24 Jul
CONTENT
WORLD HISTORY
History of the West (Late 18th century)
1. Enlightenment:
Meaning, Nature, Ideas and Causes:
Q. “The Enlightenment represented alternative approaches to modernity, alternative habits of mind and heart, of conscience and sensibility.” Discuss. [2008, 60 Marks]
Q. “…he (Voltaire) was living in the Age of Enlightenment …. The age itself was not enlightened.” — E. Kant. Critically evaluate. [2010, 20 Marks]
Q. Explain the major ideas of Enlightenment. Discuss the contribution of Rousseau in Enlightenment. [2018, 20 Marks]
Q. What was “enlightened” about the Age of Enlightenment? [2021, 20 Marks]
Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment:
Q. “The principles of Enlightenment were in some ways a continuation of the discoveries and theories of the Scientific Revolution.” Critically examine. [2020, 10 Marks]
Q. Enlightenment was not confined to scientific revolution alone, but humanism and ideas of progress too were its inseparable constituents. Examine. [2023, 10 Marks]
Enlightened Despots:
Q. “The despotic rulers of Europe were influenced by the philosophy of Enlightenment and begun to follow a benevolent policy towards their subjects.” Critically examine. [2012, 20 Marks]
Q. “Enlightened despots (Europe) were not necessarily politically liberal.” Critically examine. [2014, 10 Marks]
Rousseau:
Q. “Rousseau’s political philosophy contains the seeds of Socialism, Absolutism and Democracy.” Comment. [2004, 20 Marks]
Q. “The promptings of the heart are more to be trusted than the logic of the mind.” — Rousseau. Critically evaluate. [2011, 20 Marks]
Q. “Rousseau strove to reconcile the liberty of the individual and the institution of Government through a new vision of the Contract – Theory of Government.” Critically examine. [2014, 10 Marks]
Q. ‘Rousseau kindled a hope which became the spirit of Enlightenment.’ Critically examine. [2022, 10m]
Kant:
Q. “For Kant, enlightenment is mankind’s final coming of age, the emancipation of the human consciousness from an immature state of ignorance and error.” Critically examine. [2013, 20 Marks]
Q. “Kant’s redefinition of reason and his rehabilitation of conscience marked a high point in the intellectual reaction against dominant rationalism of the Enlightenment.” Critically examine. [2017, 10 Marks]
2. American Revolution:
Causes:
Q. The American Revolution “was a natural and even expected event in the history of colonial people who had come of age.” Comment. [1995, 20 Marks]
Q. “No taxation without representation.” Comment. [2006, 20 Marks]
Q. “The American Revolution was essentially an economic conflict between American capitalism and British mercantilism.” Critically examine. [2012, 10 Marks]
Q. “American Revolution seems to have come with remarkable suddenness. A roster of talented leaders emerged during 1763 to 1775 to make it happen.” Elucidate. [2014, 20 Marks]
Q. Do you understand that the lack of statesmanship in London during the 1760s and 1770s was an important contributory factor in precipitating the American Revolution? Analyse. [2022, 20m]
Nature:
Q. “At the news of the Declaration of Independence crowds gathered to cheer, fire guns and cannon and ring church bells in Philadelphia. Boston and other places, but there were many people in America who did not rejoice.” Comment. [1988, 20 Marks]
Consequence:
Q. “The American War of Independence transformed Europeans as well as America.” Comment. [1990, 20 Marks]
Q. The American War of Independence “deprived Great Britain of one empire, but it strengthened the foundations of another”. Comment. [1998, 20 Marks]
Q. “The American War of Independence transformed Europe as well as America.” Critically examine. [2018, 10 Marks]
Q. The American war of independence finally ended in 1783 when Britain acknowledged the independence of the United States of America. [2023, 10 Marks]
3. American Constitutions:
Q. What were the factors that worked in the drafting of the American Constitution? Do you agree with Beard’s view of the Constitution being an Economic Document? [2005, 60 Marks]
Q. How far is it correct to say that every feature of the American Constitution was ultimately of English Origin? [2010, 20 Marks]
Q. Explain the main features of the US Federal Constitution. [2016, 10 Marks]
4. French Revolution:
Causes: Role of the Philosophers
Q. “The writings of the philosophers had a tremendous influence on the minds of the people and created a revolutionary awakening in their minds and formed the intellectual creed of the French Revolution.” Comment. [1983, 20m]
Q. “What mattered in 1789 – and what made men revolutionary almost in spite of themselves – was the whole ‘revolutionary situation’; and in producing that situation the work of the philosophers played no very important role.” Comment. [1985, 20m]
Q. “French political writers of the eighteenth century were influenced by Locke and also by the curious contrasts which they perceived between the government of his country and their own.” Comment. [1991, 20m]
Q. “If monarchical misrule ignited the French revolution, lofty ideas both inspired and sustained it.” Comment. [1997, 20m]
Q. “If monarchical misrule ignited the French Revolution, lofty ideas both inspired and sustained it.” Comment. [2002, 20m]
Q. “The writings of the philosophers had a tremendous influence on the minds of the people and created a revolutionary awakening in their minds and formed the intellectual creed of the French Revolution.” Comment. [2005, 20m]
Q. “No event as encompassing as the French Revolution occurs in an intellectual vacuum.” Comment. [2007, 20m]
Q. “The connection between the philosophers’ ideas and the outbreak of the French Revolution (1789) is somewhat remote and indirect.” Critically evaluate. [2012, 10m]
Q. Critically examine the statement that the French Revolution was not caused by the French philosophers but by the conditions of national life and by the mistakes of the government. [2016, 20m]
Q. The philosophers and thinkers may have laid the foundation of the French Revolution, but it was precipitated by social and economic reasons. Explain. [2023, 20]
Causes: Other factors
Q. What were the ideals of the French Revolution of 1789? How far is it correct to say that it overthrew mercantilism and the surviving relics of feudalism and contributed to the political supremacy of the middle class? [1979, 60m]
Q. “To some extent, the American War of Independence inspired the French Revolution.” Comment. [1999, 20m]
Q. “The multiple contradictions that quickly undermined the new edifice had been expressed even before the meeting of the Estate General in France. The internal conflict among Estates had manifested itself.” Critically examine. [2015, 10m]
Q. “The causes of the French Revolution of 1789 included both long term and structural factors, as well as more immediate events.” Critically examine. [2020, 10m]
Objectives and achievements:
Q. The French Revolution (1789) sought to remove both “the religious and secular props of the existing social order.” Elucidate. [1996, 20m]
Q. “The French Revolution attacked privileges and not property.” Comment. [2003, 20m]
Q. The French Revolution (1789) really achieved far less than what it intended to effect. Do you agree? [1989, 20m]
Q. “The Declaration of Rights was the death-warrant of the system of privilege, and so of the ancient regime … Yet in the history of ideas it belonged rather to the past than to the future.” Examine. [2014, 20m]
5. Napoleon Bonaparte:
Napoleon and Revolution:
Q. “Napoleon was the child of the Revolution, but in many ways, he reversed the aims and principles of the movement from which he sprang.” Comment. [1986, 20m]
Q. “Napoleon was the child of the Revolution, but in many ways he reversed the aims and principles of the movement from which he sprang.” Comment. [1992, 60m]
Q. How did Napoleon Bonaparte heal the wounds of France inflicted by the Revolution and correct the errors perpetrated by its leaders? [2000, 20m]
Q. “Napoleon was the child of the Revolution, but in many ways he reversed the aims and principles of the movement from which he sprang.” [2004, 20m]
Q. How did Napoleon Bonaparte fuse the old France with the new? [2009, 30m]
Q. How did Napoleon fuse the French of the ancient regime with the France of the Post Revolutionary era? [2012, 30m]
Internal Reforms by Napoleon:
Q. “The spirit behind the great reforms of Napoleon’s Consulate at home was the transference of the methods of Bonaparte the general to the task of Bonaparte the statesman.” Critically examine. [2017, 10m]
Q. “Napoleon was not a revolutionary but he solidified many of the revolutionary changes of 1789-1791 and he himself supported most of the ideas and proposals of Enlightenment philosophers.” Substantiate. [2020, 20m]
Q. ‘The codification of French Law was perhaps the most enduring of Napoleon’s achievements.’ Critically examine. [2022, 10m]
Failure of Napoleon:
Q. “The Napoleonic Empire was doomed because of its inherent and self-defeating contradictions.” Elucidate. [2001, 20m]
Q. To what extent did Napoleon’s economic war with England become his undoing? [2010, 20 Marks]
Q. “The Continental Blockade was a misconceived idea of economically defeating Great Britain.” Critically examine. [2015, 10m]
Q. How far did the Napoleonic preferential stance to help out the French economy result in embroiling France in continental conflict? [2019, 10m]
Q. Napoleon’s continental system may be reckoned as the greatest blunder and may be described as a “monument of misdirected energy”. Critically examine. [2021, 10m]
History of the West (19th Century)
1. Theme 1: Industrial Revolution:
England IR: Causes
Q. “Whoever says Industrial Revolution, says cotton.” Comment. [2011, 20m]
Q. Explain why England became the harbinger of Industrial Revolution. Also throw light on its social consequences. [2017, 20m]
Q. There were many reasons why the industrial revolution first happened in England. Critically examine [2021, 10m]
Impact of Industrial Revolution:
Specific to England
Q. The Industrial Revolution “Changed England in character and culture.” Comment. [1996, 20m]
Q. “The oppressive exploitation of the working class in the wake of Industrial Revolution had jolted the social conscience of England.” Elucidate. [2015, 10m]
General Impact
Q. “The Industrial Revolution put mobility in the place of stability.” Comment. [1990, 20m]
Q. The Industrial Revolution brought about great changes in the social and economic life of Europe. Explain. [1998, 60m]
Q. “The Industrial Revolution put mobility in the place of stability.” Critically examine. [2018, 10 Marks]
Q. “Industrial Revolution had far reaching social and political consequences with the advent of assembly line factories, urbanization and rise of the urban working class.” Critically examine. [2020, 10m]
Q. Do you agree that the economic effects of the Industrial Revolution were to add enormously to wealth and capital on the one hand, and to degrade the masses to permanent poverty on the other? Elucidate. [2022, 20m]
Spread of Industrial Revolution to other countries
Q. What was the extent of industrialisation in Western Europe by the end of the nineteenth century? [2009, 30m]
Q. The process of industrialisation in some other countries of Europe was different from that in England. Discuss. [2012, 20m]
Q. How did the policies of governments facilitate the process of industrialisation in Europe? [2019, 20m]
Pre-Marx Developments:
Q. “If we were to define our conception of the State, our answer would be that the State is the banker of the poor. The government would finance and supervise the purchase of productive equipment and the formation of workshops.” In light of the above statement of Louis Blanc, throw light on the Pre-Marxist Socialist Thought in Europe. [2014, 20 Marks]
Q. How would you explain the nature of pre-Marxian Socialism? [2019, 10 Marks]
Marx:
Q. “Marxian Communism is primarily the offspring of German Hegelianism and French Socialism.” Comment. [2001, 20 Marks]
Q. “Karl Marx applied his critical intelligence to Wealth of Nations … Where Smith had seen only the sunlight, Marx saw only the shadows thrown upon the human scene by the unimpeded exercise of individual liberty…” Elucidate. [2016, 10 Marks]
Q. “With the writings of Karl Marx, Socialism assumed the form of Scientific Socialism.” Critically examine. [2018, 10 Marks]
Q. Marxian socialism claims itself to be a scientific socialist theory capable of explaining the history of humankind. Discuss. [2023, 20 Marks]
Spread of Marxian Ideas:
Q. ‘Engels did much more than Marx himself to popularize the ideas of Marxism.’ Critically examine. [2022, 10m]
3. Theme 3: British Democratic Politics, 1815-1850
Ideological Evolution: British Liberalism and Free Traders:
Q. Write a critical note on: Effect of British liberalism on the social or economic life of the people of England. [1981, 20 Marks]
Q. Account for the growth of Liberalism in Britain in the nineteenth century. How far did it influence the contemporary social and economic issues in the country? [1984, 60 Marks]
Q. “Change in Britain came comparatively peacefully through democratic process in the first half of the nineteenth century and a model of a functioning democracy through ballot box was successfully put in place.” Elaborate. [2013, 25 Marks]
Q. “The arguments of the free traders were a curious mixture of economic hard-headedness, social benevolence, cosmopolitan idealism and class prejudice.” Critically examine. [2019, 10 Marks]
Q. The impact of industrial revolution on the middle-class world view is reflected in the views of Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus and Jeremy Bentham. Comment. [2023, 20 Marks]
Reforms Act 1832:
Q. “Though reform was inevitable, the Act (1832) by which it was accomplished was open to grave criticism.” Comment. [2005, 20 Marks]
Q. “… the passing of the ‘Reform Act’ marked the real beginning of modern party organisation in England… In a real sense, the present political system of England dates from 1832.” Critically examine. [2014, 10 Marks]
Q. ‘The first Reformation Act (1832) occupies a significant place in the constitutional development of Britain.’ Critically examine. [2022, 10m]
Chartist Movement:
Q. Review the background of the Chartist Movement. Despite its failure how had their demands been met in the succeeding years? [2004, 60 Marks]
Q. “The roots of Chartism are partly political and partly economic.” Elaborate. [2011, 20 Marks]
Q. “The roots of the Chartist movement in Great Britain were partly political and partly economic.” Critically examine. [2017, 10 Marks]
Q. The Chartist Movement failed to achieve its stated objective, but succeeded in seeding the idea that a representative democracy should include all citizens. Critically examine. [2021, 10 Marks]
Q. “The Chartist Movement not only fulfilled some of the demands of the middle class, but its ramifications were felt among the working class and the colonies as well.” [2023, 10 Marks]
4. Theme 4: Developments in the Continental Europe:
Ideological Evolution:
Liberalism and Nationalism:
Q. “The characteristic motive of this period (1830-1871) was not so much Liberalism as Nationalism.” Comment. [1982, 20 Marks]
Q. Do you subscribe to the view that the Greek War of Independence was mired in contrasts of the best and the worst episodes? How did it affect the Concert of Europe? [2019, 20 Marks]
Q. The rise of nationalism across nations shattered the chains which held together the empires of modern Europe. Discuss. [2021, 20 Marks]
France vs England:
Q. “France was more fertile than Britain in producing new Socialist theories and movements, though they bore less concrete results in France than in Britain.” Comment. [2008, 20 Marks]
Q. “France was more fertile than Britain in producing new Socialist theories and movements, though they bore less concrete results in France than in Britain.” Critically examine. [2015, 10 Marks]
Conservatism and Metternich System:
Q. “For a tired and timid generation Metternich was the necessary man.” Comment. [1993, 20 Marks]
Q. What is Metternich system? Assess its impact on Europe. [2016, 10 Marks]
European Revolutions:
1830
Q. “The whole episode that is known as the July Revolution (1830) was fought and won not for the establishment of an extreme democracy but to get rid of the aristocratic and clericalist attitude of the restored Bourbons.” Critically examine. [2015, 10 Marks]
1848
Q. “Most of the European Revolutions of 1848 were nationalist as well as popular insurrections against foreign rule and repressive policy of Metternich.” Comment. [2008, 20 Marks]
Q. “The language of narrow nationalism held at Frankfurt destroyed the German Revolution; as the fatal idea of aggrandizement of the House of Savoy destroyed the Italian Revolution.” Discuss. [2014, 20 Marks]
Q. Discuss how agrarian crisis accompanied by severe industrial depression triggered the Revolutions of 1848. [2017, 10 Marks]
Q. “The 1848 revolutions frightened the crowned heads of Europe and caused several to abdicate. Those who remained were cognizant of the threats posed by liberalism, nationalism and socialism.” Comment. [2020, 10 Marks]
Q. What were the causes and consequences of the revolutionary upsurges of the 1840s in Europe? [2021, 20 Marks]
Q. “The Revolutions of 1848 were shaped by the ideas of democracy and nationalism.” Critically Analyze. [2023, 10 Marks]
5. Theme 5: Politics of National Unification in Central Europe
Italian Unification:
Process and Stages:
Q. Trace the various stages that led to the Unification of Italy between 1848 and 1870. [1980, 60 Marks]
Q. Trace the course of the movement for Italian Unification from 1848 with special reference to the contribution of Mazzini. [1983, 60 Marks]
Q. How was Italy transformed from ‘a geographical expression’ to a nation-state? [2019, 20 Marks]
Q. Discuss the different stages of the unification of Italy from 1848 to the occupation of Rome in 1870. [2023, 20 Marks]
Role of Mazzini:
Q. “Mazzini’s conception of Italian nationality was not exclusive, and his dominant ideal was the recreation of moral unity of mankind.” Critically examine. [2015, 10 Marks]
Role of Count Cavour:
Q. “They have stopped me from making Italy by diplomacy from the North; I will make it by revolution from the South.” Comment. [1985, 20 Marks]
Q. What were the obstacles to Italian unification till 1852? How and with what methods was the unification of Italy achieved? [1993, 60 Marks]
Q. “They have stopped me from making Italy by diplomacy from the North; I will make it by revolution from the South.” Comment. [2005, 20 Marks]
With Reference to Congress of Vienna:
Q. “The unification of Italy completed…the destruction of the European order.” Comment. [1997, 20 Marks]
German Unification:
Process and Stages:
Q. What determinant factors, along with diplomatic, shaped the process of German Unification? [2017, 20 Marks]
Role of Napoleon:
Q. “Napoleon kindled the national sentiment, but German unity was achieved by Bismarck.” Discuss. [1981, 60 Marks]
Q. “It is one of the ironies of history that Napoleon was the creator of modern Germany.” Comment. [1984, 20 Marks]
Q. “Napoleon kindled the national sentiment, but German unity was achieved by Bismarck.” Discuss. [2002, 60 Marks]
Role of Bismarck:
Q. “The Unification of Germany was the one thing Bismarck was determined to prevent.” Comment. [1987, 20 Marks]
Q. “The political unification of Germany was accomplished solely by Bismarck.” Comment. [1999, 20 Marks]
Q. “Bismarck created a new Germany with the policy of ‘blood and iron’.” Comment. [2001, 20 Marks]
Q. Bismarck united Germany not by majority of votes and speeches but by a policy of “Blood and Iron”. In the light of this statement assess the contribution of Bismarck to the unification of Germany. [2003, 60 Marks]
Q. Was German unification achieved more by ‘coal and iron’ than by ‘blood and iron’? [2012, 30 Marks]
Q. “From Bismarck’s ‘Blood and Iron’ speech and his forceful actions to achieve German unification, Bismarck came to be known as the Iron Chancellor.” Critically examine. [2020, 20 Marks]
Post-Unification Domestic Policy:
Q. Examine the role of Bismarck in state building in Germany. [2018, 20 Marks]
Italy and Germany Comparative Questions:
Q. “The comparison between Cavour’s and Bismarck’s achievements reveals striking points of resemblance and no less striking points of dissimilarity.” Comment. [1990, 20 Marks]
Q. The unification of Italy and that of Germany constituted a contrast in respect of the ways they were affected and impact they left on later international politics. Elucidate. [1995, 60 Marks]
6. Theme 6: American Civil War, Lincoln and Slavery
Causes, Issues, Lincoln, Slavery:
Q. “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.”. Comment. [1986, 20 Marks]
Q. Examine the issues involved in the American Civil War. Was it a contest between two separate nations? [1991, 60 Marks]
Q. “Six hundred thousand men had died. The union was preserved, the slaves freed. A nation ‘conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal’ had survived its most terrible ordeal.” Critically examine. [2013, 10 Marks]
Q. “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently, half slave and half free” Explain Abraham Lincoln’s perspective. [2016, 20 Marks]
Q. “Lincoln’s main thesis was that the Slavery issue had to be decided one way or the other and could no longer be evaded by compromise.” Comment in the light of his role in the American Civil War. [2020, 20 Marks]
Consequences:
Q. In the American civil war, the victory of the North had many consequences. Some of them were direct and obvious. However, its indirect effects on American development were perhaps even more important. Comment. [2021, 20 Marks]
19th century Imperialism and Colonialism in Latina America, Asia and Africa
1. Old Empires:
Q. “Colonies are like fruits which cling to the tree only till they ripen.” Comment. [2006, 10 Marks]
Revolutions in Latin America and Simon Bolivar:
Q. Explain why Bolivar’s efforts failed to fructify in bringing about united stand of the Latin Americans. [2017, 10 Marks]
2. New Imperialism (Neo-Imperialism):
Characteristic features:
Q. Write a critical note on: Theory of ‘The New imperialism’ after 1870. [1981, 20 Marks]
Q. “Imperialism and Colonialism have long employed as instruments of national policy.” Comment. [1982, 20 Marks]
Q. “If imperialism is viewed as a phase of the struggle for power between States, its result must be judged in terms of its role in power politics.” Comment. [1984, 20 Marks]
Q. “The simultaneous expansion of European powers overseas during the last quarter of the 19th century brought them into frequent collisions at a remote point all over Africa and Asia.” Comment. [2000, 20 Marks]
Q. “New imperialism was a nationalistic, not an economic phenomenon.” Comment. [2007, 20 Marks]
Q. Discuss the emergence of neo-imperialism in the late nineteenth century. [2009, 30 Marks]
Q. “New imperialism was a nationalistic, not an economic phenomenon.” Critically examine. [2013, 25 Marks]
Q. “The commercial and industrial interests created a veritable hothouse atmosphere in Europe for the establishment of colonies.” Critically examine. [2014, 10 Marks]
Additional Questions:
Q. Critically examine the socio-cultural and economic impact of migration in Europe and Asia in the 18th and 19th centuries. [2014, 20 Marks]
3. Neo-Imperialism in Africa:
African Continent:
Q. Write a critique on the partition of Africa from 1870 to 1914, with particular reference to Germany’s imperial designs in the Continent. [1989, 60 Marks]
Q. Trace the stages in the partition of Africa after 1870. How did it affect international relations? [1996, 60 Marks]
Q. Trace the various stages of European imperialism in Africa in the nineteenth century. [2001, 60 Marks]
Q. “In all the long annals of Imperialism, the partition of Africa is a remarkable freak.” Comment. [2009, 20 Marks]
Q. What do you understand by imperialism? State briefly its unique features in the case of Africa? [2010, 20 Marks]
Q. “History of Africa appears to be simply an extension or mere sub-theme under the broad headings of European and American history. According to this historiography, Africa seems to be without any history before the European scramble.” Elucidate. [2015, 20 Marks]
South Africa
Q. Trace the growth of British imperialism in South Africa from 1800 to 1907. [2016, 10 Marks]
Q. “The British imperialism in South Africa from 1867 to 1902 was influenced to a large extent by the capitalist mining of diamonds.” [2023, 10 Marks]
4. Neo-Imperialism in Asia:
Asia:
Q. What do you understand by Imperialism? How did it affect the people of Asia in the 19th century? [1979, 60 Marks]
South-East Asia:
Indonesia:
Q. “Holland was engaged in a systematic exploitation of Indonesia in the nineteenth century.” Elucidate. [1979, 60 Marks]
Q. What was the culture system in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) during the 19th century? Why was it dismantled? [1981, 60 Marks]
Q. Critically examine the culture system in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) during the nineteenth century. Why was it dismantled? [1985, 60 Marks]
Q. Critically examine the Dutch colonial policy in Indonesia. [2010, 30 Marks]
Q. Examine the nature of Dutch imperialism in Indonesia. [2017, 10 Marks]
American Empire:
Q. Explain how American imperialism in Philippines differed with European imperialism in Indonesia and Indo-China. [2011, 30 Marks]
Q. Discuss the nature of American overseas expansion in Asia and explain the consequences. [2014, 10 Marks]
Malaya:
Q. Which factors would you attribute to the British colonial intervention in Malaya in the 19th century? How did Malays react to British colonial rule? [2019, 20 Marks]
5. History of Japan:
Modernization of Japan (spread of Industrialization)
Q. How did Japan develop between 1868 and 1894? Did the ‘Restoration of Meiji’ mark a sharp break with the past? [1987, 60 Marks]
Q. The years 1853-1894 witnessed the transformation of Japan. Explain. [1998, 60 Marks]
Q. Discuss how Japan industrialised after the Meiji Restorations. What were the consequences for its neighbours? [2018, 20m]
Before World War 1:
Q. “The Anglo-Japanese Treaty (1902) marks a milestone in the development of Japan as an Asiatic power.” Comment. [1988, 20 Marks]
Q. “The Russo-Japanese War helped in the rise of Japan as a great power.” [2014, 10 Marks]
International Relations (1890s-1910s)
1. Balance of Power in Europe (1870s-1910s):
Q. “At the end of the battle of Sedan (1870)‚ Europe lost a mistress and gained a master.” Comment. [1995, 20 Marks]
Q. Isolation of France constituted the keystone of Bismarck’s foreign policy. Elucidate. [1997, 60 Marks]
Q. “To Bismarck the conclusion of the Treaty of May 20, 1882, was the culmination of his system.” Comment. [2004, 20 Marks]
Q. “18 January 1871 had been a day of triumph for the strength and pride of Germany and 28 June 1919 was the day of chastisement.” Critically examine. [2017, 10 Marks]
Q. At the end of the Battle of Sedan (1870), “Europe lost a mistress and gained a master”. Critically examine. [2018, 10 Marks]
2. Eastern Question:
Q. “The Eastern Question has always been an international question.” Comment. [1989, 20 Marks]
Q. Lord Beaconsfield after his return from the Congress of Berlin (1878) boasted: “I have brought peace with honour.” Comment. [1998, 20 Marks]
Q. “The Crimean War was the most useless war ever waged.” Comment. [2000, 20 Marks]
Q. “The Eastern Question has always been an international question”. Elucidate. [2010, 30 Marks]
Q. “The Berlin Congress (1878) failed to unlock the Eastern Question. Though there was no longer major war in Europe for nearly three decades after the Treaty of Berlin, it contained the seeds of many future wars.” Critically Evaluate. [2015, 20 Marks]
3. Causes of World War 1:
Q. “The Capitalism which gave the European empires their apparent solidarity and permanence also hastened their downfall.” Comment. [2009, 20 Marks]
Q. “By 1914, the sick man of Europe was no longer just Turkey: it was Europe itself.” Explain. [2011, 20 Marks]
Q. “Any single explanation for the outbreak of the First World War likely to be too simple. An amalgam of factors intellectual, social, economic as well as political and diplomatic contributed to this horrifying conflict of monumental propositions.” – Explain. [2012, 30 Marks]
Q. How far is it correct to say that the First World War was fought essentially for the preservation of the balance of power? [2015, 20 Marks]
Inter-war Developments (1910s-1940s)
1. Total War:
First World War
Q. Why was the first World War termed as the first ‘total’ war in modern history? [2017, 20 Marks]
Q. “There are many ways in which the war of 1914-18 was unprecedented, and in human history, entirely novel.” Critically examine. [2019, 10 Marks]
Second World War
Q. Do you agree with the statement that the Second World War was history’s most destructive war? Elaborate. [2020, 20 Marks]
2. Paris Peace Conference:
Q. “The international situation that confronted the peacemakers in Paris was in the brutal realities of history, the result of a temporary redistribution of the balance of power in the world.” Comment. [1987, 60 Marks]
Q. The treaties made at the Paris Peace conference in 1919-20 were replete with unstable compromises, reflecting more materialism than idealism. Elucidate. [1990, 60 Marks]
Q. “The Treaty of Versailles was merely an armistice for twenty years.” Comment. [1993, 20 Marks]
Q. Analyze the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 and examine the validity of Germany’s objections to the Treaty. [2000, 60 Marks]
Q. “The most important single factor … in the year following 1919 was the French demand for security.” Comment. [2004, 10 Marks]
Q. “Treaty of Versailles contained the seeds of future conflicts.” Comment. [2006, 10 Marks]
Q. “A clever conquerer will always impose his demands on the conquered by installments.” Comment. [2006, 10 Marks]
Q. “There was not only a difference of principles at Paris (Peace Conference) but a clash of personalities.” Comment. [2001, 20 Marks]
Q. “The peace of Versailles lacked moral validity from the start.” Critically evaluate. [2011, 20 Marks]
Q. Do you agree with the view that the Treaty of Versailles was a bad compromise between a treaty based upon force and a treaty based on ideas? [2016, 20 Marks]
Q. “18 January, 1871 had been a day of triumph for the strength and pride of Germany and 28 June, 1919 was the day of chastisement.” Critically examine. [2017, 10 Marks]
Q. Europe was at war with itself in the first half of the twentieth century with a long cease-fire. Comment. [2021, 20 Marks]
Q. The Treaty of Versailles contained in itself the seeds of the Second World War. Examine. [2023, 10 Marks]
3. The Russian Revolution of 1917-1921:
Causes:
Q. Analyze the causes of the Russian Revolutions of 1917. Why was the second Revolution Significant in more than one way? [1985, 60 Marks]
Q. Examine the causes of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and indicate its significance in world history. [2003, 60 Marks]
Q. “The Russian Revolution (1917) was an economic explosion hastened by the stupidities of the autocratic Government”. Comment. [2005, 20 Marks]
Q. Account for the overthrow of the Tsarist regime in Russia. [2009, 30 Marks]
- Nature:
Q. The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a single revolution which developed two phases. Elucidate. [1992, 60 Marks]
Role of Lenin:
Q. Write a critical note on Lenin’s role in the Russian Revolution of 1917. [1981, 20 Marks]
Q. “The bold knight, Lenin, having rescued the fair maiden of the Revolution from the evil sorcerer, Kerensky, everyone lived happily hereafter.” Comment. [1983, 20 Marks]
Q. In Russia, Lenin was “the father of socialism, organizer of the revolution and the founder of the new Russian society.” Examine the statement. [1998, 60 Marks]
Q. How did Lenin achieve an abrupt transition from a Monarchical autocratic to a Socialist State? [2016, 20 Marks]
Success and Significance:
Overall Significance:
Q. What were the causes for the success of Bolshevik Revolution of 1917? Discuss its significance in the history of the world. [1980, 60 Marks]
Q. Examine the statement that “the danger of ‘Bolshevism’ dominated not only the history of the years immediately following the Russian Revolution of 1917 but the entire history of the world since that date”. [2017, 20 Marks]
Comparative Significance:
Q. “The impact of the French Revolution (1789) was initially confined the Europe, but, that of the Russia Revolution (1917) was global.” – Critically review. [2012, 30 Marks]
Q. “If the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia (that resulted in the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or Soviet Union) inaugurated an international competition for the hearts and minds of people all over the globe, the Chinese revolution raised the stakes of that struggle.” Critically examine. [2013 10 Marks]
Stalin’s Russia:
Q. “Stalinist Russia was a despotic regime.” Critically examine this view. [1999, 60 Marks]
Q. How did Stalin build on Lenin’s legacy of Bolshevik Revolution and introduce new elements of totalitarianism to transform USSR as a superpower? [2020, 20 Marks]
4. Socio-Economic Developments in Inter-war Years:
Economy:
Q. “The perpetuation of the economic malaise was the main cause of the political instability of Europe during the next two decades (1919-1939).” Explain. [1994, 60 Marks]
Great Depression:
Q. Critically examine the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Did he want to introduce a sort of socialism? [1987, 60 Marks]
Q. The Great Depression (1928 – 34) was “attended by momentous consequences in the economic as well as in the political sphere.” Comment. [1996, 20 Marks]
Q. President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal “had the wit to start the political economy in a fresh, more promising direction.” Do you agree? [1997, 60 Marks]
Q. The Great Depression (1928 – 34) was “attended by momentous consequences in the economic as well as in the political sphere.” Comment. [2002, 20 Marks]
Society:
Q. Trace the rise and growth of the New European Society in the inter-war period. [1999, 60 Marks]
Q. “The War’s (First World War’s) most permanent contribution to the spirit or the post War years was disillusion.” Comment. [2007, 60 Marks]
Q. ‘Roaring Twenties’ in Europe and America had many positive points. It helped women to uplift themselves in the region. Critically examine. [2022, 10m]
5. Fascist Counter-Revolution:
Causes of Emergence:
Q. “The roots of the rise of Fascism lay in Peace Treaties.” Comment. [2003, 20 Marks]
Q. Discuss how Fascism was a response to the post-war situation arising out of political instability, thwarted nationalist hopes, and fears of the spread of communism? [2022, 20m]
Italy:
Q. Examine the circumstances which led to the overthrow of democracy and the establishment of Fascist dictatorship in Italy. [2017, 20 Marks]
Germany:
Q. What were the weaknesses and difficulties of the Weimer Republic? How did Hitler succeed in establishing his dictatorship? [2004, 60 Marks]
Q. Hitler was “a creature flung to the top by the tides of revolutionary change, or the embodiment of the collective unconsciousness of a people obsessed with violence and death.” Comment. [1984, 20 Marks]
Characteristic Features:
Q. “Extreme nationalism of the Fascist Variety has various faces in various countries, but it has everywhere certain common characteristics.” Comment. [1989, 20 Marks]
Q. “Comparison of the fascist regime in Italy with the National Socialist regime of Germany is almost inevitable. The similarities are obvious, but there is one point of difference which is worth mentioning.” Comment. [1991, 20 Marks]
Q. Discuss the main characteristics of Fascism. [2007, 60 Marks]
Italy
Q. ‘Corporate State’ was Mussolini’s answer to sociopolitical problems of his country. Elucidate. [1995, 60 Marks]
6. Japanese Militarism:
Interwar Years:
Q. Account for the rise of militarism in Japan between the two World Wars. How did it affect the peace of the world? [1979, 60 Marks]
Q. Trace the growth of militarism in Japan in the inter-war years. What international reaction did it provoke? [1997, 60 Marks]
Japan-China Relations:
Q. “Japanese policy in relation to Manchuria reacted back upon Japan affecting her both economically and politically.” Comment. [1982, 20 Marks]
Q. “Japanese policy in relation to Manchuria reacted back upon Japan affecting her both economically and politically.” Comment. [1982, 20 Marks]
Q. Show how the presence of a weak and helpless China next door brought about the rise of militarism and collapse of democracy in Japan. [1994, 60 Marks]
7. League of Nations:
Q. “Thus the League sought to achieve to profoundest of all psychological revolutions to transform the war mentality of man into a peace mentality.” Comment. [1992, 20 Marks]
Q. “The Manchurian crisis decided the fate of the league of Nations.” Comment. [1993, 20 Marks]
Q. “The Communist international and the League of Nations both announced the end of the Balance of Power.” Comment. [1996, 20 Marks]
Q. “In the long run, the Locarno Treaty (December 1925) was destructive both of the Treaty of Versailles and of the Covenant.” Comment. [2008, 20 Marks]
Q. “League of Nations is a League of Notions.” Comment. [2016, 10 Marks]
Q. “The effectiveness of the League of Nations to prevent or to check Japanese aggression against China was the first serious blow to its prestige as an agency for providing security.” Critically examine. [2019, 10 Marks]
8. World War II:
Cause => Hitler’s Foreign Policy:
Q. Critically examine the main features of the foreign policy of Nazi Germany. [1982, 60 Marks]
Q. What led to the formation of the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo axis? Indicate its impact on international politics. [1986, 60 Marks]
Q. Show how the Spanish Civil War was a prelude to World War II. [1991, 60 Marks]
Q. “There was an element of system in Hitler’s foreign policy…. His outlook was continental.” Comment. [1995, 20 Marks]
Q. “Hitler did not really want a World War. His intention was only a short war with Poland.” (A. J. P. Taylor). Comment. [2009, 20 Marks]
Causes => Appeasement Policy:
Q. How did the policy of appeasement escalate the problem of Nazi aggrandizement? [2011, 30 Marks]
Q. Was Czechoslovakia served on a dish to Hitler at Munich? What were its implications? [2019, 20 Marks]
American participation:
Q. “Until December 1941 the battlefield of the Second World War was exclusively European and Atlantic; thereafter it became also Asiatic and Pacific.” Comment. [2000, 20 Marks]
Q. “Until December 1941, the battlefield of the Second World War was exclusively European and Atlantic; thereafter it became also Asiatic and Pacific.” Critically examine. [2018, 10 Marks]
Western World post-1945
1. Cold War:
Beginning of Cold War:
Q. In the post -Second World War scenario friends in war did not remain friends in peace. Examine the truth of this view in the period of your study. [1999, 60 Marks]
Q. “After World War II, the strategy of the West towards Soviet bloc crystallized as a ‘policy of containment’.” Comment. [2008, 20 Marks]
Role of the USA:
Q. Outline the circumstances leading to the adoption of Marshall Plan. [2018, 10 Marks]
Q. “The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan were considered by Russian Bloc as a weapon against Russia in order to restrict her influence.” Critically examine. [2015, 20 Marks]
European Theatre:
Europe:
Q. One of the most important impacts of the Second World War was the “division of Europe”, eastern and western. Comment. [1998, 20 Marks]
Q. One of the most important consequences of the Second World War was “division of Europe”, eastern and western. Comment. [2002, 20 Marks]
Q. “Europe faced peace in 1945 politically disorganized and economically crippled.” Elaborate. [2010, 30 Marks]
Q. “Europe was eclipsed through European folly due to the two world wars.” Elucidate. [2014, 20 Marks]
NATO:
Q. “The Brussels Treaty of 17 March 1948 paved the way for the formation of NATO.” Comment. [2003, 20 Marks]
Q. “NATO in many ways symbolized the key role that the United States had come to play in Europe.” Comment. [2007, 20 Marks]
Q. Do you agree with the view that the formation of NATO marked a revolution in American attitude to the world problems? [2019, 10 Marks]
Phases of Cold War:
Q. Critically examine the various dimensions and phases of the cold war between 1947 and 1962. [2005, 60 Marks]
Q. Outline the circumstances leading to détente. [2016, 10 Marks]
Regions
Q. Discuss the circumstances leading to the Suez Crisis of 1956 and examine its repercussions on global politics. [2014, 10m]
End of Cold War:
Q. Account for the factors that brought about the end of the Cold War. [2008, 60m]
2. Disintegration of USSR:
Causes:
Q. Discuss the main factors leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union. [2002, 60m]
Q. Analyze the factors leading to the end of the Cold war and account for the U.S. ascendancy in the world. [2003, 60m]
Q. Analyse the factors for the collapse of Soviet Communism and Soviet Union during 1985-1991. [2004, 60m]
Q. “By the 1980s, the Communist system of the Soviet Union was incapable of maintaining the country’s role as a Superpower.” Explain this statement. [2007, 60m]
Q. “By the 1980s, the communist system of the Soviet Union was incapable of maintaining the country’s role as a superpower.” Elucidate. [2013, 25m]
Q. “By 1980s, the Communist System of Soviet Union was incapable of maintaining the country’s role as a Superpower.” Substantiate. [2017, 20m]
Role of Gorbachev:
Q. “The essence of Prestroika is for people to feel they are country’s master.” —Gorbachev. Critically evaluate. [2010, 10m]
Q. Review the policy of Glasnost adopted by Gorbachev. [2018, 10m]
Q. Discuss how the policies adopted by Mikhail Gorbachev were responsible for the disintegration of the USSR? [2022, 20m]
3. Emergence of Unipolar World:
Q. “With the Cold War over and the Soviet Union gone, the face of international diplomacy has undergone a metamorphosis.” Critically examine. [2012, 10m]
Q. What factors contributed to the emergence of a unipolar world? [2016, 10m]
Q. A new configuration of power emerged in world politics after the end of the cold war. Analyse how USA managed to become the sole superpower. [2020, 20m]
Q. The impact of the end of the Cold War and the emergence of the US as the lone superpower has been both, good and bad. Discuss. [2021, 20m]
Q. “The supremacy of USA after the end of the Cold War had its challenges as well.” [2023, 10 Marks]
4. Unification of Europe:
Post Cold War Europe:
Q. “The collapse of Berlin Wall in 1989 brought new ideas of co-operation in Europe.” Critically evaluate. [2011, 10 Marks]
Q. Examine the challenges confronted by the proponents of European unity after the collapse of Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe. [2011, 30 Marks]
Q. “The European union is the new sick man of Europe.” critically evaluate. [2013, 25 Marks]
Q. “The European Union, a diplomatic marvel, continues to grapple with intermittent fissures arising out of economic contentious issues that pose a challenge to an effective integration of the Union.” Critically examine. [2015, 20 Marks]
Q. “The collapse of Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 brought new meaning to the idea of cooperation in Europe.” Critically examine. [2017, 10 Marks]
East Europe:
Q. Assess the significance of the political developments that took place in Eastern Europe during 1989-2001. [2008, 60 Marks]
Q. In what way did the political changes in Soviet Union influence the events in Eastern Europe during the closing decades of the 20th Century? [2016, 20m]
5. UNO and the Global Disputes
Assessment of Success/Failure:
Q. Examine the peace keeping efforts of the United Nations Organization. [2009, 30 Marks]
Q. “In spite of the careful framing of the charter, the role of UNO as Peacekeeper and international mediator has been somewhat lackluster and muted and that continues to be so even after the end of cold war.” Elucidate. [2013, 25 Marks]
Q. “The UNO was created in the light of the experience of the ‘League of Nations’, but in spite of the mandate contained in the UNO constitution, its effective role in maintaining world peace had lacked cohesiveness and collective approach.” Examine. [2015, 20 Marks]
Q. Discuss how far the United Nations has been successful in resolving global disputes from year 1946 to 1991. [2018, 20 Marks]
Q. Do you think that the United Nations Organization had played a significant role in resolving international disputes and ensuring peace in the world? [2021, 10 Marks]
Q. “UNO was the necessity of the time when the World War II ended.” Critically examine its achievements and shortcomings. [2023, 20 Marks]
Security Council:
Q. “The Security Council is the heart of the United Nations.” Comment. [2003, 10 Marks]
Post-1945 History: Third World
1. The Chinese Revolution of 1945-49:
Causes + Significance:
Q. Discuss the circumstances leading to the Chinese Revolution of 1949 and analyze its significance. [2005, 60 Marks]
Q. Critically analysis the cause and the results of the Chinese revolution of 1949. [2006, 60 Marks]
Role of Mao Zedong:
Q. “The turn of the tide against the Kuomintang, consequently, was due as much to its weakness as to Communist strength.” Comment. [1985, 20 Marks]
Q. “The announcement of the creation of the Peoples’ Republic of China on October 1, 1949 by Mao Zedong ended the civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party (KMT).” – Elaborate. [2012, 30 Marks]
Q. “The failure of Kuomintang against the communist onslaught was unimaginable and it was Mao Tse-tung whose tenacity and innovative approach had accomplished the unthinkable.” Discuss. [2015, 20 Marks]
Q. In the Chinese Revolution of 1949, the elements of communism and nationalism were discernible. Explain the statement in the light of Mao’s strategy which was different from that of Lenin. [2018, 20 Marks]
Role of the USA:
Q. Review the political circumstances in China in the years 1945-49 leading to the establishment of the Communist rule in the land. How did the United States seek to resolve the conflict between the Nationalists and the communists in the period? [1984, 60 Marks]
Q. Examine the circumstances in China in the years 1945-49. What did the United States do to resolve the conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists there? [2002, 60 Marks]
Comparative Question:
Q. Revolutions, whether in Russia (1917) or in China (1949), are a disastrous way of transforming a country. Comment. [2021, 10 Marks]
2. Decolonization and Emergence of the Third World:
Q. Write a critical note on the process of decolonization accelerated by the Second World War. [1988, 60 Marks]
Q. “The decolonization led to the break-up of empires.” Comment. [2001, 20 Marks]
Q. Explain the circumstances leading to the emergence of Third World and analyze its impact on world affairs. [2010, 30 Marks]
Q. “The multiple of newly independent countries came to be known as the ‘Third World’, belonging neither to the First World of capitalist democracies, nor the Communist Second World.” Critically examine. [2020, 10 Marks]
3. Arabia:
Arab Nationalism:
Q. “One of the last Strongholds – of oil imperialism and European colonialism it (Middle East) cultivates a fiery nationalism as a weapon against foreign oppression.” Comment. [1987, 20 Marks]
Q. Trace the growth of Arab nationalism after the First World War. How far was it a reaction to oil imperialism? [1989, 60 Marks]
Q. Arab Nationalism and Oil- these were the principal factors complicating the relations of the West Asian countries with the outside world. Do you agree? [1993, 60 Marks]
Q. Discuss the aims of the establishment of the Arab League and assess it role in safeguarding the interests of the Arab nations. [2001, 60m]
Q. “Arab nationalism and oil – these were the principal Factors in complicating the relations of Middle Eastern countries with the outside world.” Comment. [2009, 30 Marks]
Q. The Arab nationalism had a peculiar character. It stood for national independence for separate Arab States as well as for the unity of all Arabs irrespective of their state boundaries.” – Examine. [2012, 30 Marks]
Q. Trace the growth of Arab nationalism after the First World War. How far was it a reaction to Oil Imperialism? [2016, 20 Marks]
Q. Arab nationalism was not only a cultural movement, but also an anti-colonial struggle. Comment. [2023, 10 Marks]
Egypt:
Q. Discuss the circumstances leading to the Suez Crisis of 1956 and examine its repercussions on global politics. [2014, 10m]
Q. Analyze the role of Egypt after the Second World War in bringing about Arab unity. [2019, 20m]
Q. The Arab countries looked up to Nasser as a leader who could withstand the pressure exerted by Western countries on Egypt to make peace with Israel. Critically examine. [2021, 10m]
Turkey:
Q. “Under Mustafa Kemal’s dictatorship; Turkey was rapidly nationalized.” Comment. [1986, 20 Marks]
Q. “Nominally the new Turkey was republican and democratic.” Comment. [1992, 20 Marks]
Q. “The countries in the Middle East became, after 1919, the scene of constant effervescence and some striking changes.” Comment. [1994, 20 Marks]
Q. Turkish renaissance guided by Kemal Pasha revolutionized the Turkish life at many levels. Amplify. [1996, 60 Marks]
Israel-Palestine:
Q. “The British were slated to withdraw from Palestine in May 1948, and both sides prepared for that day. Violence between Arabs and Jews, already endemic, escalated.” Critically examine. [2020, 10 Marks]
4. Africa:
Algeria
Q. Discuss the circumstances leading to the French exist from Algeria in 1962. [2020, 10 Marks]
South Africa- Apartheid to Democracy
Q. Give a brief account of the struggle against ‘Apartheid’ in South Africa. [2006, 60 Marks]
Q. “There must be an end to white monopoly on political power, and a fundamental restructuring of our political and economic systems to ensure that the inequalities of apartheid are addressed, and our society thoroughly democratized.” Discuss. [2013, 25 Marks]
Q. Explain the features of Apartheid in South Africa. [2018, 10 Marks]
Q. The white-minority government of South Africa treated the natives very badly by denying them fundamental rights and made Apartheid as official policy. How were the people able to end Apartheid policy and establish a transitional rule? [2021, 10 Marks]
Q. Why was the apartheid policy introduced in South Africa? What were its main features? [2022, 20m]
5. Asia and South-East Asia:
Nationalism in Asia:
Q. “…. the European nations in emphasizing their solidarity, their solidarity, their Europeanness in dealing with Asian countries inevitably gave rise to a feeling of Asianness.” Comment. [1988, 20 Marks]
Q. How did the Japanese occupation of South-East Asian countries during the Second World War give a boost to nationalism in the regions? Explain with examples. [1990, 60 Marks]
Q. “Asian Nationalism is just a product of Western impact on the Asian intelligentsia in the last decades of the nineteenth century.” Comment. [1994, 20 Marks]
Q. The historical causes for the rise of anti-colonial movement in South-East Asia were cultural differences, spread of western education and the emergence of Communist ideas. Discuss. [2023, 20 Marks]
Vietnam:
Q. “…. nascent nationalism in Indo-China developed within both an Asian and a European context with but scanty reference in either case to traditionalist considerations.” Comment. [1982, 20 Marks]
Q. Why did Vietnam go through thirty years of war after the Second World War? [2009, 30 Marks]
Q. Trace the significant role played by Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam’s struggle for freedom. [2016, 10 Marks]
Q. Do you feel that the Vietnamese fought the 20th century’s longest and bloodiest war for their liberation and integration of their country? Analyse. [2022, 10m]
Indonesia:
Q. Identify the main strands in the Nationalist Movement in Indonesia between the two World Wars. How did Japanese occupation of land influence the course of the Movement? [1984, 60 Marks]
Malaya:
Q. What happened to Malaya after it was liberated from Japanese occupation in 1945? Discuss. [2022, 10m]
6. Non-Alignment:
Q. Would you argue that the Non-Aligned Movement played a crucial role in promoting a climate of peace? [2011, 30 Marks]
Q. The role of the Non-Alignment Movement in world affairs had suffered greatly due to the theatre of internecine conflicts among the Third World countries who spearheaded it.” Elucidate. [2015, 10 Marks]
Q. “Non-alignment came to symbolize the struggle of India and other newly independent nations to retain and strengthen their independence from colonialism and imperialism.” Critically examine. [2019, 10 Marks]
Q. During the Cold War, some important leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement wanted to keep the movement away from the military blocs. [2021, 10 Marks]
Q. Describe the launching of Non-Alignment Movement. Why the small nations wanted to remain aloof from the powerful nations? [2022, 20m]
7. Post-Colonial History:
Q. “Decolonization has finished. It definitely belongs to the past. Yet somehow it has refused to become history.” Critically examine. [2013, 10 Marks]
Q. “Colonialism not only deprives a society of its freedom and its wealth, but of its very character, leaving its people intellectually and morally disoriented.” Critically examine. [2013, 10 Marks]
Underdevelopment in Africa:
Q. To what extent did the expansion of European Powers in the late 19th century help in the modernization of Africa? [2014, 10 Marks]
Q. Discuss the factors constraining development of Africa after decolonization. [2018, 20 Marks]
Q. Critically examine whether it was true that after a century of dependency on Europeans, Africans were ill prepared for the task of nation building. [2020, 10 Marks]
Underdevelopment in Latin America:
Q. Explain why Latin America was beset with chronic political instability and endemic military conflicts throughout most of the 19th century. [2019, 20 Marks]
Q. How far did Latin American countries overcame centuries of subjugation and foreign intervention? [2022, 10m]