Maharashtra State Board Class 12 Political Science Solutions Chapter 6 India and the World
1. [A] Complete the following statements by selecting the appropriate option.
Q:1.Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the first Prime Minister of
[a] Bangladesh
[b] Pakistan
[c] Iran
[d] Afghanistan
Solutions:
[a] Bangladesh
Q:2.In 1987, India sent a Peacekeeping Force [IPKF] to
[a] Bangladesh
[b] Sri Lanka
[c] Somalia
[d] Vietnam
Solutions:
[b] Sri Lanka
[B] Identify the incorrect pair in every set and correct it.
Q:1.
[a] NATO – Europe
[b] ANZUS Africa
[c] SEATO – South East Asia
[d] CENTO – West Asia
Solutions:
[c] Sri Lanka – Jayewardene
2. State whether the following statements are true or false with reason.
Q:1.Myanmar has been a traditional friend of India.
Solutions:
This statement is True.
- India and Myanmar [formerly Burma] have a long historical and cultural relations. In fact, Burma a part of British India from 1824 to 1937.
- India established diplomatic relations after Myanmar’s independence in 1948. However, Indo- Myanmar ties got strained since India supported pro-democracy movements in Myanmar against the ruling military Junta. Both countries are members of BIMSTEC and cooperate to counteract drug trafficking and insurgent groups like Arakan Army operating in the border areas.
Q:2.In changing world order of 1990s, the issue of terrorism has been dominant.
Solutions:
This statement is True.
1. Terrorism refers to the use of or the threat to use violence with the intention to destabilise the political system, cause economic harm and panic in society towards the attainment of some religious or ideological goals.
2. Post 1900s, terrorism has become a global phenomenon with forms like cross-border terrorism, international terrorism etc., causing widespread destruction e.g., 2001 attack in the USA by Al-Qaeda, attacks in Bali, Kabul, Mumbai, Madrid, etc. Each Country in the world is involved in trying to secure its territory and deal with terrorism e.g., US led ‘War on Terror’.
Q:3.The Sagarmala project is a more comprehensive road connectivity plan.
Solutions:
This statement is False.
India has sought to harness it’s 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways and strategic location on key international maritime trade routes through two compatible programmes viz. Sagarmala and Bharatmala.
Sagarmala programme aims to promote port and river transport systems and Bharatmala programme is a comprehensive road connectivity plan.
3. Express your opinion of the following.
Q:1. India’s role in the Indian Ocean
Solutions:
- The Indian Ocean is one of the most busy and critical maritime transportation links in the world. The economies of littoral countries depend heavily on ports, shipping and vast natural resources. India’s vast coastline of about 7500 km presents both opportunity and challenge to India in terms of security and foreign perspectives. India’s exclusive economic zone is 2.4 million sq. kms. 90% of our trade by volume and almost all oil imports come through the sea. India is a co-founder of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation in 1997 [IORA].
- The main objective of IORA is to promote sustained, balanced development of the Indian Ocean region. India has initiated the Sagarmala and Bharatmala programmes to harness India’s coastline.
4. Answer the following
Q:1.Write a note on India’s relations with Africa.
Solutions:
In the first few decades after independence, India supported the fight against apartheid and provided financial and material aid to liberation struggles in Africa for eg., the AFRICA Fund created at the NAM Summit [Harare]
There are several issues in the context of India-African relations-
- The India-Africa summit was held in 2015
- About 24 percent of Indian crude oil imports are sourced from the African continent e.g., ONGC Videsh has invested in Sudan and Egypt
- About two million people in Eastern and Southern Africa constitute the India diaspora which is considered as an asset by the Indian government
- Indian industries are interested in offering technological and material services to developing African nations
- India continues to be one of the military training destination e.g., National Defence Academy, Pune has the ‘Sudan Block’ as a symbol of cooperation between India and Sudan
- Countries from Somalia to South Africa fall under the India maritime strategic perspective. Hence, cases of terrorism and piracy in Somalian waters have made this region sensitive to Indian concerns.
Q:2.Briefly Discuss India-China relations.
Solutions:
- In 1949, the Communist revolution took place in China. India was among the first nations to recognize the People’s Republic of China. In 1954, India and China signed the Panchsheel Agreement and India also recognised Chinese suzerainty on Tibet. The main hindrances in Sino- Indian relations are-
- 1962 Indo-China war and 2017 Dokhlam skirmish.
- Border disputes in Aksai Chin and NEFA region.
- China has been critical of India offering political asylum to the Dalai Lama.
- Chinese support to Pakistan.
- India’s apprehensions about China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
- On the positive side India-China relationship has improved
- Agreement on maintenance of peace and tranquility along the LOC.
- China has become among the largest trading partners of India.
- India and China are part of BRICS and SCO.
- In the late 1990s, Russia mooted the idea of a Trilateral Summit of Russia, China, India which was a recognition of India’s status as a major regional power.
5. Answer the following Q:with reference to the given points.
Q:1.Explain the factors influencing Indian foreign policy.
[a] Geography
[b] History
[c] International System Economy
[d] Policy
Solutions:
Factors Influencing India’s Foreign Policy-
1. Geography – The extensive coastline of the India peninsula and the Himalayan mountain ranges have shaped India’s security and foreign policy. India shares a border with all neighbouring countries of South Asia. It also holds a dominant position in the India Ocean.
2. History – It includes the influence of traditional cultural values, cultural ties as well as values like anti-colonialism which were imbibed during the freedom struggle.
3. Economy – The strong urge to come out of the poverty and economic backwardness created by the colonial period as well as the policy of Non-Alignment shaped India’s foreign policy. India followed democratic socialism through the policy of import-substitution and importance to the public sector Post-1991, after adopting the policy of Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation many changes have occurred in the Indian foreign policy.
4. Polity – Political leadership has a significant impact on India’s foreign policy for e.g., Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lai Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Narendra Modi have played a decisive role in determining India’s foreign policy. Ministry of External Affairs and National Security Advisor plays an important role in formulating foreign policy.
Activity
Read the speech on Indian Foreign Policy given by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on All India Radio on 7th September 1946 and discuss it in class.
Activity [Text Book Page No. 60]
The First Summit Meeting of the Nonaligned countries at Belgrade [1961] finalized the criterion for nonalignment. Find out these criteria.
Solutions:
Non-Aligned Movement:
The first summit of Non-Aligned countries was held in September 1961 at Belgrade and attended by representatives of 25 countries. The purpose of the Non-Aligned Movement [NAM] was to help countries keep “national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security in their struggle against imperialism, colonialism, racism and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination or interference as well as against great power and bloc politics”.
The objectives of the Non-Aligned Movement are-
- To keep the newly independent nations of Asia and Africa away from the rivalry of the two viz. USA and Soviet Union
- To oppose colonialism, imperialism, and racial discrimination.
- To eliminate all those factors and tendencies in the international arena that could lead to war.
- To advocate the sovereign equality of all States.
- To oppose the use of force and nuclear weapons in international disputes.
Maharashtra State Board Class 12 Political Science Solutions Chapter 6 India and the World
The evolution of Indian foreign policy
can be traced back to the period before
independence. It was an actor in international
relations even as a British colony. It
participated in the Bretton Woods Conference
that created the International Monetary Fund
and the International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development. It also was a part of the
San Francisco Conferences that gave final
shape to the Charter of the United Nations.
Post-independence Indian foreign policy was
a continuation of the legacy of the British
policy in some cases; whereas in some others,
it took positions which were completely
different from the British.
We begin this chapter with understanding
the Objectives and Principles, as well as the
factors that influence the foreign policy of
India.
Objectives of Indian Foreign policy
An important objective of Indian foreign
policy is to maintain international peace and
security. It has been incorporated as a
Directive Principle of State Policy in Part IV
Article 51 of the Constitution of India. It
states that the Government of India shall
strive for the promotion and maintenance of
international peace and security. Further,
since independence, India aspired to emerge
as a major power and play an influential
role in international politics.
The objectives of Indian foreign policy
include protection of the sovereignty and
integrity of the country, promoting economic
growth and development, and ensuring
national security in a broader sense. Since
the 1990s, India has adopted the policy of
greater integration with the world economy
in order to sustain a high growth rate. As a
result, good relations with neighbouring countries, strengthening relations with regional
groups (such as ASEAN or EU), ensuring
peace and order in the Indian Ocean and the
Indo-Pacific regions are also some important
objectives of contemporary foreign policy of
India.
Principles of India’s Foreign policy
There are some fundamental ideas that
act as guidelines to foreign policy-makers in
India. They are listed below:
• Sovereign Equality of states.
• Respect for the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of all states.
• Non-intervention in the internal
affairs of any other state .
• Respect for International Law
• Active participation in International
and Regional Organisations
• Belief in peaceful co-existence and
peaceful resolution of international
disputes
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s speech of 7
September 1946, given on the All India
Radio spelt out the core features of India’s
foreign policy. He stated: ‘We propose, as
far as possible, to keep away from the power
politics of groups, aligned against one
another, which have led in the past to world
wars and which may again lead to disasters
on an even wider scale’. He also hoped to
have friendly relations with England and
invited the United States and the Soviet
Union to become friends. He hoped that the
past friendship with China would continue in
the future. About India’s position in Asia
he said: ‘We are of Asia and people of Asia
are nearer and closer to us than others.
India’s position is important in terms of
Western, Southern and South East Asia’.
Non-Alignment
Nonalignment has been an
important feature of India’s foreign
policy. Non-alignment literally
means not to be a part of any
military alliance. It was India’s
response to the Cold War politics
of the two super powers. The
United States and the Soviet Union
attempted to extend their respective
‘sphere of influence’ through
promoting military alliances in Europe, Asia
and elsewhere in the world.
Unlike many countries in the world that
chose to align with an alliance by one of the
two super powers; India chose to remain “nonaligned”. It followed a policy of maintaining
‘equidistance’ from both the super powers.
The idea and policy of Non-Alignment is the
contribution of India’s first Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru. After the end of the cold
war questions were raised about the relevance
of nonalignment. It must be noted that the
essential features of nonalignment viz.
independent foreign policy and peaceful
approach are still relevant today.
Factors influencing India’s Foreign policy
Geographical factors :
Its vast coastline
in the South and the presence of Himalayan
mountain ranges to the north and the
northeast have shaped India’s perspective
of foreign and security policy. Similarly,
the presence of a large country like China
across almost the entire north and northeastern border also affects India’s foreign
policy.
The unique geography of South
Asia-while all neighbouring countries
share a border with India, none share a
border with each other-shapes the foreign
policy too. India holds a dominant position
in the Indian Ocean. It has an extensive
coast line with Lakshdweep Islands in the
west and Andaman and Nicobar Islands
in the East.
Historical factors :
This includes the
impact of India’s traditional cultural
values, such as peace and co-existence. It
also includes the influence of historical
cultural ties with the neighbouring
civilisations in West, Central and Southeast
Asia on India’s foreign policy. Some of
the basic values of Indian foreign policy
like anti-colonialism and anti-racialism
were laid during the freedom struggle.
Economical factors :
The policy of NonAlignment has a political, economic and
strategic context. There was a strong urge
to come out of poverty and backwardness
that had emerged from the colonial period.
India refused to accept financial aid from
various donor countries, if it came with
conditions unacceptable to India.
The
policy of import-substitution and giving
importance to public sector enterprises
had a tremendous impact on India’s
foreign policy. Many fundamental changes
have occurred in foreign policy of India
after adopting the policy of Liberalisation,
Privatisation and Globalisation in the
post 1991 era.
Political factors :
The Executive organ of
Government plays an important role in
making and implementing the foreign
policy in India. Parliament plays the role
of watchdog. Political leadership makes
significant impact on foreign relations of
India. Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru,
Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv
Gandhi, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and Narendra
Modi have played a decisive role in
determining the foreign policy of India.
The Ministry of External Affairs plays a
pivotal role in drafting the foreign policy
and giving advice to the political executive.
Besides this, the National Security Advisor
plays an important role in making foreign
policy.
International System :
During the Cold
War, the bipolar system and super power
politics had impacted the foreign policy of
India. Similarly, there were major changes
in Indian foreign policy when the Cold War
ended. Besides the international system, the
regional system has also made a deep
impact on India’s foreign policy. Thus,
Indo-US dialogue in the post-cold war era,
China-Pakistan dialogue since the 1960s
and improved Russia-China relations since
the late 1990s have influenced foreign
policy.
India’s Relations with the World
Foreign policy is the instrument of a
country to establish, maintain and develop
relations with the rest of the world. Since
independence, India has established relations
with nearly all the countries in the world. It
is not necessary, nor possible, to have equally
good or close relations with all countries.
With some countries, the relations are closer
or better than with some others.
Usually,
relations with neighbouring countries are
important for the foreign policy of every
country. Relations with major world powers
are important for all countries.
In this section, we will take a broad
survey of relations of India with all the three
major powers and India’s neighbours.
Maharashtra State Board Class 12 Political Science Solutions Chapter 6 India and the World
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Maharashtra State Board 12th Std Political Science Textbook Solutions Digest
| Chapter No | Chapter Name |
| Chapter 1 | The World Since 1991 |
| Chapter 2 | Key Concepts and Issues Since 1991: Globalisation |
| Chapter 3 | Key Concepts and Issues Since 1991: Humanitarian Issues |
| Chapter 4 | Contemporary India: Challenges to Peace, Stability and National Integration |
| Chapter 5 | Contemporary India: Good Governance |
| Chapter 6 | India and the World |