WBBSE Madhyamik History flashcards

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

Battle of Plassey

Fought on 23 June 1757 between the English East India Company under Robert Clive and Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah of Bengal. Clive's victory, aided by Mir Jafar's defection, established Company political power in Bengal.

Battle of Buxar

Fought in 1764 near Buxar between Company troops under Hector Munro and the allied forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II. The Company won and gained the Diwani of Bengal in 1765.

Permanent Settlement

Land revenue system introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793 in Bengal and Bihar. Zamindars became permanent hereditary owners in return for a fixed annual revenue paid to the Company by a set date.

Doctrine of Lapse

Policy applied by Lord Dalhousie under which a princely state without a natural heir was annexed by the Company. Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur were annexed under this doctrine.

Revolt of 1857

A major uprising against Company rule that began at Meerut on 10 May 1857 and spread across northern and central India. It led to the end of Company rule through the Government of India Act 1858.

Government of India Act 1858

British law that abolished the East India Company's rule and transferred Indian administration to the Crown. It created the office of Secretary of State for India and a Council of India in London.

Indian National Congress founded

Founded in December 1885 at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. W.C. Bonnerjee presided over the first session, and Allan Octavian Hume played a central role in organising it.

Partition of Bengal 1905

Division of Bengal announced by Lord Curzon and effective from 16 October 1905. It sparked the Swadeshi and boycott movements; the partition was annulled in 1911 at the Delhi Durbar.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre

On 13 April 1919, General Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed gathering at Amritsar, killing hundreds. The incident intensified nationalist protest and prompted Rabindranath Tagore to renounce his knighthood.

Non-Cooperation Movement

Mass movement launched by Gandhi in 1920 urging boycott of British institutions, courts, schools and foreign goods. It was withdrawn in February 1922 after the Chauri Chaura violence.

Chauri Chaura incident

On 5 February 1922 a crowd in Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur district, set fire to a police station, killing policemen. Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement because of this violence.

Dandi March

Gandhi's march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on the Gujarat coast between 12 March and 6 April 1930. He made salt there in defiance of the salt law, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Quit India Movement

Launched on 8 August 1942 at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay, with Gandhi's 'Do or Die' slogan. The Congress leadership was arrested, and the movement became largely spontaneous and leaderless.

Subhas Chandra Bose and INA

Bose took command of the Indian National Army in 1943 and formed the Azad Hind Government on 21 October 1943. He gave the slogans 'Delhi Chalo' and 'Give me blood, I will give you freedom'.

Cabinet Mission Plan

1946 mission by Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps and A.V. Alexander proposing a three-tier federal structure for India. The Muslim League rejected it and called Direct Action Day on 16 August 1946.

Mountbatten Plan

Plan announced on 3 June 1947 providing for the partition of British India into India and Pakistan. It led to the Indian Independence Act 1947 and the Radcliffe Line boundary award.

Swadeshi Movement

Movement to boycott foreign goods and promote indigenous industry, strongest during the anti-partition agitation of 1905-1908. It popularised ideas of self-reliance and mass political mobilisation in Bengal.

Brahmo Samaj

Reform society founded by Raja Rammohan Roy in Calcutta in 1828. It opposed idolatry and sati, promoted monotheism and rational worship, and influenced later socio-religious reform movements in Bengal.

Arya Samaj

Reform organisation founded by Dayanand Saraswati in Bombay in 1875. It called for a return to the Vedas, opposed caste rigidity and idol worship, and popularised the slogan 'Back to the Vedas'.

Ramakrishna Mission

Founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897 to spread the teachings of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It combined spiritual teaching with social service, education and relief work in India and abroad.

Vernacular Press Act 1878

Law passed by Lord Lytton imposing restrictions on newspapers published in Indian languages. It allowed the government to demand security deposits and suppress criticism, provoking strong nationalist opposition.

Rowlatt Act 1919

Act allowing detention without trial for suspected sedition, passed despite united Indian opposition. Protests against it led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and strengthened the nationalist movement.

Ilbert Bill controversy

An 1883 bill under which Indian judges could try European offenders in mofussil courts. Intense European opposition forced its dilution and exposed racial discrimination, encouraging Indian political unity.

Simon Commission

Commission sent in 1928 under Sir John Simon to review constitutional progress. It had no Indian members, so Congress and other parties boycotted it with the slogan 'Simon Go Back'.

Poona Pact 1932

Agreement between Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar after the Communal Award. It replaced separate electorates for depressed classes with reserved seats in provincial and central legislatures, ending Gandhi's fast.

Azad Hind Fauj

The Indian National Army reorganised under Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943. It fought alongside Japanese forces in Burma and north-east India and inspired the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of women soldiers.

Direct Action Day

Observed by the Muslim League on 16 August 1946 after rejecting the Cabinet Mission Plan. It led to severe communal riots in Calcutta, deepening the path towards the partition of India.

Radcliffe Line

Boundary drawn in 1947 by Sir Cyril Radcliffe to divide Punjab and Bengal between India and Pakistan. It was announced after independence and caused large-scale displacement and violence.

Ryotwari settlement

Revenue system associated with Thomas Munro in the Madras Presidency. Land revenue was assessed directly on individual cultivators, who held their land as long as they paid the assessed amount.

Mahalwari settlement

Revenue system introduced under Holt Mackenzie in the North-Western Provinces. Revenue was assessed on a mahal, meaning a village or group of villages, with village bodies responsible for payment.

Santhal Rebellion

Uprising of Santhal tribespeople in 1855-1856 in the Rajmahal hills against zamindars, moneylenders and Company officials. Leaders Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu mobilised thousands against exploitation.

Indigo Revolt

Peasant movement in Bengal in 1859-1860 against forced cultivation of indigo by planters. Led by figures such as Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas, it won support from the press and intellectuals.