What traumatic event does Zitkala-Sa describe at the school?

The forcible cutting of her long hair

Why was the cutting of her hair so humiliating to Zitkala-Sa?

Among her people, shingled hair was worn by cowards and mourners

What is non-alignment?

India's policy of keeping away from the two Cold War military blocs led by the US and the USSR, while taking independent stands and maintaining friendly relations with both.

What was the significance of the Bandung Conference?

The 1955 Afro-Asian conference marked the zenith of India's engagement with newly independent nations and led to the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence jointly declared by Nehru and Zhou Enlai in 1954 as a basis for friendly India-China relations.

What were the causes of the 1962 war with China?

China's annexation of Tibet, the Dalai Lama's asylum in India, and a boundary dispute over Aksai Chin in Ladakh and the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh.

What were the consequences of the 1962 war?

It dented India's image at home and abroad, forced India to seek Western military help, damaged Nehru's stature, and led to the first no-confidence motion against his government.

How did the 1965 war with Pakistan end?

With UN intervention and the Tashkent Agreement of January 1966, signed by Lal Bahadur Shastri and Ayub Khan and brokered by the Soviet Union.

Why did India sign the 1971 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the USSR?

To counter the US-Pakistan-China axis during the Bangladesh crisis; the treaty assured India of Soviet support if it faced an attack.

Why did India refuse to sign the NPT?

Because India regarded it as discriminatory, since it allowed the five nuclear-weapon states to keep their weapons while barring others, and applied selectively to non-nuclear powers.

Describe India's nuclear policy.

Begun under Homi Bhabha for peaceful purposes, it led to a peaceful test in 1974 and tests in 1998; India's doctrine professes credible minimum deterrence and 'no first use'.

India's External Relations

Q: What were the three major objectives of Nehru's foreign policy?

To preserve hard-earned sovereignty, protect territorial integrity, and promote rapid economic development.

Class 12 Political Science · Politics in India Since Independence · Chapter 4

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Summary

India became independent amid the Cold War, when the world was dividing into US-led and Soviet-led blocs. Its foreign policy, shaped largely by Prime Minister Nehru (who was also his own foreign minister from 1946 to 1964), aimed to preserve sovereignty, protect territorial integrity and promote rapid economic development, pursued through non-alignment — keeping away from both military blocs while taking independent stands and accepting aid from both. Nehru championed Afro-Asian unity, convening the Asian Relations Conference (1947), supporting decolonisation and apartheid struggles, and co-founding the Non-Aligned Movement after the 1955 Bandung Conference. Relations with China began on a friendly note with the Panchsheel agreement (1954), but China's annexation of Tibet, the Dalai Lama's asylum in India (1959) and a boundary dispute over Aksai Chin and the eastern sector led to the 1962 war, which dented India's image and Nehru's stature. India fought Pakistan in 1965 (ending with the Tashkent Agreement) and in 1971 over Bangladesh, after signing a Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the USSR; the decisive victory led to the Shimla Agreement (1972). India's nuclear policy, begun under Bhabha for peaceful purposes, led to the first test in 1974; India refused to sign the discriminatory NPT and CTBT and tested again in 1998.

Key terms

Non-alignment

India's policy of not joining either of the two Cold War military blocs while taking independent positions.

Non-Aligned Movement

The grouping of non-aligned states co-founded by Nehru, whose first summit was held at Belgrade in 1961.

Panchsheel

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence agreed between India and China in 1954.

Bandung Conference

The 1955 Afro-Asian conference in Indonesia that led to the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Shimla Agreement

The 1972 agreement between India and Pakistan that formalised peace after the 1971 war.

NPT

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968, which India considered discriminatory and refused to sign.

Extra questions & answers

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India's policy of keeping away from both Cold War military blocs was called:

Flashcards & interactive practice