All 8 questions from UPSC Civil Services Mains History
2021 Paper II (400 marks total). Every stem reproduced in full,
with directive-word analysis, marks, word limits, and answer-approach pointers.
8Questions
400Total marks
2021Year
Paper IIPaper
Topics covered
Modern Indian History - colonialism, education, press, nationalism (1)Economic impact of colonialism, Indian nationalism, Mir Kasim (1)Utilitarianism, Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, Maratha confederacy (1)Constitutional history, Dalit politics, Integration of Princely States (1)World History - Industrial Revolution, Napoleon, Chartism, NAM, Arab nationalism (1)Enlightenment, Revolutions of 1848, Anti-Apartheid struggle (1)Nationalism and empires, American Civil War, Russian and Chinese revolutions (1)World Wars, Post-Cold War world order, United Nations (1)
A
Q1
50M150wCompulsorycritically examineModern Indian History - colonialism, education, press, nationalism
Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each:
(a) The introduction of Western education transformed India in unforeseen ways. (10 marks)
(b) 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. (10 marks)
(c) 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. (10 marks)
(d) The rise of the Communist Movement in India in the 1920s lent a militant and revolutionary content to the Trade Union Movement. (10 marks)
(e) 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. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित कथनों में से प्रत्येक का लगभग 150 शब्दों में समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए :
(a) पाश्चात्य शिक्षा के लागू होने से भारत में अनपेक्षित परिवर्तन हुए । (10 अंक)
(b) 18वीं सदी की भारतीय राजनीति तथा समाज के संकट के सामान्य अनुभव, जहाँ जन-जीवन बारंबार लूटपाट की व्यवस्था का शिकार होता था, से अलग बदलाव की व्यवस्था को स्थापित करने में टीपू सुल्तान को बहुत कम सफलता मिली । (10 अंक)
(c) देशी प्रेस अधिनियम (वर्नैक्यूलर प्रेस एक्ट), 1878 को देशी प्रेस पर बेहतर नियंत्रण के लिए बनाया गया था जिससे सरकार और अधिक प्रभावी तरीकों से राजद्रोही लेखन को दंडित एवं दमित करने में सशक्त बन सके । (10 अंक)
(d) 1920 के दशक में भारत में कम्युनिस्ट आंदोलन के उदय ने ट्रेड यूनियन आंदोलन को एक उग्रवादी तथा क्रांतिकारी सामग्री प्रदान की । (10 अंक)
(e) 20वीं सदी के प्रथम दशक में, देश के राजनीतिक फलक की खाली जगह को भरने हेतु क्रांतिकारी समूहों के उदय के लिए उपयुक्त वातावरण था । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment | (b) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment | (c) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment | (d) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment | (e) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment Full marks: Thesis-driven, cites specific sources/historians, directly addresses the 'critique' command word.
Mention Macaulay's Minute or Wood's Despatch
Identify the 'unforeseen' rise of nationalism
Note the creation of a Westernized elite class
Contrast colonial intent with actual outcome
Define the 'system of plundering' (Nawabi/Maratha context)
Detail Tipu's administrative or military innovations
Assess the 'success' or failure of these changes
Compare his state with the general 18th-century crisis
50McommentEconomic impact of colonialism, Indian nationalism, Mir Kasim
(a) India had 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. (20 marks)
(b) What were the various ways in which nationalism manifested itself in India during colonial rule? (20 marks)
(c) 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. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) अनेक शताब्दियों से हाथ से कते एवं हाथ से बुने हुए सूत तथा कपड़े के क्षेत्र में भारत विश्व में अग्रणी था । अनेक राष्ट्रवादी तथा मार्क्सवादी आलोचकों का मानना है कि अंग्रेजी आधिपत्य ने जानबूझ कर भारत के पारंपरिक तथा विश्व-प्रसिद्ध हस्तशिल्प को बर्बाद किया । टिप्पणी कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) औपनिवेशिक शासन के दौरान भारत में राष्ट्रवाद ने किन विभिन्न तरीकों से अपने आप को प्रकट किया ? (20 अंक)
(c) ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी का मानना था कि मीर कासिम के रूप में उन्हें एक आदर्श कठपुतली मिल गई है । हालांकि मीर कासिम कंपनी की अपेक्षाओं पर खरा नहीं उतरा । समालोचनात्मक विवेचना कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close | (b) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (c) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment Full marks: Comprehensive, analytical, and well-supported with specific historical evidence and historiographical references.
Contextualize pre-colonial handloom dominance
Explain British policy of deindustrialization
Cite specific tariff or trade policies
Provide a balanced judgment on 'deliberate' intent
Identify political manifestations (e.g., Congress)
50MelucidateUtilitarianism, Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, Maratha confederacy
(a) How did English utilitarian thinking impact India in the British era? (20 marks)
(b) 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 his faith in the efficacy of non-violence and was willing to deviate from this path? Elucidate. (20 marks)
(c) While individually the Marathas were clever and brave, they lacked the corporate spirit so essential for national independence. Discuss with reasons. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) ब्रिटिश काल में अंग्रेजों की उपयोगितावादी सोच ने भारत को किस प्रकार प्रभावित किया ? (20 अंक)
(b) जिन गांधीजी ने चौरी-चौरा में हिंसा के मुद्दे पर असहयोग आंदोलन वापस ले लिया था, उन्हीं ने भारत छोड़ो आंदोलन के दौरान लोगों द्वारा की गई हिंसा की भर्त्सना करने से इंकार कर दिया था । क्या आपको लगता है कि गांधीजी अहिंसा के प्रभावशाली होने के विश्वास को खो रहे थे तथा इसके पथ से अलग होने की सोच रहे थे ? विसद व्याख्या कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) हालांकि मराठे व्यक्तिगत रूप से चतुर एवं बहादुर थे, पर उनमें राष्ट्रीय स्वतंत्रता के लिए आवश्यक सामुदायिक भावना की कमी थी । तर्कों सहित विवेचना कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (b) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close | (c) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close Full marks: Thesis-driven, specific evidence, clear judgment, historiographical awareness
Define utilitarianism and its core British proponents
Link utilitarian logic to specific British administrative policies
Analyze the impact on Indian social and legal reforms
Critique the 'benevolent' nature of utilitarian governance
Contrast the Chauri Chaura withdrawal with Quit India stance
Analyze the specific context of the 1942 movement
Assess the strategic logic behind not condemning violence
Provide a judgment on the consistency of his philosophy
50MdiscussConstitutional history, Dalit politics, Integration of Princely States
(a) Discuss the major constitutional developments in India after 1858 and their impact on society and polity. (20 marks)
(b) Discuss the changing nature of Dalit assertion in India in the twentieth century. (20 marks)
(c) How were the Princely States integrated in the Indian Union after the partition? What role did Sardar Patel play in it? (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) भारत में 1858 के बाद हुए प्रमुख संवैधानिक सुधारों तथा समाज एवं राजनीति पर उनके प्रभाव की विवेचना कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) बीसवीं सदी के भारत में दलित दावेदारी (assertion) की बदलती हुई प्रकृति की चर्चा कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) विभाजन के पश्चात् देशी रियासतों को किस प्रकार भारतीय संघ में शामिल किया गया था ? इसमें सरदार पटेल ने क्या भूमिका निभाई ? (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: UPSC History Paper 2 (Modern India). (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (c) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Comprehensive, analytical, and well-structured with specific historical references.
1861 Act: Viceroy's legislative powers and Council expansion
1909 Act: Dyarchy in Executive Council and separate electorates
1919 Act: Provincial autonomy and bicameral legislature
1935 Act: Federal scheme and provincial autonomy
Early phase: Jyotiba Phule and the Satyashodhak Samaj
Gandhian phase: Mahatma Gandhi and the Harijan movement
Ambedkarite phase: Poona Pact and the Independent Labour Party
Post-1950: Constitutional safeguards and political mobilization
50M150wCompulsorycritically examineWorld History - Industrial Revolution, Napoleon, Chartism, NAM, Arab nationalism
Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each:
(a) There were many reasons why the industrial revolution first happened in England. (10 marks)
(b) Napoleon's continental system may be reckoned as the greatest blunder and may be described as a "monument of misdirected energy". (10 marks)
(c) The Chartist Movement failed to achieve its stated objectives, but succeeded in seeding the idea that a representative democracy should include all citizens. (10 marks)
(d) During the Cold War, some important leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement wanted to keep the movement away from the military blocs. (10 marks)
(e) 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. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित कथनों में से प्रत्येक का लगभग 150 शब्दों में समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए :
(a) इस बात के कई कारण थे जिनकी वजह से औद्योगिक क्रांति पहले इंग्लैंड में हुई । (10 अंक)
(b) नेपोलियन की महाद्वीपीय व्यवस्था को सबसे बड़ी भूल माना जा सकता है तथा इसे "गलत निर्देशित ऊर्जा के स्मारक" के रूप में वर्णित किया जा सकता है । (10 अंक)
(c) चार्टिस्ट आंदोलन अपने घोषित उद्देश्यों को प्राप्त करने में असफल रहा, परंतु इस विचार का बीजारोपण करने में सफल रहा कि प्रतिनिधिक प्रजातंत्र में सभी नागरिकों को शामिल किया जाना चाहिए । (10 अंक)
(d) शीत युद्ध के दौरान, गुट-निरपेक्ष आंदोलन के कुछ महत्वपूर्ण नेता इस आंदोलन को सैन्य गुटों से दूर रखना चाहते थे । (10 अंक)
(e) अरब देशों ने नासिर को ऐसे नेता के रूप में देखा जो उस दबाव के सामने खड़ा रह सकता था जो पश्चिमी देश, मिस्र पर इज़राइल के साथ शांति बनाने के लिए डाल रहे थे । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment | (b) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment | (c) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment | (d) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment | (e) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment Full marks: Thesis-driven, cites specific historians/sources, critiques the statement with evidence, and provides a reasoned judgment.
50MexplainEnlightenment, Revolutions of 1848, Anti-Apartheid struggle
(a) What was "enlightened" about the Age of Enlightenment? (20 marks)
(b) What were the causes and consequences of the revolutionary upsurge of the 1840s in Europe? (20 marks)
(c) 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? (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) प्रबुद्धता के युग के बारे में क्या "प्रबुद्ध" था ? (20 अंक)
(b) 1840 के दशक में यूरोप में आई क्रांतिकारी लहर के कारण एवं परिणाम क्या थे ? (20 अंक)
(c) दक्षिण अफ्रीका की श्वेत-अल्पमत की सरकार, रंगभेद की नीति को आधिकारिक नीति बनाकर वहाँ के मूल निवासियों को उनके आधारभूत अधिकारों से वंचित कर उनके साथ बुरा व्यवहार करती थी । वहाँ के लोग रंगभेद की नीति को समाप्त कर संक्रमणकालीन शासन लागू करने में कैसे सफल हुए ? (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: UPSC History Paper 2. (a) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (b) analyse: intro > causes > effects > stakeholders/linkages > way forward | (c) trace: start point > the stages in sequence > end point > what changed Full marks: Precise historical terminology, clear causal links, and specific examples of thinkers/events.
Define 'Enlightenment' as a movement of reason and rationalism
Identify key thinkers (e.g., Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant) and their specific contributions
Explain the shift from religious authority to secular, scientific thought
Link the movement to the critique of absolute monarchy and feudalism
Identify the 'Year of Revolutions' (1848) and its pan-European scope
Cite causes: industrialization, urbanization, and the failure of the 1815 settlement
Detail specific events: Paris (Feb), Vienna, Berlin, or Milan
Explain the consequences: failure of radical goals but rise of nationalism/liberalism
50MdiscussNationalism and empires, American Civil War, Russian and Chinese revolutions
(a) The rise of nationalism across nations shattered the chains which held together the empires of modern Europe. Discuss. (20 marks)
(b) 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. (20 marks)
(c) Revolutions, whether in Russia (1917) or in China (1949), are a disastrous way of transforming a country. Comment. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) विभिन्न राष्ट्रों में राष्ट्रवाद के उदय ने उन शृंखलाओं को विखंडित कर दिया जो आधुनिक यूरोप के साम्राज्यों को एक साथ बाँधी हुई थीं । विवेचना कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) अमेरिकी गृह युद्ध में उत्तर की विजय के अनेक परिणाम हुए । उनमें से कुछ प्रत्यक्ष तथा स्पष्ट थे । हालाँकि, अमेरिका के विकास पर इसके अप्रत्यक्ष प्रभाव संभवतः ज्यादा महत्त्वपूर्ण थे । टिप्पणी कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) क्रांतियाँ चाहे वह रूस (1917) की हों या चीन (1949) की, एक देश में परिवर्तन लाने का खतरनाक रास्ता हैं । टिप्पणी कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: UPSC History Paper 2 Rubric. (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close | (c) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close Full marks: Analytical, well-structured, cites specific historians/sources, addresses all parts of the prompt.
Identify specific empires (Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Russian).
Link nationalism to the 'shattering' of imperial cohesion.
Discuss the role of 19th-century political movements.
Provide a balanced conclusion on the outcome.
Distinguish between direct (e.g., abolition) and indirect effects.
Analyze the 'indirect effects' on American development (e.g., industrialization).
Provide a judgment on the relative importance of these effects.
50MdiscussWorld Wars, Post-Cold War world order, United Nations
(a) Europe was at war with itself in the first half of the twentieth century with a long cease-fire. Comment. (20 marks)
(b) 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. (20 marks)
(c) Do you think that the United Nations Organisation has played a significant role in resolving international disputes and ensuring peace in the world? (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) बीसवीं सदी के पूर्वार्द्ध में, एक लम्बे युद्ध विराम के साथ, यूरोप लगातार अपने आप से युद्धरत था । टिप्पणी कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) शीत युद्ध की समाप्ति तथा एकल महाशक्ति के रूप में अमेरिका के उदय के प्रभाव, अच्छे तथा बुरे, दोनों रहे हैं । समीक्षा कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) क्या आप समझते हैं कि अंतर्राष्ट्रीय विवादों के निपटारे तथा विश्व में शांति बनाए रखने में संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघ ने महत्त्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई है ? (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close | (b) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (c) evaluate: criteria > evidence > balanced judgment Full marks: Nuanced analysis with specific historical evidence and historiographical references.
Define the 'long cease-fire' as the interwar period (1918-1939).
Analyze the Treaty of Versailles as a 'non-peace' settlement.
Link the rise of fascism to unresolved WWI grievances.
Provide a judgment on the continuity of conflict.
Identify 'good' impacts (e.g., end of nuclear brinkmanship, globalization).
Identify 'bad' impacts (e.g., unilateralism, new regional conflicts).