International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

Notes:
Judaism was the target of “The Holocaust” genocide. The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of the European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, across German-occupied Europe, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews, around two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population. The murders were carried out in pogroms and mass shootings; by a policy of extermination through work in concentration camps; and in gas chambers and gas vans in German extermination camps. Germany implemented the persecution in stages.

Notes:
Germany’s political history is connected to “Schicksalstag” events. November 9 has been the date of several important events in German history. The term Schicksalstag or the Day of Fate has been occasionally used by historians and journalists since shortly after World War II, but its current widespread use started with the events of 1989 when virtually all German media picked up the term. There are six notable events in German history that are connected to 9 November: the execution of Robert Blum, the leader of the Vienna Revolts, in 1848; the end of the monarchies through the November Revolution in 1918; the naming of Albert Einstein as the winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect”; Hitler putsch attempt in 1923 which marked an early emergence and provisional downfall of the Nazi Party as an important player on Germany’s political landscape; the Nazi antisemitic pogroms in 1938 known in Germany as the Reichspogromnacht (Kristallnacht) and the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 which ended German separation and started a series of events that ultimately led to German reunification.

Notes:
Great Britain, France and Russia assisted the Greeks in the Greek War of Independence/Greek Revolution. The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution, was a successful war of independence waged by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1830. The Greeks were later assisted by Great Britain, France and Russia, while the Ottomans were aided by their North African vassals, particularly the eyalet of Egypt. The war led to the formation of modern Greece. The revolution is celebrated by Greeks around the world as independence day on 25 March.

Notes:
At the end of 19th century, the British Empire was the biggest in the world, both in terms of the number of people over whom it rules and the area under its rule. The population of her colonial possessions extending over an area of 23 million square kilometer was about 400 millions. France ruled over an empire of over 10 million square kilometer inhabited by over 50 million people. So, statement 1 is incorrect. Within a short period of time after the beginning of  ‘Scramble for Africa’, European imperial powers had carved it out among themselves. In the Berlin Congress, entire Africa was divided between different European powers. At the end of WWI, only Liberia and Ethiopia were free from any sort of colonial control. So, statement 2 is incorrect.

Notes:
Gandhiji described this village-based economy vision in many of his writings, most notably in Hind Swaraj, a treatise written in 1909 while he was aboard a ship, coming back from Britain. He wrote about the idea of a self-contained village republic inhabited by individuals whose lives were self-regulated. Thus, c is the correct answer.

Notes:
The second Continental Congress met in May 1775 at Philadelphia. Delegates from all the thirteen colonies attended this Congress. Prominent leaders like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin participated in it. George Washington was made the Commander-in-Chief of the American army.

Notes:
The French Revolution opened a new chapter in the history of Europe. It marked a turning point in the history of humankind. The French Revolution put an end to the age old absolute monarchy, feudal laws and social inequality. It introduced for the first time the idea of republicanism based on “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”. These ideas had influenced the entire continent of Europe and also the world.

Notes:
The invention of the sewing machine by Elias Howe, in 1846, accelerated the production of clothing and made possible the modern clothing industry. Thus, one invention followed another, not only in textile industries but also in many others. In this way, the present-day complex machinery has evolved.

Notes:
In the first party convention of Milan, Mussolini announced the programmes and Charter of demands of the party. They were:

• Nationalisation of factories
• Confiscation of surplus money from the capitalists
• Universal Franchise
• Forfeiture of the Church property
• Eight hours work in factories
• Framing of a new constitution.

These demands of the Fascist Party soon achieved popularity in Italy.

Notes:
In the 21st century Japan emerged as a strong economic power. Japan is the only Asian country to be included in the group of developed countries. Japan is a member of the G8 (Group of developed countries).