विश्वयुद्ध

The immediate cause of the Second World War was Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. Britain and France, who had promised to defend Poland, declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939.

It helped Nepal gain international recognition and strengthened its diplomatic relations with Britain and other world powers.

Nepal's participation in the First World War (1914–18)

Nepal, under Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher, supported Britain and the Allies, although it was not formally bound to do so. The friendship begun by the Sugauli Treaty (1816) and Nepal's wish for British goodwill guided this decision.

1. Declaration of support: At the outbreak of war in 1914, Chandra Shumsher placed Nepal's resources at Britain's disposal and offered the help of the Nepali army.
2. Gorkha soldiers: Recruitment into the British Indian Army was encouraged. About 2 lakh Nepalis served, and roughly 20,000 were killed or wounded. They fought in France and Belgium, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia (Iraq), Palestine, Egypt and East Africa, and won fame for their courage.
3. Defence of India: Nepal's own regular troops were sent to India to guard the frontier and keep order, freeing British troops for the battlefronts.
4. Financial and material help: Nepal contributed generously to the British war funds and supplied arms, ammunition and other war materials.
5. Result: Britain recognised Nepal's gratitude and, by the Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923, formally accepted Nepal's full independence. Britain also increased its annual gift to Nepal. The Rana regime strengthened its ties with Britain, though Nepal lost many young men.

Thus Nepal's participation, mainly through Gorkha soldiers, made it a valued ally of Britain.

Introduction. The Quit India Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942, at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee, with the slogan "Do or Die", demanding an immediate end to British rule in India. Nepali democrats living in India, then under Rana rule at home, took an active part.

Involvement of Nepalese politicians

1. B. P. Koirala and other young Nepali Congress-minded activists living in Banaras and other Indian cities joined the movement and were arrested; B. P. Koirala was imprisoned for his part in it.
2. Other leaders such as Ganeshman Singh and Krishna Prasad Koirala's circle, working from India, supported the Indian struggle and drew inspiration from it for the fight against the Ranas.
3. Students and exiles: Nepali students and exiles in Banaras, Calcutta and Darjeeling took part in processions, strikes and the distribution of pamphlets.
4. Link with Nepal's struggle: The experience of jail, organisation and non-violent protest gave these leaders training and confidence. It led to the formation of the Nepali National Congress in 1947 and the later struggle that ended Rana rule in 1951.

Conclusion. The Quit India Movement was not limited to India. Nepali politicians who joined it learned lessons that strengthened the democratic movement in Nepal.

The beginning of the Second World War.

On 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler invaded Poland. Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939, which marked the formal outbreak of the Second World War.

The system of secret military alliances (Triple Alliance and Triple Entente) divided Europe into two hostile camps and was one cause of the First World War.

Role of Shree 3 Maharaj (Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana) in the Second World War — 5 marks

1. Declaration of war and alignment with the Allies. Shree 3 Maharaj was the Rana Prime Minister and held real executive power; King Tribhuvan was the sovereign. Following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany in September 1939, the Rana government under Juddha Shumsher declared Nepal’s support for Britain and the Allies. Nepal declared war on Germany on 4 September 1939 and later on Italy on 10 June 1940, and on Japan on 8 December 1941. This formally committed Nepal to the Allied cause.

2. Permission and encouragement for Gurkha recruitment. Shree 3 Maharaj permitted and actively encouraged the recruitment of Gurkha soldiers into the British Indian Army. His government facilitated recruitment, training and despatch. Nearly 2 lakh Nepali soldiers served in North Africa, Italy, Iraq, Burma and Malaya. This cooperation gave Nepal’s war participation legitimacy and scale.

3. Financial contribution to the war effort. Under his direction, Nepal contributed large sums to Britain’s war fund. Nepal gave about Rs 1 crore to the British War Fund and placed about Rs 25 lakh at the disposal of the Viceroy of India for war purposes. Donations were also made to the Red Cross and other relief funds.

4. Award of titles, medals and honours. Shree 3 Maharaj conferred titles, medals and decorations on returning Gurkha soldiers and on British officers who served with Nepali troops. Such recognition raised the morale of soldiers and strengthened Nepal–Britain friendship.

5. Diplomatic and symbolic significance. His decision aligned Nepal openly with the democratic Allied powers against fascism. It enhanced Nepal’s international image and later helped Nepal’s case in foreign affairs. Nepal’s loyalty during the war was one reason Britain maintained a special relationship with Nepal after 1947.

Conclusion. Shree 3 Maharaj was not King Tribhuvan; he was the Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher, who exercised executive authority. Through the declaration of war, Gurkha recruitment, war funds and distribution of honours, Shree 3 Maharaj made Nepal a substantial contributor to the Allied victory in the Second World War.

Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) was the 28th President of the USA (1913–1921). He led America in the First World War, proposed the Fourteen Points for peace in 1918, and played a key role in founding the League of Nations; he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919.

The Indian National Movement was the long struggle of the Indian people to end British rule, which ended with independence on 15 August 1947.

Background: The Revolt of 1857 failed, but British exploitation, economic drain, racial discrimination and the spread of English education and nationalist ideas created national awareness.

Formation of the Congress (1885): A. O. Hume founded the Indian National Congress. In its early moderate phase (Dadabhai Naoroji, G. K. Gokhale, Surendranath Banerjee) it used petitions and prayers to seek reforms.

Extremist phase: After the partition of Bengal in 1905, leaders such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai led the Swadeshi and boycott movements and demanded swaraj. The Muslim League was formed in 1906.

Gandhian phase: From 1919 Mahatma Gandhi led mass non-violent movements: the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22), the Civil Disobedience Movement and Dandi Salt March (1930), and the Quit India Movement (1942). Revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose (Indian National Army) also challenged British rule.

Final stage: The growing Hindu–Muslim divide, led on the Muslim side by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the weakness of Britain after the Second World War led to the Mountbatten Plan. India and Pakistan became independent in 1947.

The Second World War (1939–45) had several causes that were linked to one another.

1. The Treaty of Versailles (1919): The treaty was harsh on Germany: it lost territory and colonies, had to pay heavy reparations, accept war guilt and keep a small army. The Germans felt humiliated and wanted revenge, which Hitler exploited.

2. Rise of dictatorships and extreme nationalism: Mussolini in Italy (Fascism), Hitler in Germany (Nazism) and the militarists in Japan followed aggressive expansion. Hitler wanted lebensraum (living space) and German racial supremacy.

3. Failure of the League of Nations: The League had no army and its major members were not united. The USA never joined. It failed to stop Japan's invasion of Manchuria (1931) and Italy's invasion of Ethiopia (1935-36), which encouraged the aggressors.

4. Economic depression: The Great Depression of 1929 caused unemployment and misery, weakening democracies and helping extremists gain power, particularly Hitler in 1933.

5. Policy of appeasement: Britain and France tried to avoid war by giving in to Hitler: the remilitarisation of the Rhineland (1936), the Anschluss with Austria (1938) and the Munich Agreement (1938) over Czechoslovakia. This only made Hitler bolder.

6. Alliances and arms race: Rome–Berlin–Tokyo (the Axis) was formed against the Allies. The Nazi–Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (August 1939) removed Hitler's fear of a two-front war.

7. Immediate cause: Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 made Britain and France declare war on 3 September.