The establishment of rule by one country over another is known as____…

The correct answer is Option (3) → Colonialism

Option (1) Aristocracy — Incorrect. Aristocracy is rule by a small privileged class of nobles within a country. It tells us who holds power inside a society, not that one country rules another.

Option (2) Monarchy — Incorrect. Monarchy is rule by a king or queen within a country, such as the monarchy of France that the French Revolution aimed at overthrowing. It is a form of rule inside one country, not the rule of one country over another.

Option (3) Colonialism — Correct. At one level, colonialism means the establishment of rule by one country over another. In the modern period western colonialism has had the greatest impact; British rule over India is the example the chapter studies.

Option (4) Feudalism — Incorrect. Feudalism is a system in which land is held by lords and worked by peasants who owe them labour, rent or service in return. It describes the relations between landlords and peasants inside a society, not the rule of one country over another.

Note: The concepts in Option (1), ‘Aristocracy’, and Option (4), ‘Feudalism’, are not in NCERT (2025-26); explained here for the benefit of the students.