⏱ 4 min read
📘 Kharidar syllabus: Paper I, Section A, Unit 2.1 (History of the World), part 2 · Open the full Kharidar course
This is part 2 of the world history unit. Learn the year, leader, cause and result of each event; most questions ask exactly that.
1. Russian Revolution (1917)
- February Revolution (1917): ended the rule of Tsar Nicholas II; a provisional government took over.
- October Revolution (1917): the Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin seized power (25 October by the old Russian calendar, 7 November by the modern calendar).
- Slogan: “Peace, Land and Bread”.
- Causes: autocratic Tsar, poverty of peasants and workers, heavy losses in the First World War, food shortages and Marxist ideas.
- Effects: first communist state; Russia left the First World War; the USSR (Soviet Union) was formed in 1922; communism spread to many countries.
2. First World War (1914–1918)
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Immediate cause | Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 |
| Long-term causes | Militarism, alliances, imperialism (race for colonies) and nationalism |
| Allied Powers | Britain, France, Russia, later Italy and the USA (joined 1917) |
| Central Powers | Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire (Turkey), Bulgaria |
| End | Armistice on 11 November 1918; Treaty of Versailles (1919) with Germany |
| Results | About 17 million deaths, fall of four empires, the League of Nations (1920) created to keep peace |
3. Second World War (1939–1945)
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Start | Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 |
| Causes | Harsh Treaty of Versailles, rise of Hitler (Nazism) and Mussolini (Fascism), failure of the League of Nations, world economic depression |
| Axis Powers | Germany, Italy, Japan |
| Allied Powers | Britain, France, Soviet Union, USA, China and others |
| USA joins | After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 |
| Atomic bombs | Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945) |
| End | Germany surrendered in May 1945; Japan surrendered on 2 September 1945 |
| Results | Over 60 million deaths, the United Nations founded on 24 October 1945, the Cold War between the USA and USSR, and decolonisation in Asia and Africa |
Nepali (Gurkha) soldiers fought in large numbers in both World Wars on the British side.
4. Indian independence movement
- 1857: First War of Independence (Sepoy Mutiny). Nepal’s Jung Bahadur Rana sent troops to help the British.
- 1885: Indian National Congress founded.
- 1915: Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa; he led the movement with non-violence (ahimsa) and satyagraha.
- 1920–22: Non-Cooperation Movement.
- 1930: Salt March (Dandi March) and Civil Disobedience Movement.
- 1942: Quit India Movement (“Do or die”).
- 15 August 1947: India became independent; the country was partitioned and Pakistan was created. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister.
- Effect on Nepal: the end of British rule in India weakened the Rana regime and encouraged the 2007 BS revolution in Nepal.
5. Key dates at a glance
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Russian (Bolshevik) Revolution | October 1917, led by Lenin |
| First World War | 1914–1918; ended by the Treaty of Versailles (1919) |
| League of Nations formed | 1920 |
| Second World War | 1939–1945 |
| Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki | 6 and 9 August 1945 |
| United Nations founded | 24 October 1945 |
| Indian independence | 15 August 1947 |
| Quit India Movement | 1942, led by Mahatma Gandhi |
6. How this topic is asked in the exam
Objective questions ask the dates of the wars and revolutions, who led them and the treaties that ended them. Subjective questions ask about the causes and results of the world wars. Give causes, main events and results, and mention the creation of the League of Nations and the UN.
📌 Key points to remember
- October Revolution 1917: Lenin and the Bolsheviks; USSR formed in 1922.
- WWI 1914–1918: started after Franz Ferdinand was shot at Sarajevo; ended with the Treaty of Versailles.
- League of Nations was formed after WWI; the United Nations after WWII (24 Oct 1945).
- WWII 1939–1945: began with the invasion of Poland; atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan.
- India became independent on 15 August 1947; Gandhi used non-violence; Quit India in 1942.
📝 Quiz
Test yourself: World History II
Practise Russian Revolution (1917), Second World War (1939–1945) and Indian independence movement with 50 questions. Each attempt picks 25 at random.
Loading quiz...