Question Answers Class 12 Chapter 9 History Maharashtra Board

World : Decolonisation – Solutions

Exercise

Q.1 (A) Choose the correct alternative and rewrite the statement.

1. In the First World War, Germany and Turkey were defeated.
(a) America (b) France (c) England (d) Germany

2. In 1935, Myanmar was separated from India.
(a) Myanmar (b) Sri Lanka (c) Maldives (d) Iran

3. In 1947, first conference of Asian was held.
(a) Unity (b) Asian (c) Atlantic (d) Manchester

(B) Find the incorrect pair from group ‘B’, and write the corrected one.

Answer:
Incorrect Pair:  Manchester – Asian Unity Conference
Corrected Pair: Manchester – The 5th Pan-African Congress in 1945

Q.2 Choose the correct reason from the given options and complete the statement.

1. During the Second World War, the independence movements in Africa were more intensified because –
(a) The colonies in Africa threw away the dominance of alien European powers.
(b) African leaders were trained in the western education system.
(c) During the Second World War, the British and the French began to give some rights to the people in their colonies.
(d) European countries were involved in the Second World War.

Answer: During the Second World War, the independence movements in Africa were more intensified because (c) During the Second World War, the British and the French began to give some rights to the people in their colonies.

Q.3 Write short notes.

1. Bandung Conference
The Bandung Conference, held in 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia, was a significant meeting of Asian and African countries. It was the first major conference to discuss the problems faced by Afro-Asian nations, focusing on issues like colonialism, economic development, and mutual cooperation. The conference promoted the concept of Afro-Asian solidarity and emphasized world peace, non-alignment, and resistance against colonial domination. It laid the foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement, strengthening the voice of newly independent nations.

2. Concept of African Unity
The concept of African Unity emerged to foster solidarity among African nations and people to combat colonialism and promote self-determination. It was first articulated by H.S. Williams, who founded the African Association (later Pan-African Association) in London. The idea gained momentum through the efforts of W.E.B. Du Bois, who organized Pan-African Congresses, starting in 1900. The 5th Pan-African Congress in Manchester (1945) was pivotal, as it deepened the idea of Pan-Africanism, encouraging African nations to unite for independence and collective progress.

Q.4 Explain the following statements with reason.

1. There were three wars fought between the British and Myanmar.
Reason: The three wars between the British and Myanmar (1824–1826, 1852, and 1885) were primarily driven by Myanmar’s expansionist policies and the British desire to protect and expand their colonial interests in India. Myanmar’s conquest of Manipur and Assam threatened British Indian territories, leading to the First Anglo-Burmese War (1826), which the British won, annexing Assam and Manipur. The Second War (1852) and Third War (1885) were fought to secure strategic and economic control over Myanmar, culminating in the British annexation of the entire country as a province of British India.

2. The end of the Second World War created an environment in which the process of decolonisation gained speed.
Reason: The Second World War weakened European colonial powers like Britain and France, both economically and militarily, reducing their ability to maintain control over their colonies. The war also boosted nationalist movements in Asia and Africa, as colonial subjects became aware of concepts like self-determination, inspired by events like the Atlantic Charter (1941), which promised the right to self-governance. Additionally, the emergence of superpowers like the USA and USSR, who opposed colonialism, and the establishment of the United Nations, which supported decolonisation, created a global environment conducive to independence movements.