the kingdoms, the kings and emperors left them alone and did not make
laws or rules to control how they used the forests. So for many centuries, the
adivasis lived in harmony with their forests, getting many of their daily needs from
them and looking after them carefully.
How Forests Were Used During British Rule

The situation changed during British rule. At
that time, large cities like Kolkata and Mumbai were
coming up and the government was laying thousands
of kilometres of railway lines all across the country.
Huge ships were also being built and mines were
being opened. Large quantities of wood were needed
for all this, so the trade in timber increased rapidly.
Sleepers for Railway Lines

In 1879, there were almost 8,000 kilometers
of railway lines in India. By 1910 more than 50,000
kilometers of railway lines had been laid. Each year,
almost one crore wooden sleepers were needed to
lay these new railway lines.
Fig. 18.2: Bamboo rafts being The wood for these sleepers was cut from the
floated down the Kassalong forests in the Himalayan and Terai regions. Wood
river, Chittagong Hill Tracts. .
was also cut and sold in huge quantities for
buildings, mines and ships. This
Sleepers: Wooden planks laid across railway work was done by workers hired by
tracks; they hold the tracks in position timber traders and forest
contractors.
The British government and British companies made large profits from this
trade. The government would hold auctions to sell the contracts for cutting forests.
The contractors paid large sums of money to win the contracts, so the government
earned a lot of money through these auctions.
Forests in Danger and the Need to Plant New Trees

As the trade in timber increased, Have you seen old wooden sleepers used in
the British government was worried. railway tracks? What are they being replaced
Where would it get wood for its with today? Discuss why this replacement is
taking place.
220 Social Studies Impact of Colonialism in India
Fig. 18.3: Converting Sal Logs into
sleepers in the Singhbhum forests,
Chhotanagpur, May 1897.
Adivasis were hired by the forest

department to cut trees, and to make
smooth planks which would serve as
sleepers for the railways. At the same
time, they were not allowed to cut these
trees to build their own houses.
future railways, ships and houses if the forests were cut down so rapidly? The
government felt that it should do something to ensure a regular supply of wood.
So it decided to plant new trees to replace the forests that were being cut down.
But the government was not interested in planting trees that were useful to the
common people, such as mango, mahua, neem etc. It wanted to plant only trees that
provided the timber that was in great demand in the market. So it began to have
trees like teak and pine planted in place of the forests that were being cut down.
The Government sets up a Forest Department
Most importantly, the government set up a Forest Department in 1864. The
Forest Department made new laws and rules to protect the new forests it was
planting. Through these rules it also tried to ensure that the old forests did not
vanish completely but were cut more carefully. These rules and laws helped the
government to control the forests. The Forest Department officials felt the forests
needed to be protected from the people living in or near them.
Adivasi Revolts
We have seen how the conditions of the adivasi farmers who lived in the jungle
worsened in British times. The Baiga, Muria, Gond and Bhil tribes of Madhya Pradesh
and Chattisgarh, the Koya, Reddy, and Kolam tribes of Andhra Pradesh and the Saora
adivasis of Orissa, were all no longer able to practice their old form of cultivation.
They were having to become labourers for either the Forest Department or for
contractors. Or they were becoming bonded labourers for moneylenders or farmers
who had come from outside.
The places where roads and railway lines had reached became easy for people
from outside to settle down in Adivasis’ areas and sieze their land. The power of the
Forest Department also increased. Fining and beating up people at the smallest
pretext, forcibly entering into people’s homes to take away their things, ill-treating
women, taking bribes, getting begar (free labour) done by people - all this became
common.
Against such adverse circumstances, the adivasis protested in many places.
During the protests they would burn down many police stations, posts of the Forest
Department and houses of the moneylenders. In many places they would set fire to
the entire jungle. Such protests were made by the Santhal adivasis in Jharkhand in
1856, by the Koya adivasis of Andhra Pradesh in 1880 and 1922, by the Maria and
Muria adivasis of Bastar in 1910, and by the Gond and Kolam adivasis in 1940.
The Santhal Revolt
From the beginning, the Santhals of Jharkhand had been resisting and protesting
against British rule. In 1855-56 there was a massive revolt in which the Santhals
began looting and killing the zamindars and moneylenders. The Santhals declared
that British rule had come to an end and they were making a free state of the
Santhals. But the Santhals were armed only with bows and arrows, and they could
not hold their own against the gun-bearing British army. By the end of a fierce
battle, 15,000 Santhals were killed and their revolt was finally suppressed.
The Revolt Led by Birsa Munda
Between 1874 and 1901, the Munda adivasis of the Chhotanagpur Plateau,
which is now in the state of Jharkhand, came together under the leadership of a
young man named Birsa to do away with British rule. Birsa was thought of as
bhagwaan-god-and people were willing to follow his every word. They wanted to
do away with the foreign government that protected the zamindars, the
moneylenders and the courts of law that had deprived the Mundas of their lands
and their rights over their forests. In the end, the Munda rebellion was suppressed
by arresting the leaders and putting them behind bars. Birsa Munda died in prison
in 1900. However, the government then felt compelled to make laws to protect the
rights of the adivasis of Chhotanagpur.
Forest revolt in Kumaon (1921-22)
In the Kumaon region of Uttarkhand, the peasants refused to cooperate with
the Forest Department in protest against the fact that their rights over the forest
were being taken away by the government. They openly broke the rules of the
Forest Department. Attempts were made to burn the jungles used by contractors.
The people refused to do forced labour for the Forest Department.
Because of these movements the British government had to change its policies.
In many places they made their rules less strict. In some areas they made new laws
saying that people from outside could not purchase the land of the adivasis.
Alluri Seetha Rama Raju
Alluri Seetha Rama Raju was born on July 4, 1897 in Pandrangi
village in the Visakhapatnam district. His mother was from
Visakhapatnam and his father was a native of Mogallu, near
Bhimavaram, and was an official photographer in the central jail at
Rajahmundry. Raju’s father died when he was in school and grew
up in the care of his uncle, Rama Chandra Raju.

After the passing of 1882 Madras Forest Act, its restrictions on the free
movement of tribal peoples in the forest prevented them from engaging in their
traditional ‘podu’ agricultural system. Raju led a protest movement in the border
area of East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh. Inspired by
the patriotic zeal of revolutionaries in Bengal, Raju raided police stations in and
around Chintapalle, Rampachodavaram, Dammanapalli, Krishnadevipeta,
Rajavommangi, Addateegala, Narsipatnam and Annavaram. Raju and his followers
stole guns and ammunition and killed several British army officers, including Scott
Coward near Dammanapalli.
In December 1922, the British deployed a company of Assam Rifles, near
Pegadapalle under the leadership of Saunders. Raju, who had by then gone
underground, resurfaced after about four months and continued the fight,
strengthened by tribal volunteers using bows and arrows under the leadership of
Mallu Dora and Gantam Dora.
The British campaign lasted for nearly a year from December 1922. Rama
Raju was eventually trapped by the British in the forests of Chintapalli shot dead
with a rifle in Mampa village.
Komaram Bheem
Komaram Bheem was born in the year 1900 at Sankepally village in Adilabad.
His father was killed in an attack by the Forest Department when he was fifteen.
Then Bheem’s family migrated to Sardapur village in Kerimeri mandal.
While he was leading his life by Jhum farming a jagirdar named
Siddhiki, informer of Nizam occupied Bheem’s land with rage he killed
Siddhiki and escaped from police to hide in Assam. After that for five
years he worked as a labourer in coffee, tea plantations. He experienced
labour agitations. He learned how to read and write. He understood
the situation in his place through his close friend Komaram Sooru,
who was his secret informer. He was inspired by the agitations and
battles for freedom by Alluri Seetha Rama Raju in Visakhapatnam and
Birsa Munda revolt fought against Nizam’s rule.
By that time Nizam’s government used to collect tax in the name of ‘Bambram’
for grazing cattle and collecting firewood for cooking. Adivasies were impressed
and inspired by the message Jal, Jangal, Jameen, of Komaram Bheem to oppose
the tax, and fight for tribal freedom and rights. Nearly 12 villages in Adilabad were
ready to fight for land. Bheem formed a guerrilla army with the young men of
Gondu and Koya. He gathered and trained tribal people to fight with weapon.
Jodeghat became the central place from where he started the guerrilla battle.
Surprised by this battle Nizam attempts of attacks on Adivasies. At last on one full
moon day Komaram Bheem died in the battle against Nizam army in Jodeghat forest.
After his death Nizam appointed Haimendorf to do some research on the life of
tribal people.
The British Government’s Industrial Policy
In the 1850’s some Indian cloth
mills were set up with much
courage, first in Mumbai and then
in Ahmedabad. Thus cloth came to
be made on machines in India too!
Some educated people and factory
owners demanded that a special tax
be levied on cloth coming from
Britain so that the cloth being made
in India might get a protected
market. The special tax would make
the British cloth more expensive
and this would encourage the sale
of cloth produced in Indian Fig. 18.4: Drawings of Some Marwari traders
factories. from Calcutta.
You know that in Britain the government had levied a special tax on cloth made
by Indian weavers in order to help the cloth industry of Britain. But the government
refused to levy a similar tax in India on British cloth to help Indian industry. The
pressure of the British factory owners and traders on the government was so much
that it could do nothing against their interests.
In the year 1896, the British government of India experienced a severe reduction
in its income. The government began to think of ways in which it could increase its
income. It was then, in its hour of difficulty, that the government levied a three and
a half percent tax on cloth coming to India from Britain. But in order that this
might not harm the sale of British cloth, the government simultaneously levied the
same amount of tax (three and a half percent) on cloth being made in India as well.
This tax became the cause of a long drawn conflict between the Indian people
and the British government. By imposing a tax on goods made in Indian factories,
the government had made it clear that it would protect mainly the interests of the
British factories. There was strong opposition to this tax in India and a persistent
demand to remove it.
Even without government
protection, factories producing cloth, Discuss what ‘protected market’ means.
thread, sugar, jute, paper, matches, The Indians demanded that a tax be imposed
cement etc. were set up in India. Their on British goods coming to India. Do you
rapid development, however, took place
think this was a fair demand? Should the
only after 1914.
government have treated British and Indian
industries equally?

Indian Industry During The First World War
During the First World War
(from 1914 to 1918), the import
of foreign goods into India fell
sharply. One reason was that
cargo ships were diverted to war
related duties, and hence there
was a shortage of ships. Also, in
the factories of Europe, things
needed for the war were being
made - so fewer goods meant for
the Indian markets were available.
Under these circumstances,
the factories that had been
established in India started
selling their goods in greater
quantities. Enthused by these
heavy sales there was a rapid
development of industries. After
Fig. 18.5: An early sketch of Bankers in Delhi.
the war came to an end, European
machines were purchased in
large numbers for Indian factories and new industries were set up. Indian industrialists
began demanding very forcefully that the government levy a tax on foreign goods
so that the higher sales of Indian goods might continue in future as well.
For many reasons the government had
to accept this demand. After 1917, taxes Why did a rapid development
were levied on numerous foreign goods, take place in Indian industry
one after the other. As a result, factories during the First World War?
set up in India were able to develop
speedily.
Problems of Indian Industry at the Time of Independence

After a long struggle, Indian industry had got a little help from the British
government. Yet, a very large number of factories, banks, ships etc. were in the
hands of Europeans, not in the hands of Indians. Being European had many advantages
for these companies. They had easy access to all types of officers and authorities
of the British government, whereas Indians were never likely to have such reach.
All the foreign trade was in the hands of European companies, hence, they had no
shortage of funds either.
Despite the influence of the Europeans, Indian industrialists advanced a great
deal. For example Indian industrialists were in control of the textile industry. The
greatest example of the achievements of Indian
industrialists was the setting up of a steel factory
at Jamshedpur by an industrialist named
Jamshedji Tata.
The help received by Indian industrialists
from the government in the form of a tax on
foreign goods, was important but hardly
adequate. Many resources and facilities were
needed such as railways, roads, electricity, coal
and iron. However, the British government did
not pay adequate attention to development in
these areas. Fig. 18.6: Some of the pioneers among
Indian industrialists also had to buy all their Indian industrialists J.N.Tata, R.D.Tata,
machines from abroad. Industries that would Sir R.J.Tata and Sir D.J. Tata.
manufacture machinery had simply not started
in India.
For the development of industry, help was needed from scientists, engineers,
and technicians. Educated workers at all levels were needed. But education was
not given adequate importance in India. Foreigners had to be relied on for industrial
development because the number of Indian scientists and engineers was very small.
In order to promote the interests of Indian industry, many organisations of
industrialists were formed even during British times. One of the most important
was the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI). Such
organisations would keep bringing up the problems of the industrialists before the
government.
With the end of the British rule in What industries were established in India
India and the formation of a free during British rule?
government of Indians the situation What were the difficulties in the
changed. The government of India gave development of Indian industries at the
encouragement to the growth of time of Independence?
industries in a planned fashion.
Labourers in Indian Industries

Industrial Towns and Labour Settlements
From 1850 onwards, machine-based industries had begun to be set up in India.
The biggest industry was the spinning and weaving of textiles. In 1905, around
2.25 lakh labourers were in the textile industry, 1.5 lakh in the jute industry and
about 1 lakh in coalmines.
Needy farmers, labourers and artisans had begun coming from the villages to
the cities in the hope of employment. Along with them or after them came their

relatives, neighbours, and friends. The number of labourers in cities mounted. All
around factories, huts and tenements of labourers sprang up. Many cities of India,
such as Kanpur, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai became large industrial
cities.
Work Conditions
In the early phase, work in the mills would begin every day at dawn, and come
to a halt only at sundown. Waking from sleep before the light of day, long rows of
labourers could soon be seen wending their way towards the mills - men as well as
women and even children.
Once they began work on the machines there was no question of stopping.
There was no fixed break even for meals. Taking out 15 - 20 minutes from their
work, and asking a fellow labourer to look after their work, the labourers would eat
their food. There was no separate place to eat either.
The whole day would pass in the heat, humidity, noise, dust and suffocation of
the mill. Only when the sun set and it became impossible to see in the dark, the
machines would stop and work would end.
This would go on for months. Even a weekly holiday was not in the rules. Only
for the major festivals of the year would the mill owner give a holiday.
However it is not possible to work every day of the year. Illnesses and family
duties have to be attended to. People also get exhausted and tired of monotonous
work. But whenever a labourer did not go to work, the day’s wage would be lost.
In those days payment was made in proportion to the amount of goods produced.
The owners laid the condition that “as much as you make, so much will you be
paid.” Sometimes things went wrong with the machines, or the supply of raw material
was delayed or it was inadequate. Although this was not the fault or the responsibility
of the labourer, yet the mill owners would deduct the labourer’s money. Thus,
labourers were not able to get any fixed income each month.
Not only that, at the end of the month, the mill owner would not even make the
full payment to the labourers. He would keep some money till the end of the next
month. In such a situation if labourers wanted to leave the work and go away they
could not - because their earlier month’s wages were still stuck with the owner.
There were also plenty of fines. The owners would fine the labourers on the
smallest pretext - if they came late, if the cloth got spoilt, if the owner thought the
labourer did not work sincerely - there would be fines and they were deducted
from the month’s wages.
All the labourers - men, women, children - had to work under such conditions
for 14 hours in the summers and 12 hours in the winters.
Then, in 1880 something new happened. Electric bulbs began to be fitted in the
mills. As the hours of light increased, the hours of work also increased. Now it was

Fig. 18.7: Men, women and children walking towards the mills.
not necessary to stop work when the sun set. And now it became common to take
up to 15 hours of work each day from each labourer.
There were so many hardships at work and on top of it there was no security of
employment either. If a mill suffered
loss of profit, the owner would In the early days of factories in India:
simply throw out some labourers and What were the rules regarding work and rest
reduce the wages of those who for labourers?
continued to work. What were the rules regarding payment of
However if the mill earned a wages?
profit, would the owner ever increase For what reasons would there be cuts and
the wages? No, that hardly ever
reductions in the labourers’ wages?
happened!
Labourers’ Struggles
Labourers struggled against their oppressive working conditions. From 1870
itself there was one strike after another in Mumbai. To begin with there were no
organisations or unions of the labourers. The labourers of each mill would get
together to go on strike and would put pressure on the owners.
For instance, in 1892, mill owners of Mumbai were thinking of making a
reduction in the wages of labourers. In such a situation labourers of all the mills
geared themselves up for a struggle. The government had appointed an official for
the inspection of factories. This is what the factory inspector wrote about the
labourers: “If a reduction in the wages is actually made, it is possible that there
will be an overall strike in Mumbai. Though there is no organised trade union of
the labourers, most of the labourers belong to common castes, clans, villages and
can easily unite and take steps.”
Here’s one example of how the labourers would struggle to protect their own
interests. In 1900-1901, some 20 mills of Mumbai reduced the labourers’ wages
by 12½%. In response to this, 20,000 mill workers stopped work and came out on
strike. All the 20 mills remained closed for 10
days.
Similarly in 1919, when the cost of living
was rising but the labourer’s wages were not
being increased, the labourers of all the mills of
Mumbai came out on strike and the mills were
closed for 12 days.
The labourers not only fought for their
wages, they also fought against the British for
the freedom of India. In 1908, the British
sentenced the famous Indian freedom fighter,
Lokmanya Tilak, to 6 years of exile from India.
In a flash, the labourers of all the mills of
Mumbai went on strike against this for six days.
In this way the labourers participated in the
freedom struggle on many occasions through
strikes.
Fig. 18.8: A picture depicting Why did labourers go on strikes?

labour meeting. Why were strikes used instead of
any other action?
Addressing Labourers’ Problems

The strange thing was that in the beginning most of the educated people of
India paid no heed to the problems of the labourers. What was uppermost in their
minds was, how industries could be developed in India. In the earlier phase they did
not think much about the kind of working conditions that should be there for
labourers.
But even more amazing was that in Britain, factory owners, traders and social
workers began to express concern over the conditions of Indian labourers. They
began actively drawing the attention of the government to these problems.
The industrialists and social workers of Britain began putting pressure on the
government that there should be laws to improve the condition of the labourers in
India, similar to the laws in Britain. As a result of this pressure the government
seriously began considering making a reduction in the working hours and making
laws that would give labourers holidays.
This was deeply resented by the industrialists and educated people of India.
They felt that once labourers were given fixed incomes and facilities such as leave,
mill production would come down and the expenses of the owners would go up.
This would in turn make the things produced in the factories more expensive. If
this happened, goods coming from Britain would sell more easily and the
development of Indian industries would come to a standstill.
Laws for the Welfare of Labourers : A Time line
The government implemented the In 1891, laws were made in the
1850
first Factory Act in 1881 and made interest of women labourers to
the following rules especially for the ensure that:
1860
welfare of working children: Women labourers cannot be
Children below the age of 7 made to work more than 11
1870 hours a day.
cannot be employed in factories.
Children between 7 and 12 years Women labourers must be given
1880 an hour and half break each day.
of age cannot be made to work
more than 9 hours a day and Children’s working hours were
1890 reduced from 9 to 7 hours/day
they must be given a one-hour
break each day. They must also and factory employers were
be given 4 days leave each 1900 forbidden to employ children
month. below 9 years of age.
1910
The largest number of labourers in India and Pakistan get
industries was that of men. In independence from Britain
1920
wasn’t until 1911 that laws for
their welfare were made. According
1930
to the Factory Act of 1911:
Adult male labourers could not Why did the educated people of
be made to work for more than 1940
India not pay much attention to the
12 hours every day interests of factory labourers in
After every six hours of work 1950 the beginning?
there would be a break for half How would the labour laws have
an hour. 1960 affected the industrialists?
The British industrialists were
1970 against the development of
In which year were you born?
factories in India, yet they took
Mark it on this timeline. Also
1980 the side of Indian labourers. Why?
mark the births of your
parents and some Below what age could children
grandparents or other old 1990 not be employed as labourers in
relatives you can find out British times?
about. 2000 What do the present laws set as
the minimum age, below which
Find out whether any of the children cannot be employed as
2010 labourers?
people whose births you
marked were affected by the According to the labour laws what
labour laws. 2020 was the maximum number of
hours that children, women and
2030 men could be expected to work?

Indian industrialists were
suspicious that the British
industrialists were just pretending
to show concern for the welfare
of the Indian labourers. Maybe
they actually had their own
interests in mind.
The educated people of India
had also come to believe that if
laws were made in the interests of
the labourers, industries would
not be able to develop in India. A
few lines published in a major
Fig. 18.9: In 1931 these millworkers in Lancashire, newspaper of Bengal in 1875
England were happy to meet Gandhiji and express shows the thinking of those days:
solidarity with the Indian freedom movement. “Rather than this new industry be
destroyed it is better that labourers keep dying in high numbers ......... once our
industries are well-established, then we can protect the interests of our labourers”.
There was this fear in the minds of industrialists and the educated people, but it
was not fully justified. Factories set up in India had begun to earn profits. New
mills were being opened up all the time. Whatever labourers was needed, the
conditions of the risks, an improvement in working conditions became relevant
because industrial development lay in the hands of the labourers.
Labour Organisations
With time the problems of the labourers became well known. Some educated
people began supporting the labourers and they began writing articles in newspapers
to explain their problems to people. Small organisations for the welfare of labourers
also started emerging.
During strikes labourers formed their own organisations with the help of some
educated people. These were labour unions, formed to conduct the strikes and
negotiate settlements with the mill owners. Slowly, the trade unions became active
not just during the strikes but all around the year, promoting the workers’ welfare
and rights. Such unions began to be established from the early 1920’s. People
influenced by socialist thought were prominent among them. One such union formed
was Girni Kamgar Union with the help of which workers in Mumbai went on a very
effective strike in 1928. In Ahmedabad, under the influence of Gandhiji, a powerful
union known as the Mazdoor Mahajan was formed.
The formation of labour unions made the government and mill owners very
anxious. Now laws began to be made to put restrictions on strikes. The government
appointed labour officers to look after the welfare of the labourers. The government

Which were the two main labourers’ began making efforts to ensure that the
unions to be formed in India during labourers solve their problems through
British times? the labour officers, rather than go to the
unions.
Why is a union or labourers’ organisation
But the labourers did not agree to
important for labourers? Discuss.
this. They considered it better to form
their own organisations to protect their interests. In this way, a struggle continued
between the labourers on the one hand and the government and factory owners on
the other, on the question of the right to form unions and the right to go on strike.
Key words
1. Reserved forest 2. Protected forest 3. Auctioning
4. Social Workers 5. Industrialist 6. Marwari traders
7. Strike 8. Labour Organisations 9. Industrial Towns
10. Labour Settlements

1. How did people use the forests before the rule of the British? Why was there less
danger of the forests being fully destroyed in those days?
2. Against whom did the adivasis revolt? In what ways did they demonstrate their anger
and protest? Give some examples.
3. How were the revolts of the adivasis suppressed by the British?
4. Make a timeline to show when adivasi protests occurred in different parts of India.
Find out where each of these adivasi struggles took place, and mark their locations
on a map of India.
5. What problems did the Indian industrialists have with the British government?
6. During British rule, why was it easier for the European companies rather than Indian
companies to set up industries? Give a few reasons.
7. Labour laws were first made for child labourers, then for women and lastly for men.
Why were these laws made in this order?
8. How could education affect industrial development? Discuss in the class.
9. Identify the large industrial cities on outline map of India during 20th century.
Project
1. Visit a office of the Forest Department and interview the official on how forest
could be preserved and wisely used by both industries and local people.
2. Visit a near by factory in your area find out its history how has the technology
changed, where do the workers come from, try and talk to the employers and some
workers to get their views.

CHAPTER
Expansion of Democracy
19
In an earlier chapter you read about the
democratic revolutions which established
democratic forms of government in Europe.
Establishing forms of government which are
in accordance with the wishes and requirements
of the people, in which all people are able to
participate freely and fully, in which all kinds
of people find respectable space is a dream for
which people are still striving for all over the
world.
Let us look at the example of two countries
where the people have been struggling for
democracy in recent times. These are Libya
and Myanmar.
Locate Libya and Myanmar in the

world map. Which continents are
they located in?
Fig. 19.1: Peoples protest
Libya
Libya was poor country of North Africa which had been colonised by Italy and
became free after a long struggle in 1951. When it became independent Italy
transferred power to King Idris who ruled the country with the help of a few rich
and powerful families.
The people mostly belonged to different tribes which depended upon agriculture
and animal rearing in the deserts. These tribes were dominated by families of
traditional tribal chiefs. In 1959 vast reserves of petroleum were found in Libya
and a lot of wealth poured into the country from the sale of oil. The King and a few
powerful families cornered most of this new wealth. Around this time a new wave
of nationalism was sweeping in Northern Africa – the young people wanted to
establish a modern state that was not subservient to the interest of colonial powers
and which worked for the welfare of the people. They also wanted to reform their
country – end the oppression on women and end the constant warfare among tribes

and establish unity and peace. They also wanted to ensure that the new wealth from
oil was distributed more equitably to all. Many people in Libya too were inspired
by these ideas.
In the year 1969 Muammar Gaddafi and a group of 70 young army officers
took over the control of Kingdom of Libya. This group of officers called themselves
Free Officers Movement. King Idris I fled the country, monarchy was abolished
and the country was declared as the ‘Socialist Libyan Arab Republic’. The army
completely supported this take over. The movement was under the leadership of a
Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) consisting of 12 members from the
military. This new leadership wanted to develop Libya as a modern egalitarian
country and at the same time follow the basic tenets of Islam which was the religion
of the majority of the people.
As we saw above, Libyan society was initially tribal led by the families of
tribal chiefs. People were more concerned about their own tribe and its honour
than about the welfare of all people. Most
people were poor nomadic animal herders, What kind of problems do you think
who were also illiterate. Women were these pose for establishing a
confined to purdah and were not allowed to democratic government?
participate in public activities.
The new regime instituted several reforms which led to rapid growth of Libya
– nationalisation of oil resources; a programme for extension of cultivation giving
irrigated lands to poor workers in order to end nomadism; free universal education
for all including women; free medical care for all; distribution of share of oil
profits among all citizens; development of highly subsidised housing schemes for
all. A major reform undertaken was to ensure freedom and equal status to women.
Women were now allowed to have property and business, and take up jobs in the
government. As a result of all these Libya was able to achieve highest levels of
social welfare in the whole of Africa. Average life expectancy increased from under
50 years to 77 years. Literacy rate for both men and women is over 90% today.
Bringing democratic participation of all people under conditions of tribalism,
nomadism, illiteracy and restrictions on women was difficult. The new Libyan
leadership tried to encourage participation of common people in public affairs
through creating peoples councils and elected People’s Assembly in the centre. As
the society rapidly changed due to development, an educated middle class emerged
and began to participate in these bodies. However, the government of Gaddafi was
not ready to trust these democratic bodies. Instead, it created a parallel system of
leadership of ‘Revolutionary Councils’, which were appointed and closely controlled
by Gaddafi and the RCC. The democratic bodies had to implement the decisions of
these non-elected leaders. As a result people lost interest in these bodies, but the
government kept trying to force their participation. The RCC was also very
intolerant of criticism and opposition. It used brute armed force to arrest, torture
234 Social Studies Expansion of Democracy

and kill political opponents. There was no freedom of the press, and independent
organisations like trade unions or other associations were not allowed. No political
parties were allowed to function in Libya.
Such dictatorial functioning helped to consolidate the position of a few powerful
families that controlled the government and the RCC and the oil companies owned
by the government. They came to be hated by the people for their high-handedness
but the people had no way of expressing their discontent.
Rapid development, urbanisation, emergence of new economic opportunities
and jobs meant that tribal way of life was slowly eroded and people of different
tribes began to live together and mix in cities. Most of the new jobs were available
in government sector which controlled all oil resources, trade and industry. The
new middle class emerged in Libya which was keen on taking up business and industry
but found such opportunities closed due to government policies and control of the
powerful families.
In the latter half of 2010
there were movements to
establish democratic
governments across the Arab
world. It began with a small
country Tunisia and spread to
Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain
and Syria amongst others.
This revolutionary wave of
demonstrations, protests, and
wars occurring in the Arab
world that began in
Fig. 19.2: A street painting in Egypt another country December 2010 is now
where democratic movement occured during this decade.
famous as the ‘Arab Spring’.
Change in Libya
In cities like Benghazi the civic amenities were deplorable. A large number of
its citizens were unemployed, and many families did not have a stable income.
People from across the country began to interact through internet and mobile phones
to share their misery. However state owned media refused to report them. In early
January 2011, a group of people began to protest over delay in the building of
houses and political corruption in the city of Bayda in the north eastern part of the
country. It began with peaceful street marches. There were attempts by police to
crush it down. These protests spread to other cities.
By February the protests began to take a violent turn. In the city of Benghazi
people marched against the police, there was firing and people were injured. A
section of people also began to get arms and weapons for themselves. These rebels
included group of professional soldiers who had left the government’s army, but
the majority were ordinary people: lawyers, workers, engineers, teachers, students
etc. A coalition of all groups that opposed Gaddafi government came together. The
security forces fired at the people. Protesters attacked government buildings. They
also captured the local radio station. People demanded different things, from
renewing earlier constitution to establishing multi-party democracy. The Gaddafi
government also tried to collect its supporters and stage demonstrations in support
of him. In the days that followed there was a major civil war. Ordinary people
armed themselves, while some army members joined with the people. Gaddafi
used his army and air force against the people to crush down the protests and many
people were killed.
Many powerful countries of the world like the United States were keen to
intervene and end the rule of Gaddafi and install governments that were more
favourable to them. This is because of the desire to control the large oil reserves
of Libya. These countries also supported sections of the rebels and pushed Libya
into civil war. The United Nations Organisation also intervened in support of the
rebels by declaring Libya to be a ‘no fly zone’ – in order to prevent the government
from using air force bombing against the rebels. However, since the government
continued the air strikes, France, US, Britain etc. jointly used their air force to
bombard Libyan government positions. Libyan
Civil War : A war within a country
people eventually succeeded in overthrowing
between different parties or regions.
Gaddafi regime.
A new govt was established and sworn in on 14th Nov 2012 as a result of free
and fair elections in which over a 100 political parties participated and 200
representatives were elected. They have also formulated an Interim Constitution.
It is possible that there will be a democratic government in Libya in the future.
Libya is under the international gaze to see if democracy will be a success in Libya
and if it will be able to survive and strengthen their democratic processes.
Even though the people had benefitted much from the Gaddafi government, why
do you think they rose in rebellion against it?
Even though the Gaddafi government claimed to be a democratic government,
what aspects of democracy were absent? What aspects of democratic government
were present in it?
Why are civil liberties important for democracy? Explain in the context of Libyan
experience.
Dictators try to control press and TV media. Do you know of other ways of sharing
information and ideas between people?
The Tunisian struggle began with the death of one trader. The struggle gained
strength largely through the use of social networking websites like Facebook.
Why do you think it is not easy for governments to control them?

Myanmar (Burma)
Locate Burma (modern name – Myanmar) in the world map. India shares
borders with this country. Burma, like India was a colony of the British. It was a
major supplier of teak wood, food crop like rice and minerals like tin and precious
stones like rubies and sapphires. Burma also became independent just 5 months
after Indian Independence. They established a parliament with two houses like as
in India. There were elections in which different political parties contested during
the year 1951, 1956 and 1960. It appeared that Burma too would emerge as a
democratic republic like India. However, the Burmese did not have a united political
party to lead them at that time.
You may remember that in 1947 India had a large number of princely states
like the Hyderabad state and it took a few years to weld all of them into one
Republic. Similarly Burma too consisted of a large number of small states and
ethnic-linguistic regions.
In 1947 Aung San, a leader of the Burman ethnic group, who had led the country
to independence (and father of current opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi), and
leaders of the many ethnic minorities negotiated an agreement which would
guarantee ethnic rights and self-determination, and the inclusion of minorities in
the democratic process. However, Aung San was assassinated. Soon after, the
Burmese military began its slow advance into the ethnic states to rule by force.
Many ethnic groups took up arms to protect their states from Burman rule,
demanding autonomy, ethnic rights and an inclusive democracy. As the ethnic strife
became complex in 1962 the elected government was overthrown by a coup and
army General Ne Win took charge of the country. He tried to nationalise all
industries and mineral resources. Free public health and education system were
established. Between 1962 and 1965 important laws against landlords and usury
were adopted. They aimed at protecting
peasants' rights to have land and Autonomy : The freedom for a country,
property and to renting the land. These a region or an organisation to govern
measures included the law abolishing itself independently.
rents on land in order to help poor
peasants.
The army generals have been ruling the country since then. The rulers claimed
they were following socialist policies. This only placed the major resources of
the country in the hands of the army generals. Unlike Libya where the army rule
led to development and welfare activities, Burma did not see any development and
became an impoverished country where peasants were forced to sell their children
to the army and work in the mines in semi-servile conditions. The Generals who
ruled Burma are accused of gross human rights abuses, forcible relocation of
civilians and widespread use of forced labour, including that of the children.

Students usually took the lead in staging protest against the military rule but all
such protests were suppressed by the army. In 1988, a major protest against the
army rule broke out and was brutally suppressed by killing thousands of
demonstrators. A new military council took over power in the following year
promising elections. It was around this time that Aung San Suu Kyi ( pronounced
Su Chi) began to fight for reforms in Burma. Suu Kyi has since been a central
figure in the protests and the struggle for establishment of democracy in Burma.
The rulers declared elections in 1990. In this election a new political party
National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Suu Kyi
won majority (80%) of the seats even though Suu Kyi
was in prison. But the military refused to hand over
power or even release Suu Kyi. She was kept under house
arrest. She remained a prisoner in her house without
permission to move around and interact with people. She
wasn’t even able to attend the funeral of her husband or
meet her two sons.
There is also international pressure created through
economic sanctions. This disallows the trade between
Burma and those countries. As a result Burma is not able
to export its products or get necessary imports. This
puts great pressure on the economy. Even though this
ultimately harms the common people of that country,
‘economic sanctions’ are used to bring pressure on the
rulers. Over the years there has been a worldwide
pressure on the military government to extend civil Aung San Suu Kyi: A poster
liberty and usher in a democratic government. from Myanmar supporting
Democracy.
Change in Burma
But from the year 2008 there have been different forms of change happening
in the country, such as conducting a referendum to get a mandate for establishing
democracy, changing the name of country to a “Republic of Democracy”. However
the government continues to be formed partly through the election and partly under
nomination from the military. An election was held in 2010 under the observation
of United Nations. However, Suu Kyi was barred from contesting the 2010 election
and was released from her house arrest only after the election. Her party refused
to contest this election. As a result, the military backed Union Solidarity and
Development Party won most seats. There are allegations of malpractices of
election. The military junta was dissolved and Thein Sein became the President of
the country. Military continues to have a controlling position even then.
In 2011 Su Kyi’s NLD contested in the elections and have won 43 out of 45
parlimentary seats that were vacant. The freeing of Suu Kyi and the successful
participation of NLD in elections are considered the beginnings of democracy in
Burma.
The story of Myanmar is still unfinished like that of Libya. There are indications
that the country could become democratic and multi-party elections may happen in
future.
Nobel Prize Acceptance

Suu Kyi was awarded Nobel Prize for Peace in 1991, while still under house arrest. It
was her son who delivered the speech. Let us read an extract from the speech:
“... she would begin by saying that she accepts the Nobel Prize for Peace not in her
own name but in the name of all the people of Burma.
Theirs is the prize and theirs will be the eventual victory in Burma's long struggle for
peace, freedom and democracy.
… I personally believe that by her own dedication and personal sacrifice she has
come to be a worthy symbol through whom the plight of all the people of Burma
may be recognised. The plight of those in the countryside and towns, living in poverty
and destitution, those in prison, battered and tortured; the plight of the young people,
the hope of Burma, dying of malaria in the jungles to which they have fled; that of
the Buddhist monks, beaten and dishonoured.”
…. Aung San Suu Kyi says, "The quest for democracy in Burma is the struggle of
people to live whole, meaningful lives as free and equal members of the world
community. It is part of the unceasing human endeavour to prove that the spirit of
man can transcend the flaws of his nature."
Why do you think democracy was not able to establish itself in Burma after its
independence?
Why do you think democracy was not able to establish itself in Libya after its
independence?
How students and the youth played an important role in bringing democracy to
both Libya and Burma?
What similarities of events do you find in the description of events about Libya
and Burma?
Answer this keeping in mind – Leadership; nature of struggle; process of transition.
Compare the stuggles for democracy in Libya and Burma on following aspects. –
Leadership; nature of struggle; process of transition.
Underline statements that are relating to Political Party and Voting in both Libya
and Burma.
Track the changes that you may have heard about Libya and Burma during the year
2012 and write it.
Some features of democracy and dictatorship
You read about two recent struggles for democracy. Even though the two
countries were very different the people wanted a form of government which had
some broad similarities.
Gaddafi and the RCC worked for a welfare state in which the basic needs of all
people were met. All people had an opportunity to improve their lives through
education and jobs. Similarly the Burmese junta began with some welfare measures
and land reforms but went on only to increase the control of the army. The army
exploited the resources and people of the country and the people were subjected
to extreme poverty. However, both countries were ruled by people who got their
main support from the army. They did not allow free elections or functioning of
political parties. They both did not allow elected representatives to form
government. They did not allow freedom of expression or freedom to form
organisations or freedom to protest against government.
In both countries people wanted a government that is elected by the people
through a free and fair process. In both countries people wanted freedom to express
their views, freedom to organise and freedom to protest against what they think is
wrong. In both countries people wanted many political parties to be able to function
freely.
Burma was different from Libya in that it began with democratic system and
slipped into army rule while Libya moved from monarchy and slipped into army
rule. However, both countries did not have conditions for a democracy to flourish
- they were deeply divided politically and ethnically which made it difficult to
arrive at an inclusive political settlement.
The March of Democracy

Ever since the birth of modern democracy in 17th century England, there has
been a gradual transformation of political systems across the world to conform to
the democratic ideals. Initially democracy helped the social classes opposed to
feudalism and monarchies to build a new kind of social order which rejected
privilege by birth and divine right to rule. Europe and America went through great
revolutions during the 18th and 19th centuries to bring about this.
Industrialisation and colonialism created conditions all over the world which
favoured democratic ideas. An educated middle class which was inspired by the
democratic ideas emerged in most countries. Even though each country had its
own distinct social system and distinct problems, democracy appeared to create
framework for just settlement of those problems. Thus each country is evolving a
model of democracy suited to its needs.
In 20th century democracy became the slogan of anti-colonial struggles in Asia
and Africa to build independent nations. India, Sri Lanka and South Africa are some
examples of this process. Some of these countries were able to attain freedom and
establish stable democracies. However, many of them could not build stable
democracies (as in the case of Burma or Pakistan). Military dictatorships got
established. In countries like Pakistan, military dictatorship and democratic rule
kept coming in cycles. In most of the countries under military dictatorship, the
people are organising movements to establish democracy. We saw the examples of
Libya and Burma where only recently such changes have begun.
During the 20th century another form of political system came into being which
is called ‘Communist’ system. The Communists believed that Parliamentary
democracy of the type of England only helped the rich capitalists to control the
country and could not represent the real interests of the poor working people. They
believed that this was possible only through the establishment of the ‘dictatorship
of the proletariat’ or the workers. This dictatorship was needed to ensure that the
rich and powerful landlords and capitalists did not get any power or opportunity to
pursue their policies. Such political systems were established in Union of Soviet
Socialist Republic or USSR (Soviet Russia) after 1917, in Eastern Europe after
1945, in China after 1949 and in Vietnam, Cuba after 1960. These countries built
‘socialist’ economies in which all land and factories were owned by the government
and education, health and employment was ensured for all and a degree of equality
was established.
However, these countries did not allow multi-party elections and one party
usually ruled for several decades; they also established state control over media
and did not allow people to freely form associations that opposed government
policies. In short they did not allow open criticism of the government policies or
attempts to change the government. Thus even though they claimed to be working
in the interest of the poorest people and bring about genuine democracy for the
poor, they ended up curtailing the freedom of the people. In 1991 the USSR broke
up as people demanded freedom and democracy as in other western countries like
USA. Following this many small countries of the former USSR, like Russia, Ukraine,
Estonia, and other East European countries like Poland and Hungary ended the
communist rule and established parliamentary democracies. Of course this has not
been easy for them and many of them too have slipped into military dictatorships
and ethnic warfare.
Today it is increasingly becoming clear to all people, that democracy which
respects the freedom and rights of all people may be the best way to solve some of
the complex problems the countries face. Today a new kind of democracy is being
forged across the world in which even the poorest and the most vulnerable people
will have a voice and will be able to influence policies and ensure justice and peace
for all.
Key words
1. Nomadic animal herders 2. Urbanisation 3. Political corruption
4. House arrest 5. Dictatorship 6. Monarchy
7. Feudalism

Map 1: Democratic Governments in 1900-1950
Democratic government in 1900
Map 2: Democratic Governments in 2011
Democratic government in 2011

Countries in transition
1(a). On the basis of these maps identify up to three countries (in some cases you won’t
find three countries) that were democratic in these continents for the given years
and make a table as given in the next page.

Year Africa Asia Europe South America
1900
2011
b) Identify some African countries with democracy in 2011
c) Make a list of big countries that were not democratic in 2011.
2. Read the maps again and think about the following points.
a) Based on the maps can we say that the Twentieth century was a significant era for
the spread of democracy?
b) During the early 20 century democracy was mostly in the continents like ________
and _______ While in certain continents like _____ and _____ there were almost
no democratic countries.
c) Even today there are certain areas that have not established democratic governments
such as _____ and _______
3. Most countries often claim themselves to be democratic by conducting elections.
How did this occur in the context of Myanmar and Libya?
4. Why do you think rulers try to control the media? Do you know how is media
controlled in your area?
5. Write an imaginary dialogue between a person from Libya and Myanmar comparing
the events and struggle for democracy in their respective countries.
6. How do literacy and mass education help for the functioning of democracy?
7. What is the difference between democracy and dictatorship?
8. What is the role played by Aung San Suu Kyi in fighting for democracy in Myanmar?
9. Read the last paragraph of this chapter and answer the question.
What is a new kind of democracy?
Project
Read the newspapers and note down any news regarding struggle for democracy in
Libya or Egypt or any other country. Prepare a file of such news clippings and display
in the class room.

CHAPTER
Democracy - An Evolving Idea
20
You read about beginnings of democratic government
in England, USA, France in 17th and 18th centuries and about
the most recent movements for democracy in Libya and
Myanmar. The evolution of democracy has had many ups
and downs. Popular rule was established and then it was
overthrown and monarchies established. Even where
popular rule was established it meant only the participation
of a few people in electing the rulers. Slowly the meaning
of democracy broadened and it developed many new layers
and shades. At the same time it has also raised many
questions which are not easy to answer. Let us consider
some of these meanings and questions. Discuss the Fig. 20.1: You can vote if you
questions in the class room and also outside with your pay tax
friends and relatives.
Democracy Means Responsible Governments
Democracy means a system in which those in
government get their authority from the people and have
to answer the people. This usually takes the form of
leaders being elected by people after definite intervals.
You saw in the case of Libya that ultimate power lay
with the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) which
was self appointed and not elected by the people or bound
by what the people’s representatives ordered. There were Fig. 20.2: You can vote if you
elected assemblies in Libya but these could not take their are educated
own decisions and had to implement the orders of the RCC.
The RCC was not answerable to anyone except itself. In a
democratic country the power of the elected
representatives would be supreme and no one who is not
directly elected by the people can exercise any authority
over them.
The elected government functionaries are answerable
to the people in different ways. First of all there will be
elected assemblies in which the government functionaries Fig. 20.3: You cannot vote if
will be asked to explain their work and which will approve you are women
244 Social Studies Democracy - An Evolving Idea

Do the millions of poor people have really any the plan of work etc. Secondly,
any citizen has a right to demand
control over the functioning of the elected
information on any work done by
functionaries? Does democracy mean rule by
the government and the
people or merely rule by elected persons? How
government has to make open
can people really participate in government on such information. Thirdly, after
a day to day basis? Discuss these issues in the a definite period elections will
class and at home. be held again and the
functionaries have to seek fresh
election from the people. The people can ask them to
explain their work and reject them if they are not
satisfied.
Democracy is based on equality and
inclusiveness: When we say rule of the people, we
mean all people who are adults, whether they are men
or women, rich or poor, black or white, Hindus or
Christians or Muslims or atheists, whether speak one
Fig. 20.4: You can’t vote language or the other... This took a long time to
because you belong to diffrent establish. Let us take the right to vote in elections as
race an indicator. Initially only a few propertied men could
participate by voting. Slowly the right was extended in
some countries to even the poor men, then to women
and eventually to people of all races and religions. USA
allowed white woman to vote only in 1920. The
discriminations against voting by Black citizens were
removed only in 1965. The first nation to allow voting
rights for all groups of people was New Zealand in
1893. There, women and the black people led a struggle
to achieve this. The first large country to give universal
voting rights was the USSR after the Russian
Fig. 20.5: You can’t vote Revolution in 1917. Yet even to this day many countries
because you are too young
make laws which discriminate against some
communities:
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.
In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has
more value than that of an Indian-Fijian. Only from the year 2013 elections an
equal right to vote is being implemented.
Democracy is based on the fundamental principle of political equality and
inclusiveness. In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote
must have one value.
Even today most countries do not give voting powers to people who have
migrated from other countries. Actually millions of people across the world
live without these democratic rights simply because the countries they live in
treat them as illegal immigrants. This is the plight of South American immigrants
in the US or Turkish immigrants in France or Germany. Such immigrants and
refugees are found all over the world including India. Should they not be part of
democratic governance?
Democracy requires active participation of citizens: Often democracy is

taken to mean that only voting in elections and choosing the rulers. However,
democracy also means that citizens should participate in making policies of the
government and laws and even in implementing them. How can this be done? This
is possible when all policies and laws are made after extensive public discussions,
in which people participate and openly state their needs and views. It also requires
that people be
involved in
effective
implementation
of the
policies and
laws – by
forming
independent
citizens
committees.
This kind of
participation of
people is not easily
achieved. In many
countries even the elected Fig. 20.6: Peoples
power - how will this
governments do not encourage
chess board change?
public participation and try to
prevent it. The people also do not show
active interest in public affairs and remain
Why do people not want to
apathetic. For example, in the much
participate in governance? Is it
publicised elections for the President of
because of poor knowledge or lack
USA in 2012 more than 40% people did
not vote at all. of interest or a feeling that they
don’t have a real say in things?

Democracy requires civil liberties: People can participate in decision
making only if people are free to know, to discuss, to form independent opinions
and express them and form associations to press for their views. These are also
called civil liberties. However, these rights were not gained by people easily.
Governments sought to control free speech, free associations and the right of
people to know about public affairs. Most government decisions were kept secret
from people; the newspapers and books were censored and views that went against
the government were not allowed to be published; people were not allowed to
form political parties or trade unions or organisations of their choice but only one
party or officially sponsored parties were allowed to function. Many of these rights
for example were not available to the people of the USSR even though there was
universal right to vote and periodic elections. That is why they had to put up with
one party rule for nearly 60
Many governments give people the civil liberties. years. Even today these rights
But they keep a careful watch on the activities of are not available to people in
the citizens by tapping their telephones and letters, all countries. Restriction on
spying on them etc. Do you think this is justified? civil liberties helps
governments to remain in
power.
Democracy requires equality: We noted that democracy requires political
equality – that each person will have one vote. However, this political equality to
be really effective requires equality of social and economic status. If the society
is divided into highly unequal classes of rich and poor or high castes and dalits,
then the political equality will
Table 1: Inequality of Incomes in Selected Countries
become meaningless. Those
Country Share of National Income (%) with higher status and wealth
Top 20 Bottom 20 can easily force the rest to vote
South Africa 64.8 2.9 according to their choice. In a
Brazil 63.0 2.6 large number of families the
male heads of family decide for
USA 50.0 4.0
whom everyone in the family,
United Kingdom 34.5 9.6 including women, should vote.
Denmark 34.5 9.6 In many countries like the USA
Hungary 34.5 10.0 most of the media are owned by
very rich corporate houses or
Why do you think such high level of media barons. They effectively manipulate
inequality persists even where the and influence public opinion by what they
countries are democratic and government highlight and what they black out. The rich
works in the interest of all people? and powerful also have immediate access
to members of the legislature and the
ministers, and are in a position to influence their policies and programmes.

On the other hand the poor and illiterate people have no such access to
the government circles. Thus the government of many of these countries follow
policies which seem to be contradictory to the interests of the poor and in favour
of the rich. Thus it can be said that true democracy cannot be attained unless there
is social and economic equality along with political equality.
If a party is repeatedly voted to power does it mean that people really want it to
come to power, or that there is no alternative or that people are not allowed to
vote for any alternative? Answer on the basis of the following three case studies:
a. 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 until 2000 every election was won by a party called PRI (Institutional
Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections, but never managed
to win. The PRI was known to use many unfair means to win elections. Teachers
of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI.
b. Zimbabwe attained independence from White minority rule in 1980. Since then
the country has been ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle.
Its leader, Robert Mugabe, has been ruling the country since independence.
Elections have been held regularly and always won by ZANU-PF. President Mugabe
is popular but also uses unfair practices in elections. His government has changed
the Constitution several times to increase the powers of the President and make
him less accountable. Opposition party workers are harassed and their meetings
disrupted. There is a law that limits the right to criticise the President. Television
and radio are controlled by the government and give only the ruling party’s version.
c. In China, elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the country’s
parliament, called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National People’s Congress).
The National People’s Congress has the power to appoint the President of the
country. It has nearly 3,000 members elected from all over China. Some members
are elected by the army. Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval
of the Chinese Communist Party. Only those who are members of the Chinese
Communist Party or eight smaller parties allied to it were allowed to contest
elections held in 2002-03. The government is always formed by the Communist
Party.
Democracy requires free and fair elections: If people of a country have to
really choose the best persons or parties to represent them in the government,
then it is very important that free and fair elections take place. That is elections in
which any party or individual can compete and no party has any special advantage.
In many countries like USSR, Myanmar or Libya only one or two parties were
allowed to compete. As such people had no choice but to vote for them. Even in
other countries parties in power use government machinery to persuade or force
people to vote for them. They also manipulate in such a way as to reject the

candidature of opposition candidates, or remove the names of supporters of the
opposition from electoral rolls. Holding elections of any kind is not sufficient.
The elections must offer a real choice between political alternatives. And it should
be possible for people to use this choice to remove the existing rulers, if they wish
so. If we wish to assess a democracy, it is important to look at the elections. But it
is equally important to look before and after the elections. There should be sufficient
room for normal political activity, including political opposition, in the period
before elections. This requires that the state should respect civil liberties of the
citizens. So, a democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those
currently in power.
Democracy requires respect for law and minority opinion: While
democracy implies a popularly elected government it does not mean rule of popular
leaders who do what their supporters want them to do. All democratic governments
need to abide by laws and allow independent functioning of the judiciary and the
executive officers as laid down in the law. Democracies also need to safeguard the
interests of those who hold opinion contrary to the majority of the people, their
right to hold those views, propagate them and persuade people to accept them have
to be respected even if the
Some questions on elections and democracy majority doesn’t agree with them.
Let us take the example of an election in India. Of all The biggest challenge before
the residents in a region let us assume that 1000 democracy is to deal with people
have right to vote. In any typical election about 60% who hold opinions against
people go to cast their votes. Thus we have 600 democracy itself – those who
people voting in an election. Let us assume that there think that democracy has to be
are ten candidates in the election and of these the replaced by some kind of
winning candidate gets about 250 votes, the second dictatorship; those who believe
candidate gets 200 votes and the other candidates that power should belong only to
between them get about 150 votes. We declare the a particular class of people of a
one with 250 votes the winner. Does he or she really particular religion or race. Should
represent the views and interests of the residents they be allowed to propagate their
of the locality? Actually he or she only represents views? Both these aspects give us
one fourth of the voters. Is this a fair democratic another feature of democracy: a
arrangement? Can there be better ways of democratic government rules
representing the people in decision making bodies? within limits set by constitutional
law and citizens’ rights.
Democracy – Majoritarian Vs Inclusive
Often democracy is taken to mean the rule of the majority. In any country there
will be people of diverse views and cultures. So differences of opinions are bound
to arise. What is the democratic way to settle such differences? We often use the
method of deciding by majority – that is if we take a vote the view point that gets
maximum support will be accepted by all. While this is useful in many simple
situations, it can be very divisive in complex situations which involve whole
communities or classes of people. A simple majoritarian approach may lead to
alienation of minority communities. In such situations it may be more useful to
take an inclusive approach which accommodates the needs of both the majority
and the minority people. Let us look at two important examples in this regard.
Belgium and Sri Lanka
Belgium is a small country in Europe. Of the country’s total population, 59
per cent lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch language. Another 40 per
cent people live in the Wallonia region and speak French. Remaining one per cent
of the Belgians speak German. In the capital city Brussels, 80 per cent people
speak French while 20 per cent are Dutch- speaking.
The minority French-speaking community was relatively rich and powerful.
This was resented by the Dutch speaking community. This led to tensions between
the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communi-ties during the 1950s and 1960s.
The tension between the two communities was more acute in Brussels. Brussels
presented a special problem: the Dutch-
speaking people constituted a majority in
the country, but a minority in the capital.
Sri Lanka is an island nation, south of
India. Sri Lanka too has a diverse
population. The major social groups are the
Sinhala-speakers (74 per cent) and the Map 1:
Tamil-speakers (18 per cent). Most of the Communities and
Sinhala- speaking people are Buddhist, regions of Belgium
while most of the Tamils are Hindus or Brussels-Capital Region
Muslims. Walloon (French-speaking)
Flemish (Dutch-speaking)
Should the majority communities views German-speaking
prevail in these two countries? Now, let us

look at what happened in both these countries.
Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, post its independence in 1948, the leaders of the Sinhala
community sought to secure dominance over government by virtue of their
majority. As a result, the democratically elected government adopted a series of
majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.
Sinhala was made the only official language, disregarding Tamil. The
governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for
jobs. A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.
All these government measures, coming one after the other, gradually increased
the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils. As a result, the relations

between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained over time. The Sri Lankan
Tamils launched parties and struggles for equal status. Autonomy to provinces
populated by the Tamils was repeatedly denied. By 1980s several political
organisations were formed demanding an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in
northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.
Map 2: Ethnic Communities of
Sri Lanka The distrust between the two communities turned
Sinhalese into widespread conflict. It soon turned into a civil war
Sri Lankan Tamil
as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE ) an extremist
Indian Tamil
Muslim organisation established independent rule over some
provinces inhabited by Tamils. In the final war the Sri
Lankan army defeated the LTTE. It also established a
brutal control over those provinces killing and uprooting
thousands of Tamil People. Many families were forced
to leave the country as refugees and many more lost their
livelihoods. Prior to the civil war Sri Lanka had an
excellent record of economic development, education
and health. But the civil war has caused a terrible setback
to the social, cultural and economic life of the country.
Accomodation in Belgium
The Belgian leaders took a different path. They
recognised the existence of regional differences and cultural diversities. Between
1970 and 1993, they amended their constitution four times so as to work out an
arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same country.
The arrangement they worked out is different from any other country and is very
innovative. Here are some of the elements of the Belgian model:
Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking
ministers shall be equal in the central government. Some special laws require the
support of majority of members from each linguistic group. Thus, no single
community can make decisions unilaterally.
Many powers of the central government have been given to state
governments of the two regions of the country. The state governments are not
subordinate to the Central Government.
Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities have
equal representation. The French- speaking people accepted equal representation
in Brussels because the Dutch-speaking community has accepted equal
representation in the Central Government.
Apart from the Central and the State Government, there is a third kind of
government. This ‘community government’ is elected by people belonging to one
language community – Dutch, French and German-speaking – no matter where
they live. This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and
language-related issues.
You might find the Belgian model very complicated. But these arrangements
have worked well so far. They helped to avoid civil strife between the two major
communities and a possible division of the country on linguistic lines. When many
countries of Europe came together to form the European Union, Brussels was
chosen as its headquarters. A great honour to Belgium of the faith placed in it by
the European community and an acknowledgment of Belgium’s ability for fair play
and justice.
What do we learn from these two stories of Belgium and Sri Lanka? Both are
democracies. Yet, they dealt with the question of power sharing differently. In
Belgium, the leaders have realised that the unity of the country is possible only by
respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and regions. Such a
realisation resulted in mutually acceptable arrangements for sharing power. Sri
Lanka shows us a contrasting example. It shows us that if a majority community
wants to force its dominance over others and refuses to share power, it can undermine
the unity of the country and force the country back several hundred years with
internal conflicmts and civil wars.
Dignity and freedom of the citizens
Democracy stands much superior to any other form of government in promoting
dignity and freedom of the individual. Every individual wants to receive respect
from fellow beings. Often conflicts arise among individuals because some feel
that they are not treated with due respect. The passion for respect and freedom are
the basis of democracy. Democracies throughout the world have recognised this,
at least in principle. This has been achieved in various degrees in various
democracies. For societies which have been built for long on the basis of
subordination and domination, it is not a simple matter to recognise that all
individuals are equal.
Take the case of dignity of women. Most societies across the world were
historically male dominated societies. Long struggles by women have created some
sensitivity today that respect to and equal treatment of women are necessary
ingredients of a democratic society. That does not mean that women are actually
always treated with respect. But once the principle is recognised, it becomes easier
for women to wage a struggle against what is now unacceptable legally and morally.
In a non-democratic set up, this unacceptability would not have legal basis because
the principle of individual freedom and dignity would not have the legal and moral
force there. The same is true of caste inequalities. Democracy in India has
strengthened the claims of the disadvantaged and discriminated castes for equal
status and equal opportunity. There are instances still of caste-based inequalities
and atrocities, but these lack the moral and legal foundations. Perhaps it is this
recognition that makes ordinary citizens value their democratic rights.
Expectations from democracy also function as the criteria for judging any
democratic country. What is most distinctive about democracy is that its
examination never gets over. As democracy passes one test, it produces another
test. As people get some benefits of democracy, they ask for more and want to
make democracy even better. That is why, when we ask people about the way
democracy functions, they will always come up with more expectations, and many
complaints. The fact that people are complaining is itself a testimony to the success
of democracy: it shows that people have developed awareness and the ability to
expect and to look critically at power holders and the high and the mighty. A public
expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of the democratic
project: it transforms people from the
Discuss the solutions given in both the status of a subject into that of a citizen.
Most individuals today believe that
countries to accomodate social,
their vote makes a difference to the
religious and linguistics diversity in them.
way the government is run and to their
own self-interest.
Key words
1. Union of Soviet Socialist Republic or USSR 2. Public discussions
3. Civil liberties 4. Social and economic equality 5. Internal conflicts

1. How does democracy produce an accountable, responsive and legitimate government?
2. What are the conditions under which democracies accommodate social diversities?
3. Give arguments to support or oppose the following assertions:
A. Industrialised countries can afford democracy but the poor countries need
dictatorship to become rich.
B. Democracy can’t reduce inequality of incomes between different citizens.
C. Government in poor countries should spend less on poverty reduction, health,
education and spend more on industries and infrastructure.
D. In democracy all citizens have one vote, which means that there is absence of
any domination and conflict.
4. In the context of assessing democracy which among the following is odd one out?
Democracies need to ensure:
A. free and fair elections B. dignity of the individual
C. majority rule D. equal treatment before law
5. Studies on political and social inequalities in democracy show that
A. democracy and development go together.
B. inequalities exist in democracies.
C. inequalities do not exist under dictatorship.
D. dictatorship is better than democracy.

6. Here is some information about six countries. Based on this information, how would
you classify each of these countries? Write ‘democratic’, ‘undemocratic’ or ‘not
sure’ against each of these.
Country A: People who do not accept the country’s official religion do not have a
right to vote
Country B: The same party has been winning elections for the last twenty years
Country C: Ruling party has lost in the last elections
Country D: The parliament cannot pass a law about the army without the consent of
the Chief of Army
Country E: The parliament cannot pass a law reducing the powers of the judiciary
Country F: All the major economic decisions about the country are taken by officials
of the central bank which the ministers cannot change.
7. Each of these statements contains a democratic and an undemocratic element.
Write out the two separately for each statement.
A. 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
B. The Election Commission ordered re-polling in a constituency where large scale
rigging was reported
C. Women’s representation in the parliament has never reached 10 per cent. This
led women’ organisations to demand one-third seats for women.
8. Write a response to the following arguments against democracy:
A. Army is the most disciplined and corruption-free organisation in the country.
Therefore army should rule the country.
B. 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.
C. 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.
9. Locate the following countries in the world map.
1. Srilanka 2. Belgium 3. Russia 4. America (USA)
10. Read the first two paragraphs under the subheading ‘Dignity and freedom of the
citizens’ and answer the following question.
Write about the dignity and freedom of the citizens in a democratic country.
11. What are the reasons for the people to fight for democracy?
Project
Conduct elections in your class to elect class representative with the help of your
teacher.

CHAPTER
Human Rights and Fundamental Rights

21
We have come across various struggles of people to achieve equality with others in
the previous chapter. Yet even after independence, forms of discrimination have not
completely vanished. The makers of the Indian Constitution were aware that it is not
easy to wipe out all forms of discrimination and so developed a Constitution which
would allow laws to emerge to meet the varying needs and goals of the society. The
Constitution envisaged a society that is
Write few important features of based on the certain principles listed in
Preamble you studied last year ...... the Preamble. Any law which violates the
Preamble will be struck down.
What are the Rights?

Rights are reasonable claims of persons. These claims are protected by law. All of
us would like to live happily, without being made to feel inferior. Similarly we have the
responsibility to allow others to enjoy their rights as well. Your rights come with the
responsibility to protect and respect the rights of other persons as well.
The concept of equal rights has been a changing one. We have seen elsewhere that
not everyone was treated equally all the time. Black people were traded as slaves, women
were not given the right to property and so on. But today we would consider these as
unjust and a violation of that person’s rights.
Rights also become significant in the context of democratic systems. Democratic
systems strive to persevere equal ground for all. They allow people to express their
opinion and make choices, including the choice of being represented by people they
believe in. This choice is called a Vote.
Democracy safeguards not just the majority but also the minorities. Democracies
place all people whether majority or the minority on the same plane. The Indian
Constitution ensures that each persons rights irrespective of caste, race, gender, religion,
and creed is protected. However there are some rights which are so fundamental to
personhood that they have been given a sacred place in the Constitution. They are known
as Fundamental Rights.
These rights are so important that they are also expressed by many of the democratic
nations the world over and have been codified by the United Nations Organisation (UNO)
and find a place in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a
document to which many of the modern states are signatory too implying that they will
uphold all the basic human rights mentioned there.

Fundamental Rights in
and Culture
Education
Right to
Indian Constitution
Fundamental Rights find a R
Ex ight al
place in Part 3 of the pl ag
oi ai t o tion
Constitution of India. These tat ns t
io t igh stitu ies
rights give people a protection n R on ed
C em
from oppressive governments R
and place a duty on the
government to uphold them. Fundamental Rights
They are so important that if
they are violated by the Ri
gh
government, any person has a tt
oF
right to approach the High to o f r
ht om Re eed
g lig om
Court or the Supreme Court Ri reed
Equality
Right to
io
directly without going to the F n
lower courts for relief. Writ is
an authority given to the court Fig. 21.1:
to issue directions to the Fundamental Rights
government to protect and enforce any constitutional right. It is an inherent power
given to the court. The court can suo motu (on its own motion) take cognizance of
a violation of a fundamental right.
Right to Equality
The Indian Constitution guarantees the Right to Equality. It includes most notably
the following rights:
1. Equal Protection of Law
The Constitution says that the government “shall not deny to any person equality
before the law or equal protection of the laws.” This means that the laws apply in
the same manner to all, regardless of a person’s income, status, background etc.
This is called the rule of law.
The Right to equality, guarantees that all citizens shall be equally protected by
the laws of the country, whether she be an ordinary citizen, a minister, government
official or a small farmer. Everyone is under the same law. It means that the State
cannot discriminate against and cannot mete out preferential treatment to any of
the Indian citizens on the basis of their caste, creed, colour, sex, gender, religion,
office or place of birth.
Even a Prime Minister may be tried in a court of law and will have to attend the
courts just as an ordinary person would if there is an accusation of a crime. Or in
256 Social Studies Human Rights and Fundamental Rights

the same way, if some official is found guilty of a crime then he or she should be
given the same punishment as applies to any other person. No one can claim special
treatment because of his or her class or background.
In the modern State, the executive arm of the Government is armed with vast
powers, in the matter of enforcing bye-laws, rules and regulations as well as in the
performance of a number of other functions. The equality clause prevents such
power being exercised in a discriminatory manner.
2. Social Equality
Another feature of this right is Social Equality. The State shall not discriminate
against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, and place of birth
or any of them. Further, on the basis of any of these grounds a citizen cannot be
denied access to shops, public restaurants or the use of wells, tanks, roads and
places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or those
which are dedicated to the use of the general public. The significance of the Article
is that it is a guarantee against every form of discrimination by the State on the
basis of religion, race, caste, or sex.
This right has, however, two notable exceptions in its application. The first of
these permits the State to make special provisions for the benefit of women and
children. The second allows the State to make any special provisions for the
advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for
the Schedule Castes and the Schedule Tribes.
The special treatment meted out to women and children is in the largest and
the long range interest of the community itself. It also recognises the social customs
and background of the country as a whole, and the historical disempowerment and
oppression of these people groups. In an attempt to uphold this right, laws governing
civil matters like property laws today have been amended to include women as
coparceners in joint family property
Thus the Constitution permits the discrimination in reverse by reserving seats
in educational institutions and by reserving posts or appointments in public service.
The extent of such reservation assumes great importance for the citizen, for the
general public and for the State. For example, medical colleges must admit a certain
percentage of students who belong to OBC/SC/ST.
3. Equality of Opportunity
The Constitution guarantees equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters
relating to employment or appointment to any office under the state. No citizen
shall on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, resident
nor will any of them be ineligible for or discriminated against in any respect of any
employment or office under the State.
However, a notable exception lies to this right again, is that the State can make
provisions for the reservation of posts in favour of any backward class of citizens,
which in the opinion of state is not adequately represented in the services under
the state. That is the state may also reserve posts for members of Backward Classes,
Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes which are not adequately represented in the
services under the State to empower and lift the weaker sections of the society.
4. Abolition of Untouchability
The Constitution in no uncertain terms abolishes Untouchability - its practice
in any form. Further the practice of untouchability is an offence and anyone doing
so is punishable by law even attracting a jail term. The Protection of Civil Rights
Act provides penalties for preventing a person from entering a place of worship
or from taking water from a tank or well.
5. Abolition of Title
In another move to remove arbitrary and unequal classification of the
aristocratic class and the bourgeoise, the Constitution prohibits the State from
conferring any titles. The British government had created an aristocratic class
known as Rao Bahadurs and Khan Bahadurs in India – these titles were also abolished.
Citizens of India cannot accept titles from a foreign State. However, military and
academic distinctions can be conferred on the citizens of India. The awards like
the Bharat Ratna, the Paramveer Chakra and the Padma Vibhushan cannot be used
by the recipient as a title and do not, accordingly, come within the constitutional
prohibition.
What kinds of rights to equality does the Constitution ensure? Give examples.
Discuss whether you think each of the following is a violation of the Fundamental
Right to Equality. Also discuss whether you think it is constitutionally right or
wrong to do such things.
- While filling water from a public source some people object if the vessel of
another person touches their pots.
- Some communities are never provided a place to live within the village but always
outside.
- In some schools, certain children are not allowed to serve water because they
belong to a particular caste.
- Members of some communities do not go to many places of worship because
they fear that they will be ill treated or beaten up.
What would happen if the Fundamental Right to Equality were not in the
Constitution? Discuss.

Right to Freedom
The Constitution of India also guarantees certain individual rights that were
considered vital by the framers of the constitution. The Right to Freedom guarantees
the following six freedoms:
1. Freedom of speech and expression: This enables an individual to participate
in public activities. Citizens are free to express their views in many ways such as
through meetings, publications, plays, paintings etc. However this right is a
restrictive right and can be curtailed on the grounds of public order, security of
State, morality and public good. Hence movies are subject to review by the Censor
Board in the interests of public good, decency and morality.
Again there are various laws regulating free speech. Although we have the right
to free speech, it is a right which cannot be used without any thought. Our free
speech must not be defamatory, immoral or illegal. Again there are other laws
forbidding people to incite others/ tell others to rebel against the government.
2. Freedom to assemble peacefully without arms: On which the State can
impose reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order and the sovereignty
and integrity of India.
People have the right to come together or assemble for many reasons such as
to hold meetings about their rights, to discuss their problems or business, to
exchange ideas and share views etc.
Everyone also has the right to carry out
peaceful demonstrations, public
meetings and rallies.
However, there are some
restrictions on this right – for
example, any assembly should be
conducted in a peaceful manner
without the display or use of arms.
Similarly, whenever a demonstration or
a rally is organised, prior permission
from the administration needs to be
Fig. 21.2: A rally taken.
3. Freedom to form associations or unions: The State can impose reasonable
restrictions on this freedom in the interest of public order, morality and the
sovereignty and integrity of India.
People are free to form many kinds of associations - cultural groups, business
associations, trade unions. For example, you may have heard that many factories
have workers’ unions. These unions hold meetings to discuss their problems. They
make demands to the officers of the factory. Thus, the union protects the rights of
the workers.

4. Freedom to move freely: What associations are there in your
Throughout the territory of India though area?
reasonable restrictions can be imposed
Why are workers’ unions formed? What
on this right in the interest of the general
problems do they face?
public. For example, restrictions may be
imposed on movement and traveling, so as to control epidemics. Again, in some
border areas the government may think that free movement is posing problems for
the security of the country and so impose restrictions on it.
5. Freedom to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India: Which
is also subject to reasonable restrictions by the State in the interest of the general
public or for the protection of the
Scheduled Tribes. Certain safeguards as Why do people want to move and settle
are envisaged here to protect indigenous in various parts of the country?
and tribal people from exploitation and What is the responsibility of the
coercion. government to workers who are able to
6. Freedom to practise any find some work in the city but don’t have
profession or to carry on any a proper place to live?
occupation, trade or business: On
which the State may impose reasonable restrictions in the interest of the general
public. Thus, there is no right to carry on a business which is dangerous or immoral.
Also, professional or technical qualifications may be prescribed for practising any
profession or carrying on any trade.
The constitution also imposes restrictions on these rights. The government
restricts these six freedoms in the interest of the independence, sovereignty and
integrity of India. In the interest of morality and public order, the government can
also impose restrictions. The six freedoms are also automatically suspended or
have restrictions imposed on them during a state of emergency. However, the right
to life and personal liberty cannot be suspended.
Discuss the implications of the statement that although the six freedoms
may be suspended the right to life and personal liberty may not be suspended.
7. Right to Life: The Indian Constitution also guarantees the Right to Life and
Personal Liberty. This includes:
Protection with respect to conviction for offenses is guaranteed in the right
to life and personal liberty. No one can be awarded punishment which is more than
what the law of the land prescribes at that time.
No citizen can be denied his life and liberty except by law. This means that a
person's life and personal liberty can only be disputed if that person has committed
a crime. However, the right to life does not include the right to die, and hence,
suicide or an attempt thereof, is an offense.

Conduct a debate in the following issues In 2002, the right to primary
in the context of regulation on freedom education became a part of the right
of speech: to life. Here the governments are
1. A book is written with an intention to hurt responsible for providing free and
compulsory education to all children
the feeling of a specific caste group.
up to the age of 6 to 14 years. This
2. Every film has to get approval from the makes it necessary for the government
Censor Board. to arrange for schools and for parents
3. The court orders that no one can use public to see to it that their children attend
microphones during festivals and prayers schools regularly. This right has been
beyond 11:00 p.m. added because people feel that all
children should have the opportunity
What do you remember about the to study, learn about the world around
difference between the role of the police them, acquire skills to express
and that of the court (VIII Class)? themselves and make creative
What are the different types of schools you contributions to society, and have
see in your area? Why do you think there more opportunities for their future.
are such different types of schools? Rights of a person arrested
under ordinary circumstances is laid
down in the right to life and personal liberty. No one can be arrested without being
told the grounds for his arrest. If arrested, the person has the right to defend himself
by a lawyer of his choice.
Right against Exploitation

Under this Right all forms of “forced labour are prohibited”.
You read in some of the history chapters that some people were forced to do
vetti/ begaar i.e. to work without any wages. If any landlord or contractor today
forces a person to work without any wages or at very low wages, it would be a
violation of the fundamental right against exploitation. Such a person can file a
case in the court. Similarly, if a person is forced to work as a bonded labourer it
would also be a violation.
“Prohibition of employment of children in factories”

The Constitution states, “no child below the age of 14 shall be employed to
work in any factory or mines or engaged in any other hazardous employment.”
Accordingly, laws have been made that
Do you think this right has been
prohibit children from making matches,
made available to children in the
crackers, beedis and carpets, or doing
villages and cities in your area?
printing and dyeing etc.
With the help of the teacher find out
the minimum wages in your state.

Right to Freedom of Religion
All individuals are free to follow their conscience and practise any religion.
No one can be prohibited from following his or her religious practices as an
individual. This also means that a person can decide
to change his or her religion. This right preserves
the spirit of secularism in India. For example, one
cannot commit a crime like infanticide in the name
of religion. Similarly the practice of Sati cannot
be committed in the name of religious freedom.
According to the Constitution, the government
does not have any religion. It should treat all
religions are equal, as mentioned earlier. This is
what the Preamble means when it says that India is
secular.
How does the practice of Sati violate

fundamental rights?
Can anyone not follow any religion Fig. 21.3: Places of worship and
if he/ she wishes? people of different religions
Right to Education and Culture

The Constitution says, “All minorities, whether based on religion or language,
shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their
choice.”
Minority groups are usually thought of, in terms of language and religion.
Whether or not someone is a minority depends on where they live. For example
Telugu speaking people form a majority in Andhra Pradesh but they would be a
minority in West Bengal. Sikhs constitute a majority in Punjab. But they are a
minority in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana etc.
They have the freedom to establish and run institutions in order to protect their
culture and language. For example if Kannada speaking people wish to run a Kannada
medium school in A.P. in order to preserve their culture and language they cannot
be prevented from doing so.
The government also has to recognise and provide grants to such institutions if
they fulfill other essential conditions. In the above example, if such a school is
affiliated with the A.P. State Board and fulfils the Board’s conditions, then it can
receive grants from the state government just like any other aided private school.

Right to Constitutional Remedies
As mentioned earlier these rights are so important that a violation of these
rights by the State gives the people the Fundamental Right to approach the High
Courts and Supreme Court. When such rights are violated, they can be restored by
the courts by giving specific directions or orders. It is the responsibility of the
government to protect the people against any violation of their Fundamental Rights.
A case can be filed against the government if it fails to do so.
Many times, the poorest and marginalised sections of the society cannot afford
to approach the court even when their rights are violated. To make these rights
meaningful to everybody the courts under the exercise of judicial review have
encouraged the people to file Public Interest Litigation or PIL. That is if the rights
of a group of people are being denied, each affected person does not have to file a
separate case. Any person (or organisation) can file a case against the government
on behalf of this group of
An Example of a Public Interest Litigation people. This kind of case
Suppose the government decides to construct a dam on a is called a Public Interest
river. And suppose there are around 50,000 people whose Litigation. It has now
fields would be flooded if the dam was built. They would expanded to included
lose their land and livelihood. Their way of life would be many other kinds of
seriously affected. This is a violation of their fundamental public interest litigation
rights to freedom of life, freedom to settle in any part of including environmental
the country and freedom to pursue any occupation of their issues, transparency and
liking. In such a situation, a case can be filed in the Supreme probity of the
Court to protect the Fundamental Rights of these people. governments, the
One case can be filed on behalf of all 50,000 people. treatment of prisoners
etc.
Scope of Fundamental Rights

The Fundamental Rights provided in Constitution have been amended from time
to time. Moreover, there has been new rights that have been included into, like
Right to Education. Rights may be modified through the parliament. Or supreme
court could make judgements that would expand the meaning of a particular right.
For instance, right to food has thus been expanded into the context of Right to
Life.
Other Institutions and Rights

Rights like the idea of democracy, has captured the attention of people across
the globe. Rights are often traced to the Magna Carta of England and French
Revolution where a declaration of rights of man and of citizens was announced.
After the world wars, United Nations was established with an objective to ensure
that there are no more major wars in the globe. United Nations assigned this task to
a group of people from 9 different
countries around the world who drafted a
list of 30 articles. This became the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
which was passed by the UN General
Assembly in 1948. That is to say the
member nations of the UN are all
signatories to this and thus under an
obligation to uphold these rights. While
these do not have the force of the law,
violation of these rights will be considered
unacceptable by the international
community and in many cases invite
sanctions by other countries.
Human Rights Commission

The United Nations has been working
to protect the basic human rights of people
and in this effort they have encouraged their
member nations to do the same. In 1993,
the Government of India passed an act of
legislature to protect human rights. A Fig. 21.4: A poster on Child Rights
commission for human rights was set up
under this law called the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The
commission has been given powers of a civil court extendable to the entire country.
The Government has also established other institutions to monitor and inquire
into situations in which rights are violated. Thus we have different institutions
such as the National Commission for Women, National
Commission for Protection of Child Rights, National
Minority Commission and State Human Rights
Commissions.
NHRC is vested with the authority to make an
inquiry, suo motu (on its own initiative), or on a
petition presented to it by a victim or any person on
his / her behalf. It intervenes in any proceeding
involving any allegation of violation of human rights
pending before a court with the approval of such court.
It also makes and reviews the safeguards provided by or
under the constitution for the protection of human rights
Fig. 21.5: Logo of Human
and recommends measures for their effective
Rights (United Nations)
implementation.
At the International level, the UNO has instituted a committee for Human Rights
which looks into the violations of the international pacts.
Violation of Human Rights

Police excesses, arbitrary arrests, denial of right to information and corruption,
sexual cruelty and rape of women, delay in investigation of crimes, female
infanticide, kidnapping for ransom, deplorable conditions of women, children and
downtrodden people, discriminations
against women in the family, cruelty to
Is there a State Human Rights
Commission in our state? Find out domestic servants are certain violations of
about its activities. human rights. These violations continue
unchecked because people are not aware of
State some instances of the violations
their human rights. Protection of human
of Human Rights.
rights is the responsibility of the state.
Write a petition to the NHRC if you Complaints about violations can be made
know any instances of human rights to national or state commissions.
violation in your area.
Fundamental Duties
Just as we have rights, we have d) to defend the country.
some responsibilities too. These
responsibilities are towards other e) to bring harmony and peace amongst
people living around us. Unlike people of different languages and
Fundamental Rights even a person religions, and to refrain from insulting
violates them he or she cannot be the dignity of women.
taken to court. f) to prevent and improve the natural
environment.
“It shall be the duty of every citizen
of India g) to value and preserve the rich heritage
of our composite culture.
a) abide by the Constitution and not
insult either the National Anthem h) to develop the scientific temper,
or the National Flag. humanism and the spirit of inquiry and
reform.
b) to cherish and follow the noble
i) to safeguard public property.
ideals which inspired our national
struggle for freedom. j) to strive towards excellence in all
spheres.
c) to maintain the unity and
sovereignty of India. k) to educate our children.”

Key words
1. Fundamental rights 2. Human Rights 3. Litigation
4. Titles 5. Arbitrary

1. Which of the following is not an instance of an exercise of a fundamental right?
a. Workers from Bihar go to Punjab to work on the farms
b. Religious minority set up a chain of schools
c. Men and women government employees get the same salary
d. Parents’ property is inherited by their children
2. Which of the following freedoms is not available to an Indian citizen?
a. Freedom to criticise the government
b. Freedom to participate in armed revolution
c. Freedom to start a movement to change the government
d. Freedom to oppose the central values of the Constitution
3. Which of these statements about the relationship between democracy and rights is
more valid? Give reasons for your preference.
a. Every country that is a democracy gives rights to its citizens.
b. Every country that gives rights to its citizens is a democracy
c. Giving rights is good, but it is not necessary for a democracy
4. Are these restrictions on the right to freedom justified? Give reasons for your
answer.
a. Indian citizens need permission to visit some border areas of the country for
reasons of security
b. Outsiders are not allowed to buy property in some areas to protect the interest
of the local population
c. The government bans the publication of a book that can go against the ruling
party in the next elections
5. Look through this chapter and the previous one and make a list of the six Fundamental
Rights in the Constitution.
6. Are the Fundamental Rights being violated in each of the following cases? If so,
which Fundamental Right or Rights? Discuss with your classmates.

a. Suppose a person is kept in a police station for 4 days without being told which
law was broken?
b. Suppose your neighbour tries to claim some of your land as her own.
c. Suppose your parents do not allow you to go to school. They make you take up
a job in a match factory instead, because they cannot afford to feed you properly.
d. Suppose your brother refuses to give you the land that you have inherited from
your father.
7. Suppose you are an advocate. How would you argue the case for a group of people
who come to you with the following request:
“The river in our area is getting very polluted by the factories upstream. We get our
drinking water from the river. People in our villages keep falling ill because of the
polluted water. We have complained to the government but there has been no action
from their side. This is surely a violation of our Fundamental Rights.”
8. Read the paragraph under the heading ‘Abolition of Title’ and answer the following
question.
The Awards can’t be used by the recipient as a title. Why?
Project
Invite a senior advocate into your classroom and collect the following information
by conducting an interview.
- violation of fundamental rights and its consequences
- violation of children rights
- ways of struggle for rights in democracy
- any other related

CHAPTER
22 Women Protection Acts
Have you ever seen child marriages?

Have you ever observed harassment and violence made to women and girls?
Have you ever observed the various types of domestic violence, threatening women
in day to day life?
What shall we do to stop such violence caused to girls and women?
Girls and women are facing teasing and violence worldwide. It affects their mental
and physical health. Most of the women can’t dare to move freely. Similarly girls are
hesitating to go to schools. Teasing with words, torturing, insulting are common incidents
around us. We also watch such news in T.Vs and newspapers. Such incidents are the
evidence for violation of child and women rights. Even though governments made many
Laws to control the violence, people are not aware of them. Even victims don’t know
where and how to get protection and help.
Girls and women should be aware of the Laws, meant for their protection. Then only
they can protect themselves from various types of violence and abuse. Is there any
network or mechanism for girls and women to express their worries and through which
they can maintain secrecy? What are the various forums...... which girls and women seek
protection. Let us discuss these in this chapter.
Violation of children and women rights is continuing in our society in various forms.
It may be in family or working place. How far such violation of rights continue? There is
a need to correct the attitude of the society which adversly affect the overall development
of women and children. Proper implementation of the laws, made by the government
provide free and confident life to the children and women.
In 1989, the UNO proposed international children charter on which 191 countries
have signed. Our country is also one of them. These rights relate to everybody without
discrimination. Let us look at some of these important rights.
Children Rights
1. Below 18 years age are all children without gender discrimination.
2. Protection from government for children rights.
3. Right to live.
4. Right to live with parents as far as possible.
5. Right to gain knowledge and get awareness about the world through media like
radio, newspapers, T.V etc.
6. Right to protection from violence and harmful incidents.
268 Social Studies Women Protection Acts
7. Right to get special care to live and for development in case of disabled
children.
8. Right to have good health and get medical care.
9. Right to use mother tongue, follow their religion and tradition.
10. Right to play.
11. Right to avoid the harm for children from getting education and health.
12. Right to get protection from using harmful medicines also manufacturing
and purchasing.
13. Right to get help when the children are neglected and being suffered.
Children, elders and everybody should be aware of the UNO Children Rights
Charter. Government also inform people about this.
Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006
Child means a person who, if a male, has not completed 21 years of age, and if
a female, has not completed 18 years of age.
It is treated as child marriage if the contract between any two people of which
either one or both parties is a child.
If a male person above 21 years
contracts a child marriage shall be
punishable for two years imprisonment
and/ or a fine which may extend to Rs.
1 lakh. The same punishment will be
given to person who performs,
conducts or directs a Child Marriage
under Child Marriage Act., 2006. If the
marriage is voided the girl should be paid maintenance by the male up to the age of
her 18th year or upto the time she gets married. If the male is minor his parents
should provide such maintenance. The government will take care of the children
whose marriage is cancelled. The dowry and gifts are to be returned after the
cancellation of the marriage.
Disadvantages of child marriage:
• Underage pregnancy.
• Provision for trafficking and sale of girls.
• Pushing the unmatured into family system.
• Increased abortions, premature births which results not only infant mortality
but also the death of mothers.
• Handicapped child births or dead child births.
• Mental as well as physical health problems.
• Obstacle for study.
• Hurdle for physical growth (especially regarding female).
• Become child labouers for family maintenance.
Prevention of a Child Marriage – A Case Study
Raviralla Kavitha, is a girl of twelve years. Her father is Nancharaiah. They belong
to Rangareddy villagae of Mahaboobnagar district. Kavitha is studying in class VII in
an Upper Primary School. As her marriage is fixed, she is not attending the school.
This was informed to Mamidipudi Venkata Rangaiah Foundation. The volunteers of
MVF went to her home along with the members of Child Marriages Prevention Samithi
and discussed about the child marriage in presence of the village elders.
Later on, the MVF volunteers went to the local priest. He repeated that when the
parents of Kavitha came to him for the request of fixing the date, he demanded for
the Date of Birth certificate or ration card, they did not show any of them and they
could not come back to him. The volunteers came to know in the enquiry that the
bridegroom Damerla China Satyam, age 23, S/o Ramaiah didn’t complete the primary
education also.
After two days, when the MVF volunteers went to Kavitha’s home, they were busy
with marriage arrangements. They explained them not to perform marriage at the
early age which is meant for study and she was still a minor. Kavitha’s father said,
“you say many things but we have another daughter. How can I arrange the marriages?”.
As they were not convinced, the volunteers went to Thasildar, Sub Inspector of Police,
CDPO and informed the same. They enquired about this in presence of villagers but
the parents said in a rude way, “who are you to stop our daughter’s marriage? At that
time a few people belong to the bridegroom came there and said,” we have finished
all the arrangements. Why do you stop now? “S.I. Explained them,” Celebrating Child
Marriage’s is offence. One who encourages the child marriage is also a crime. After
counseling to the parents of bride and bridegroom, they agreed to cancel the Child
Marriage and sending her to school regularly.
Sometimes marriages are performed for

District Collector at the district the under aged i.e. less than 15 years
level, Revenue Divisional Officer at without their consent. How do we stop
division level, Tehsildar or ICDS such marriages? Who will help us?
Officer at mandal level and Gram
Panchayat Secretary at village level are
Do You Know?
the Incharges in stopping the child
marriages. Anybody can complain or Seek assistance in case of any harassment
intimate to the above officers to stop and domestic violence using toll free number
the child marriages. Sometimes the Bhumika Help Line 1800 425 2908 and stop
court may initiate and file sue-motu (on child marriages. Friends, relatives, neighbours,
its own initiative) when it has reliable teachers can inform to the village secretary
information and punish the concerned. and Tehsildar to stop child marriages.

The Immoral Trafficking (prevention) Act 1956
and amendment 2006
Girls and women are being lured in the name of providing jobs, bright future,
offering roles in cinema etc., and take them to towns and cities and sell them for
prostitution. Even they beat and, cause phisical violence to make them obey. Certain
time they remove body parts.
Trafficking and selling of them for prostitution or encouraging them to enter
in to prostitution is a punishable crime. Though they come on their will and interest
is also treated a crime.
Different forms of trafficking:
Sexual assault
a. Forced prostitution
b. Social and religious prostitution (Devadasi, Jogini, Mathangi etc.)
c. Sexual assault in tourism
d. Reading rustic writings and watching obscene pictures
Activities against the law
a. It is a crime to make the trafficking children involve in the begging for
money and beating them to obey. Certain times they make them physically
handicapped by removing their body parts and make them as beggars.
b. Removing body parts and doing business.
c. Selling norcotics with the trafficked children.
Labourers
a. Vetti: Taking work without making proper payments, not providing nutrious
food, clothes and even not treat them as human beings.
b. Domestic labour: Washing clothes, cleaning the houses and utensils
without proper wages, entrusting work in neighbours’ houses.
c. Agriculture Labour : Involving in the agriculture work and exploiting them
for more physical work.
d. Construction work : Labour involved in construction of buildings, roads
etc., with nominal payments and provding them with substandard food.
Sadistic pleasure
a. Tying up the children on camels and make them run for entertainment
b. Marriages and adoption without their consent
Generally people bear injustice and violence and never inform to proper
authority or take the help of law to be away from voilence and sufferings. In such
cases the sufferers must inform to the local police station or NGO for protection
and care.
Forcible prostitution is an offence. Such prostitutes are called sex workers.
There are so many Acts for their protection in vogue. The police have no power to
beat or punish them in the name of enquiry. Along with the sex workers, the brothel
house keepers are also liable to be punished with 2 to 3 years of imprisonment and
penalty up to Rs. 10,000/-. Using a house or a room or taking or giving a room for
rent for the purpose of prostitution is also an offence.
If anyone participates in sexual intercourse other than the spouse is also
punishable under the law.
After protecting the victims they should be presented before the Magistrate
after the required medical treatment. An enquiry is to be taken up by a woman
police officer or any Non Government Organisation (NGO) and action for the
protection. If the victims are children they will be sent to Balasadan. The rescued
persons shall be given full protection and care, respect by the conscered
government. If the rescued persons are children they may be provided accomodation
in child protection home where their education, food and health shall be taken
care of.
The punishment is 7 years rigorous imprisonment to life along with penalty
for immoral trafficking. Without warrant the police officer shall investigate the
case and collect the necessary details to protect the trafficked children and punish
the accused.
The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
If any person gives or takes or abets dowry he/
she shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term
which shall not be less than five years, and with the
fine which shall not be less than 15 thousand rupees
or the amount of the value of such dowry
whichever is more.
It is observed that after the marriage the
bride is teased, scolded, abused, beaten even
sometimes casue for death or makes her
commit suicide. All these offences cover in this
Act. Parents can present offerings, articles in the
marriage, but these offerings must be as per the
law.
1. Enlisting the offerings
2. Offerings can’t be demanded
3. The offerings that are being provided Have you ever seen the women who are
must be as per one’s cultural norms and tortured for dowry in your locality? How
traditions. The value of offerings shall not are they being tortured? What sort of
be over and above of the parents’ economic suggestions do you make to prevent?
status and never become a burden to the Who will held responsible?
family.

When there is such violence, the victim herself or her father/ mother/ brother/
relatives can complain in the local police station.
The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence
Our constitution provides the right to live in a dignified manner to all the
citizens. Leading a dignified life means that the women should not be abused,
insulted or humiliated. Such situations are to be created for the women to enjoy
their rights by giving proper respect for their work. The equal rights are not being
enjoyed by the women. And the activities, behaviour which damage their value and
self respect starts with family. Such violent acts happening in the family to suppress
the women and their dignity. These happenings are against their development.
There are differences or changes in the nature and range of violence , the women
subjected to and it is a major challenge for the development of women across the
world. The domestic violence is not alone pertaining to individual or family and it
has certain politics behind it according to women movements being carried out in
the last twenty years. Certain special Acts have been formulated based on women
protests and movements. However, these Acts are not being implemented in its
proper spirit, proper sensitivity and awareness should be created with effective
monitoring towards women issues among the machinery of implementation such
as police, and other assisting agencies.
The National and International governments have taken up certain declarations
and resolutions in order to stop violence against women, though the family and
community supporting the violence. The
Domestic violence takes place now and diclarations also clear the actions proposed
then and gradually it becomes a bad to be taken up by the governments towards
habit. More violence generates from development of women. The government of
violence. How do we stop them? Who India is also one of the countries accepted
will help? and became signatory to the declaration and
resolved to abide by it.
Important Resolutions:
“Government shall take appropriate measures,to do away with the
discriminations against in the matters of marriages and family relations.”
“The men and women shall possess equal rights in the matters of family
property and its management.”
The Beizing declaration and programme of action focus on the following
things:
“Violence against women is one of the major causes for the decreasing status
of women in the community when compared to men. Mostly women and
girls undergo the violence in the family and in home environment and these
things never come out. It is very difficult to identify the domestic violence
and address it.”

“The government has to take steps in the proper identification of violence,
protecting the victims and punishing the culprits.”
“Making all legal and judicial systems and mechanisms accessable to the
women suffering with domestic violence. The information pertaining to
protective measures and taking help of the law must be provided to everyone.”
Lakhs of women and children are being injured during domestic violence
and undergo treatment but majority doesn’t reveal about it. Though this is spread
across all nations , races, religions and still it is considered as something confined
to family affairs happening within the four walls.
Domestic Violence - Misconceptions and Realities:
Misconception: Parents punishing their children now and then is not a major issue
to be considered.
Reality: Domestic Violence starts slowly and it becomes a routine, if nobody
opposes it. The Victims certain times are hospitalised for treatment and even lose
their life and it adversely affects their dignity and self respect.
Misconception: Addiction to the drinking is the major cause for violence.
Reality: The alcoholism for domestic voilence is only an assumption but the
statistics reveals that 40% of the men who beats their wives are not addicted to
alcoholism
Misconception: Women shall bear the voilence for the sake of children.
Reality: Violence leads to more and more violence. Children grow in the violent
atmosphere will become more violent in future.
Misconception: There is no way to get out of Domestic violence.
Reality: The violence free environment is the birth right of every woman. The
Women protecting Acts and laws are available and one should take their support.
Forms of Domestic Violence:
Sexual abuse (forcible sexual intercourse, watching obscene films )
Physical abuse (behaviour caused to bodily pain or harm, beating, torturing)
Verbal and emotional abuse (humiliation, name calling or ridicule not speaking
to them, ignoring.)
Mental abuse (threaten to harm, not to send the children for study, stopping
from jobs, force to marry whom she doesn’t like)
Economic abuse (deprivation of economic or financial resources, use the
women wealth, sell their property)
Whom to complain:
The victims of domestic violence should complain to the police officer or
judicial authority like 1st class Metropolitan Magistrate individually/ over phone/
e-mail. This type of complaints can be filed when the domestic violence took place
or taking place or will be taken place. If the victim is wounded she has to be sent
for medical treatment and then the report is to be sent to the police station and to
the Magistrate.
Sexual Assault and Torturing
Recently central government has appointed Justice J.S. Verma Committee asking
suggestions to prevent sexual assault and abuse. Based on the suggestions Hon.
President of India issued an ordinance on 2nd February, 2013. Some important
features of the ordinance. are ;
Minimum 20 years of imprisonment.
Recruitment of women police to address the complaints from the victims.
It is not necessary for the victim to attend before the police officers
individually.
There will be no punishment if the accused dies in struggle at the time of
attack with acid on women.
There is a scope to shoot video at the time of complaining and trial on the
request of the victims.
Lok Adalat
Lok Adalat means peoples’ court. All are equall before law. The Article 39-A of
the Constitution of India, contains various provisions for settlement of disputes
through Lok Adalat. It is an Act to constitute legal services authorities to provide
free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society. It is to
ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason
of economic or other disabilities. And to organize Lok Adalats to secure that the
operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity.
In addition to above, an Act was formulated which is called “Act of Judicial
Services Authority. This is a central law. The State government and high court jointly
formulated certain principles as per this Act.
Who are eligible for judicial assistance?
Citizens belong to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
Victims of immoral human trafficking, beggars, women, children, mentally
imbalanced and physically challenged.
Victims of natural disasters, agricultural and industrial labourers and victims
of Domestic Violence and Casteenminty
. Citizens earning annual income less than Rs. 50,000.
One should apply for this assistance to Judicial Service Authority in District
Court or High Court, as the address given below.
1. Secretary 2. Member Secretary
District Judicial Services Authority State Judicial Services Authority
District Court Premises High Court Premises, Hyd. 500 066

Methods of Judicial Assistance
Judicial advice is given free of cost by the advocate.
After verification of the cases and if it is found necessary, the advocates may
be appointed on behalf of the complaint and take up the cases in the court.
To bear the expenditures of court and court fee.
The xerox copies of the judgment will be given at free of cost to those who
sought judicial assistance.
It is necessary to have a thorough understanding and awareness for the better
implementation of the acts. Then only the purpose and provision of human rights
will be fulfilled and everybody leads respectable and dignified life.
Key words
1. Dowry 2. Domestic Violence 3. Lok Adalat
4. Sexual Assault 5. Forced Prostitution

1. What are the disadvantages of child marriages?
2. Why has the domestic violence become a common practice? Find out the reasons.
3. You have read about various problems of girls and women. Have you noticed any
sort of these problems in your village/ town? Specify them and what is to be done?
4. Many acts are made by the government. What do you suggest for better
implementation?
5. Write an essay on general problems, the women facing?
6. Imagine that you are Tehsildar. How would you prevent child marriages?
Project
What facilities does the government provide to the poor for seeking judicial justice?
Consult a lawyer and get the information?

CHAPTER
Disaster Management
23
Human Induced Disaster
How natural hazards are natural? Have you ever tried to analyse this question? Let us
take an example of the floods in Mumbai. What led to the huge loss of life and property?
Is it only heavy rains which caused this massive destruction? No, there are various other
reasons that led to this large destruction. Let us list some of them.
a. Unplanned growth of cities
b. No proper drainage facility
c. Increased growth of population etc.
If we look at the causes, all of them are human induced and if we take care of them
many such disasters can be stopped. So we can say that natural hazards are not always
natural, but human beings have a major role to play.
The disasters that are caused because of human negligence or deliberately by an
individual or a group can be termed as Human-made. These disasters cost the most in
terms of human suffering, loss of life and long term damage to a country’s economy and
productive capacity.
Let us now look at different human made disasters briefly.
Accident related Disasters
Road, rail and air accidents are some of the disasters that one faces every day. The
rapid development and expansion of the road network for better connectivity and the
increase in number of motor vehicles have led to a substantial rise in levels of both
passenger and freight movement. The number of road accidents and fatalities has been
growing in recent years.
In India about eighty thousand people are killed in road crashes every year which is
thirteen percent of the total fatality all over the world. More than half of the people
killed in traffic crashes are young people within the age group of 15-44 years who are
often the bread winners of the family. In most of the cases crashes occur either due to
carelessness, restlessness, overspeed, violation of traffic rules, drunken driving, poor
maintenance of the vehicle, bad weather conditions etc. All these add to the rising number
of accidents and road fatalities. It has been estimated that in the year 2000 more than 3
percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was lost due to accidents. Hence, road
safety education is as essential as any other basic skills of survival. The Road Safety
Week is observed in January, every year throughout the country. The theme of the Road
Safety Week in 2006 was ‘Road Safety and no Accident’.

Here are some do’s and don’ts for you while you are walking to school or
going by bus.
No matter how old you are, it is important to know the traffic rules which are
for your safety and the safety of your near and dear ones.
Do’s Don’ts
Drive if you have a legal license Don’t be impatient on the road
and have attained the age of 18. and don’t run on the road.
Always walk on the footpath. Never cross the road at a corner/curve
If no proper footpath, walk on the as the motorist while taking the turn
extreme right hand side of the road. will not be able to see you in time.
Cross only at Zebra crossing and at Don’t run to catch the
traffic signals. Where such bus/ rickshaw as you might slip and
facilities are not available look for fall.
a safe place to cross and look on
either side before crossing the road.
Know the road signals and honour them. Don’t board a bus other than the
one decided by the school.
Be at the bus stop 5 minutes before, leave Don’t shout or make noises in the
home well in time. Board the bus when it has bus as it distracts the bus driver
come to a halt and without rushing or and diverts the attention.
pushing follow the queue.
Hold on to the railing of the bus, if at all you Don’t sit or stand on the footboard
have to travel standing in the moving bus. of the bus.
If you are riding a two wheeler then do wear Don’t put any part of your body
helmets so that your head is protected. outside a moving or stationary vehicle.
When exiting the bus, be careful that If you drop something near or under
clothing and book bags with straps don’t get the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to
caught in the handrail or door. Cross the pick it up. The driver may not see you
vehicles from the front only, not from back. and begin to drive away.
The following people should not be driving vehicles:

• Having consumed alcohol.
• Have been taking any medicine or drug that affects their responses.
• Are tired, as tiredness affects the driving skills and reaction time.
• Are sick or injured.
• Are angry or upset.
278 Social Studies Disaster Management

You as a student or a volunteer can do wonders to reduce the number of deaths
by creating more awareness on road safety. In case you see a victim, you may call
for 108. You can seek the help of the policemen or the local people and ask for
medical help if necessary.
Rail Accidents
Railway transportation appeared at earlier times to be safe due to slower speeds,
shorter trips and lower density traffic.
With the largest network in the world, the number of railway accidents has
increased in India. The most common type of rail accidents are derailment which
takes place due to lack of proper maintenance, human error or sabotage. This causes
huge losses to life and inflicts injuries and disabilities to many more. The
transportation of various highly inflammable products like coal, oil etc. also leads
to accidents.
The 150 year old shabby Ulta Pool bridge in Bhagalpur district of Bihar collapsed
apparently due to poor maintenance and the Howrah-Jamalpur Superfast passenger
train passing below the bridge killing at least 35 people on December 1st 2006.
We hear of such horrifying stories every now and then. Let us try to identify
some safety measures that could be taken up to reduce the number of such accidents.
Fig. 23.1: Rail accidents.

Do’s
!At railway crossings pay attention to signal and the swing barrier.
!In case of unmanned crossing, get down the vehicle and look at both the sides
of the track before crossing the track.

Don’ts
Don’t get underneath the signal barriers and cross them.

Don’t stop the train on a bridge or tunnel where evacuation is not possible.
Don’t carry flammable materials.
Don’t stand or lean out of the door in a moving train.
Don’t put any part of your body outside a moving or stationary train.
Don’t smoke in the train. If you see anyone doing so you can request them not
to do it.
Don’t cross the railway tracks. Use the foot bridge to change platforms.
Don’t touch objects which are suspicious. Never play on the tracks or in the
railroad yards. Raiload cars can move suddenly and unexpectedly.
Never throw anything at the train. Severe injuries and even deaths have occurred
from objects thrown at trains.
Air Accidents
Air India Flight 182 Kanishka was blown up mid-flight on 23 June 1985 by a
bomb. The flight was on the first leg on its Montreal-London-Delhi-Bombay
(Mumbai) flight when it exploded off the coast of Ireland. The plane crashed into
the Atlantic Ocean. All 307 passengers and 22 crew on board died.
Across the world
including India, air
accidents have increased.
Many factors govern the
safety of the passengers
in the aircraft like
increase in the number of
aircrafts, technical
problems, fire, landing
and take off condition, the
environment that the
airline operates in
(mountainous terrains or
frequent storms), factors
like airport security in
cases of hijackings, bomb
attacks etc.
Fig. 23.2: Air Accident.

Some safety measures that can be taken up are given below.
On boarding the aircraft there are some things that you need to remember:
Pay attention to the flight crew safety demonstration.
Carefully read the safety briefing card, that is there in the seat pocket.
Know where the nearest safety emergency exit is and know how to open in
case of emergency.
Always keep your seat belt fastened when you are in seat.
If in case you are involved in an air accident, you should remember the
following things:
Stay calm. Listen to the crew members and do what they say. The cabin crew’s
most important job is to help you.
Before you try to open any emergency exit yourself, look outside the window.
If you see a fire outside the door, don’t open it as flames may spread into the
cabin. Try to use the alternate exit route.
Remember smoke rises. So, try to stay down if there is smoke in the cabin.
Follow the track of emergency lights embedded on the floor, they lead to an
exit. If you have a cloth, put it over your nose and mouth.
Fire
The 2004 fire in a school in Kumbakonam, Tamilnadu sparked off debates and
arguments on the safety of schools in the country. 93 innocent lives were charred
to death. The main causes of this fire were lack of awareness amongst children and
teachers as to what to do in case
of a fire, lack of preparedness,
kitchen close to the classroom
etc. However, incidents like
these are not new.
Such incidents show huge
loss to life and property because
of human negligence or lack of
awareness.
Fire is a phenomenon of
combustion manifested in
intense heat and light in the
form of a glow or flames.
Around 30,000 precious lives
are lost because of fire related
incident every year. Heat, fuel,
and oxygen/ are the three
Fig. 23.3: Fire.
ingredients which cause a fire. By cutting the supply of any one we can control
fire.
Do’s
If you see smoke or flames, raise the alarm.

Get out of the building as soon as possible. Cover yourself if you can. Use
steps instead lift in case of fire. Keep the escape routes clear in the corridors.
Find a phone and call 101. Ask for the fire brigade, and then give your address
slowly and clearly to reach soon.
If there’s smoke, crawl along the floor, as the air is cleanest there. Hot air
rises up. If your escape route is blocked, go into a room with a window, put
things round the door to stop smoke getting in, open the outside window and
call for help.
A closed door slows down the spread of a fire. While evacuating it is necessary
that we close the doors.
Switch off all the electrical appliances. The best thing one could do is to
turn off the main switchboard.
Check for worn or tape up cables or leads. These are dangerous and you
should replace them. In case the plug points are at a very low level it is
necessary that they are taped especially in the primary section of the school
as the children might put their fingers inside which might lead to an accident.
Wherever you are watch out for damaged wiring in the school. In case there
are walls that soak or wet then the walls should be immediately repaired and
the wires must be replaced.
Don’ts
Don’t go back into the building - not for toys or even pets. Fire fighters can
search the house much more quickly than you can.
Never hide in a cupboard or under a bed. You need to raise the alarm and get
out.
The cables shouldn’t be put under the carpets or mats where they can become
worn out. This is mainly seen in the administrative unit of the school.
Lights shouldn’t be positioned near the curtains and other materials that could
burn easily.

Activity The Threat of Terrorism
From the nearest fire station, find out Mahatma Gandhi preached ahimsa or non-
what are the other simple Do’s and violence and truth as the tools for peaceful
Don’ts that you can follow and resolution of issues between people,
awareness to reduce fire accidents. communities or countries. Over the years, as
science and technology progressed, so did
man’s inherent greed for power and wealth, along
with increased hostility between various groups of people in the world. Contrary to
the hope of the integration of population across the globe into a ‘world community’
in harmony with each other, which was expected as a result of development, war
and internal conflicts have plagued the world, causing immense suffering to vast
numbers of people.
Terrorism has become a common in certain areas of the world, including parts
of India. In these areas, children live in constant fear of attacks and violence. Often
they do not attend formal schools and don’t lead normal lives.
Fig. 23.4: Terrorist attack on Taj Hotel, Mumbai.
In case terror strikes in your area, here are some things that you need to do.
Remain calm and relaxed and be patient.
Follow the advice of local emergency officials.
Listen to your radio or television for news and instructions.

Fig. 23.5: Bomb blast at Dilsukhnagar (Hyderabad)-2013
If the disaster occurs near you, check for injuries. Give first aid and get help
for seriously injured people.
Noticing any unidentified briefcases, bags, cycles, tiffin boxes and inform
police. Be away from those things.
Shut off any other damaged utilities.
Confine or secure your pets.
Call your family contact. Do not use the Activity
telephone again unless it is a life- Identify recent terrorist acts that have
threatening emergency. taken place in India, and discuss the
Check on your neighbors, especially those possible effects of these acts on
who are elderly or disabled. children.
Be alert, Be vigilant and Be safe…

1. Inform police if you see any unowned objects like bags, suitcase etc. lying in
public place or in a public transport as it could contain explosive device.
2. Call police Control Room on Telephone No. 100. Every citizen has the right
to call up.
3. After informing the police try to keep a watch on the suspected object and
caution others to keep away from it.
4. Be alert of any suspicious behavior, parked vehicle.

For Parents Citizen safety is the concern of all.
Different measures are adopted by various
• First and most important, adults need agencies to create awareness on safety.
to focus on the children in their lives in Police has issued some posters that can
the aftermath of the horrific events. help us fight terrorism and help us in leading
• Helping children to separate fact from a safe life. Read them carefully and try to
fiction is also important. follow the tips and guidelines in your life.
• Adults should try to discuss known facts
with children, and help avoid
speculation or exaggeration.
Key words
1. World community 2. Terrorism

1. Explain how a natural harzard becomes a disaster?
2. What is Terrorism? What are the motives of terrorists?
3. What safety measures should be followed to avoid fire accidents?
4. What are the main causes to road accidents? How can we reduce the road accidents?
5. How can we protect from terrorist attacks?
6. Identify the causes of rail accidents?
7. List out at least three risk inducing factors in your home, school or village?
Project
1. Collect information from newspapers and magazines about the human induced
disaster that has taken place in the past few years in your state. Find out, what
measures are being taken in your area to reduce such risks in future.
2. List the various losses incurred due to terrorism.

CHAPTER
24 Traffic Education
Undoubtedly innovation of wheel created drastic change in transportation of goods

as well as people. Due to increase of population, industrialisation, urbanisation and
globalisation, there was a heavy increase of vehicular traffic. So systematic regulation is
required to ensure free flow of traffic. Regulation is nothing but to ensure that every
road user follow traffic rules. It is the responsibility of every end user of the road to
follow traffic rules.
What is traffic?
Movement of any object from one place to another is traffic like wire movement of
any vehicle from one place to another place on the road is road traffic.
What is Traffic Education?
Traffic Education is the education which describes the traffic rules and regulations
in a clear and simple way. Have you ever seen an accident on the road? If so, how did
they get hurt? Think and say, why had the accident happened?
ACCIDENT VICTIMS - AGE
Age Cases Age Cases
00-05 24 50-55 207

05-10 58 55-60 138
10-15 40 60-65 113 In which group do you find more
15-20 152 65-70 57 cases? Can you say?
20-25 345 70-75 49 How many cases are there in the age
25-30 380 75-80 13 group of both 20–25 and 25–30?
30-35 254 80-85 12
35-40 294 85-90 0
40-45 226 90-95 0
45-50 215 95-100 0
Need and significance of Traffic Education

As young people become more independent, they are exposed to increase risks.
Especially teenagers are an important group of road users. Many are unaware that road
incidents are the biggest cause for serious accidents and deaths. It is necessary to teach
all the road safety measures clearly to avoid accidents.
286 Social Studies Traffic Education

Hyderabad City Traffic Chaos
Accidents: Accused vehicles You have to go to school in the morning. If
you are late, you may lose classes. You are struck
in a traffic jam. What will you do?
Students, employees, labourers, teachers,
doctors and all are affected by traffic jams. Foot
paths (Side walks) are considered a boon for
pedestrians. Sometimes motorists drive on these
side walks.
Stray animals, fruit and vegetables sellers,
private vehicles like cars, autorickshaws are
parking at No Parking Zones are the main causes
for traffic jams. As there is an increase in
population and use of automobiles there has been
Total accidents - 2577 rapid increase in the volume of traffic on roads.
Accidents figures for the year 2012. To avoid the accidents, one must know the
prescribed rules and regulations.
Discuss the data relating to the
accidents-accused vehicles in Necessity of Driving License
your classroom?
No person shall drive a Motor Vehicle unless
Which type of vehicles are he/ she holds the driving license.
accused of more accidents? Can
say why?
What is Traffic Rules and Types of Driving Licenses
regulations? Discuss in your 1. Learner’s License : This is a temporary
class room. license valid up to 6 months issued to learn driving
motor vehicle.
2. Permanent License : One becomes eligible for permanent license after
one month from the date of issuing the learner’s license.
Documents required for Learner’s License
Residence Proof (attested copy of the following)
Ration Card/ Electricity Bill/ Tax Receipts/ Life Insurance policy/ Voter ID
Card/ Passport/ Adhar Card.
Age Proof attested copies of the following
School Certificate/ Passport/ Birth Certificate/ Adhar Card/ PAN Card of
Income Tax.
Some Important provisions of Law
It is an offence to drive a vehicle without driving license.
Age limit for motor vehicle above 50 CC is 18 years.
Age limit for transport vehicles is 25 years.
Forms to be submitted: Form 1, 1A, 2 and 3 are to be submitted with
prescribed details and passport photographs. After verification of the above
documents a learner’s test and colour blindness test will be conducted. A learning
license is issued to the applicant who qualifies in the prescribed tests.
Permanent license: Permanent license will be issued only after having a valid
learner’s license. One should apply for the permanent license after 30 days but
within 180 days from the date of issue of the
learner’s license. One more important thing is Why it is compulsory to have a
that one should be conversant about the traffic driving license?
rules and regulations.
Driving after a drink – Drunken Drive

Driving after a drink: Twenty eight year old Mukhesh used to have a party
buff and likes to go out with his friends every weekend. But of late he is worried
about returning home after the party. As the very site of the traffic police at the
street corners sends jitters down his spine. This is not the case of just Mukhesh
but many liquor consumers are now thinking twice before going to a party.
How breath analyser works : When a
person drinks alcohol it is absorbed in to the
blood and is circulated through out the body.
As this blood reaches the lungs, the air we
exhale carries traces of alcohol which is
measured by the gadget. In a way the exhaled
air would contain alcohol traces along with
Carbon-di-oxide. These machines can pickup
even the slightest traces of alcohol. Police
Officer can not delete the record in breath
analyser even though he wants to help the Fig. 24.1 What are the policemen doing?
victim.
Punishment for drink driving
Enable the officials to seize the vehicle of the drunken.
Driver to attend court and pay the penalty imposed.
Cancellation of driving licenses

The Regional Transport Authority can disqualify persons from holding driving
license or revoke the same if the person:
a) Is a habitual drunkard.

b) Is an addict to any narcotic drug
c) Is using a vehicle in the commission of cognizable offence
d) Is driving dangerously
e) Is using the vehicle without registration
f) Is not giving any information required to the police
g) Is not shifting the victim of the accident in which his or her vehicle
is involved to the nearest hospital
h) Does not produce the following certificates on demand by police
- Certificate of Insurance, - Certificate of Registration
- Driving License - Pollution Certificate
Traffic Signs
1. Mandatory Signs 2. Information signs 3. Cautionary signs
A few signs in each type are given above. With the help of your teacher collect the
remaining signs from RTA office/ Traffic Police and present in the classroom.

Advices to Drivers
Stick to the left line and leave the right lane to faster traffic.
Never over take on the left.
Wear a helmet for safe journey.
Use only less Carbon monoxide emission vehicles.
Do not use horn unnecessarily.
Heavy vehicle users should always use seat belts.
Do not jump traffic signals.
Keep your vehicle in good condition.
Kumari is a student, completed Intermediate with 95% marks. Her father
wanted to give her a two wheeler as a gift. They went to local RTA office to get
the information regarding registration of vehicle and driving license. As advised
by the authorities her father admitted her in a motor driving school. By providing
necessary documents which we previously discussed, she got temporary license
first and then permanent license. The RTA officer explained her father about how
to get the vehicle temporarily registered and then permanently registered.
Necessity for Registration

No person shall drive any motor vehicle unless it is registered.
How registration is made
Temporary Registration: The following documents are necessary for
registration.
1. Copy of sales certificate
2. Copy of road worthiness certificate
3. Copy of valid insurance certificate
4. Pollution under control certificate
5. Copy of address proof
Permanent Registration: An application for registration of a motor vehicle
shall be made to the registering authority within a period of one month by producing
the certificates which are submitted at the time of temporary registration.
Road Marking Signs

Road surface markings are used on paved
With the help of your teacher
roads to provide guidance and information to
collect the road surface markings
drivers and pedestrains. Uniformity of the
from RTA/ Traffic police and discuss
markings is an important factor in minimizing
the uses of various markings in the
confusion and uncertainty.
classroom.

Division of roads
1. Footpath : It is laid on either side of the road for the use of pedestrians. It is built
with of about 2 meters
2. Road divider : The road is divided into two halves with cement slabs
3. Zebra Crossings : Zebra Crossing is the place where the pedestrians cross the road
these are laid at places where traffic is heavy
Traffic Signals
A traffic Light , traffic signal or a stop light is a signatory
device position at a road intersection to indicate when it is safe
to drive through. Follow traffic signals at the junction i.e.
Red- stop before line;
Orange- get ready to go;
Green- move the vehicle.
Road Safety
India has the second largest road network in the world. As the
road uses are not aware of the traffic rules leading to high toll of the death victims
Hurdle of road safety
Slogans
1. Negligence of civilians Live and let live, follow traffic rules
2. Pathetic conditions of roads Ensure safety on road, follow traffc fules
3. Unsafe vehicle design
4. Under implementation of road safety standards
5. Lack of proper enforcement of laws
6. Lack of emergency services.
Rules for pedestrians
1. Walk on the foot path. If foot path is not available and the road is narrow, walk on the
right side of the road watching the oncoming traffic.
2. Must use reflective clothing at night when walking outside built up area.
3. Always carry a torch while walking at night time.
4. Do look for safe place to cross and look left and right listen for traffic.
5. Let any traffic coming in either direction.
6. Walk briskly straight across the road when it is clear and continue watch and listen
for walking.
7. Use zebra Lines for crossing roads.
8. Don’t use the mobile in any form while walking/ crossing i.e. either listening to songs.
9. Take the help of traffic police men while crossing the road.
10. Pedestrains do not walk on roads in inebriated condition.
Rules for Motor Cycles
Must hold current driving license.
Must have insurance cover before you
can take your motor cycle or moped
on a public road.
Riders should wear properly fitted and
secured helmet.
Carry only pillion passenger, who must
Fig. 24.2 : Dangerous to drive with overload
sit on a proper seat.
Key words
1. Vehicle registration 2. Breath analyser 3. Mandatory signs
4. Traffic Education 5. Driveing lisence

1. What documents should a driver carry while driving and what skills are needed to
drive safely?
2. What will happen if someone jumps the traffic signal?
3. Suggest a few steps to be taken by different sections of society for road safety.
4. Explain mandatory, caution and information traffic signs with examples?
5. Kamala wants to purchase a new vehicle. Explain her what are the steps to be taken
and what documents are to be produced for the registration of a vehicle?
6. Ramu wants to interchange his vehicle number to other vehicle. Is it correct or not?
Explain, why?
7. Explain the need of road safety
Project
1. Collect the data from the traffic police/ RTA officials who are nearest to you .
Month ! Place !
No. of cases booked !
Driving Driving Not having Not following No. of accident
without Helmet without License registration papers traffic rules accused vehicles
Analyse the data and discuss in your class room regarding traffic situations in your area.

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Our National Flag

The Indian National Flag is the symbol of the land and

Sri C.N. Subramanyam, Prof. S. Padmaja, Dept.of Geography,

Dr. K. Narayana Reddy, Asst. Prof. Dr. C.S. Bala Chandran,

Textbook Development Committee

Sri A. Satyanarayana Reddy, Director, Sri B. Sudhakar, Director,

Published by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad.

i Free distribution by A.P. Government

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored

This Book has been printed on 70 G.S.M. S.S. Maplitho,

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2 Social Studies Our Earth

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Internal Structure of the Earth

4 Social Studies Our Earth

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6 Social Studies Our Earth

The Earth’s Grid System

Kobe Japan (60) 34.41N 135.12E

In earlier classes we have studied about hemisphere. Let us revise it in the

Northern hemisphere Western hemisphere

Southern hemisphere Eastern hemisphere

8 Social Studies Our Earth

Fig. 1.5: Latitudes

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10 Social Studies Our Earth

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Improve your learning

12 Social Studies Our Earth

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2 The Natural Realms of the Earth

14 Social Studies The Natural Realms of the Earth

Map 1: World Map - Continents and Oceans

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Map 2: Map of World plates

16 Social Studies The Natural Realms of the Earth

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Important volcanoes in the

The Pacific Ring of Fire

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20 Social Studies The Natural Realms of the Earth

Fig. 2.7: Formation of flood plain

22 Social Studies The Natural Realms of the Earth

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Mushroom Rock: Winds erode the lower section of the

Fig. 2.12: Inselberg

Fig. 2.13: Various types of sand dunes in Sahara desert

Compare the Loess Plains with Delta. What

Action of Vegetation and Human beings

Fig. 3.1: Hydrological cycle

Precipitation: The primary mechanism for transporting water from the

28 Social Studies Hydrosphere

Do You Know? Formal oceanographic investigation

Relief of the Ocean

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Fig 3.2: Ocean floor

30 Social Studies Hydrosphere

Give the reasons for the low