Social Science Notes
Chapter 1: HUMANISM
- Definition of Renaissance:
- Means "rebirth".
- Revival of ancient Greco-Roman culture, beginning around the 14th century.
- Transformation from medieval feudalism to the modern age.
- Context and Influences:
- Greco-Roman Civilisations as classical civilisations.
- Roger Bacon (13th-century scientific philosopher): emphasised rationalism, knowledge, and love; questioned feudalistic power systems.
- Characteristic Features of Renaissance Changes:
- Humanistic perspective (Humanism).
- Growth of urban life, progress of trade, rise of nation states, individual liberty, rationalism, spread of secular values, monetary economy, importance of regional languages, changes in art and science.
- Why Renaissance in Italy?
- Italian cities (Venice, Milan, Florence, Rome) were independent, wealthy, and dynamic.
- Traders had expertise in banking, insurance, and bookkeeping.
- Emergence of wealthy families (Medici, Sforza, Farnese).
- The Crusades facilitated cultural exchange between East and West.
- Trade links with Islamic and Byzantine Empires brought wealth.
- Bubonic Plague led to labour shortage, decline of feudalism, rise of commercial middle class, focus on human well-being.
- Conquest of Constantinople (1453): scholars migrated to Italy with Greco-Roman manuscripts.
- Prosperity, political liberty, social unity fostered civic sense and self-respect.
- Patronage of rulers and clergy for art and literature.
- Humanism - The Core Idea:
- Departure from scholasticism, emphasising human experience, worldly life, rational inquiry.
- Highlighted human uniqueness, emotions, capabilities, literary expression.
- Shifted from theological to human-centered outlook.
- Accommodated dissent, criticised religious dogma.
- Arabs played a significant role in disseminating Aristotle's ideas.
- Humanists created works in regional languages and Greco-Roman style art.
- Inspired changes in painting, architecture, literature, politics, history, science, and religion.
- Renaissance Art:
- Painting: Emphasised beauty of human form, originality, naturalistic colours, anatomy, rationalism, emotions. Notable: Giotto, Masaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael.
- Sculpture: Donatello ("David", "Gattamelata"), Michelangelo ("Pietà", "David").
- Architecture: Brunelleschi (Florence Cathedral), St. Peter's Basilica (Michelangelo, Bramante).
- Renaissance Literature:
- Importance to individual liberty, secular values, break from scholasticism.
- Works in regional languages; prose gained prominence.
- Notable: Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Cassandra Fedele, Erasmus, Chaucer, Thomas More, Cervantes, Rabelais.
- Printing press (Gutenberg) popularised literature, knowledge, literacy.
- Renaissance and Historiography:
- Classified history into Ancient, Medieval, Modern (Biondo, Bruni).
- Shifted to human-centered explanations, archaeological evidence, critical thinking.
- Renaissance and Science:
- Laid foundation for modern science.
- Astronomy: Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton.
- Medicine/Anatomy: Paracelsus, Vesalius.
- The Reformation:
- Humanist critiques led to protests against church practices.
- Martin Luther's "Ninety-Five Theses" (1517) began Protestant Reformation.
- Spread to Switzerland (Zwingli, Calvin), England (Henry VIII).
- Counter-Reformation (Catholic Reformation):
- Catholic Church's self-reform: Council of Trent, Society of Jesus (Ignatius Loyola).
- Eliminated many wrong tendencies in the Church.
Chapter 2: LIBERTY EQUALITY FRATERNITY
- Despotic Regime in France:
- Bourbon dynasty: Louis XIV, XV, XVI; Divine Right Theory; Estates General not summoned for 175 years.
- French Social System (18th Century):
- First Estate (Clergy): Powerful, wealthy, tax-exempt.
- Second Estate (Nobles): Landowners, high positions, collected taxes.
- Third Estate (Commons): Majority, paid taxes, lived in poverty.
- The Rise of the Middle Class (Bourgeoisie):
- Industrialists, doctors, lawyers, bankers; lacked status/power; led revolution.
- Economic Crisis:
- Agricultural crisis, price rise, unemployment, heavy borrowing, tax inequality.
- Influence of French Thinkers and Ideas:
- Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, John Locke, Physiocrats, salons/coffee houses.
- The Estates General Meets (1789):
- Summoned for new taxes; Third Estate grievances ignored.
- The Tennis Court Oath (June 20, 1789):
- Third Estate declared National Assembly, vowed to draft constitution.
- The Fall of Bastille (July 14, 1789):
- Storming of Bastille began French Revolution.
- Reforms by the National Assembly:
- Abolition of slavery, nobility powers, church taxes; unified constitution; Assignat currency; religious tolerance; clergy as government employees.
- Women and the French Revolution:
- Active participation; Olympia de Gouche demanded equal rights; right to property/divorce.
- Symbols of Protest:
- Sans-culottes, red Phrygian cap.
- Declaration of Human Rights (1789):
- Liberty, property, security, resistance to oppression; sovereignty in the nation.
- Reign of Terror and September Massacre (1792):
- France declared republic, execution of Louis XVI, Jacobins' Committee of Public Safety, mass executions, new calendar.
- A New Constitution (1795) and the Directory:
- Five-member Directory; collapsed due to corruption.
- Consequences of the French Revolution:
- Collapse of feudalism, church land to middle class, metric system, modern nationalism, democratic rule, inspired independence movements.
- Napoleon Bonaparte:
- Seized power, declared Emperor, Napoleonic Code, Concordat, education reforms, Bank of France, military reforms, wars, defeated at Waterloo (1815).
- The Congress of Vienna (1815):
- Restored monarchies, recognised British, Russian, Austrian dominance.
- Tree of Liberty:
- Symbol of freedom in American and French revolutions; Tipu Sultan also planted one.
Chapter 3: SOCIAL ANALYSIS: THROUGH SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
- Initial Problem Perception (Anu's Story):
- Indebtedness, financial insecurity, limited employment; initially seen as personal issue.
- Commonsense Knowledge:
- Direct, experience-based, not formal; partial, speculative, stereotype-based, not scientific.
- Social Problem:
- Affects many, considered undesirable (e.g., poverty, inequality, discrimination, pollution).
- Social Factors:
- Family, education, peer groups, religion, caste, economic status, environment, norms, governance, politics, technology, media.
- Anu's problem linked to wider social structures.
- Social Analysis:
- Examines how social relationships, institutions, structures, and problems affect individuals and society.
- Sociology:
- Scientific study of society; analyses relationships, institutions, structures.
- Sociological Imagination (C. Wright Mills):
- Skill to relate individual problems to broader social structures.
- Broadens perspective, deepens understanding, enables self-reflection, empathy, critical thinking, questions negative norms.
- Impact of Sociological Imagination:
- Sees individual problems as social, helps intervention, policy, social change, links micro-macro.
- Sociological Imagination vs. Commonsense Knowledge:
- SI is broad, analytical, critical; CK is limited, superficial, stereotype-based.
Chapter 4: WEALTH AND THE WORLD
- Motivation for Geographical Expeditions (15th Century):
- Conquest of Constantinople (1453) blocked Asian trade; Europeans sought new sea routes.
- Enabling Factors for European Expeditions:
- Atlantic location, advanced ships, compass, ruler patronage, military power, cartography, astronomy.
- Key European Expeditions:
- Portugal to Africa: Ceuta (1415), Cape Bojador (1434), Atlantic islands, Prince Henry's navigation school.
- Portugal to Asia: Bartolomeu Dias (1488), Vasco da Gama (1498).
- Spain to Americas: Columbus (1492), Amerigo Vespucci, Cabral (Brazil), Magellan (circumnavigation), Cabot (Newfoundland).
- Consequences of Geographical Explorations:
- Atlantic trade route, colonisation, spice monopoly, gold/silver influx, triangular trade, monetisation.
- Mercantilism:
- Economic policy: acquire gold/silver, reduce imports, increase exports.
- Colonial Policies and Their Effects:
- Colonisation: economic, political, cultural exploitation.
- Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English methods; joint-stock companies.
- Slavery, wealth extraction, loss of rights, cultural destruction, spread of Western practices.
- Changing Economic Orders:
- Merchant Capitalism: raw materials to artisans, merchants as intermediaries.
- Industrial Capitalism: wealth invested in industries, factory profits.
- Industrial Revolution (1780-1850):
- England, mass production, mechanisation, steam, urbanisation, pros/cons.
- Socialism:
- Response to capitalist exploitation; equitable distribution, common ownership; Marx, Engels.
- Imperialism:
- Industrialised countries sought raw materials/markets; led to competition.
- First World War (1914-1918):
- Causes: imperialist rivalry, nationalism, alliances, assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.
- Consequences: devastation, decline of Europe, freedom movements, League of Nations, rise of totalitarianism.
- The Growth of Totalitarianism in Europe:
- State control, rejection of democracy, dictatorship, nationalism, violence.
- Fascism (Mussolini), Nazism (Hitler), militias, elimination of opponents.
- Second World War (1939-1945):
- Causes: Treaty of Versailles, League failure, alliances, appeasement, invasion of Poland.
- Results: devastation, end of European hegemony, UN formation, independence of colonies, US/USSR as superpowers.
- Post-War World:
- Cold War, Non-Aligned Movement, neo-colonialism, finance capitalism, environmental/social consequences.
Chapter 5: PUBLIC OPINION IN DEMOCRACY
- Public Opinion:
- General opinion on issues; foundation of democracy; empowers citizens; social control over government; encourages debate.
- Civil Society:
- Voluntary organisations/groups for welfare, representing diverse views.
- Characteristics of Public Opinion:
- Diverse, not always majority, changes with time, formed on various matters, ensures democratic communication.
- Factors Influencing Public Opinion:
- Social/cultural background, attitude, belief, leadership, education.
- Agencies that Shape Public Opinion:
- Family, educational institutions, peer groups, media (newspapers, radio, TV, social media), political parties, social institutions, opinion polls, art/literature.
- Factors that Hinder the Formation of Public Opinion:
- Illiteracy, digital divide, poverty, unhealthy politics, corruption, regionalism, hero worship.
- Role in Democracy:
- Ensures participation, policy formation, accountability, questions power, protects rights, evaluates parties.
- Children's Rights:
- Awareness inspires protection/participation, ensures justice; rights to speech, life, survival, respect, protection, participation, education, rest, care.
- Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights functions in the state.
- Fundamental Duties of Citizens (Article 51A):
- Abide by Constitution, respect ideals, flag, anthem; cherish freedom struggle ideals; protect sovereignty/unity; defend country; promote harmony; value heritage; protect environment; develop scientific temper/humanism; safeguard property; strive for excellence; provide education to children (6-14 years).