IMPORTANT DATES
CLASS 12 POLITICAL SCIENCE
Chapter 2
End of Bipolarity
1917- Russian/Bolshevik revolution
1979-89- USSR in Afghanistan
1985- Gorbachev became premier of USSR (General Secy of Communist
party)
1990 March- Lithuania becomes the first of the 15 Soviet republics to declare
its independence
1990 June- Russian parliament declares its independence from the Soviet
Union
1991 June- Yeltsin, no longer in the Communist Party, becomes the
President of Russia
8 Dec 1991- CIS formed
25 Dec 1991- Gorbachev resigned; Officially USSR dissolved
1992- Czechoslovakia broke on 31 Dec 1992 into Czech Republic and Slovakia
2001- Tajikistan witnessed a civil war that went on for ten years till 2001
Chapter 4
Contemporary Centres of Power
1948- Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC)
1949- Council of Europe
1951- European Coal and Steel Community (Treaty of Paris)
1957- European Atomic Energy Community-Eura (Treaty of Rome)
1979- First direct elections to the European parliament
1985- Schengen agreement
1992- Maastricht treaty (Formation of the EU)
1999- EU Monetary union established
2002- Euro, a single currency was introduced
2012- Nobel Peace Prize to EU
2020- Britain exit from EU (Brexit)
ASEAN
1967- ASEAN established
1994- ASEAN regional forum estd.
2003- ASEAN communities established (Security, Economic and
SocioCultural)
China
1949- People’s Republic of China (PRC) estd.
1972- Estd. relations with the USA
1973- Four modernisations program by Zhou Enlai
1978- Deng Xiaoping announced Open Door Policy; Economic reforms started
1982- Privatisation of agriculture
1988- Privatisation of industry
2001- Joined WTO
India-China Relations
1950- Tibet was annexed by China
1962- Sino-India war
1964- China conducted its nuclear test
1979- Atal Behari Vajpayee visited China
1988- Rajiv Gandhi visited China
Japan
Aug 1945- Atom bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
1964- Japan joined OECD
South Korea
1950-53- Korean war
1991- Both Korea joined the UN
Chapter 5
Contemporary South Asia
Pakistan
1947 – Got Independence
1947-48 – Indo-Pak conflict for Kashmir
1960 – Indus water treaty with India (brokered by World Bank)
1965- Indo-Pak war
1966- India-Pak signed Tashkent agreement
1971- Bangladesh war
1972- India-Pak signed Shimla agreement
1999- Nawaz Sharif was removed by General Parvez Musharraf
2001- Musharraf became the President
1998- Pak conducted nuclear test
1999- Vajpayee undertook bus journey
1999- India-Pak Kargil war
Bangladesh
1971- Bangladesh war between India-Pak
1975- Sheikh Mujib was killed
1976- Pakistan and Bangladesh establish diplomatic relations
1996 December- India and Bangladesh sign the Farakka Treaty for sharing of
the Ganga Waters
Nepal
1990 and 2002 – Uprisings for democracy
Till 2006- Nepal was a constitutional monarchy
2008- Monarchy abolished and Nepal became democratic republic
Sri Lanka
1948- Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) got independence
1983- Civil war started
1987- India-Sri Lanka accord, India sent peacekeeping force
2009- Civil war ended
Maldives
1968- Transformed from a sultanate to a republic
1988- India sent troops to foil a coup attempt
2005- Multi-party system introduced
Bhutan
2008- Became a constitutional monarchy
SAARC
1985- SAARC established
2004- SAFTA was signed (came into effect in 2006)
2007- Afghanistan joined SAARC
2014 November- The 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal
Chapter 6
International Organisations
UNITED NATIONS
1941- Atlantic charter was signed by US Pres Roosevelt and British PM
Churchill
1943- Tehran Conference
1948- Yalta conference
24 Oct 1945- UN was estd.; UN Day
30 Oct 1945 – India joined the UN
1965- Size of UNSC increased from 11 to 15
2006- UN Human Rights Council
2000- Millennium Developmental Goals (ended in 2015)
2015- Sustainable Developmental Goals (till 2030)
1994- Trusteeship council suspended after the independence of Palau
1944- Bretton Woods conference
1945- IMF and World Bank estd. (HQ- Washington DC,USA)
1957- IAEA estd (HQ- Vienna, Austria)
1961- Amnesty International estd (HQ- London, UK)
1978- Human Rights Watch estd (HQ- New York, USA)
1995- WTO estd (HQ- Geneva, Switzerland)
HQs
New York- UN, UNICEF, Human Rights Watch
Geneva- WTO, ILO
Vienna- IAEA
Washington DC- IMF, World Bank
Hague, Netherlands – ICJ
London - Amnesty International
Secretary-Generals
1. Trygve Lie- From Norway
2. Dag Hammarskjöld – From Sweden. Played key role in Congo
3. U Thant – First Asian (from Myanmar), during Cuban missile crisis
9. Antonio Guterres – From Portugal (ex-PM). Present Secy-General (2017-)
Chapter 7
Security in the Contemporary World
1972 – Biological weapons convention (BWC); Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
1992 – Chemical weapons convention (CWC)
1994- Rwanda civil war, Hutu tribe killed lakhs of Tutsi tribal people
1997- Kyoto Protocol
1974 – India first nuclear test (Pokharan-I)
1998 – India second nuclear test (Pokharan-II)
Chapter 8
Environment and Natural Resources
1959- Antarctic Treaty
1972- Club of Rome published Limits to Growth
1975- The World Council of Indigenous Peoples was formed
1987- Montreal Protocol; Brundtland report published
1991- Antarctic Environmental Protocol
1992- Rio Summit (First Earth summit); Agenda 21
1997- Kyoto Protocol
2002- India signed and ratified Kyoto protocol
2001- Energy conservation Act passed
2003- Electricity act
Chapter 9
Globalisation
1991- India adopted LPG reforms (Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation)
1999- WTO meeting at Seattle, US, which faced widespread protest
2001- First World Social Forum meeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil
2004- Fourth WSF meeting in Mumbai
Chapter 1
Challenges of Nation Building
Aug 1947- India and Pakistan got independence
Nov 1947- Standstill agreement of Hyderabad with Indi
Sep 1948- Hyderabad was merged with India
Jun 1948- Elections in Manipur (first elections based on universal adult
franchise)
1920- Nagpur session of Congress where linguistic principle was recognised
as the basis of reorganisation of state
Dec 1952- Announcement of the formation of Andhra state
Oct 1953- Andhra state formed
1953- State Reorganistion Commission constituted
1956- State Reorganisation Act was passed (14 states and 6 UTs formed)
Formation of states
1960- Maharashtra and Gujarat
1963- Nagaland
1966- Haryana and HP separated from Punjab
2000- Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand
2014- Telangana
2019- J&K and Ladakh was made UTs
2020- Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu merged
Chapter 2
Era of One-Party Dominance
1885- Indian National Congress formed
26 Nov 1949- Constitution of India was adopted
26 Jan 1950- Constitution of India was enforced
25 Jan 1950- Election Commission of India formed
Oct 1951- Feb 1952- First General elections (known as 1952 elections)
2004- EVM wholly adopted for the entire country
1957- First non-Congress govt formed in Kerala by CPI
1959- CPI govt in Kerala was dismissed using President’s rule
1934- Congress Socialist Party was formed
1948- Socialist party separated from Congress
1925- CPI formed
1964- Split in CPI (CPI and CPI-M)
1951- Bhartiya Jana Sangh formed
1959- Swatantra Party formed
Chapter 3
Politics of Planned Development
1929- Start of Great depression
1944- Bombay Plana
1950- Planning Commission formed
1951-56- First FYP (drafted by K N Raj)
1956-61- Second FYP (drafted by P C Mahalanobis)
1961-66- Third FYP
1966-69 – Plan Holiday (Three annual-plans)
1960s- Droughts in Bihar; Green revolution
Chapter 4
India’s External Relations
1947-64- Nehru held the post of PM and External Affairs Minister
1964- Nehru’s Death
Mar 1947- Asian Relations Conference in New Delhi
1949- International conference for the freedom of Indonesia from Dutch;
People’s Republic of China formed
1950- Tibet annexed by China
1954- Panchsheel signed between India and China
1955- Bandung Conference
1956- Suez Canal crisis (Britain attacked Egypt)
1959- Dalai Lama took asylum in India
1961- First NAM summit at Belgrade, Serbia
Oct 1962- Sino-India war
1971- US President Richard Nixon, made a secret visit to China via Pakistan
1976- Diplomatic relation restored btn. India and China
1979- Atal Behari Vajpayee as the External Affairs Minister visited China
1988- Rajiv Gandhi as the PM visited China
Chapter 5
Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress system
1964- Nehru ji died
1964-66- Shastri ji as the PM
1966- Tashkent agreement with Ayub Khan; Shastri Ji died; Indira Gandhi
became the PM
1967- Fourth General elections (called as ‘Political earthquake’); incident of
Gaya Lal in Haryana; Ten-Point programme launched
1969- Presidential election; Split in Congress; V V Giri became the President;
Nationalistion of fourteen banks; FM & Dy PM Morarji Desai resigned
1971- Privy Purse abolished; Fifth General elections; Garibi Hatao and Indira
Hatao campaign; Indira Gandhi became PM again
Chapter 6
The Crisis of Democratic Order
1969- CPI-ML formed by breaking off from CPI-M
1973- Kesavananda Bharati Case (Basic structure doctrine); Justice A N Ray
became the CJI by surpassing three seniors
Jan 1974- Gujarat agitations (leader- Morarji Desai)
Mar 1974- Bihar agitations (leader- J P Narayan)
May 1974- Railway strike (leader- George Fernandes)
1975- Assembly elections in Gujarat held
12 June 1975- Justice Jaganmohan Lal Sinha of Allahabad HC declared Indira
Gandhi election invalid
24 June 1975- SC put a partial stay
25 June 1975- JP Narayan organised a rally in Ramlila ground; National
Emergency was declared by then Pres Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed using Article
352
21 Mar 1977- Emergency ended
1977- Janata Party came into power (first non-Congress govt in Centre);
Morarji Desai became PM (till 1979)
May 1977- Shah commission appointed
1979- Charan Singh became PM with the support of Congress
Chapter 8
Regional Aspirations
Jammu & Kashmir
Oct 1947- Pakistan attacked Kashmir; Maharaja signed instrument of
accession
Mar 1948- Sheikh Abdullah became the PM of Kashmir
1974- Agreement btn. Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah
1982- Sheikh Abdullah died; Farooq Abdullah became the CM
2016- Mahbooba Mufti became the first woman Chief Minister of J&K
5 Aug 2019- Article 370 was abolished
31 Oct 2019- J&K and Ladakh were made UTs
Punjab
1920- Akali Dal formed
1966- Punjab formed
1973- Anandpur Sahib resolution
1984- Operation Blue Star; Assassination of Indira Gandhi (31 Oct) ; Anti-Sikh
riots
2005- PM Manmohan Singh expressed regret over anti-Sikh riots
July 1985- Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal accord (Punjab accord)
The North-East
1960- All Party Hill Leaders Conference formed in Assam
1966- Mizo National Front started armed struggle against India
1986- Peace agreement between Rajiv Gandhi and Laldenga
1979- All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) started anti-foreigner movement
1985- Rajiv Gandhi-AASU accord (Assam accord)
1974- First democratic election to Sikkim assembly
1975- Sikkim fully integrated with India
1961- Liberation of Goa (Operation Vijay) – It became an UT
1987- Goa became a state
Chapter 9
Recent Developments in Indian Politics
16th Century- Babri Masjid built by Mir Baqi
1978- Mandal Commission appointed; BAMCEF formed by Kanshi Ram
1980- Mandal Commission submitted report; BJP formed
1984- Bahujan Samaj Party formed by Kanshi Ram
1985- Shah Bano case
1986- Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act passed; Babri
Masjid premise unlocked
1989- Congress lost Lok Sabha elections; National Front under VP Singh came
into power
1990- Recommendation of Mandal Commission accepted (27% reservation to
OBCs)
Dec 1992- Babri Majid demolition
May 1991- Rajiv Gandhi assassinated
1992- Indira Swahney case against reservation
1993- Mumbai violence because of Babri issue
2002- Anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat after Godhara incident
Prime Ministers
1989-90- National Front- PM V P Singh
1990-91- PM Chandra Shekhar
1991-96- Congress – PM PV Narsimha Rao
May 96- Jun 96 – PM Atal Behari Vajpayee
1996-97- United Front- PM H D Deve Gowda
1997-98- United Front (with Congress) PM I K Gujaral
1998-99 and 1999-04 – NDA I & II – PM Atal Behari Vajpayee
2004-14- UPA I & II – PM Dr Manmohan Singh
2014-Present – NDA III & IV – PM Narendra Modi