All 8 questions from UPSC Civil Services Mains History 2022 Paper II (400 marks total). Every stem reproduced in full, with directive-word analysis, marks, word limits, and answer-approach pointers.
8Questions
400Total marks
2022Year
Paper IIPaper
Topics covered
Colonial India: battles, treaties, famines, tribal movements, science (1)Colonial administration: Permanent Settlement, Western education, Diwani (1)Indian National Movement: multi-class character, 1857 Revolt, revolutionaries (1)Indian nationalism, foreign policy, environmental movements (1)World History: Enlightenment, Napoleon, Marxism, interwar period, British reforms (1)Industrial Revolution, Fascism, Vietnam War (1)American Revolution, Soviet disintegration, decolonization in Southeast Asia (1)Cold War: Non-Alignment, apartheid, Latin American independence (1)
Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each:
(a) 'The Battle of Plassey (1757) was a skirmish while the Battle of Buxar (1764) was a real war'. (10 marks)
(b) 'The Treaty of Amritsar (1809) was significant for its immediate as well as potential effects'. (10 marks)
(c) 'Famines were not just because of foodgrain scarcity, but were a direct result of colonial economic policies'. (10 marks)
(d) 'Penetration of outsiders – called dikus by the Santhals – completely destroyed their familiar world, and forced them into action to take possession of their lost territory'. (10 marks)
(e) 'Within a limited scope the Indian Scientists could pursue original scientific research in colonial India'. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित कथनों में से प्रत्येक का लगभग 150 शब्दों में समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए :
(a) 'प्लासी की लड़ाई (1757) एक झड़प थी जबकि बक्सर की लड़ाई (1764) एक असली युद्ध था' । (10 अंक)
(b) 'अमृतसर की संधि (1809) अपने तात्कालिक तथा संभावित प्रभावों के कारण महत्वपूर्ण थी' । (10 अंक)
(c) 'अकाल केवल अनाज की कमी ही नहीं बल्कि औपनिवेशिक आर्थिक नीतियों के प्रत्यक्ष परिणाम थे' । (10 अंक)
(d) 'बाहरी तत्वों की धुसपैट – जिन्हें संथाल दिकु कहते थे – ने संथालों के जात संसार को पूरी तरह बर्बाद कर दिया तथा उन्हें अपना खोया क्षेत्र प्राप्त करने के लिए कार्यवाही करने पर मजबूर कर दिया' । (10 अंक)
(e) 'सीमित दायरे के अंदर भारतीय वैज्ञानिकों ने, औपनिवेशिक भारत में मूल वैज्ञानिक अनुसंधान जारी रखा' । (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, nuanced judgment, no chronology without analysis.
Contextualize the 1757 and 1764 battles
Analyze the 'skirmish' claim for Plassey
Analyze the 'real war' claim for Buxar
Provide a final judgment on the statement
Contextualize the Treaty of Amritsar (1809)
Analyze the immediate effects of the treaty
Analyze the potential/long-term effects of the treaty
Provide a balanced judgment on its significance
Contextualize the famines in colonial India
Analyze the 'foodgrain scarcity' argument
Analyze the 'colonial economic policies' argument
Provide a final judgment on the statement
Contextualize the Santhal rebellion
Analyze the 'penetration of outsiders' claim
Analyze the 'destruction of familiar world' claim
Provide a final judgment on the statement
Contextualize scientific research in colonial India
50MexplainColonial administration: Permanent Settlement, Western education, Diwani
(a) Explain how the Permanent Settlement initiated a rule of property in Bengal and what were its consequences ? (20 marks)
(b) Was the Western education a harbinger of cultural awakening or an instrument of colonial hegemony ? Discuss. (20 marks)
(c) Can you explain how, after acquiring Diwani, the government of the East India Company functioned like 'an Indian ruler' ? (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) व्याख्या कीजिए कि किस प्रकार स्थायी बंदोबस्त ने बंगाल में एक संपत्ति नियम प्रारंभ किया तथा इसके क्या परिणाम थे ? (20 अंक)
(b) क्या पश्चिमी शिक्षा सांस्कृतिक जागृति की अग्रदूत थी या औपनिवेशिक प्रभुत्व का एक उपकरण था ? व्याख्या कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) क्या आप स्पष्ट कर सकते हैं कि कैसे, दीवानी प्राप्त करने के बाद, ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी की सरकार 'एक भारतीय शासक' की तरह कार्य करती रही ? (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (b) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (c) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Demonstrates deep analytical understanding, cites specific sources/historians, and maintains a clear argumentative structure.
Identify Zamindars as new proprietary landowners
Explain the fixed revenue demand mechanism
Link settlement to the rise of a new landlord class
Analyze consequences like peasant exploitation or stagnation
Present arguments for education as cultural awakening
Present arguments for education as colonial hegemony
Discuss the creation of a Westernized elite class
Provide a balanced judgment on the primary impact
Define the significance of acquiring Diwani
Explain the adoption of Indian revenue collection methods
Describe the Company's role as a tax-collecting entity
50MevaluateIndian National Movement: multi-class character, 1857 Revolt, revolutionaries
(a) Do you think that the Indian National Movement was a 'multi class movement' which represented the anti-imperialist interests of all classes and strata ? Give reasons in support of your answer. (20 marks)
(b) The British rule had differential impact on the Indian Society. Describe in what ways, the Indians responded to the Revolt of 1857. (20 marks)
(c) Analyse how the revolutionaries taught people self confidence and widened the social base of the freedom movement. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) क्या आप समझते हैं कि भारतीय राष्ट्रीय आंदोलन एक 'बहुवर्गीय आंदोलन' था जिसमें सभी वर्गों तथा स्तरों के साम्राज्यवाद-विरोधी हितों का प्रतिनिधित्व था ? अपने उत्तर के समर्थन में कारण दीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) भारतीय समाज पर अंग्रेजी शासन का विभेदीय प्रभाव पड़ा । वर्णन कीजिए कि सन् 1857 के विद्रोह का भारतीयों ने किन तरीकों से जवाब दिया ? (20 अंक)
(c) विश्लेषण कीजिए कि क्रांतिकारियों ने लोगों को किस प्रकार आत्म-विश्वास सिखाया तथा भारतीय स्वतंत्रता संग्राम के सामाजिक आधार को व्यापक किया । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: UPSC History Paper 2 (Modern India). (a) justify: claim > 3-4 reasons > evidence > conclusion | (b) describe: define > structure or process in order > labelled diagram > significance | (c) analyse: intro > causes > effects > stakeholders/linkages > way forward Full marks: Thesis-driven, specific evidence, historiographical awareness, clear structure.
(a) Discuss the policies and programmes of the early nationalists (moderates). To what extent they were able to fulfil the aspirations of the people ? (20 marks)
(b) In the light of contentions over the McMahon Line, analyse the India-China relations in the 1950s and 1960s. (20 marks)
(c) How did the popular movements help us to understand the nature of environmental crisis in post-colonial India ? (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) आरंभिक राष्ट्रवादियों (नरमपंथियों) की नीतियों तथा कार्यक्रमों की व्याख्या कीजिए । वे किस सीमा तक लोगों की आकांक्षाओं की पूर्ति करने में सक्षम थे ? (20 अंक)
(b) मैकमोहन लाइन पर विवाद के प्रकाश में, 1950 तथा 1960 के दशक में भारत-चीन संबंधों का विश्लेषण कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) उत्तर औपनिवेशिक भारत में लोकप्रिय आंदोलनों ने पर्यावरणीय संकट की प्रकृति को समझने में किस प्रकार हमारी सहायता की है ? (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) analyse: intro > causes > effects > stakeholders/linkages > way forward | (c) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Thesis-driven, specific evidence, historiographical awareness, balanced judgment.
50M150wCompulsorycritically examineWorld History: Enlightenment, Napoleon, Marxism, interwar period, British reforms
Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each:
(a) 'Rousseau kindled a hope which became the spirit of the Enlightenment'. (10 marks)
(b) 'The codification of French Law was perhaps the most enduring of Napoleon's achievements'. (10 marks)
(c) Engels did much more than Marx himself to popularise the ideas of Marxism. (10 marks)
(d) 'Roaring Twenties' in Europe and America had many positive points. It helped women to uplift themselves in the region. (10 marks)
(e) 'The first Reformation Act (1832) occupies a significant place in the constitutional development of Britain'. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित कथनों में से प्रत्येक का लगभग 150 शब्दों में समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए :
(a) 'रूसो ने एक आशा प्रज्वलित की जो प्रबोधन की आत्मा बन गई' । (10 अंक)
(b) 'फ्रांसीसी कानूनों का संहिताकरण, नेपोलियन की उपलब्धियों में सम्भवतः सबसे स्थायी था' । (10 अंक)
(c) मार्क्सवाद के विचारों को लोकप्रिय बनाने में एंगेल्स ने मार्क्स से ज्यादा कार्य किया । (10 अंक)
(d) यूरोप तथा अमेरिका में 'गरजते बीस के दशक' के अनेकों सकारात्मक बिंदु थे । इसने महिलाओं को इन इलाकों में अपने उत्थान करने में सहायता की । (10 अंक)
(e) 'प्रथम सुधार अधिनियम (1832) ब्रिटेन के संवैधानिक विकास में महत्वपूर्ण स्थान रखता है' । (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, nuanced judgment, precise terminology.
Define Rousseau's specific contribution (e.g., Social Contract, General Will).
Contrast Rousseau's romanticism with the rationalism of Voltaire/Diderot.
Identify the 'hope' (e.g., popular sovereignty, individual liberty).
Provide a judgment on whether he 'kindled' or merely reflected the movement.
Identify the 'codification' as the Napoleonic Code (Code Civil).
Explain why it is 'enduring' (survived the fall of the Empire).
Compare its impact to his military conquests (which were lost).
Mention its influence on other legal systems (e.g., Latin America, Europe).
Acknowledge Marx's role as the primary theorist (Das Kapital).
Detail Engels' role in funding, editing, and publishing Marx's work.
Discuss Engels' own writings (e.g., 'Anti-Duhring', 'Origin of the Family').
Assess the 'popularization' aspect (making it accessible to the working class).
Define the 'Roaring Twenties' (1920s economic boom).
Identify specific positive points (e.g., jazz, cinema, consumerism).
50MelucidateIndustrial Revolution, Fascism, Vietnam War
(a) 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 as the other ? Elucidate. (20 marks)
(b) 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 ? (20 marks)
(c) Do you feel that the Vietnamese fought the 20th century's longest and bloodiest war for their liberation and integration of their country ? Analyse. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) क्या आप सहमत हैं कि औद्योगिक क्रांति के आर्थिक प्रभावों के कारण जहाँ एक ओर धन और पूँजी में अत्यधिक वृद्धि हुआ वहीं दूसरी ओर आम जनता को स्थायी रूप से गरीब बना कर नीचा कर दिया गया ? स्पष्ट कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) चर्चा कीजिए कि किस प्रकार फासीवाद, युद्ध-पश्चात् स्थिति के प्रति एक उत्तर था जो राजनीतिक अस्थिरता, विफल राष्ट्रवादी उम्मीदों तथा साम्यवाद के विस्तार के भय से पैदा हुई थी । (20 अंक)
(c) क्या आपको लगता है कि अपनी मुक्ति तथा अपने देश के एकीकरण के लिये वियतनाम के लोगों ने 20 वीं सदी का सबसे लम्बा तथा खूनी युद्ध लड़ा ? विश्लेषण कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: UPSC History Paper 2. (a) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close | (b) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (c) analyse: intro > causes > effects > stakeholders/linkages > way forward Full marks: Nuanced analysis with specific historical evidence and historiographical awareness.
Contextualize the shift from agrarian to industrial economy
Evidence of capital accumulation and rising GDP
Evidence of urban squalor and wage stagnation
Judgment on the 'permanent poverty' claim
Link political instability to the rise of authoritarianism
Explain the role of 'thwarted nationalist hopes' (e.g., Treaty of Versailles)
Analyze the 'fear of communism' as a mobilizing tool
Identify the specific 'post-war situation' (1918-1922)
Define the 'longest and bloodiest' nature of the conflict
Analyze the 'liberation' aspect (anti-colonial/anti-imperial)
Analyze the 'integration' aspect (North-South reunification)
50ManalyseAmerican Revolution, Soviet disintegration, decolonization in Southeast Asia
(a) Do you understand that the lack of statesmanship in London during the 1760's and the 1770's was, an important contributory factor in precipitating the American Revolution. Analyse. (20 marks)
(b) Discuss, how the policies adopted by Mikhail Gorbachev were responsible for the disintegration of the USSR ? (20 marks)
(c) What happened to Malaya after it was liberated from Japanese occupation in 1945 ? Discuss. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) क्या आप समझते हैं कि 1760 तथा 1770 के दशक के दौरान लंदन में शासन कौशल की कमी अमेरिकी क्रांति को शीघ्र घटित कराने में एक महत्त्वपूर्ण सहयोगी कारक थी ? विश्लेषण कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) व्याख्या कीजिए कि किस प्रकार मिखाइल गोर्बाचेव द्वारा अपनाई गई नीतियाँ सोवियत संघ के विघटन के लिये उत्तरदायी थीं ? (20 अंक)
(c) 1945 में जापानी प्रभुत्व से मुक्त होने के बाद मलाया के साथ क्या हुआ ? व्याख्या कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Context > Thesis > Evidence > Historiography. (a) analyse: intro > causes > effects > stakeholders/linkages > way forward | (b) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (c) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close Full marks: Clear thesis, specific evidence, strong causal links, historiographical awareness.
Identify specific London policies (e.g., Stamp Act, Townshend Acts).
Explain the failure of statesmanship in the 1760s-70s.
Link these failures directly to the precipitating of the Revolution.
50MdescribeCold War: Non-Alignment, apartheid, Latin American independence
(a) Describe the launching of Non-Alignment Movement. Why the small nations wanted to remain aloof from the powerful nations ? (20 marks)
(b) Why was the apartheid policy introduced in South Africa ? What were its main features ? (20 marks)
(c) How far did Latin American countries overcome centuries of subjugation and foreign intervention ? (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) गुट निरपेक्ष आंदोलन की शुरुआत का वर्णन कीजिए । क्यों छोटे राष्ट्र शक्तिशाली राष्ट्रों से अलग रहना चाहते थे ? (20 अंक)
(b) दक्षिण अफ्रीका में पृथक्कता की नीति क्यों लागू की गई ? इसकी मुख्य विशेषताएँ क्या थीं ? (20 अंक)
(c) लैटिन अमेरिकी देशों ने सदियों की अधीनता तथा विदेशी हस्तक्षेप से किस हद तक पार पाया ? (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
Framework: UPSC History Paper 2 (Modern World History). (a) describe: define > structure or process in order > labelled diagram > significance | (b) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (c) evaluate: criteria > evidence > balanced judgment Full marks: Precise dates/acts, clear distinction between political and economic factors, strong analytical conclusion.
1961 Belgrade Conference and founding leaders (Tito, Nehru, Nasser)
Ideological base: Panchsheel (1954) and the ten Bandung principles (1955)
Reason: Avoidance of Cold War nuclear confrontation
Reason: Protection of sovereignty against superpower hegemony
Cause: Institutionalization of racial segregation (1948 NP victory)
Feature: Population Registration Act (1950)
Feature: Group Areas Act (1950) and land segregation
Feature: Bantu Education Act (1953) or Pass Laws
Reference to the Monroe Doctrine (1823)
Mention of 'Neocolonialism' or 'Economic Dependence'
Example of US intervention (e.g., Panama, Cuba, or Chile)
Judgment on 'Political Independence' vs 'Economic Sovereignty'