Maharashtra SSC Social Sciences (MSBSHSE) key terms

A treaty system introduced by Lord Wellesley under which an Indian ruler kept a British army in his territory, paid for it, and gave up control of foreign affairs, effectively losing sovereignty.

A policy applied by Lord Dalhousie stating that if an Indian ruler died without a natural male heir, his kingdom would be annexed by the British rather than passing to an adopted son.

The 1793 land revenue system of Bengal under which zamindars were made permanent owners of land in return for a fixed annual payment to the Company, with peasants' rights left undefined.

A land revenue arrangement, mainly in Madras and Bombay presidencies, where revenue was settled directly with the individual cultivator (ryot) rather than through a landlord intermediary.

A revenue settlement in which the village or estate (mahal) was treated as the unit, with the village headman collecting revenue from cultivators on behalf of the whole community.

Gandhi's method of non-violent resistance based on truth and moral force, in which protesters willingly accept suffering instead of harming opponents, aiming to convert rather than defeat them.

The 1920-22 mass campaign launched by Gandhi urging Indians to withdraw cooperation from British institutions by boycotting schools, courts, titles and foreign goods; it was suspended after the Chauri Chaura violence.

The 1930 campaign begun with the Dandi March, in which Indians deliberately broke unjust colonial laws such as the salt law to assert the right to defy an illegitimate government.

Gandhi's 1930 walk of about 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, where he made salt from seawater to defy the British salt monopoly and launch civil disobedience.

An agitation by Indian Muslims, supported by Gandhi, to protect the Ottoman Caliph's position after the First World War; its alliance with non-cooperation marked Hindu-Muslim political unity.

Self-rule; in the Indian national movement it meant both freedom from British rule and, for Gandhi, responsible self-government in which citizens govern their own conduct.

Complete independence, demanded by the Indian National Congress at its Lahore session in 1929 and declared on 26 January 1930, replacing the earlier goal of dominion status.

The 1905 division of Bengal by Lord Curzon into two provinces, which provoked the Swadeshi and boycott movements and was annulled in 1911.

A campaign to boycott British goods and promote Indian-made products and industries, emerging strongly against the Partition of Bengal and linked with ideas of self-reliance.

The 1919 law allowing arrest and detention without trial for suspected sedition, which provoked nationwide protests and led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

The killing of hundreds of unarmed Indians at Amritsar on 13 April 1919 when General Dyer ordered troops to fire on a crowd protesting the Rowlatt Act.

The 1914-18 conflict between the Allied and Central powers, which raised Indian hopes of self-rule, disrupted trade and prices, and reshaped colonial politics worldwide.

The international organisation formed after the First World War to maintain peace through collective security; it failed to prevent aggression and was replaced after 1945.

The global organisation founded in 1945 to maintain international peace and security, promote human rights and development, and settle disputes through its General Assembly and Security Council.

The prolonged rivalry after 1945 between the United States and the Soviet Union, fought through alliances, arms races, propaganda and proxy conflicts rather than direct large-scale war.

A grouping of states, shaped from the 1955 Bandung Conference and formally founded in 1961, that refused to join either Cold War bloc and sought independent foreign policies.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence agreed between India and China in 1954, including mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs.

The process by which Asian and African colonies gained political independence from European empires, mostly between 1945 and the 1970s, creating many new sovereign states.

The system of institutionalised racial segregation and discrimination enforced in South Africa until the early 1990s, opposed internationally and by leaders such as Nelson Mandela.

The fundamental law of a state that establishes its institutions, distributes powers, and lays down the rights and duties of citizens; India's was adopted in 1949 and came into force in 1950.

The introductory statement of the Constitution declaring India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic committed to justice, liberty, equality and fraternity for all citizens.

Basic rights guaranteed in Part III of the Constitution, such as equality, freedom of speech, life and liberty, and constitutional remedies, which courts can enforce.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Constitution directing governments to promote welfare, social justice and development; they are not directly enforceable in courts but guide law-making.

A system in which power is constitutionally divided between a central government and constituent states, each supreme in its own sphere, as in India's Union-State arrangement.

The principle that the state has no official religion, treats all faiths equally, and protects citizens' freedom of conscience and religious practice.

Supreme authority of a state to govern itself without external control; in a democracy it is said to rest with the people, who exercise it through elected representatives.

The right of every adult citizen to vote regardless of caste, religion, sex, education or wealth; India adopted it for all adults from the first general election in 1952.

An independent constitutional body that conducts elections to Parliament, state legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President, and supervises political parties and campaign conduct.

A seasonal reversal of wind direction caused by differential heating of land and sea, bringing heavy summer rainfall to India from the southwest and dry conditions in winter.

A dry region on the leeward side of a mountain range, where descending air has lost its moisture; the Deccan interior behind the Western Ghats is an example.

A continuous mountain range along India's west coast that forces monsoon winds to rise, causing heavy orographic rain on the windward side and dry conditions inland.

Fertile soil deposited by rivers, rich in potash and lime but often low in nitrogen and humus; it covers the northern plains and supports intensive cultivation.

Dark, clayey soil formed from weathered lava, rich in iron, lime and magnesia and good at retaining moisture; it is especially suited to cotton in the Deccan.

A crop grown mainly for sale rather than for the farmer's own consumption, such as cotton, sugarcane or tobacco, linking agriculture to markets and industry.

The post-1960s rise in foodgrain output from high-yielding seed varieties, irrigation, fertilisers and credit, which made India self-sufficient in cereals but widened regional disparities.

Artificial supply of water to farmland through canals, wells, tanks or drip systems, reducing dependence on rainfall and enabling multiple cropping.

The total money value of all final goods and services produced within a country's borders in a year, used to measure the size and growth of an economy.

A country's total income divided by its population, showing the average income per person; it is an average and hides inequality between rich and poor.

A sustained rise in the general price level, which reduces the purchasing power of money and hits people on fixed or low incomes hardest.

A cutoff level of income or consumption used to identify people who cannot meet basic needs; India's poverty estimates are based on consumption expenditure surveys.

A government network of fair-price shops supplying subsidised foodgrains to poor households, aimed at food security and poverty relief.

A composite measure of development combining life expectancy, education and income per person, used to compare welfare across countries beyond purely economic output.