Why did in the last quarter of the nineteenth century nationalism no longer retained its idealistic
liberal-democratic sentiment, but became a narrow creed with limited ends?
● During this period nationalist groups became
increasingly intolerant of each other and ever
ready to go to war.
● The most serious source of nationalist tension
in Europe after 1871 was the area called the
Balkans. The Balkans was a region of
geographical and ethnic variation
● A large part of the Balkans was under the
control of the Ottoman Empire.One by one, its
European subject nationalities broke away
from its control and declared independence.
● It got even complicated because the Balkans
also became the scene of big power rivalry.
This led to a series of wars in the region and
finally the First World War.
How was the social and political
situation of India affected by the
First World War? Explain.
● The war created a new economic and
political situation.
● It led to a huge increase in defence
expenditure which was financed by war
loans and increasing taxes: customs duties
were raised and income tax introduced.
● Through the war years prices increased –
leading to extreme hardship for the common
people.
● Villages were called upon to supply soldiers,
and the forced recruitment in rural areas
caused widespread anger.
● Crops failed in many parts of India,
resulting in acute shortages of food.
How is the distribution pattern of the
Railway network in the country has
been largely influenced by
physiographic, economic and
administrative factors?
The distribution pattern of the Railway network in the
country has been largely influenced by physiographic,
economic and administrative factors:
● The northern plains with their vast level land, high
population density and rich agricultural resources
provided the most favourable condition for their
growth.
● In the hilly terrains of the peninsular region,
railway tracks are laid through low hills, gaps or
tunnels.
● The Himalayan mountainous regions too are
unfavourable for the construction of railway lines
due to high relief, sparse population and lack of
economic opportunities.
● It is also difficult to law railway lines on the sandy
plain of western Rajasthan, swamps of Gujarat,
forested tracks of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Odisha and Jharkhand.