4 Nov 2026GS1Topic
Modern Indian history, post independence India and world history
Previous year questions
5 as set1 · UPSC 201710 marks150 words
Clarify how mid-eighteenth century India was beset with the spectre of a fragmented polity.
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After Aurangzeb died in 1707, the Mughal centre weakened fast. By the 1750s, India had no single power able to hold the subcontinent together.
Hollow centre: The later Mughals became puppets of nobles such as the Sayyid brothers. Nadir Shah's sack of Delhi in 1739 exposed the empire's weakness.
Successor states: Governors turned into hereditary rulers in Hyderabad, Bengal and Awadh. They kept only nominal loyalty to the emperor.
New regional powers: The Marathas expanded, but their confederacy split among the Holkars, Scindias, Gaekwads and Bhonsles. Sikh misls, Jats and Rohillas carved out their own territories.
Invaders and traders: Ahmad Shah Abdali crushed the Marathas at Panipat in 1761. The English won at Plassey in 1757 by exploiting Indian rivalries.
The picture needs balance. Many historians see regional consolidation, not anarchy, since trade, revenue and culture continued to flourish in these states.
The decline was of the centre, and this fragmented polity let a trading company become a ruling power.
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Clarify why mid eighteenth century India appeared politically fragmented.
Implicit demand
The examiner wants the causes of fragmentation and a fair note on the regional consolidation view.
Architecture
An introduction, four causes, a balancing view, then a verdict.
Articulation
Each point names the actors who broke the polity. Money line: a trading company became a ruling power.
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Facts
Murshid Quli Khan in Bengal, Nizam ul Mulk in Hyderabad and Saadat Khan in Awadh.
Nadir Shah carried away the Peacock Throne in 1739.
Battle of Buxar, 1764, confirmed English power in the east.
2 · UPSC 201815 marks250 words
Discuss whether formation of new states in recent times is beneficial or not for the economy of India.
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India created Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand in 2000, and Telangana in 2014. Their record shows that smaller size can help growth, though it never guarantees it.
Where new states helped the economy
Closer administration: A smaller state brings government nearer to people and lets it focus on local priorities. Neglected regions gain their own budget and voice.
Faster growth: Uttarakhand grew rapidly with an industrial package from the Centre and tourism. Telangana built on Hyderabad's information technology base and now ranks among the states with the highest per capita income.
Targeted schemes: Telangana's Mission Kakatiya (2015) revived village tanks, and Rythu Bandhu (2018) gave farmers direct investment support.
Where they did not
Governance deficit: Jharkhand holds vast mineral wealth but saw frequent changes of government in its early years. Poverty and Maoist violence persisted, a classic resource curse.
Costs of division: Andhra Pradesh lost Hyderabad, and a decade later its capital at Amaravati is still being built. Disputes over Krishna river water, debt and assets continue.
Fiscal strain: New states must fund new secretariats, courts and cadres. Several depend heavily on central transfers.
Way forward
Any future demand should be judged on economic viability, administrative need and consent of the people. A second States Reorganisation Commission could set clear criteria.
A new state benefits the economy only when good governance fills the space that division creates.
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Discuss whether new states helped or hurt India's economy.
Implicit demand
The examiner wants evidence from both sides and a conclusion about what decides the outcome.
Architecture
An introduction, three gains, three costs, a way forward, then a verdict.
Articulation
Telangana and Jharkhand give a clear contrast. Money line: good governance fills the space division creates.
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Facts
States Reorganisation Commission led by Fazl Ali, 1953 to 1955.
Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.
Pending demands include Vidarbha, Gorkhaland and Bodoland.
3 · UPSC 201915 marks250 words
Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate.
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From 1920, Gandhi turned the national movement into a mass movement. Many groups joined it on their own terms, and each widened its base and its goals.
Peasants: Champaran (1917), Kheda and Bardoli (1928) under Vallabhbhai Patel drew farmers in. The All India Kisan Sabha (1936) later raised land and rent demands.
Workers: The All India Trade Union Congress (1920) organised labour. Workers joined strikes and hartals during Non Cooperation and Civil Disobedience.
Women: Sarojini Naidu and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay led in the Salt Satyagraha, while thousands picketed liquor shops. In 1942, Usha Mehta ran the underground Congress Radio.
Revolutionaries: Bhagat Singh and the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, and Surya Sen at Chittagong in 1930, inspired youth with courage and a socialist vision.
The Left within Congress: Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose pushed for economic justice. The Karachi Resolution (1931) promised fundamental rights, and the Congress Socialist Party formed in 1934.
Depressed classes: B. R. Ambedkar fought for political rights for the depressed classes, which led to the Poona Pact (1932). Gandhi's campaign against untouchability followed.
Frontier and tribal voices: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's Khudai Khidmatgars brought nonviolence to the North West Frontier. Rani Gaidinliu led resistance in the Northeast.
Muslim participation: The Khilafat movement united Hindus and Muslims in 1920, and Maulana Azad stood firmly for composite nationalism.
These voices sometimes clashed with Gandhi on methods and goals. That debate itself gave the movement its democratic character.
Gandhi opened the door, and these many voices turned the struggle for freedom into a struggle for a just society.
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Elaborate how different groups strengthened the national movement under Gandhi.
Implicit demand
The examiner wants a range of voices, each with names and events, and how they enriched the struggle.
Architecture
An introduction, eight voices, a line on internal debate, then a verdict.
Articulation
Each voice carries a named leader and a date. Money line: a struggle for freedom became a struggle for a just society.
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Facts
Ahmedabad mill strike, 1918.
Alluri Sitarama Raju's Rampa rebellion, 1922 to 1924.
Harijan Sevak Sangh, 1932.
Communal Award, 1932.
4 · UPSC 202010 marks150 words
Evaluate the policies of Lord Curzon and their long term implications on the national movements.
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Lord Curzon, Viceroy from 1899 to 1905, ruled with efficiency but deep distrust of educated Indians.
Key policies
Administrative control: The Calcutta Corporation Act (1899) cut elected members. The Indian Universities Act (1904) tightened official control over universities.
Partition of Bengal (1905): Presented as administrative convenience, it aimed to divide Hindus and Muslims and weaken Bengali nationalism.
Constructive steps: The Ancient Monuments Preservation Act (1904) revived the Archaeological Survey. Agricultural research and irrigation also received attention.
Long term implications
Mass nationalism: Partition triggered the Swadeshi and Boycott movement, drawing students, women and traders into politics.
Rise of the Extremists: Lal, Bal and Pal gained ground, leading to the Surat split (1907) and revolutionary activity.
Communal politics: The Muslim League (1906) and separate electorates in 1909 followed, a legacy that shaped Partition in 1947.
Curzon meant to weaken nationalism, yet his policies turned it into a mass movement.
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Evaluate Curzon's policies and their lasting effect on the national movement.
Implicit demand
The examiner wants both repressive and constructive policies, then concrete long term results.
Architecture
An introduction, three policies, three implications, then a verdict.
Articulation
Partition links policy to consequence. Money line: he turned nationalism into a mass movement.
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Facts
Creation of the North West Frontier Province, 1901.
Punjab Land Alienation Act, 1900.
Younghusband expedition to Tibet, 1903 to 1904.
Partition of Bengal annulled in 1911; capital moved to Delhi.
5 · UPSC 202110 marks150 words
Trace the rise and growth of socio-religious reform movements with special reference to Young Bengal and Brahmo Samaj.
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In the nineteenth century, Western education, missionary criticism and Orientalist research led Indians to question their customs. Reformers used reason and humanism to renew society.
Brahmo Samaj
Foundation: Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Sabha in 1828. He preached monotheism based on the Upanishads and rejected idol worship.
Social reform: His campaign helped abolish sati in 1829. He supported women's property rights and English education.
Growth: Debendranath Tagore revived it, and Keshab Chandra Sen spread it beyond Bengal. Their efforts led to the Native Marriage Act (1872).
Young Bengal
Radical rationalism: Henry Vivian Derozio, a teacher at Hindu College, inspired students to question everything. Influenced by the French Revolution, they attacked superstition and caste.
Limits: Their radicalism lacked a mass base, and the movement faded after Derozio's death in 1831.
Similar movements followed, including the Prarthana Samaj (1867) and the Arya Samaj (1875).
Bengal began a reform tradition that later nationalists built on.
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Trace how socio religious reform rose and grew, focusing on two Bengal movements.
Implicit demand
The examiner wants causes, then features and limits of the Brahmo Samaj and Young Bengal.
Architecture
An introduction on causes, three points on Brahmo Samaj, two on Young Bengal, later growth, then a verdict.
Articulation
Founders and dates anchor each movement. Money line: Bengal began a reform tradition.
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Facts
Atmiya Sabha, 1815.
Tattvabodhini Sabha, 1839, by Debendranath Tagore.
Split of 1866 created the Brahmo Samaj of India under Keshab Chandra Sen.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's work led to the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856.