2 Flashcards
(14 cards)
What distinguishes India in terms of civilization and nationhood?
Continuity of civilization and an ancient conception of nationhood
This includes religious, civilizational, cultural, and linguistic continuity.
What is the significance of the term Bharatavarsha?
It refers to the whole country, named after the ancient tribe called the Bharatas.
What periods in Indian history achieved political unity?
Mauryan and Gupta periods.
How did foreign invaders contribute to the naming of India?
They named the country after the Sindhu (Indus) river, leading to the term ‘Hind’ and eventually ‘India’.
What is the primary focus of the Marxist discourse on India?
Understanding how Indians can emancipate themselves from hunger, disease, illiteracy, and poverty.
What social systems are analyzed in Marxist interpretations of Indian history?
Feudalism and colonialism.
Who is considered the pioneer of the Marxist approach to Indian history?
Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi.
What was a major critique of colonial rule in India?
Economic exploitation hindering India’s development.
Fill in the blank: The Indian economy during colonial rule was characterized by _______.
little industrialisation, low agricultural output, and slow economic progress.
What significant change occurred in the Indian Constitution in 1976?
The term ‘Socialist’ was incorporated into the Preamble.
How did socialism influence the Indian state after independence?
Guided Five Year Plans, public ownership of industries, and Directive Principles.
What economic policies rolled out in 1991 challenged socialist ideology in India?
New Economic Policy, liberalization, privatization, and globalization.
What was the Supreme Court’s stance on the term ‘Socialism’ in the Preamble in 2008?
It dismissed a plea to remove the term and defined socialism as public welfare.
True or False: The original Indian Constitution included the term ‘socialist’.
False.
