International system and interdependence
We depend on others for milk, vegetables, medicines and education. Countries also depend on one another in the same way.
The international system is the system formed by exchange and treaties among all the independent, sovereign nations of the world. Foreign policy is a nation’s policy about how it will conduct relations with other nations.
Key idea 1 : Interdependence — However big, prosperous or advanced a nation is, it cannot be self-sufficient in all its needs. Even big nations have to depend on other small and big nations. So interdependence is an important feature of today’s global system.
Key idea 2 : A group of independent nations — There are many independent nations in the world like India. Exchange and interaction go on constantly between them and they enter into treaties with each other. The system formed by all of these is called the international system.
Key idea 3 : Foreign policy — Every nation has a policy about its internal affairs and also about its relations with other nations. This policy is called foreign policy. In the next lesson we shall study India’s foreign policy.
- Easy : India depends on other countries for petrol and other countries depend on India’s services and products. — Interdependence.
- Medium : Two countries make a trade agreement. — Exchange in the international system.
- Exam-type : A minister of one country visits another. — Part of foreign policy.
In the figure: How the international system is formed.
What happened before the founding of the United Nations? The Second World War caused enormous destruction. In April–June 1945 delegates of 50 countries met in San Francisco to draft a charter for a body that could prevent another war.
What happened after the founding of the United Nations? The UN Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 and came into force on 24 October 1945. India, though not yet independent, was among the original members.
Nations + exchange + treaties = international system.
No nation is fully self-sufficient, not even a big one.
Memory clue: Nations-Exchange-Treaties. Memory clue: “nations’ give-and-take tied in treaties”.
Spot the difference
| Concept | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Interdependence | Depending on each other | Oil and services trade |
| International system | System of sovereign nations | All nations of the world |
| Foreign policy | Policy on relations with other nations | India-Nepal treaty |
Practice questions
- 1What is the international system?
- 2What is foreign policy?
- 3What is interdependence?
- 4Why is even a big nation not self-sufficient?
- 5Write one similarity and one difference between interdependence of individuals and of nations.
- 6Give one example of interdependence from your life.
- 7Explain the importance of treaties in the international system.
- 8On what points would you classify foreign news from a month’s newspapers?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1The system formed by exchange and treaties among all independent sovereign nations.
- 2A nation’s policy on how to conduct relations with other nations.
- 3Depending on one another.
- 4Because a single nation cannot fulfil all its needs.
- 5Similarity: cooperation in both; difference: nations are sovereign, individuals are not.
- 6The student should write own example (e.g., imported medicines).
- 7Treaties make exchange between countries regulated and secure.
- 8Visits, treaties, conferences and events about neighbouring countries.
The two World Wars and the League of Nations
If a quarrel between two friends is not settled in time it grows. In the same way the world had two big wars and learned from them to form an organisation.
The League of Nations is the international organisation established after the First World War to maintain peace. A world war is a war in which many big nations take part and which affects the entire world.
Key idea 1 : First World War (1914-1918) — Major nations of Europe took part in it. The Allied Powers were Britain, France, Russia, Italy and America while the Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. The loss of life and property was huge and the economies of both the victorious and the defeated collapsed. After the war old empires collapsed, new nations arose and independence movements started in colonies of Asia and Africa.
Key idea 2 : League of Nations — The League of Nations was set up out of the thought that such a war should not happen again. It was a platform for settling international disputes and holding negotiations, and its main responsibility was seen as avoiding war. But it failed to prevent war; autocratic regimes arose in Germany, Italy, Spain and other countries and these developments culminated in the Second World War.
Key idea 3 : Second World War (1939-1945) — It was more destructive and widespread than the first and more advanced technology was used. The Allied Powers were Britain, France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Soviet Russia, China and America; the Axis powers were Germany, Japan and Italy. To end the war America dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945 respectively. The war ended with the defeat of Germany in Europe and Japan in Asia.
- Easy : Between which years was the First World War? — 1914 to 1918.
- Medium : Which were the Axis powers? — Germany, Japan, Italy.
- Exam-type : Why was the League set up? — To avoid war.
In the figure: Main stages of the two World Wars.
What happened before the start of the First World War? On 28 June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir of Austria-Hungary, was visiting the city of Sarajevo with his wife. After he escaped an earlier attack, his car took a wrong turn by mistake and stopped, and the young Gavrilo Princip standing there fired the shots.
What happened after the start of the First World War? Exactly a month later, on 28 July 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Because of a chain of alliances other European nations were drawn into the war one after another and the First World War began.
As per the textbook Indian soldiers also fought on the battlefield in the First World War and in the Second World War India was on the side of the Allied Powers. (check with the book)
14-18 first; 39-45 second; 6 and 9 August 1945 bombs.
The League of Nations was set up after the first war; the United Nations after the second.
Memory clue: 14-18, 39-45. Memory clue: “1914 to 1918, then 1939 to 1945”.
Spot the difference
| Point | First World War | Second World War |
|---|---|---|
| Period | 1914-1918 | 1939-1945 |
| One side | Britain, France, Russia, Italy, America | Britain, France, Soviet Russia, China, America, India |
| Other side | Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria | Germany, Japan, Italy |
Practice questions
- 1What is the League of Nations?
- 2Name the Allied and Central Powers of the First World War.
- 3State the effects of the First World War.
- 4Why did the League of Nations fail?
- 5What happened before and after the start of the First World War?
- 6How did the Second World War end?
- 7Compare the two World Wars.
- 8What precautions do you think should be taken to avoid autocratic regimes?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1The organisation set up after the first war to maintain peace.
- 2Allied: Britain, France, Russia, Italy, America; Central: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria.
- 3Loss of life and property, collapsed economies, fall of empires and rise of new nations.
- 4Because it could not prevent war and autocratic regimes grew.
- 5Before: the Sarajevo incident (28 June 1914); after: war declared on Serbia on 28 July and the world war.
- 6With the defeat of Germany and Japan; two nuclear bombs were dropped on Japan.
- 7First: 1914-18, Europe-centred; second: 1939-45, wider and more destructive with advanced technology.
- 8Strengthening democratic traditions, public awareness and solving issues by dialogue (student’s view).
The Cold War and non-alignment
In a class two groups do not talk to each other but each prepares to beat the other. So the atmosphere stays tense. The Cold War was like this.
The Cold War is a condition in which there is no actual war but tension is so great that war could erupt. Non-alignment is the policy of not joining the groupings of the superpowers.
Key idea 1 : The Cold War (1945-1991) — America and Soviet Russia, who were allies in the Second World War, became competitors as soon as the war ended. America advocated democracy and capitalism while Soviet Russia advocated socialism and one-party rule. Both wanted to extend their dominance. This Cold War lasted 40-45 years because of the struggle for power, arms race and differences in ideology.
Key idea 2 : Effects of the Cold War — Both superpowers created military organisations: America’s NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) and the Soviet Russia’s Warsaw Pact. The world was divided into two groups; this is called bipolarisation. The arms race grew, but later efforts at arms control and disarmament also happened. Developing nations created regional organisations — the European Economic Community and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Key idea 3 : Non-Aligned Movement — Some nations did not want to join the rivalry of the superpowers. Their policy is called non-alignment. The movement started from 1961 under the leadership of India’s Prime Minister Pandit Nehru, Tito of Yugoslavia, Nasser of Egypt, Sukarno of Indonesia and Nkrumah of Ghana. It opposed colonialism, imperialism and racism, stressed resolving disputes by peaceful means and demanded a New International Economic Order.
- Easy : Under which superpower’s dominance was NATO? — America.
- Medium : What is division of the world into two groups? — Bipolarisation.
- Exam-type : Who was India’s leader of the Non-Aligned Movement? — Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
In the figure: Four effects of the Cold War.
What happened before the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement? On 18-19 July 1956 Tito, Nehru and Nasser met on the island of Brioni in Yugoslavia. Their talks gave shape to the policy of non-alignment; Nehru had begun using the word ‘non-aligned’ from 1954.
What happened after the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement? From 1 to 6 September 1961 the first conference was held at Belgrade and 25 nations took part. After that conferences were held every few years and the number of members went beyond a hundred.
As per the textbook the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) was an important event of the Cold War period; the book asks you to find out more about it. (check with the book)
NATO = America; Warsaw = Russia; non-aligned = Nehru, Tito, Nasser, Sukarno, Nkrumah.
Non-alignment does not mean staying neutral and doing nothing; it is an active role for peace, humanity and equality.
Memory clue: NATO-Warsaw-Non-aligned. Memory clue: “NATO America’s, Warsaw Russia’s, non-aligned Nehru’s”.
Spot the difference
| Point | American bloc | Soviet bloc |
|---|---|---|
| Ideology | Democracy, capitalism | Socialism, one-party rule |
| Military organisation | NATO | Warsaw Pact |
| Europe in the bloc | Western Europe | Eastern Europe |
Practice questions
- 1What is the Cold War?
- 2What is bipolarisation?
- 3With which superpowers were NATO and the Warsaw Pact connected?
- 4Why was the arms race dangerous?
- 5What happened before and after the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement?
- 6Write briefly the significance of the Non-Aligned Movement.
- 7Why did developing nations create regional organisations in the Cold War?
- 8Make a table comparing the two superpower blocs.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A condition with no actual war but tension so great that war could erupt.
- 2Division of the world into two superpower blocs.
- 3NATO with America; the Warsaw Pact with Soviet Russia.
- 4Because it could endanger international peace.
- 5Before: the 1956 Brioni meeting; after: the 1961 Belgrade conference and growing membership.
- 6Opposing colonialism, peaceful settlement of disputes and raising problems of poor nations.
- 7Because they felt economic development was more important.
- 8American bloc: democracy, NATO, Western Europe; Soviet bloc: socialism, Warsaw, Eastern Europe.
End of the Cold War and globalisation
If two neighbours do not talk across a wall and one day the wall is brought down, exchange between them grows. This is what happened to the world after the Cold War ended.
Globalisation is the process in which capital, labour, markets, information and ideas begin to move freely around the world. A unipolar system is one with a single superpower on which several countries depend.
Key idea 1 : Why did the Cold War end? — The Soviet Russia adopted a policy of opening up the economy and loosened State control. President Mikhail Gorbachev brought the policies of Perestroika (Restructuring) and Glasnost (Openness) which reduced control over the media. The East European countries took the capitalist and democratic path and finally the Soviet Russia disintegrated and many new nations were created; Russia was the biggest of them.
Key idea 2 : Post-Cold War world — America remained the only superpower. A conducive atmosphere arose for growth of trade and economic relations. Instead of giving ‘aid’ the stress was on economic relations, and the description ‘enemy nation’ changed to ‘rival nation’. The responsibility of the United Nations increased; environmental protection, human rights, gender equality and management of natural calamities became global issues.
Key idea 3 : Globalisation — After the Cold War trade and economic relations between nations became more open. Capital, labour, markets and information began circulating globally and, due to the IT revolution, news of any event began reaching everywhere. The boundaries between nations did not remain as strict as before. This brought benefits — trade grew and plenty of products came to markets — but the gap between poor and rich nations did not reduce.
- Easy : Which two policies did Gorbachev bring? — Perestroika and Glasnost.
- Medium : Who was the only superpower after the Cold War? — America.
- Exam-type : One loss from globalisation? — The rich-poor gap persists.
In the figure: From the end of the Cold War to globalisation.
What happened before the fall of the Berlin Wall? On the evening of 9 November 1989 East German spokesman Günter Schabowski read out new travel rules at a press conference. Asked when they would take effect he flustered and replied “immediately”, although the rules were meant to start the next day and only with permission.
What happened after the fall of the Berlin Wall? That same night crowds went to the Berlin Wall and at about 11:30 pm the guards gave up checking and opened the gate. Later on 25 December 1991 Gorbachev resigned, the Soviet flag was lowered from the Kremlin and the next day the Soviet Union was dissolved.
1989 wall; 1991 Soviet end; then globalisation.
The Soviet Russia disintegrated in 1991; the Berlin Wall fell earlier in 1989.
Memory clue: 89-91 = wall, breakup. Memory clue: “first the wall (89), then the country (91)”.
Spot the difference
| Point | Cold War period | Post-Cold War period |
|---|---|---|
| Superpowers | America and Soviet Russia | America |
| Relations | Blocs, arms race | Trade and economic ties |
| Aid | Aid to bloc members | Stress on economic relations |
Practice questions
- 1What is globalisation?
- 2What is a unipolar system?
- 3State any two reasons for the end of the Cold War.
- 4State the meaning of Perestroika and Glasnost.
- 5What happened before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall?
- 6What changes took place in the world after the Cold War?
- 7Write the benefits and losses of globalisation.
- 8Write five lines on ‘Futility of War’.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1The process in which capital, labour, markets, information and ideas move freely around the world.
- 2A system with one superpower on which others depend.
- 3Soviet opening of the economy and Gorbachev’s policies; regime changes in Eastern Europe.
- 4Perestroika = restructuring; Glasnost = openness.
- 5Before: Schabowski’s mistaken reply (9 Nov 1989); after: the wall opened and the Soviet Union ended in 1991.
- 6America became the only superpower, trade grew, UN’s responsibility increased.
- 7Benefits: growth of trade, plenty of goods; losses: the rich-poor gap persists.
- 8War does not solve problems, it stops development; talks can solve problems (student’s view).