Solution of Chapter 4. India's External Relations (Politics In India Since Indepen Book)

Exercises

1

Write ‘true’ or ‘false’ against each of these statements.

(a) Non-alignment allowed India to gain assistance both from USA and USSR.


(b) India’s relationship with her neighbours has been strained from the beginning.


(c) The cold war has affected the relationship between India and Pakistan.


(d) The Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1971 was the result of India’s closeness to the USA.
2

Match the following


(a) The goal of India’s foreign policy in the period 1950-1964



i. Tibetan spiritual leader who crossed over to India



(b) Panchsheel



ii. Preservation of territorial integrity, sovereignty and economic development



(c) Bandung Conference



iii. Five principles of peaceful coexistence



(d) Dalai Lama



iv. Led to the establishment of NAM
3

Why did Nehru regard conduct of foreign relations as an essential indicator of independence? State any two reasons with examples to support your reading.
4

“The conduct of foreign affairs is an outcome of a two-way interaction between domestic compulsions and prevailing international climate”.

Take one example from India’s external relations in the 1960s to substantiate your answer.
5

Identify any two aspects of India’s foreign policy that you would like to retain and two that you would like to change if you were to become a decision maker. Give reasons to support your position.
6

Write short notes on the following.

(a) India’s Nuclear policy


(b) Consensus on foreign policy matters
7

India’s foreign policy was built around the principles of peace and cooperation. But India fought three wars in a space of ten years between 1962 and 1971. Would you say that this was a failure of the foreign policy? Or would you say that this was a result of international situation? Give reasons to support your answer.
8

Does India’s foreign policy reflect her desire to be an important regional power? Argue your case with the Bangladesh war of 1971 as an example.
9

How does political leadership of a nation affect its foreign policy?

Explain this with the help of examples from India’s foreign policy.
10

Read this passage and answer the questions below:

“Broadly, non-alignment means not tying yourself off with military blocs….It means trying to view things, as far as possible, not from the military point of view, though that has to come in sometimes, but independently, and trying to maintain friendly relations with all countries.” — Jawaharlal Nehru


(a) Why does Nehru want to keep off military blocs?


(b) Do you think that the Indo-Soviet friendship treaty violated the principle of non-alignment? Give reasons for your answer.


(c) If there were no military blocs, do you think non-alignment would have been unnecessary?