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An important development in the second half of 18th century was the establishment of large scale machine based industries in India. It led to the emergence of two new classes industrialist and the modern worker class. The Indian capitalist class emerged in the latter half of the 19th century and developed its attitude towards the Indian National Congress which can be analysed in three phases.  The first phase, may be taken to be the period between 1855 and 1905.  During the period, of the Indian National Congress, the Industrialist class supported some of the demands of the Congress like.  • Stopping the drain of wealth from India to British.  • Use of indigenous capital instead of foreign capital etc. It is because of the co-operation of this class with the Congress that Swadeshi Movement, by and large became successful.  The second phase, starting from 1905, extended till late 1930s.  During this phase, the industrialist class, by and large, supported Gan...

Indian sub-continent from the earliest times has been an attractive destination for traders, travellers and pilgrims alike. These travellers often left a description of what they observed here. Such authoritative accounts are often used to reconstruct the ancient and medieval Indian history.  Some of the most famous among them came from China and parts of Arabia. While the Arab travellers were curious about India’s riches and its distinct cultural traditions, the Chinese travellers were more motivated by their religious zeal.  Factors underlining the significance of accounts by Chinese and Arab travellers  •These accounts provided an outsider’s perspective to the contemporary issues. Thus, Fa Hien’s account of life in the 5th century Gupta empire was devoid of any biases.  •Such accounts were taken by the travellers to their home countries, which enabled a better understanding about India, and consequently establishment of better diplomatic relations.  •Accounts...

The art and heritage of a nation is a prized possession which needs to be preserved, protected and promoted. It assumes much greater significance for a vast country like India with diverse mixture of traditions and cultures.  Following factors underline the need to preserve our art and heritage :  •It gives the people a sense of history. Manuscripts and monuments have been relied on to understand the political, economic and social aspects of earlier times.  •It highlights the concept of ‘unity in diversity’ by showcasing the harmonious co-existence of different cultures and traditions.  •It is seen as a symbol of national identity. For instance the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath was adopted as the official emblem. Invoking national symbols can also instill a sense of oneness, as was done during the freedom struggle.  •In this era of rampant industrialization, the art and culture heritage can show the way towards a symbiotic relationship between development an...

The French revolution laid the foundation of the modern world:  • The French Revolution had been a world-shaking event. For years to come its direct influence was felt in many parts of the world. It inspired revolutionary movements in almost every country of Europe (German and Italian unification) and in South and Central America.  • For a long time the French Revolution became the classic example of a revolution which people of many nations tried to emulate.  • It gave the idea of liberty, equality and fraternity to the modern world. It brought about a political awakening in Europe. People began to rise in revolt to demand their rights.  • It also popularized the concept of democracy. Absolute monarchy was replaced by constitutional monarchy in many countries.  • It separated religion from politics and stood for secularism which condemned religious fanaticism.  • It a number of movements where people demanded not only political freedom but also right to pr...

The following ways are the American Revolution laid the foundation of the modern world:  •American Revolution gave rise to ideas, such as constitutionalism, rule of law, individualism, sovereignty, and separation of power which gained popularity in the modern world history.  •The revolution led to the establishment of a republic based on the first written constitution in the world.  •It inspired the people in Europe as well as other parts of the world to fight against their despotic regimes to compel the government to adopt the constitution.  •Success of American nationalism inspired the emergence of the nationalist movement in European countries, such as Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Central and South America to rebel and gain their independence.  •It also inspired the nationalist movement in colonies like India during 19th and 20th century.  •It triggered the process of decolonization which continued for more than 200 years.  •The idea of capita...

The period from 1920 to 1947 has been described as the Gandhian Era in Indian politics. During this period, Gandhiji had the final say behalf of the Indian National Congress in negotiating with the British Government for constitutional reforms, and for chalking out a programme for the national movement. Mahatma Gandhi led the national freedom struggle against the British rule and it also gave space and voice to many other voices which further strengthened the movement.  Voices that strengthened and enriched nationalist movement are as follow:  Socialist Voice  • The emergence of socialism in Congress during 1920s and 1930s imparted a new orientation to anti-British struggle because the socialist vision of national movement was quite different from that of Gandhiji and other nationalists.  • Anti-British struggle got radicalism greatly because socialists wanted that the idea of non-violence should be followed by congress in a pragmatic manner for the mistakes of one o...

The social and religious reforms movement, popularly termed as Indian renaissance, which preceded the political struggles, are considered a necessary precursor to origin of Indian nationality.  How renaissance facilitated the emergence of national identity • Rediscovery of India’s glorious past: The nineteenth century Indian Renaissance also created several avenues in the field of oriental studies. Western scholars like Max Muller, Sir William Jones, Alexander Cunningham, etc. translated several ancient Sanskrit texts of this land and established before the people the glorious cultural heritage of India. Inspired by them, the Indian scholars like R.D. Banerjee, R.G. Bhandarkar, Madan Mukhopadhyaya, Hari Prasad Astir, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, etc. rediscovered India’s past glory from the history of this land. This encouraged the people of India who felt that they were the ancestors of grand monarchs of this country and ruled by foreigners. This flared up the fire of nationalism.  ...