RBSE SS Political Science flashcards

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

Cold War

A prolonged geopolitical rivalry (1945–1991) between the US-led capitalist bloc and the USSR-led communist bloc, marked by arms races, proxy wars, and ideological competition without direct superpower war.

Non-Aligned Movement

A grouping of states that refused to join either Cold War bloc, founded at the 1961 Belgrade summit after the 1955 Bandung Conference; India was a founding member under Nehru.

Cuban Missile Crisis

The 1962 confrontation after the US detected Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba; the USSR withdrew them in return for a US no-invasion pledge and removal of US missiles from Turkey.

Détente

The easing of US–Soviet tensions in the 1970s, reflected in SALT I (1972), the ABM Treaty, and the 1975 Helsinki Accords, before renewed confrontation in the late 1970s.

European Union

A supranational political and economic union of European states, established by the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, with a single market, common currency, and shared institutions.

ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, founded in 1967 by the Bangkok Declaration, promoting regional cooperation and dialogue among ten Southeast Asian states.

BRICS

A grouping of major emerging economies-Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (joined 2010)-that coordinates on global economic governance and set up the New Development Bank in 2014.

Quad

An informal strategic dialogue among the US, Japan, India, and Australia, focused on a free and open Indo-Pacific, maritime security, and supply-chain resilience.

SAARC

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, founded in 1985 at Dhaka by eight South Asian states; its effectiveness is limited by India–Pakistan tensions.

Indus Waters Treaty

A 1960 water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan brokered by the World Bank, allocating the western rivers largely to Pakistan and the eastern rivers to India.

IPKF

The Indian Peace Keeping Force (1987–1990), deployed to Sri Lanka under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord to disarm the LTTE; it withdrew after failing to achieve its objective.

UN Security Council

The UN organ with primary responsibility for peace and security, comprising five permanent members with veto power and ten elected members serving two-year terms.

Bretton Woods Institutions

The IMF and World Bank, created at the 1944 Bretton Woods conference to manage international finance and post-war reconstruction and development lending.

World Trade Organization

The 1995 successor to GATT that administers global trade rules, settles trade disputes, and operates by consensus among member states.

International Court of Justice

The principal judicial organ of the UN, based in The Hague, which settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions on international law.

Paris Agreement

A 2015 climate treaty under the UNFCCC in which states pledge nationally determined contributions to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C.

Montreal Protocol

A 1987 international treaty that phased out ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs, widely cited as the most successful example of global environmental cooperation.

No-First-Use doctrine

India's declared nuclear policy of not being the first to use nuclear weapons against a nuclear-armed state, while retaining a credible second-strike capability.

Globalisation

The growing integration of national economies and societies through trade, foreign investment, technology flows, and migration, accelerated by liberalisation and the ICT revolution.

LPG Reforms

India's 1991 liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation reforms, including rupee devaluation, deli censing, tariff cuts, and opening to foreign direct investment.

Multinational Corporation

A firm that owns or controls production or service facilities in more than one country, shaping global value chains, investment, and employment patterns.

Partition of India

The 1947 division of British India into India and Pakistan, accompanied by mass migration and communal violence that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.

States Reorganisation Act

A 1956 law that reorganised Indian states largely along linguistic lines, following the creation of Andhra as the first linguistic state in 1953.

Universal Adult Franchise

The principle, adopted in India in 1950, that every adult citizen has the right to vote regardless of gender, caste, religion, or education.

Congress System

The pattern of one-party dominance from 1952 to 1977 in which the Congress Party held power while coexisting with numerous smaller opposition parties.

Coalition Politics

A form of government in which multiple parties share power, typically through a common minimum programme, as in India's National Front, United Front, NDA, and UPA governments.

Mahalanobis Model

The economic framework behind India's Second Five-Year Plan (1956–61), emphasising heavy industry and capital goods to achieve rapid industrialisation and self-reliance.

NITI Aayog

A policy think tank set up in 2015 to replace the Planning Commission, promoting cooperative and competitive federalism and long-term strategic policy advice.

Green Revolution

The 1960s–70s increase in Indian foodgrain output through high-yielding variety seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and irrigation, which made India self-sufficient in cereals.

Chipko Movement

A 1973 forest-protection movement in Uttarakhand in which villagers, especially women, hugged trees to prevent felling, symbolising environmental resistance.

Assam Accord

A 1985 agreement between the Indian government and Assam movement leaders to detect and deport illegal migrants and provide safeguards for Assamese culture and employment.

GST

India's Goods and Services Tax, implemented on 1 July 2017, a destination-based indirect tax that subsumed multiple central and state taxes into one unified system.

Panchsheel

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, agreed by India and China in 1954, covering mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality, and peaceful coexistence.