World Wars and after

History of Russia and Ukraine – UPSC GS1

Early History of Ukraine: A millennium ago, Ukraine was at the heart of the Kyivan Rus’ (Rus’ land). Kyivan Rus was a federation of the East Slavic, Baltic, and Finnic peoples of eastern and northern Europe, with its capital in Kyiv. Modern Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus all trace their cultural ancestry to the Kyivan Rus’. The Kyivan Rus’ reached its greatest …

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Disintegration of USSR and changes in East Europe – UPSC GS1

How USSR collapsed? The fall of the Soviet Union started in the late 1980s with protests in the Eastern Bloc and in Soviet republics along with the Soviet exit from Afghanistan. The Soviet Union sent troops to Afghanistan in 1979. After 10 years of fighting the Mujahideen, who were backed by the U.S., Pakistan and …

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India’s Contribution to WW2 – UPSC GS1

India’s Contribution to World War II: WW2: World War II, also called Second World War, was a conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 1939–45. The principal belligerents were: Axis powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan. Allies: France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and, to a lesser extent, China. India sacrificed …

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Sykes-Picot Agreement – UPSC GS1

What was Sykes-Picot Agreement? One hundred years ago Britain and France signed a secret agreement carving out “spheres of influence” that ultimately created the modern Western Asia after WWI. Agreement was mainly concerned with dividing Ottoman Empires territories among England and France and preserving their own colonial interests. Why in news now? West Asia lies …

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