SST PROJECT

QUES1.
On July 14, 1789, France experienced a pivotal moment in
its history with the storming of the Bastille, a fortress and
prison in Paris. This event marked the beginning of the
French Revolution, a period of profound social and political
upheaval.

The people of France were discontented due to various

factors, including the monarchy's financial crisis,
widespread poverty, and inequality. The Bastille symbolized
royal tyranny and arbitrary power, and its fall became a
symbol of the revolution. The day began with tension in
Paris as rumors spread of King Louis XVI's potential
retaliation against the National Assembly, formed to
address France's financial woes and propose reforms. The
citizens, already frustrated by food scarcity and high
taxes, feared a crackdown on their liberties. Amidst this
atmosphere, crowds gathered and marched toward the
Bastille, seeking ammunition and weapons.
QUES2.
The social, economic and political conditions in Russia before 1905 were variously
beneficial and bad for the masses. 85% of Russia’s population was agriculturist, far
more than France or Germany with 40-50%. Industry was existent, but sporadically.
Most of this was privately owned. Workers either came from villages, or migrated to
cities for employment in factories. The industrial sector had its fair share of trouble with
strikes in the textiles industry in 1896-97 and the metals industry in 1902.

At this time, the peasant community was deeply religious, but did not care much about
the nobility. They believed that land must be divided amongst themselves. Since this
was not possible due to feudal rights, the peasants had their own unique commune
wherein wealth was shared out according to each family’s needs.

Political parties were illegal before 1914. The Social Democratic Workers’ Party (1898)
was hence, illegal. Interestingly, the socialists believed that the peasants were “natural
socialists” in their policy of equitable distribution of wealth. However, the Bolsheviks
under Lenin wanted a disciplined group, and not farmers, in the party. While
the Bolsheviks believed in controlling the number and quality of its members, the
Mensheviks believed that the party should be open to all.

In the field of economic conditions, 1904 was a bad year for the workers. Due to rise in
prices of essential goods, real wages decreased by 20%, leading to the famous
St.Petersburg strike where 110,000 workers protested, demanding reduction in work
hours and increase in wages. This strike started a series of events that are together
known as the 1905 Revolution. During this revolution, there were strikes all over the
country, universities closed down, and various professionals and workers established
the Union of Unions, demanding the establishment of a constituent assembly.These
were the socio-economic and political conditions in pre-1905 Russia.

QUES 3.
The treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, was the product of conflict
between the Allied victors. The United States hoped to achieve, in
Woodrow Wilson’s words, “peace without victory,” and Britain hoped
to put Germany back on its economic feet. Meanwhile, France and
other Allied nations wanted just compensation for the physical,
moral and economic devastation of the war. Given the contradictory
aims of reparations and future stability, statesmen found
themselves in a terrible bind. The Allied nations ultimately rejected
the idea of peace without victory in favor of making Germany pay
for causing the war (in their minds) and for perpetuating and
escalating the conflict for four long years. The treaty forced
Germany to surrender colonies in Africa, Asia and the Pacific; cede
territory to other nations like France and Poland; reduce the size of
its military; pay war reparations to the Allied countries; and accept
guilt for the war.
QUES 4.
QUES 5.
• The broken chain: Chains were used to fetter slaves. A broken chain stands for
the act of becoming free
• The bundle of rods or fasces: One rod can be easily broken, but not an entire
bundle. Strength lies in unity
• Sceptre: Symbol of royal power
• The eye within a triangle radiating light: The all-seeing eye stands for knowledge.
The rays of the sun will drive away from the clouds of ignorance
• Snake biting its tail to form a ring: Symbol of Eternity. A ring has neither
beginning nor end
• Blue-white-red: The national colours of France
• Red Phrygian cap: Cap is worn by a slave upon becoming free
• The Law Tablet: The law is the same for all, and all are equal before it
• The winged woman: Personification of the law

Ques6.
The Indian Ocean is named after India because
(i) India has a central location between East and West Asia.
(ii) India has the longest coastline in the Indian Ocean.
(iii) India’s Southernmost extension of the Deccan Peninsula protrudes into the Indian
Ocean which makes it significant to international trade done through the Indian Ocean

Ques 7.

According to the various relief features, the Northern Plains can be divided into
four regions:
(i) The Bhabar Belt. The Bhabar is that narrow belt of the plain which is
covered with pebbles and lies along the foothills of the Shiwaliks from the Indus
to the Teesta. This belt is laid down by numerous streams descending down the
hills. All the streams disappear in this Bhabar Belt.

(ii) The Terai Belt. It lies next to the Bhabar region and is composed of newer
alluvium. These plains are formed due to the re-emergence of rivers and thus
creating a wet, swampy and marshy region known as terai. It was thickly forested
region full of wildlife. But now the forests have been cleared to create agricultural
land and to settle migrants from Pakistan after partition.
(iii) The Bhangar Belt. It is formed from older alluvium. They lie above the
flood plains of the rivers and present a terrace like feature. These plains are
found far from the river basins. The soil in this region contains calcareous
deposits locally known as Kankar which is less fertile.
(iv) The Khadar Belt. The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains are
called Khadar. They are renewed almost every year. So they are very fertile and
ideal ,for intensive agriculture

QUES 8.
The Ganga is one of the major Himalayan river which rises in the Western Himalayas in
Uttarakhand and flows South and East through the Gangetic plain of North India.

The main five features of it are :

1. The length of the Ganga is over 2500 km.

2. The Ganga is joined by many tributaries from the Himalayas, like the Yamuna,
the Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi. The other main tributaries, come
from the peninsular uplands are the . Chambal, the Betwa and the Son.
3. The Ganga flows through North India and in West Bengal, at Farakka the river
bifurcates, the Bhagirathi-Hooghly flows Southwards through the deltaic plains
to the Bay of Bengal.
4. The mainstream flows Southwards into Bangladesh and is joined by
Brahmaputra and is known as the Meghna, later it is named as Padma.
5. The Ganga-Brahmaputra delta is the world’s largest delta.
6. This delta is among the most fertile regions in the world which is also most
densely populated areas in the world (1300 inhabitants/sq km).

Ques9.

Winds move from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area. During winter,

there is a high-pressure area north of the Himalayas. Cold dry winds blow from
this region to the low-pressure areas over the oceans to the south. In summer, a
low-pressure area develops over interior Asia as well as over northwestern India.
As a result, the low-pressure system attracts the southeast trade winds of the
southern hemisphere. On crossing the equator, these trade winds-due to the
Coriolis force-turn right towards the low-pressure areas over the Indian
subcontinent. After crossing the equator, these winds start blowing in a south-
westerly direction, and enter the Indian peninsula as the southwest monsoon.
These are known as the South-west Monsoon winds. These winds blow over the
warm oceans, gather moisture and bring widespread rainfall over the mainland
of India. The upper air circulation in this region is dominated by a westerly flow.
The rainfall received by India is largely due to the south-west monsoon winds.
The duration of the monsoon is between 100 to 120 days. Hence, the bulk of
rainfall received by the country is concentrated over a few months.

Ques 10.

The major components of population growth are Birth Rate , Death Rate and
Migration.

Birth rate is the number of live births per thousand persons in a year. Death rate
is the number of deaths per thousand persons in a year and Migration is the
movement of people across regions and territories. Migration can be internal or
international. Internal migration does not change the size of the population, but
influences the distribution of population within the nation. Migration plays a
very significant role in changing the composition and distribution of population.