KSEAB II PUC History flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Harappa and Mohenjo-daro

Two major Indus Valley Civilization cities, excavated in the 1920s by Dayaram Sahni and R.D. Banerji. Both show grid street plans, burnt-brick houses, covered drains, and large public structures such as the Great Bath.

Ashokan dhamma

A policy of moral conduct promoted by Emperor Ashoka after the Kalinga war in 261 BCE. It emphasized tolerance, non-violence, and welfare, and was spread through edicts carved on rocks and pillars in Prakrit and regional scripts.

Arthashastra

A Sanskrit treatise on statecraft attributed to Kautilya, Chandragupta Maurya's minister. It describes the saptanga theory of the state, taxation, espionage, diplomacy, and military organization, making it a key source for Mauryan administration.

Gandhara school of art

A Greco-Buddhist sculptural tradition of the Kushana period centered in northwest India. It blended Hellenistic realism with Buddhist themes, using grey schist, and is known for Buddha images with wavy hair and drapery resembling Greek sculpture.

Iqta system

A land-revenue assignment system introduced by the Delhi Sultanate, in which officers (muqtis or iqtadars) collected revenue from assigned territories in return for maintaining troops and administration. It later influenced Mughal jagirdari arrangements.

Battle of Talikota

A 1565 battle in which a coalition of Deccan Sultanates defeated Vijayanagara. The city of Hampi was plundered and abandoned, marking the end of Vijayanagara's imperial dominance in South India.

Mansabdari system

A Mughal administrative ranking introduced effectively under Akbar. Each mansabdar held a rank denoted by zat (personal status) and sawar (cavalry obligation), and received a jagir or cash salary in exchange for military service.

Krishnadevaraya

Ruler of Vijayanagara from 1509 to 1529 of the Tuluva dynasty. He patronized the Ashtadiggajas, wrote the Telugu work Amuktamalyada, and expanded the empire through campaigns against Bijapur and Gajapati territories.

Battle of Plassey

A 1757 battle in Bengal in which the English East India Company under Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah with the help of Mir Jafar. It gave the Company effective political control over Bengal and its revenues.

Doctrine of Lapse

A policy associated with Lord Dalhousie under which the British annexed states whose rulers died without a natural heir, denying adoption rights. Satara, Jhansi, and Nagpur were annexed on this basis, creating resentment before 1857.

Brahmo Sabha

A reform association founded in 1828 in Calcutta by Raja Ram Mohan Roy. It promoted monotheism, rational worship, and social reform, and campaigned against sati, which was banned by law in 1829.

Revolt of 1857

A widespread uprising against British rule beginning at Meerut in May 1857. Leaders included Rani Lakshmibai, Nana Saheb, and Bahadur Shah II; its suppression led to Crown rule through the Government of India Act 1858.

Permanent Settlement 1793

A revenue system introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal. Zamindars were recognized as hereditary owners who paid a fixed revenue to the Company, while cultivators became tenants subject to zamindari demands.

Surat Split

The 1907 division of the Indian National Congress into moderates and extremists at its Surat session. Disagreement over the presidency and methods led to a split that was formally healed by the Lucknow Pact of 1916.

Purna Swaraj declaration

The resolution passed at the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress in December 1929 under Jawaharlal Nehru. It demanded complete independence and fixed 26 January 1930 as the first Independence Day observance.

Dandi March

A march led by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in 1930 to make salt in defiance of the salt law. It launched the Civil Disobedience Movement and drew mass participation across India.

Government of India Act 1935

A British statute that introduced provincial autonomy, extended separate electorates, and provided for a federal structure that was never implemented. It served as a major source of India's post-independence constitution.

Quit India Movement

A mass movement launched in August 1942 after the All India Congress Committee passed the Quit India resolution in Bombay. Gandhi gave the slogan 'Do or Die'; the British arrested leaders and suppressed the movement harshly.

Cabinet Mission 1946

A British delegation of Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander that proposed a three-tier federal structure for India. Its plan led to the Constituent Assembly elections and set the frame for transfer of power.

Kadambas of Banavasi

An early Karnataka dynasty founded around the fourth century CE by Mayurasharma. They ruled from Banavasi, patronized Sanskrit and Kannada, and are among the earliest dynasties to issue inscriptions in Karnataka.

Pulakeshin II

A Chalukya ruler of Badami (c. 610–642 CE) who defeated Harsha on the Narmada and controlled large parts of the Deccan. His court poet Ravikirti composed the Aihole inscription recording his achievements.

Hoysala architecture

A distinctive temple style of the Hoysala dynasty, seen at Belur, Halebidu, and Somnathapura. It features star-shaped plans, soapstone carving, lathe-turned pillars, and detailed sculptural friezes depicting epics.

Tipu Sultan

Ruler of Mysore from 1782 to 1799, known for resisting the British in the Anglo-Mysore Wars. He modernized his army, promoted trade, and died defending Srirangapatna in 1799.

Unification of Karnataka

A movement led by Aluru Venkata Rao and others to unite Kannada-speaking regions under one state. It succeeded with the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, which formed Mysore State, renamed Karnataka in 1973.

Sangolli Rayanna

A warrior and lieutenant of Rani Chennamma of Kittur who fought against British annexation in the 1820s. He continued guerrilla resistance after her capture and is remembered as an early anti-colonial figure in Karnataka.

French Revolution

A period of radical political change in France from 1789 to 1799. It overthrew the monarchy, proclaimed the Rights of Man, experienced the Reign of Terror, and ended with Napoleon's rise to power.

Industrial Revolution

A transformation of production beginning in Britain around 1760 with mechanized textiles, steam power, and factories. It reshaped economies, urbanization, and class structures and spread to Europe and North America.

Treaty of Versailles 1919

The peace treaty ending World War I between Germany and the Allies. It imposed reparations and territorial losses on Germany, created the League of Nations, and contributed to later political instability in Europe.

Russian Revolution 1917

Two revolutions in Russia: the February Revolution that ended the Tsarist autocracy and the October Revolution that brought the Bolsheviks under Lenin to power, leading to the creation of the Soviet state.

Non-Aligned Movement

A grouping of states that refused to align with either Cold War bloc. Its origins are traced to the Bandung Conference of 1955 and its first summit at Belgrade in 1961, with Nehru, Nasser, and Tito as key figures.

Marshall Plan

A United States program launched in 1948 that provided economic aid to rebuild Western European economies after World War II. It aimed to prevent communist influence and promote postwar recovery and cooperation.

Cold War

A prolonged geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union after 1945, expressed through arms races, alliances like NATO and the Warsaw Pact, proxy conflicts, and ideological competition, ending with the USSR's collapse in 1991.