Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Modern History Events Before 1857
Editor’s Pick
- How did tribal movements in India emerge as a reaction to British colonial policies? (200 words)
- Discuss how the decline of the Mughal Empire in the mid-18th century led to the rise of successor, rebel, and independent states, and why none of them succeeded in preventing British domination. (200 words)
- Provide a concise overview of the role of social reformers in eliminating prevalent social vices in 19th century India. (200 words)
- List the reasons that prompted the introduction of the Permanent Settlement system, and discuss its consequences. (200 words)
- Examine the development of the East India Company’s relationship with the British state from 1765 to 1833.”(Answer in 200 words)
UPSC PYQs
- Why did the armies of the British East India Company mostly comprising of Indian soldiers win consistently against the more numerous and better equipped armies of the then Indian rulers? Give reasons. (150 words)[UPSC 2022]
- Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-eighteenth century? Give reasons. (150 words)[UPSC 2022]
- Examine the linkages between the nineteenth century’s ‘Indian Renaissance’ and the emergence of national identity. (250 words) [UPSC 2019]
- The third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761. Why were so many empire-shaking battles fought at Panipat? (150 words) [UPSC 2014]
- Clarify how mid-eighteenth-century India was beset with the specter of a fragmented polity. (150 words) [UPSC 2017]
Revolt of 1857
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
- The 1857 Uprising was the culmination of the recurrent big and small local rebellions that had occurred in the preceding hundred years of British rule. Elucidate. (250 words) [UPSC 2019]
- Explain how the Uprising of 1857 constitutes an important watershed in the evolution of British policies towards colonial India. (200 words) [UPSC 2016]
Freedom Movement
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
- Highlight the differences in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for freedom. (200 words) [UPSC 2016]
- What were the major political, economic and social developments in the world which motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India? (150 words) [UPSC 2014]
Growth of Nationalism in India (1858-1905)
Editor’s Pick
- How would you describe Lord Ripon as a relatively progressive Viceroy of India? (200 words)
- What changes occurred in the administration and army of the British colonial government in India after the Revolt of 1857? (200 words)
UPSC PYQs
- Evaluate the policies of Lord Curzon and their long term implications on the national movement. (150 words)[UPSC 2020]
- Why did the ‘Moderates’ fail to carry conviction with the nation about their proclaimed ideology and political goals by the end of the nineteenth century? (150 words) [UPSC 2017]
Growth of Militant Nationalism & Revolutionary Activities (1905-1918)
Editor’s Pick
- What innovative strategies were employed during the Swadeshi movement? Do you believe the movement successfully accomplished its goals? (200 words)
- Despite its widespread appeal, the Swadeshi movement lost momentum by mid-1908. Explain. (200 words)
UPSC PYQs
Beginning of Mass Nationalism (1919-1939)
Editor’s Pick
- What motivated Gandhiji to select salt as a symbol of protest for the Dandi Satyagraha? Additionally, explain how the Dandi March influenced the national movement. (200 words)
- Trace the evolution of the working class in India and discuss its involvement in the struggle for independence. (200 words)
- In what ways did the First World War cause social and economic disruptions across various sections of Indian society and contribute to the mass mobilisation for the independence movement? (200 words)
- Discuss the strategy of the Indian capitalist class during the national movement, highlighting their support for both constitutional methods and alternative forms of struggle, with relevant examples. (200 words)
- Explain the evolution of the Home Rule movement in India and its contributions. (200 words)
- How did the initiatives in Champaran, Ahmedabad, and Kheda position Gandhiji as a nationalist with a profound compassion for the underprivileged? Discuss. (200 words)
- Analyze the role of the press in the initial phase of the Indian national movement and highlight the challenges faced by the Indian press during this period. (Answer in 200 words)
UPSC PYQs
- Bring out the constructive programs of Mahatma Gandhi during the Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement.(250 words) [UPSC 2021]
- Since the decade of the 1920s, the national movement acquired various ideological strands and thereby expanded its social base. Discuss. (250 words) [UPSC 2020]
- Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate.(250 words) [UPSC 2019]
- Highlight the importance of the new objectives that were added to the vision of Indian independence since the twenties of the last century. (250 words) [UPSC 2017]
- Discuss the role of women in the freedom struggle especially during the Gandhian phase. (200 words) [UPSC 2016]
Towards Freedom & Partition (1939-1947)
Editor’s Pick
- Discuss the role of Individual Satyagraha in sustaining the national movement between the August Offer and the Cripps Mission. (200 words)
- What factors made the launch of the Quit India Movement inevitable, despite the challenging circumstances of the time? (200 words)
- Examine the hardships experienced by refugees during the partition of India, a traumatic division of communities that had previously lived in harmony. (200 words)
UPSC PYQs
- Assess the role of British imperial power in complicating the process of transfer of power during the 1940s. (250 words) [UPSC 2019]
- In what ways did the naval mutiny prove to be the last nail in the coffin of British colonial aspirations in India? (150 words) [UPSC 2014]
Socio-Religious Reforms
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
- Trace the rise and growth of socio-religious reform movements with special reference to Young Bengal and Brahmo Samaj. (150 words)[UPSC 2021]
- The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th century social reform movement. What were the major issues and debates concerning women in that period? (250 words) [UPSC 2017]
Development of Education
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Development of Indian Press
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Economic Impact of British Rule
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
- Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from mid-eighteenth century till independence. (150 words) [UPSC 2014]
- Examine how the decline of traditional artisanal industry in colonial India crippled the rural economy. (250 words) [UPSC 2017]
Working Class Movements
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Peasant Movements
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Tribal Movements
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
British Policies in India
Editor’s Pick
- How did colonial economic policies, shaped by capitalist interests, contribute to the occurrence and intensification of famines in India? Illustrate with examples. (200 words)
- It is claimed that Lord Wellesley’s policies transformed the British Empire in India into the British Empire of India. Explain. (200 words)
- How did colonial policies contribute to the growth of Indian nationalism, both as a direct result and as a reaction against these policies? (200 words)
- Discuss how the pattern of urbanization in India during British rule was exploitative, primarily serving the economic and administrative interests of the colonizers. (200 words)
- What were the various forms of migration from colonial India to other British colonies, and how did these migrations affect British rule in India?(200 Words)
UPSC PYQs
Administrative Policies
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Social and Cultural Policy
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Policy Towards Princely States
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Foreign Policy
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
British Governance
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Constitutional Development (1773-1858)
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Constitutional Development (1858-1947)
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Evolution of Civil Services
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Evolution of Police System
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Military Under the British
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Development of Judiciary Under British
Editor’s Pick
UPSC PYQs
Contribution of Personalities
Editor’s Pick
- Why is Aurobindo Ghosh regarded as “a poet of patriotism, a prophet of nationalism, and a lover of humanity”? (200 words)
- Comment on the significance of Alluri Sitarama Raju’s struggle against injustice and exploitation in the context of India’s freedom movement.” (200 words)
- How did the ‘charkha’ evolve into a central element of Gandhian resistance for independence and a symbol of nationalism in India? (200 words)
- Discuss the disagreements between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore during the Indian freedom struggle and how these differences influenced the core principles of Indian democracy. (200 words)
- Subhas Chandra Bose’s Contributions to National Spirit and Upliftment of Marginalized Sections of Society (200 words)
- Analyze the contributions of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to the Indian freedom movement (150 words)
UPSC PYQs
- What was the difference between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore in their approach towards education and nationalism? ( 150 Words) [UPSC 2023]
- Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times. (150 words) [UPSC 2018]
- How different would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss. (200 words) [UPSC 2015]
- Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, despite having divergent approaches and strategies, had a common goal of amelioration of the downtrodden. Elucidate. (200 words) [UPSC 2015]