18 Jul
CONTENT
- Mercantile Capitalism: Political Developments
- Features of Mercantile Capitalism
- Industrial Capitalism Phase: Political Developments
- Features of Industrial Capitalism
- Financial Capitalism Phase: Political Developments
- Features of Financial Capitalism Phase
- Peasant movements and tribal uprisings in the 18th and 19th centuries
- Modernization and Emergence of Modern Nationalism
- Early phase of Congress (1885-1919)
- Post Swadeshi Movement Constitutional Developments
- Rise of Gandhi; Character of Gandhian nationalism; Gandhi’s popular appeal
- Early Gandhian Movements
- Interwar Sectoral Developments
- 1930-1942
- Post QIM Developments (1942-47)
MODERN INDIA
Mercantile Capitalism: Political Developments
1. Anglo-French Rivalry and the Carnatic Wars
Method of the French intervention:
Q. Comment on the French ambition of building a territorial empire in India. [2016, 10m]
Q. Do you subscribe to the view that Anglo-French tussle in Carnatic demonstrated the internal decay of the provincial chieftains of South India? [2019, 10 Marks]
Q. “It was Dupleix who had first showed the way of intervening in disputes of the Indian rulers and thereby acquiring political control over vast territories a technique which was later perfected by the English East India Company.” Elaborate. [2020, 20 Marks]
Reasons for French failure:
Q. “Neither Alexander the Great nor Napoleon could have won the empire of India by starting from Pondicherry as a base and contending with a power which held Bengal and command of the Sea.” Comment. [2006, 20m]
Q. “Compared to their English counterpart, the French East India Company enjoyed little discretionary power and had to always look up to Paris for all major decisions. This partly explains the failure of the French in India.” Evaluate Critically. [2012, 10m]
Q. “Dupleix made a cardinal blunder in looking for the key of India in Madras: Clive sought and found it in Bengal.” Critically examine. [2013, 10m]
Q. The Carnatic Wars, the Anglo-Mysore Wars and the Anglo-Maratha Wars had virtually eliminated the French from the contest of supremacy in South India. Discuss. [2023, 20m]
2. Conquest of Bengal
Generic Question:
Q. How did the British conquer Bengal in the 18th century? What circumstances helped them? [1998, 60m]
Battle of Plassey:
Q. The battle of Plassey was “not a great battle but a great betrayal.” Comment. [2000, 20m]
Q. “The Battle of Plassey that decided the fate of Bengal was won by Clive through intrigues.” Explain. [2014, 15m, medieval]
Q. After 1757 there grew up a State of Bengal which was a “sponsored state” as well as a “plundered state”. Comment. [1999, 20m]
Q. “The Battle of Plassey that decided the fate of Bengal was won by Clive through intrigues.” Explain. [2014, 15m]
Q. “The Battle of Plassey (1757) thus marked the beginning of political supremacy of the English East India Company in India.” Critically examine. [2018, 10 Marks]
Developments between Plassey and Buxar:
Q. “The revolution of 1760 (Bengal) was really no revolution.” Comment. [1987, 20m]
Q. Discuss the causes that led to the ‘economic drain’ in Bengal following the Battle of Plassey. [2004, 60m]
Q. The East India Company had thought that they had found an ideal puppet in Mir Kasim. Mir Kasim, however, belied the expectation of the company. Examine critically. [2021, 10 Marks]
Battle of Buxar:
Q. “Buxar takes rank amongst the most decisive battles ever fought.” Comment. [1982, 20m]
Q. “Thus ended the famous battle of Buxar, on which depended the fate of India and which was as gallantly disputed as was important in its results.” Comment. [1985, 20m]
Q. How did the East India Company became the de jure power in India? [2009, 30m]
Plassey-Buxar Comparison:
Q. “Plassey did not complete the British conquest of India. Had the English been convincingly defeated in any subsequent battle in India, then (the battle of) Plassey would have remained as a minor episode in the history of India.” Critically examine. [2014, 10m]
Q. “The verdict of Plessey was confirmed by the English victory at Buxar.” Comment. [1996, 20m]
Q. “The verdict at Plassey was confirmed by the English victory at Buxar.” Comment. [2002, 20m]
Q. ‘The Battle of Plassey (1757) was a skirmish while the Battle of Buxar (1764) was a real war.’ Critically examine. [2022, 10m]
3. Anglo-Mysore Wars
Tipu’s modernization efforts:
Q. Why was Mysore considered a threat by the British to their possessions and mercantile interests in the south? Do you think that Tipu Sultan’s posturing became his undoing? [2009, 30m]
Q. “Tipu Sultan was trying to build in Mysore a strong centralised and militarised state, with ambitious territorial design.” Critically examine. [2019, 10 Marks]
Q. Tipu Sultan had little success in setting forth a course of change significantly different from the general experience of 18th century crisis of Indian politics and society where public life tended over and over to become a system of plundering. Critically examine. [2021, 10 Marks]
Third Anglo-Mysore War:
Q. Examine the circumstance which led to the Third Mysore War. Could Cornwallis have avoided it? [2006, 60m]
Tipu’s Characterization
Q. “Haidar Ali was born to build an empire, and Tipu Sultan to lose one”. Comment. [2023, 15 Marks]
4. Anglo-Maratha Wars
First War:
Q. “Anglo-Maratha War covering nearly nine years from the murder of Narayan Rao to the Treaty of Salbai emphatically discloses the vitality of the Maratha nation which had not been exhausted either by the disaster of Panipat or the death of their great Peshwa Madhavrao.” Comment. [1991, 20m]
Q. The British “fought the First Maratha War in a period when their fortunes were at the lowest ebb”. Comment. [1998, 20m]
Q. “The Treaty of Salbai (1782) was neither honorable to the English nor advantageous to their interests.” Comment. [2004, 20m]
Second War:
Q. “The Treaty of Bassein, 1802 was‚ a step which changed the footing on which we, the English stood in western India. It trebled the English responsibilities in an instant.” Comment. [1983, 20m]
Q. “Upon the whole, then, I conclude that the treaty of Bassein was wise, just and a politic measure.” Comment. [1986, 20m] (Ramsay Muir)
Q. “The treaty of Bassein, by its direct and indirect operations, gave the Company the Empire of India.” Comment. [1993, 20m]
Q. “Upon the whole, then, I conclude that the treaty of Bassein was wise, just and a politic measure.” Comment. [2005, 20m]
Third War:
Q. “……. the hunt of the Pindaris became merged in the Third Maratha War.” Comment. [1989, 20m]
Reasons for Maratha Decline:
Q. Trace the course of the Anglo-Maratha relations in the first two decades of the nineteenth century. Account for the ultimate defeat of the Maratha power by the British. [1984, 60m]
Q. How did the British establish their control over Maharashtra in the first two decades of the 19th century? Why did the Maratha challenge ultimately collapse? [1994, 60m]
Q. “The Maratha polity disintegrated through internal stress.” Critically examine. [2017, 10m]
Q. While individually the Marathas were clever and brave, they lacked the corporate spirit so essential for national independence. Discuss with reasons. [2021, 10 Marks]
5. Native States: Ring Fence and Subsidiary Alliance
Q. “The British endeavored as far as possible to live within a Ring-Fence and beyond that they avoided intercourse with the chiefs.” Comment. [1987, 20m]
Q. Examine the essential principles of the Subsidiary Alliance system. How far did it contribute in making the British Company the supreme sovereign authority in India? [2005, 60m]
Features of Mercantile Capitalism
1. Legal-Administrative Arrangement:
Regulating Act of 1773:
Q. “The object of the Act (Regulating) was good, but system that it established was imperfect.” Comment. [2004, 20m]
Administration, Dual Government:
Q. “The Dual System of Government was a complete failure from the outset. In the first place, the abuse of the private trade reached a greater height than ever. In the second place, the demands of the Company for the increase led to gross oppression of the peasantry.” Examine. [2014, 20m]
Robert Clive and Warren Hastings:
Q. “By certain of his actions, Clive has marred both the glory and usefulness of his work.” Comment. [1995, 20m]
Q. How far is it correct to say that if Clive was the founder of the British Empire in India, Warren Hastings was its administrative organizer? [2016, 20m]
2. Zamindari Settlement:
Overall Land Revenue Policy – Long Term Factors:
Q. Examine the major factors shaping the British land-revenue policy in India. How it affected Indian society? [2007, 60m]
Q. What role did economic ideas play in the early phase of the British rule in the shaping of land tenure policy? [2010, 30m]
Zamindari System:
Q. Trace the circumstances that led to the introduction of the Permanent Settlement in Bengal. Discuss its impact on landlords, peasants and the Government. [1981, 60m]
Q. “The Permanent Settlement of land revenue in Bengal was a‚ bold, brave and wise measure.” Comment. [1983, 20m]
Q. Show how British rule led to the spread of landlordism in certain parts of India, and how the peasant was progressively impoverished under this rule. [1985, 60m]
Q. “The permanent system of Bengal though initiated with best of best of intentions, was a sadly blundering affair.” Comment. [1993, 20m]
Q. “The Permanent settlement was a bold, brave and wise measures.” Comment. [1997, 20m]
Q. “Absentee landlordism was a consequential feature of Bengal’s Permanent land settlement.” Comment. [2003, 20m]
Q. “Permanent Settlement disappointed many expectations and introduced there results that were not anticipated.” Comment. [2004, 20m]
Q. “Though the Permanent Settlement had serious defects, it gave tranquility to the countryside and stability to the government.” Comment. [2009, 20m]
Q. “The passing of the land from the hands of the peasant proprietors into the hands of non-cultivating landlords brought about increasing polarization of classes in agrarian areas.” [2018, 10 Marks]
Q. Explain how the Permanent Settlement initiated a rule of property in Bengal and what were its consequences? [2022, 20m]
3. Ideology and Socio-cultural Policy: Orientalism:
Q. Orientalism produced a knowledge of the past to service the needs of the Colonial States.” Elucidate. [2011, 20m]
Q. Can you explain how, after acquiring Diwani, the government of East India Company functioned like ‘an Indian ruler’? [2022, 10m]
4. Historiographical Questions:
Fit of Absentmindedness
Q. The British conquered India‚ “in a fit of absent minded-ness”. Comment. [1997, 20m]
Q. “The rise and expansion of British empire was an accident rather than the result of a deliberate policy and design.” Critically examine this statement. [2002, 60m]
Q. Was it the weakening of the Mughal empire or the rise of regional powers that led to the British conquest of India? Discuss. [2016, 15 Marks, medieval]
Beginning of Modernity?:
Q. “On 23 June 1757, the middle ages of India ended and her modern age began.” Comment. [1992, 20m]
Q. After the Battle of Plassey, how did India transit from the medieval to the modern age? [2016, 10m]
Industrial Capitalism Phase: Political Developments
1. Punjab:
Annexation and British Policy:
Q. “Punjab’s fate after Ranjit Singh was foredoomed as the impulse of neo-Victorian Imperialism was bound to overwhelm it”. Elucidate [2010, 20m]
Q. “Annexation of Punjab was part of a broad north-west frontier policy set in motion after the exit of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.” Critically examine [2015, 10 Marks]
Q. Underline the major considerations of the British imperial power that led to the annexation of Punjab. [2017, 10m]
Ranajit Singh:
Q. “Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in 1839. His death was the signal for an outburst of anarchy all over the Punjab.” Critically examine. [2020, 10 Marks]
Q. ‘The Treaty of Amritsar (1809) was significant for its immediate as well as potential effects.’ Critically examine. [2022, 10m]
Q. Analyze the rise of the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh. [2023, 15 Marks]
2. Sindh:
Q. “We have no right to seize Sind, yet we shall do so and a very advantageous, useful, humane piece of rascality it will be.” Comment. [1984, 20m]
Q. “We have no right to seize Sind, yet we shall do so, and a very advantageous, useful and human piece of rascality it will be.” Comment. [1990, 20m]
Q. “The British conquest of Sind was both a political and moral sequel to the first Afghan war.” Comment. [1995, 60m]
Q. Sir Charles Napier said, “We have no right to seize Sind, yet we shall do so, and a very advantageous, useful, humane piece of rascality it will be.” Comment. [2000, 20m]
3. Native States: Paramountcy and Annexationism
Q. “If we could States without political power, but as royal instruments, we should exist in India as long as our naval supremacy was maintained.” Comment. [1984, 20m]
Q. “If the paramount power cast its imperial cloak over the princes, it was also entitled to see that what was sheltered was in the main creditable.” Comment. [1989, 200 words]
Q. “No native state should be left to exist in India which is not upheld by the British power or the political conduct of which is not under the absolute control.” Comment. [1992, 20m]
Q. “The British policy towards Indian States in 1818-1858 was one of isolation and noninterference tempered by annexation.” Comment. [1996, 20m]
Q. “Dalhousie changed the map of India with speed and thoroughness no campaign could equal.” Comment. [2001, 20m]
Features of Industrial Capitalism
1. Legal-Administrative Arrangement:
The Charter Act (1833):
Q. The Charter Act of 1833 rung down the curtain on the company’s trade and introduced a new concept of government in India.” Substantiate. [2011, 20m]
Logn-term Legal Change:
Q. “The Regulating Act (1773), the Pitt’s India Act (1784) and eventually the Charter Act of 1833 left the East India Company as a mere shadow of its earlier political and economic power in India.” Critically examine. [2015, 10m]
Q. “The need to impose greater parliamentary control over the Company’s affairs increased during the decades (1773 – 1853) after Plassey.” Elucidate. [2016, 20m]
Long Term Administrative Change:
Q. “What kind of administrative change was introduced in India under the East India Company? [1993, 60m]
Judicial Administration:
Q. Discuss the basic features of the judicial administration under the East India Company. Did the British introduce the modern concept of the rule of law in India? [1986, 60m]
2. Revenue Settlement: Ryotwari Settlement
Q. Explain the essential features of the ryotwari system of land revenue with special reference to Thomas Munro’s contribution to its evolution. [1984, 60m]
Q. Discuss the main features of the ‘Raiyatwari Settlement’ in South India. Did it satisfy the aspirations of the peasantry? [2001, 60m]
Q. “Ryotwari falls into three stages – early, middle and late, and the only description common to all is that it is a mode of settlement with small farmers, so small, indeed, that their average holding is, on recent figures, only about 6 ½ acres,” Critically examine. [2013, 10m]
3. Economy:
Commercialization of Agriculture:
Q. Bring out the pattern of commercialization of agriculture in the 19th century. Was it a forced process for the vast majority of poorer peasants? [1986, 60m]
Q. What do you mean by commercialization of Indian Agriculture? Discuss its result. [2006, 60m]
Q. To what extent did the process of commercialization of agriculture affect the rural scene in India? [2010, 30m]
Q. “Colonialism had a twisted logic of its own for commercialization. It emerges on analysis to have been often an artificial and forced process.” Critically examine [2023, 10m]
Rise of landless agrarian labourers; Impoverishment of the rural society
Q. “The poverty of the Indian people was the consequence of the Government’s land revenue and taxation policy.” Discuss this statement with reference to British rule in India in the 19th Century. [1980, 60m]
Impact on Villages:
Q. In British India “the impact of the government on the people meant essentially the impact of government on the village.” [1984, 20m]
Q. “The impact of government on the people meant essentially the impact of government on the village.” Comment. [1988, 20m]
Q. The changing life in Indian village marked best the impact of the British administration on the Indian people. Explain, identifying the process and the extent of the change. [1996, 60m]
Q. What was the impact of early British land policy in the village communities of North India? [2003, 60m]
Q. “The impact of government on the people meant essentially the impact of government on the village.” Comment. [2005, 20m]
Q. “A self-sufficient village, based on agriculture carried on with the primitive plough and bullock power, and handicraft by means of simple instruments, was a basic feature of pre-British Indian economy.” Comment. [2006, 20m]
Deindustrialization:
Overall Artisanal Production and Handicraft
Q. Write a critical note on: “Consequences of the ruin of handicraft industries under the rule of the East India Company.” [1981, 20m]
Q. Trace the gradual decline of the Indian town handicrafts between 1757 and 1880. In what way did it contribute to the economic unification of India? [1987, 60m]
Q. “The rule of the East India Company proved disastrous to the handicraft industry in India for a number of reasons.” Comment. [1991, 20m]
Q. “The British industrial policy in the nineteenth century ruined the Indian handicrafts.” Comment. [2001, 20m]
Q. Critically examine the causes responsible for the phenomenon called ‘de-industrialization’ in India during the nineteenth century. [2016, 20m]
Q. Do you agree that the decline of traditional Indian artisan production was a fact, sad but inevitable”? Discuss. [2023, 20m]
Weaving and Textile
Q. “Weaving”, says R.C. Dutt, “was the national industry of the people and spinning was the pursuit of millions of women.” Indian textiles went to England and other parts of Europe, to China and Japan and Burma and Arabia and Persia and parts of Africa. Elucidate. [2013, 25m]
Q. India has been the world leader in the field of hand spun and hand woven yarn and cloth for many centuries. Many nationalist and Marxist critiques considered that the British dominion deliberately shattered the traditional and world famous handicrafts of India. Comment. [2021, 20 Marks]
4. Ideology and Socio-cultural Policy:
Utilitarians:
Q. Assess the impact of the utilitarian ideas in molding the British attitude towards India. How did the utilitarian try to solve the problem of land revenue? [1992, 60m]
Q. “Sprung from paternalism, the English Utilitarian philosophy as introduced in India rejected its human warmth between rulers and the ruled.” Comment. [2008, 20m]
Q. “James Mill, the apostle of utilitarian philosophy, proposed a revolution off Indian society through the ‘weapon of law’ solely. But in actual policy framing, other influences and considerations weighed much more than the colonial State.” Elucidate. [2015, 20m]
Q. How did the English utilitarian thinking impact India in the British era? [2021, 20 Marks]
Free Traders:
Q. “The forces of free trade and the British determination to create a political and administrative environment conductive to trade and investment had shaped the British policy towards India in the first half of the nineteenth century”. Elucidate. [2012, 10m]
Social Reform, Lord Bentinck:
Q. “The British Indian State experienced the ‘wind of change’ with the arrival of Lord William Bentinck.” Comment. [1999, 20m]
Q. Discuss the important social reform legislation passed in the 19th century and elucidate the reaction of Indian leaders to the measures adopted. [2000, 60m]
Q. “Peace had her victories no less renowned than war.” Examine this statement with reference to Lord William Bentinck. [2016, 20m]
Educational Policy:
Q. Review the educational policy of the English East India Company. To what extent did it serve the imperial interests of Great Britain? [1988, 60m]
Q. What was the Anglicist-Orientalist controversy about? How was it resolved and with what results? [1990, 60m]
Q. What was the significance of Orientalist-Anglicist controversy in nineteenth century India? Analyze. [2018, 10 Marks]
Christian missionary activities in India:
Q. “Nowhere was the influence of the missionaries felt more than in relation to the women’s movement.” Comment. [1989, 20m]
Q. The Christian Missionary propaganda from 1813 onwards was “often insensitive and wounding.” Comment. [1999, 20m]
Q. Examine the forces at work for the introduction of western education in India. Analyse the thrust given to it by the Christian Missionaries. [2019, 20 Marks]
Financial Capitalism Phase: Political Developments
1. The Great Revolt of 1857:
Origin/Causes:
Q. “The Mutiny was not inevitable in 1857, but it was inherent in the constitution of the Empire.” Comment. [1983, 20m]
Q. “The annexation of Awadh shook the loyalty of these Sepoys, as it was for them an ultimate proof of untrustworthiness of the British.” Comment. [2009, 20m]
Q. For long, the Revolt of 1857, has been mistaken to be a mere mutiny of the Indian sepoys in the Bengal army. However, its causes need to be searched for not only in the dissatisfaction of the army, but in a long drawn process of fundamental social and economic change that upset the peasant communities. [2020]
Q. The British rule had a differential impact on Indian society. Describe in what ways, the Indians responded to the revolt of 1857. [2022, 20m]
Nature:
Q. Critically examine the nature of the Revolt of 1857. How did it affect the British policy in India after 1858? [1980, 60m]
Q. Examine the nature of the Revolt of 1857 and indicate the manifold changes in British civil and military administration of India after 1857. [1998, 60m]
Nationalist and First War of Independence:
Q. “On the whole, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the so-called First National War of Independence was neither First, nor National, nor a war of Independence.” Comment. [1985, 20m]
Q. Do you believe that the uprising in 1857 was nationalist in nature? If not, what was its character? [1999, 60m]
Q. “The military, feudal and traditional overtones of the Revolt of 1857 were overshadowed by its nationalist or proto-nationalist character.” Critically examine. [2014, 10m]
Q. “The Mutiny of 1857 was much more than a Mutiny of Sepoys and much less than a National Rebellion.” Comment. [2016, 10m]
Causes of Failure:
Q. “The Revolt of 1857 seemed to call the very presence of the British into question. What it did not do was reverse these changes.” Comment. [2007, 20m]
Q. “In 1857, the rebel sepoys showed a remarkable centripetal tendency to congregate at Delhi.” Do you agree? Substantiate. [2011, 30m]
Consequences
Change in British Policy:
Q. “1858 is the Great Divide in modern Indian history, as the policy, practice and ideals of the government that followed differed fundamentally from the government of the Company which it displaced.” Discuss. [1979, 60m]
Q. Critically examine the nature of the Revolt of 1857. How did it affect the British policy in India after 1858? [1980, 60m] (second part)
Q. “The new attitude of caution and conservatism can be detected in almost every sphere of British activity in India after the Revolt of 1857.” Comment. [1994, 20m]
Q. Examine the nature of the Revolt of 1857 and indicate the manifold changes in British civil and military administration of India after 1857. [1998, 60m]
Q. “In terms of administrative structure, the Government of India act of 1858, … meant more continuation than change.” Do you agree? Substantiate. [2010,20m]
Significance in Freedom Struggle:
Q. “Whatever might have been its original character, it (Rebellion of 1857) soon became a symbol of challenge to the mighty British power in India.” Comment. [1988, 20m]
Q. “Whatever might have been its original character, it (Rebellion of 1857) soon became a symbol of challenge to the mighty British power in India.” Comment. [2005, 20m]
2. Native States Post-1857:
Q. Review the relations of the Government of India with Indian States in the period 1858-1918 with particular reference to the cases where the doctrine of paramount was asserted by the Government. [1983, 60m]
Q. What changes did the British attitude undergo towards the Princely states after 1858? Was the Government of India Act of 1858 intended to introduce direct relations between the Princes and the Crown? [1985, 60m]
Q. “It is sometimes asked by Ruling Chiefs, as well as by the public in India and in Europe what our policy towards Native States is. I can tell you that the basis of the policy was laid in Queen Victoria’s Proclamation of 1858 and repeated in the Coronation message of His Majesty the King Emperor.” Comment. [1986, 20m]
Q. “The relations of the Native States, however conducted are essentially relations with the British Crown and not with the Indian Government.” Comment. [1991, 20m]
Q. Explain the British policy of ‘Subordinate union’ of Indian States with British India from 1858 to 1905. How did the Government of India implement this policy during this period? [1993, 60m]
Q. Towards the Princes, Canning adopted a policy of “punishing resistance and rewarding obedience.” Comment. [2000, 20m]
Features of Financial Capitalism Phase
1. Railway:
Q. “Railway development in India provides an interesting instance of private enterprise at public risk.” Comment. [2010, 20m]
Q. “Instead of serving as the catalyst of an industrial revolution as in Western Europe and the USA, Railway in India acted as ‘the catalyst of complete colonization.” Examine. [2012, 10m]
Q. “The British railway construction policy in India benefited British economy in the nineteenth century.” Critically examine. [2017, 10m]
Q. “Not until independence, when economic development became a conscious and pursued policy, did the Railways begin to realize their potential for assisting in the transformation of the Indian economy.” Critically examine. [2019, 10 Marks]
2. Famine:
Q. “The recurring famines in the 19th century were the inevitable consequence of the British policy and expose the real character of the paternal solicitude for the peasantry on the part of the British administration.” Examine this statement critically. [2002, 60m]
Q. “India underwent suffering and mortality in the wake of recurring famines in the later half of the 19th century.” Comment. [2003, 20m]
Q. Trace the development of the famine policy of the British in India 1876 and 1921. Did it provide relief to the people? [2005, 60m]
Q. Critically examine the impact of the famine policy on rural India. Describe the official remedial measures undertaken. [2008, 60m]
Q. Explain the factors responsible for the recurrence of famines in the nineteenth century. What remedial measures were adopted by the British Indian Government? [2017, 20m]
Q. ‘Famines were not just because of foodgrain scarcity, but were a direct result of colonial economic policy.’ Critically examine. [2022, 10m]
3. Free Trade: European business enterprise and its limitations
Q. “The hey-day of the British power in India was also the high noon of laissez faire’ economic doctrine.” Comment. [1990, 20m]
Q. “Plantations and mines, jutes mills, banking, insurance, shipping and export-import concerns in India were run through a system of interlocking managing agencies.” Critically examine. [2012, 10m]
4. Overall: Colonial Economy
Q. Assess critically the economic impact of the British rule in India till the end of the nineteenth century. [1979, 60m]
Q. Give a brief account of the industrial and agricultural policy of the Government of India between 1858 and 1914. How far is it correct to say that it was more in the interest of British capital than the Indian people? [1981, 60m]
Q. Identify the distinct stages of colonialism in India. How did these stages affect the Indian economy? [1991, 60m]
Q. Discuss the view that the British rule brought about economic changes in India to serve the needs of the imperial economy and establish a dependent form of underdevelopment in this country. [2000, 60m]
Q. “Under the forceful thrust of British colonialism, Indian economy was transformed into a colonial one, the structure of which was determined by the requirements of Britain’s fast developing industrial economy.” Examine. [2015, 20m]
5. Drain of Wealth:
Q. Trace the course and explain the consequences of the drain of wealth from Bengal in the eighteenth century. [1982, 60m]
Q. “Our system acts very much like a sponge, drawing up all the good things from the banks of the Ganges, and squeezing them down on the banks of the Thames.” Comment. [1985, 20m]
Q. The Indian Middle Class firmly believed that “Britain had imposed a colonial economy on India which had impoverished the country.” Comment. [1999, 20m]
Q. Write a critique on the impact of the Drain Theory of Dadabhai Nauroji in the growth of economic nationalism. [2008, 60m]
Q. “The need for a unilateral transfer of funds to Britain was constant factor and, in fact, progressively increased over time.” Critically evaluate. [2011, 20m]
Q. How far was the drain theory a focal point of nationalist critique of colonialism? [2019, 20m]
6. Ideology and Socio-cultural Change: Paternalistic Despotism
Long Term Impact:
Q. Examine the impact of British rule on Indian Society in the 19th Century. [2004, 60m]
Racism, Paternalism, Despotism:
Q. “The British Raj had a deeply racist aspect and it ultimately existed to protect colonial exploitation.” Comment. [1994, 20m]
Q. “An ideology of paternalistic benevolence, occasionally combined with talk of trusteeship and training towards self-government, thinly veiled the realities of a Raj uncompromisingly white and despotic.” [2018, 10m]
White Man’s Burden:
Q. “The Government of India from Canning to Curzon was regarded‚ as a white man’s burden rather than as a call to creative effort or the preparation for a new era.” Comment. [1995, 20m]
Peasant movements and tribal uprisings in the 18th and 19th centuries
Causes and character:
Tribal and Peasants:
Q. Discuss the origins and character of major peasant and tribal uprisings in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Were these protest movements backwards-looking? [1992, 60m]
Q. The historical significance of tribal and peasant uprisings in India ‘lies in that they established strong and valuable traditions of resistance to British rule. Discuss. [2023, 20m]
Tribal Revolts:
Q. Tribal movements should be viewed as‚ ‘History from below‛. Discuss the objects and nature of the movements in 19th century India. [1997, 60m]
Q. “Tribals revolted more often and far more violently than any other community including peasants in India.” Elaborate [2011, 30m]
Q. How far is it correct to say that the 19th century tribal uprisings are a part of subaltern nationalism? [2016, 20m]
Eastern India:
Q. “Tribal revolts were a reaction to an alien, unfeeling administration.” Elucidate with reference to the British tribal policy in Eastern India in the nineteenth century. [1982, 60m]
Q. Discuss briefly the tribal revolts in Eastern India from 1817 to 1857. Were they directed against landlordism and colonialism? [1988, 60m]
Rangpur Dhing (1783), Kol Rebellion (1832)
Q. “… the Kol insurrection was mainly a war of the tribal inhabitants of Chotanagpur against the non tribal settlers and service holders.” Critically examine. [2019, 10 Marks]
Santal Hul (1855)
Q. “The Santhal hool began in July 1855. The core of the movement was economic, the basic cause of the uprising was agrarian discontent.” – Elucidate [2012, 10m]
Q. Do you feel that the Santhal Hool (rebellion) 1855-56, was the most effective tribal movement in pre-1857 India? [2020, 10 Marks]
Q. ‘Penetration of outsiders – called Dikus by the Santhals – completely destroyed their familiar world, and forced them into action to take possession of their lost territory.’ Critically examine. [2022, 10m]
1. The shift in the character of peasant uprisings in the post-1857 period:
Trend and Characteristics:
Q. Identify the various forms of ‘rural protest’ in India in the second half of the nineteenth century. Were they expressions of anti-landlord or anti-foreign discontent? [1987, 60m]
Q. “The peasant movements of the second half of the nineteenth century lacked a positive conception which would unite the people in a common struggle on a wide regional and all-India plane and help develop long-term political developments.” Critically evaluate. [2012, 10m]
Q. After 1857, “the peasants emerged as the main force in agrarian movements.” Critically examine [2023, 10m]
Indigo Rebellion (1859-60)
Q. “The Indigo Revolt of 1859-60 holds a very significant place in our history of national liberation movement. For the first time in the history of our anti-colonial struggle, its two independent currents– spontaneous peasant resistance and constitutional agitation in defence of peasantry – came into mutual contact.” Critically examine. [2015, 10m]
Q. The root of the whole question behind the Indigo Revolt is the struggle to make the raiyats grow indigo plants without paying them the price of it’. Analyse. [2023, 10m]
2. The peasant movements of the 1920s and 1930s:
Trend and Characteristics:
Q. Write a brief essay on the peasant movement in India between 1921 and 1947. [1980, 60m]
Q. “The nationalist political movements for liberation such as the non-cooperation and civil disobedience movements and their leadership depended heavily on the peasantry.” Comment. [1993, 20m]
Q. Analyze the nature of peasant movements during the nationalist phase and bring out their shortcomings. [2015, 20m]
Q. Discuss the nature of peasant movements under the Kisan Sabhas during 1920-1940. [2017, 10m]
Modernization and Emergence of Modern Nationalism
1. Emergence of Modern Nationalism:
Q. Examine the economic and social factors which led to the rise of Indian nationalism in the second half of the nineteenth century. [2001, 60m]
2. The rise of press, literature and public opinion; The rise of modern vernacular literature:
Vernacular Press:
Q. “The vernacular press in the nineteenth century was both newspaper as well as ‘views-papers’ that enlightened the dormant masses.” Comment. [2008, 20m]
Q. “The vernacular press in nineteenth century India served not just as newspapers but more importantly as views-papers.” Comment. [2011, 20m]
Q. Assess the role of press in arousing awareness on important social issues in the second half of the nineteenth century. [2017, 20m]
Q. The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was designed for better control of the vernacular press and to empower the government with more effective means of punishing and repressing seditious writings. Critically examine. [2021, 10 Marks]
Q. To accomplish the aims of education, ‘political propaganda and formation as well as propagation of nationalist ideology’, the press became the chief instrument. Comment. [2023, 10m]
Vernacular Literature:
Q. Do you agree with the view that the growth of vernacular literature in the 19th and the 20th centuries paved the way for social reform and cultural revival in India? [2016, 10m]
3. Socio-Religious Reform:
Modernity and Westernization:
Q. Write a critical note on: “Impact of western contact on social changes in the first half of 19th century.” [1981, 20m]
Q. “The new India was not to be built up, as late nineteenth century patriots had thought, by copious draught from the past, but rather by frequent injections from the energetic contemporary west.” Comment. [1990, 20m]
Q. India broke her British fetters with western hammers.” Comment. [1997, 20m]
Q. The 19th century Indian renaissance was both an acceptance and rejection of western values. Do you agree? [1997, 60m]
Q. “India broke her British fetters with Western hammers.” Comment. [2002, 20m]
Q. “The educated middle class in the 19th century often found the domain of reason to be oppressive, as it implied the historical necessity of ‘civilizing’ colonial rule.” Comment. [2010, 20m]
Q. “Faced with the challenge of the intrusion of colonial culture and ideology an attempt to reinvigorate traditional institutions and to realize the potential of traditional culture developed during the nineteenth century.” [2018, 10m]
Q. “Two important intellectual criteria which informed the reform movements were rationalism and religious universalism.” Critically examine. [2019, 10 Marks]
Q. The introduction of Western education transformed India in unforeseen ways. Critically examine. [2021, 10 Marks]
Q. Was the Western education a harbinger of cultural awakening or an instrument of cultural hegemony? Discuss. [2022, 20m]
Socio-Religious Reform: Content and Consequences
Q. “These religion-reform movements were national in content but religious in form. It was in the later stages of our national existence, that nationalism found exclusively or predominantly secular forms.” Comment. [1985, 20m]
Q. “The religious reform movements of the 19th century were endeavours to recast the old religion (Hinduism) into a new form suited to meet the needs of the new society.” Comment. [1996, 20m]
Q. “The national democratic awakening of the Indian people found expression also in the religious sphere.” Comment. [2005, 20m]
Q. Discuss the extent to which the Indian Renaissance movement contributed towards the rise of nationalist consciousness. [2010, 30m]
Q. “The first point to note is the continuing importance of religion and philosophy as vital ingredients in the modern Indian renaissance. Indeed, there is as much reason for regarding it as a reformation as there is for treating it as a renaissance.” Critically examine. [2013, 25m]
Q. “In the initial stages, when Indian nationalism was immature, just sprouting, it found expression in many liberal religious reform movements.” Critically examine. [2020, 10m]
Q. The universalist perspective of socio-religious reform movements was not a purely philosophic concern; it strongly influenced the political and social outlook of the time’. Examine. [2023, 20m]
Miscellaneous:
Q. Examine the main trends in social reform and social change in India between 1829 and 1929. [1979, 60m]
4. Specific Socio-Religious Reform Movements:
The Young Bengal Movement:
Q. “Young Bengal left little distinctive or permanent impression on the plane of religion and philosophy.” Critically evaluate. [2011, 30m]
Ram Mohan Roy, The Brahmo Movement, Devendranath Tagore:
Q. “Ram Mohan Roy presents a most instructive and inspiring study for the New India of which he is the type and pioneer.” Comment. [1982, 20m]
Q. “Ram Mohan thus presents a most instructive and inspiring study for the New India of which he is the type and pioneer.” Comment. [1986, 20m]
Q. “The contact of the new Indian middle class with the West proved to be a catalyst. The social and religious movements launched by Ram Mohan or Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar have to be understood in this context.” – Elucidate. [2012, 10m]
Q. “The chief value of Raja’s (Raja Rammohan Roy) labours seems to lie in his fight against the forces of medievalism in India.” Critically examine. [2017, 10m]
Dayananda Saraswati:
Q. The Arya Samaj “did not; however, succeed in capturing the imagination of modern India as a whole.” Comment. [1998, 20m]
Q. “The Arya Samaj may quite logically be pronounced as the outcomes of conditions imported into India by the west.” Comment. [2009, 20m]
Q. “Swami Dayanand’s philosophy represents both elements of extremism and social radicalism.” Substantiate. [2015, 20m]
Q. “The Arya Samaj may quite logically be pronounced as the outcome of conditions imported into India from the West.” Critically examine. [2017, 10m]
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda:
Q. “So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who having been educated at their expense, pay not the least need to them.” Comment. [2006, 20m]
Q. Swami Vivekananda opined that “we should give our ancient spirituality and culture and get in return Western Science, technology, methods of raising the standard of life, business integrity and technique of collective effort.” Critically examine. [2013, 10m]
Q. “Though Sri Ramakrishna became the prophet of neo-Hinduism, he never claimed to have founded any new religion.” Elaborate. [2014, 20m]
5. Women’s Movement:
Q. Review the main trends in the Social Movements in India from 1900 to 1947 with particular reference to the changing position of women in the country. [1984, 60m]
Q. To what extent did the socio-religious movements contribute to the emancipation of women in the 19th century? [1993, 60m]
Q. “Widow Remarriage Act was, in many ways, a logical sequel to the abolition of Sati.” Comment. [1994, 20m]
Q. “Of the evils which corroded Indian society in the nineteenth century were probably those which stunted its womanhood.” Comment. [2007, 20m]
Q. How did social legislation in the nineteenth century improve the condition of women in India? [2009, 30m]
Q. How far was the widow remarriage movement effective in arousing social concern for Indian women? [2019, 10 Marks]
6. Caste Movements:
Q. What led to the Caste Movements in Western and Southern India? How did they affect the local socio-political life? [1989, 60m]
Q. Analyses the main contours of Non-Brahmin Movements in Western and South India in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. [1991, 60m]
Q. Trace the course and comment on the character of caste movements in south India in the 20th century. How far was their object achieved? [1995, 60m]
Q. How did Dr. B.R. Ambedkar try to seek a political solution to the problem of caste in India? [2016, 10m]
Q. “Sri Narayana guru’s was a major intervention in the social reform movement from a subaltern perspective.” Critically examine. [2017, 10m]
Early phase of Congress (1885-1919)
1. Ilbert Bill, White Racism:
Q. “The Ilbert Bill was the most extreme but by no means isolated expression of white racism.” Comment. [1987, 20m]
Q. “The national democratic awakening of the Indian people found expression of white racism.” Comment. [1987, 20m]
Q. “It was in this almost unrecognizable form that the Ilbert Bill was finally enacted….it was primarily a failure of the Viceroy.” Comment. [1992, 20m]
Safety Valve Theory:
Q. Discuss ‘the safety valve’ theory. Does it satisfactorily explain the foundation of the Indian National Congress? [1991, 60m]
Q. To what extent was the emergence of the Congress in 1885 the culmination of a process of political awakening that had its beginning in the 1870s? [2000, 60m]
Q. “The ‘safety-valve thesis’ does not adequately explain the birth of the Indian National Congress in 1885.” Critically examine. [2014, 10m]
Q. In its political behaviour the Indian National Congress in its early career was never a radical organisation, besides the founders of the Congress involved A.O. Hume in their project. Do these facts verify that the Congress was founded as a ‘Safety valve’? Explain. [2020, 20 Marks]
Early Congress and Moderates:
Success and failure of Moderates:
Q. Describe briefly the ideals and programme of the Indian National Congress between 1885 and 1905 and assess official response to it. [1980, 60m]
Q. Describe the nature of Indian Nationalism with special reference to the character of its leadership in the period between 1885 and 1905. [1982, 60m]
Q. “Politics remained for the bulk of the Moderates very much a part-time affair. The Congress was not a political party, but an annual three-day show…” Elucidate. [2014, 20m]
Q. Can method and politics of the moderates be referred to as ‘political mendicancy? [2018, 10 Marks]
Q. Discuss the policies and programs of the early nationalists (moderates). To what extent they were able to fulfil the aspirations of the people? [2022, 20m]
Social Composition:
Q. Analyze the social composition of the early Congress leadership. [2009, 30m]
Curzon’s Policies:
Q. “Curzon’s political obtusely created a breach between government and people which was never wholly closed in the remaining forty-two years of British rule.” Comment. [1984, 20m]
Q. “Curzon was an unconscious catalyst who did not understand, let alone desire, what the new century was about to bring forth, but who helped it to be born.” Comment. [1989, 20m]
Q. “The tragedy of Cruzan lay in that, with such abundance of trained talent; he was denied the crowning qualities. He was never an administrator of the first rank.” Comment. [1991, 20m]
Q. “At the dawn of the twentieth century Lord Curzon, the viceroy of India, was full of hostility towards the Indian National Congress and he confidentially reported to the secretary of state in November 1900: My own belief is that the congress is tottering to its fall, and one of my greatest ambitions while in India is to assist it to a peaceful demise.” Examine. [2013, 25m]
Swadeshi Movement:
Partition of Bengal
Q. “Curzon’s partition of Bengal gave the unwitting initiative to events of magnitude and returned many years later to port with the cargo of freedom.” Comment. [1997, 20m]
Character and trends:
Q. “The Anti-Partition Agitation (1905) had an economic character in Bengal unlike the Extremist Agitation in Maharashtra which had a religious character.” Examine. [2014, 20m]
Q. Explain “Constructive Swadeshi” Characterised by atmashakti (self-reliance), which propelled the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal. [2016, 10m]
Q. How would you explain the major trends of the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal? [2019, 20 Marks]
Surat Split:
Q. Trace the factors which led to a split in the Indian national Congress in 1907. What was its impact on the course of the nationalist movement? [2003, 60m]
Significance:
Q. Write a critical note on: Significance of the Swadeshi Movement 1905-07 in the freedom struggle. [1981, 20m]
Q. “India after 1905 had new interests and objectives and compelled new lines of policy.” Comment. [1996, 20m]
Post Swadeshi Movement Constitutional Developments
1. Long-term Trend:
Q. Discuss the major constitutional developments in India after 1858 and their impact on society and polity. [2021, 20 Marks]
2. Acts:
The Indian Councils Act 1909:
Separate electorate:
Q. The Reforms of 1909 introduced ‘a cardinal problem and ground of controversy at every revision of the Indian electoral system.’ Comment. [1982, 20m]
Q. “Please remember, in granting separate electorates, we are sowing dragon’s teeth, and the harvest will be bitter.” Comment. [1992, 20m]
Q. “Please remember, in granting separate electorates we are sowing the dragon’s teeth and harvest will be bitter.” Comment. [2009, 20m]
The Government of India Act, 1919:
Declaration:
Q. The Montague Declaration (20 August 1917) was observed more closely in the “realm of imperial relations” than anything else. Comment. [1998, 20m]
Failure of Dyarchy:
Q. Explain the main features of Mont-Ford Reforms. How far did they implement the policy of administrative devolution? [1983, 60m]
Q. “Dyarchy was Introduced with high hopes and it must be said that, on a theoretical analysis and if worked under ideal conditions, it is not without merits.” Comment. [1988, 20m]
Q. Diarchy provided by the Mont-Ford Reforms “certainly created suspicion without the frictions within.” Comment. [1995, 20m]
Q. “Montague-Chelmsford reform proposals introduced ‘dyarchy’ but blurred the lines of responsibility.” Critically examine. [2014, 10m]
Q. Could Dyarchy (1919) satisfy the national sentiments of the Indians? [2018, 10 Marks]
Rise of Gandhi; Character of Gandhian nationalism; Gandhi’s popular appeal
Gandhi’s Rise to Power:
Q. How would you explain Gandhiji’s ‘rise to power’ or ‘capture’ of national leadership in the course of 1919-20? Was it a very skillful top-level political game? [1987, 60m]
Character of Gandhian Mass Movement:
Q. Gandhi restrained mass-movements yet he retained his popularity among the masses. How do you explain this paradox? [1994, 60m]
Q. “Gandhi’s mystique consisted of a union of original ideas with a remarkable flair for tactics and an uncanny insight in the mass mind.” Elucidate. [1999, 60m]
Q. “Gandhi restrained mass movements, yet he retained his popularity among the masses.” Comment. [2002, 20m]
Q. “Is moral law, the laws of conscience, higher than the law of the State which is oppressive?” Comment. [2008, 20m]
Q. “Gandhi’s body is in jail, but his soul is with you, India’s prestige is in your hands, you must not use any violence under any circumstances. You will be beaten but you must not resist, you must not raise a hand to ward off blows.” Critically examine. [2013, 10m] (context of CDM)
Q. Discuss how the Satyagrahas of Gandhi removed the spell of fear among Indians and thus knocked off an important pillar of imperialism. [2017, 20m]
Q. “In the divided and contestable space of Indian politics, Gandhiji could claim for himself a centrist position because he alienated neither and tactically combined the goal of the moderates with the means of the extremists.” Discuss. [2020, 20 Marks]
Character of the National movement:
Q. At different periods and at various levels, the National Movement assumed social, cultural and economic dimensions. Amplify. [1988, 60m]
Q. What were the various ways in which nationalism manifested itself in India during colonial rule? [2021, 20 Marks]
Q. Do you think that the Indian National Movement was a ‘multi class movement’ which represented the anti-imperial interests of all classes and strata? Give reasons in support of your answer. [2022, 20m]
Early Gandhian Movements
1. Rowlatt Satyagraha:
Q. “This retention of Rowlatt legislation in the teeth of universal opposition is an affront to the nation. Its repeal is necessary to appease national honour.” Critically examine. [2015, 10m]
2. NCM-Khilafat Movement:
Causes
Q. What were the circumstances that led Mahatma Gandhi to start the Non-cooperation Movement? Examine its contribution to India’s struggle for freedom. [1980, 60m]
Q. “Awakened political consciousness of Indian masses, bound with dishonourable and cowardly insults of the British led to the movement of Non-Cooperation.” Critically examine [2023, 10m]
NCM-Khilafat Connection
Q. Explain the circumstances leading to the alliance between the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements. Was it a politically wise step on the part of the Congress? [2007, 60m]
Q. “M.K Gandhi made a gross mistake in championing the Khilafat cause, an extra-territorial issue which cut at the very roots of Indian nationality.” Critically examine. [2014, 10m]
Mopla Rebellion in Malabar
Q. “The roots of Moplah discontent were clearly agrarian….” Comment. [1986, 20m]
Q. The roots of the Moplah uprising (1921) were clearly agrarian. Do you agree? [1990, 60m]
Q. The 1921 Moplah rebellion was “in essence an expression of long-standing agrarian discontent which was intensified by the religious and ethnic identity.” Comment. [2000, 20m]
Q. Was the Moplah Rebellion in Malabar an expression of anti-landlord and anti-foreign discontent? Discuss. [2018, 20 Marks]
Sudden Withdrawal and Revolutionary movement
Q. “Many of us who worked for the congress programme lived in a kind of intoxication during the year 1921. We were full of excitement and optimism… we had a sense of freedom and pride in that freedom.” Critically examine. [2013, 10m]
Q. Do you consider the suspension of Non-Cooperation Movement a “national calamity”? [2018, 20 Marks]
Q. Do you agree with the fact that the virtual failure of the Non-Cooperation Movement and the gloom that descended on the nationalistic scene, created conditions for the revolutionary activities? Discuss. [2020, 20 Marks]
Interwar Sectoral Developments
1. Modern Industry:
Q. Trace the industrial growth of British India after the First World War. How did the Government’s tariff policy influence the growth? [1983, 60m]
Q. Identify the main features of industrial development in India from 1914 to 1947 with special reference to the emergence of a class of factory laborers. [1989, 60m]
Q. How do you account for the rise and growth of the Business enterprise in India during the first half of the 20th century? [1994, 60m]
Q. Economic changes in India from the late 1920s influenced the course of the country’s politics. Elucidate. [1995, 60m]
2. The Revolutionaries:
General Questions:
Q. Discuss the nature, methods and activities of the Terrorist Revolutionary Movement and assess its place in India’s Freedom Struggle. [1979, 60m]
Q. “The very idea of the bomb and the secret society, and of propaganda through action and sacrifice were import from the West.” Critically examine. [2015, 10m]
Q. Analyse how the revolutionaries taught people self-confidence and widened the social base of the freedom movement. [2022, 10m]
Phases:
Q. Examine the causes of the rise and progress of revolutionary movements in India from 1905 to 1931. [2003, 60m]
Q. Describe the changing nature of revolutionary activities in India between 1905 – 1946. [2008, 60m]
Q. In the first decade of the 20th century, the atmosphere was ripe for the emergence of revolutionary groups to fill up the vacant space in the political map of the country. Critically examine. [2021, 10 Marks]
During World War 1:
Q. Trace the origin of the Ghadar movement and discuss its impact on the revolutionaries in India. [2017, 20m]
3. Rise of Left:
General:
Q. A powerful left-wing group developed in India in the late 1920s and 1930s, contributing to the radicalization of national movement.” Critically Examine. [2015, 10m]
Q. Underline the growth of various forms of Socialist ideologies in the Indian National Movement between World War I and II. [2018, 20 Marks]
Left within Congress, CSP:
Q. Assess the role of the Left Wing within the Indian National Congress between 1920 and 1947. [1981, 60m]
Q. Account for the rise and growth of Left-wing within the Congress. Did Jawaharlal Nehru believe in a socialistic approach to Indian and world problems and if so why? [1986, 60m]
Q. ‘The National Movement has shown concern for problems other than the constitutional one.’ Discuss the factors that helped the rise of a left wing in the Indian National Congress. [1990, 60m]
Q. Account for the rise and growth of leftism in the Congress movement. What impact did it have on contemporary Indian politics? [1997, 60m]
Q. Discuss the nature of the leadership and programme of the Congress Socialist party. [2002, 60m])
Q. Account for the emergence of the left-wing within the Congress. How far did it influence the programme and policy of the congress? [2006, 60m]
Q. The emergence of left-wing group in the Congress redicalized its social economic agenda.” Critically evaluate. [2011, 20m]
Q. The Congress Socialist Party agenda was not to cut-off from the Congress, but ‘intended to give the Congress and the national movement a socialist direction’. Analyse. [2023, 20m]
Communism and Trade Unionism:
Q. “The Trade Union Movement in India not only supported the call for national struggle at critical junctures, but also impacted its course and character in several ways.” Critically examine. [2020, 10 Marks]
Q. The rise of Communist Movement in India in the 1920s lent a militant and revolutionary content to the Trade Union Movement. Critically examine. [2021, 10 Marks]
Bose
Q. “The ideology of Subhash Chandra Bose was a combination of nationalism, fascism and communism.” Comment. [2002, 20m]
Q. Assess the role of Subas Chandra Bose in India’s struggle for independence. [2019, 20 Marks]
4. Other Trends:
The people’s movement in Indian States
Q. Trace the course of the people’s movement in Indian States after 1937. How did the Congress leadership react to it? [1996, 60m]
Women and Indian youth and students in Indian politics (1885-1947)
Q. “The active participation of Aruna Asaf Ali in 1942 movement symbolized the role of women in India’s freedom struggle.” Comment. [2010, 20m]
Q. What significant role did women play in the Indian National Movement? [2016, 20m]
Q. “In the early twentieth century, there came into existence a number of women’s organisations, which operated more actively in the public arena and focused more directly on women’s political and legal rights.” Critically examine. [2020, 10 Marks]
1930-1942
1. Civil Disobedience Movement:
Causes:
Q. Analyse the factors responsible for the Civil Disobedience movement (1930-31). How far were its aims realised in the Government of India Act of 1935? [2005, 60m]
Q. When Gandhiji launched the Civil Disobedience Movement he was “desperately in search of an effective formula.” Critically examine [2023, 10m]
Business Pressure:
Q. Identify the main strands in the Civil Disobedience Movement with particular reference to the changing role of ‘business pressures’ in the country [1985, 60m]
Karachi Congress:
Q. Show how Civil Disobedience was marked by much scattered potentially radical manifestations. Was the Karachi Congress an indication of certain basic weakness of the entire movement? [1992, 60m]
Q. “At Karachi in 1931, the congress defined what Swaraj would mean for the masses.” Comment. [2007, 20m]
CDM and 1935 Act:
Q. Analyse the factors responsible for the Civil Disobedience movement (1930-31). How far were its aims realised in the Government of India Act of 1935? [2005, 60m]
2. Between CDM and QIM
The Government of India Act of 1935:
Q. Explain the attitude of the Indian National Congress towards the constitutional changes of 1909, 1919 and 1935. [1998, 60m]
Q. “Though the Act of 1919 was superseded by that of 1935, the preamble to the former was not repealed- the preservation of the smile of Cheshire cat after its disappearance, and the latter said nothing about dominion status.” Comment. [2013, 25m]
Q. “Although the Government of India Act of 1935 replaced diarchy with provincial autonomy, the overriding powers of the Governor diluted the spirit of autonomy.” Elucidate. [2015, 10m]
Q. Is it justified to say that the Government of India Act of 1935 had all brakes, but no engine? [2019, 20m]
Congress Politics:
Q. “The developments during 1937-39 greatly undermined the ability of the Indian National Congress to push through the agenda of national unity.” Comment. [2010, 20m]
Muslims League and Pakistan Movement:
Q. Trace the origin and growth of the Indian Muslim League. [1999, 60m]
Q. “There is no other instance in the history of mankind of a poet and philosopher working such as a miracle in shaping the destiny of his people.” Comment. [2007, 20m]
3. Cripps Mission and Quit India Movement:
Cripps Mission:
Q. “The Cripps Mission gave India‚ a post-dated cheque.” Comment. [1982, 20m]
Q. “The Cripps Mission was plagued throughout, and ultimately torpedoed.” Critically examine. [2019, 10 Marks]
Gandhiji and Violence:
Q. “In the summer of 1942 Gandhi was in a strange and uniquely militant mood.” Comment. [2003, 20m]
Q. The same Gandhiji who withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement on the issue of violence at Chauri-Chaura, refused to condemn people’s violence during the Quit India Movement. Do you think that he was losing faith in the efficacy of non-violence and was willing to deviate from this path? Elucidate. [2021, 20 Marks]
Spontaneous Revolution:
Q. Do you think that Quit India movement was a Spontaneous Revolution? [2009, 30m]
Q. “To characterize the Quit India Movement as ‘Spontaneous Revolution’ would be partial interpretation, so also would be to look up at it as the culmination of Gandhian Satyagraha movements.” Elucidate. [2015, 20m]
Q. Why is the Quit India Movement characterised as a ‘Spontaneous Revolution’? Did it accelerate the process of Indian independence? [2019, 20 Marks]
Post QIM Developments (1942-47)
INA and RIN Revolt:
Q. “The Royal Indian Navy Revolt was seen as an event which marked the end of the British rule almost as finally as Independence Day.” Explain. [2015, 10m]
Overall Trend:
Q. Analyze the circumstances, between 1942 and 1947, that led to freedom and partition of India. [1979, 60m]
Q. Explain why the efforts at finding solution to India’s constitutional impasse failed during 1942-1946. [2017, 20m]
Q. Critically examine the turns and twists in the politics of partition in 1930’s and 1940’s. [2018, 20 Marks]
Negotiations: (Wavell, Cabinet etc.)
Shimla Conference:
Q. “The Simla Conference (1945) afforded the last opportunity of the forces of nationalism to fight a reargued action to preserve the integrity of the country and when the battle was lost, the waves of communalism quickly engulfed it.” Comment. [1988, 20m]
Cabinet Mission:
Q. “The Cabinet Mission Plan‚ seemed to open an avenue for the reconciliation of a united India with Muslim autonomy’.” Comment. [1983, 20m]
Q. “… instead of rejecting the plan (Cabinet Mission Plan), they (the Congress Leadership) resorted to a half-baked legalistic stratagem to reserve their position on its long-term arrangements and accepted its short-term provisions.” Critically examine. [2014, 20m]
Mountbatten’s role:
Q. “Lord Mountbatten came with an order to organise retreat, in military parlance an operation.” Comment. [1990, 20m]
Q. “Mountbatten’s task was, therefore, merely to work out details and effect the partition, demanded by the League and accepted by both British Government and the Congress; and this the new Viceroy moved commandingly to perform.” Comment. [1993, 20m]
Q. “Based on his discussion with Indian leaders, as well as his own perception, Lord Mountbatten soon came to the conclusion that partition was the only practicable and feasible solution.” Critically examine. [2020, 10 Marks]
Q. “If abdication of British responsibility at the time of transfer of power was callous, the speed with which it was done made it worse.” Critically examine. [2023, 10m]
Why Independence?
Q. “Why did the British finally quit India on 15th August 1947? The Imperialist answer is that independence was simply the fulfilment of British self-appointed mission to assist the Indian people to self-government.” Examine. [2014, 20m]
Why Partition?
Q. Write a critical note on: “Gandhiji’s role in solving the communal problem.” [1981, 20m]
Q. Examine the main aspects of Muslim League politics from 1937 to 1947. Was the partition of the country unavoidable? [1989, 60m]
Q. “To glorify the strength of the Congress and deny that of the League is to be blind.” (P.C. Joshi, 1945). Comment. [1994, 20m]
Q. “The Pakistan movement converted a cultural and religious entity of a people into a separatist political force.” Elucidate. [1996, 60m]
Q. “Both freedom and partition were the work of Indian middle classes.” Comment. [1998, 20m]
Q. “We are therefore unable to advise the British Government that the power which at present resides in British hands should be handed over to two entirely separate sovereign States.” Comment. [2004, 60m]
Q. “I felt that if we did not accept partition, India would be split into many bits and would be ruined.” Comment. [2006, 20m]
Q. Discuss as to why the Congress accepted the partition of India in 1947. [2009, 30m]
1. Miscellany:
Q. To what extent did the Freedom Movement in India influence the Liberation Movement in Africa? [2014, 10m]
Q. ‘Within a limited scope the Indian scientists could pursue original scientific research in colonial India.’ Critically examine. [2022, 10m]