All 8 questions from UPSC Civil Services Mains History 2026 Paper II (400 marks total). Every stem reproduced in full, with directive-word analysis, marks, word limits, and answer-approach pointers.
8Questions
400Total marks
2026Year
Paper IIPaper
A
Q1
50M150wCompulsorydiscuss
Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each :
(a) “Superior Maritime strength proved to be England's most powerful weapon in the struggle for colonial supremacy, particularly in the Carnatic Wars.” (10 marks)
(b) “No educated Indian has ever forgotten the lesson of Ilbert Bill.” (10 marks)
(c) “Permanent settlement policy resulted in an unfair distribution of assessment, particularly when there was no survey.” (10 marks)
(d) “The poverty of India was not a product of the Geography or of the lack of natural resources, it was mainly a product of the History of the last two centuries.” (10 marks)
(e) Alan Hume's ultimate aim in encouraging the foundation of the Indian National Congress was to provide a ‘Safety Valve’ for the release of growing Indian discontent. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित कथनों में से प्रत्येक का लगभग 150 शब्दों में समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए :
(a) “उच्च समुद्री शक्ति इंग्लैंड का औपनिवेशिक श्रेष्ठता की संघर्ष में सबसे शक्तिशाली हथियार साबित हुई, विशेष रूप से कर्नाटिक युद्धों में।” (10 अंक)
(b) “कोई भी शिक्षित भारतीय इलबर्ट बिल का सबक कभी नहीं भूला है।” (10 अंक)
(c) “स्थायी बंदोबस्त नीति का परिणाम लगान के अनुचित वितरण के रूप में सामने आया, विशेषकर तब जब कोई सर्वेक्षण नहीं हुआ था।” (10 अंक)
(d) “भारत की गरीबी न तो भूगोल की देन थी और न ही प्राकृतिक संसाधनों की कमी के कारण, बल्कि यह मूलत: विगत दो शताब्दियों के इतिहास की उपज थी।” (10 अंक)
(e) भारतीय राष्ट्रीय काँग्रेस की स्थापना को प्रोत्साहित करने में ऐलन ह्यूम का अंतिम उद्देश्य बढ़ते हुए भारतीय असंतोष के निर्गमन हेतु एक ‘सुरक्षा वाल्व’ उपलब्ध कराना था। (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) 'Critically examine' requires the candidate to both substantiate and qualify the claim that English naval supremacy was the decisive weapon in the Anglo-French contest, using the three Carnatic Wars (1746-48, 1749-54, 1758-63) as the test case. A one-sided endorsement or a flat denial both fail; the answer must weigh sea power against the other causes of French defeat. (b) Critically examine what 'the lesson of the Ilbert Bill' actually was for educated Indians: the answer must explain the Bill of 1883, the European 'white mutiny', the 1884 compromise, and then assess the claim that the episode left a permanent mark on Indian political consciousness - including the counter-argument that its role in the founding of the Congress can be overstated. (c) Critically examine the proposition that the Permanent Settlement produced an inequitable incidence of revenue demand, with specific attention to the fact that it was fixed without a cadastral survey. The answer must explain the mechanics of the 1793 settlement, show HOW the absence of survey produced over- and under-assessment, and then qualify the claim. (d) Critically examine the nationalist proposition - stated by Bipan Chandra ('Freedom Struggle', 1972; 'History of Modern India', ch. 9) - that Indian poverty was historically manufactured by two centuries of colonial rule rather than by geography or resource endowment. The answer must present the economic-nationalist case, the evidence, and the scholarly counter-arguments. (e) Critically examine the 'safety valve' theory of the Indian National Congress's origin: state what the theory claims and where it comes from, note who has used it and why, and then test it against the evidence of the Congress's actual foundation in 1885 and the modern scholarly rebuttal.
Carnatic Wars 1746-48, 1749-54, 1758-63
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle 1748
Treaty of Paris 1763
Dupleix
Comte de Lally
Admiral Pocock and Comte d'Ache
Battle of Wandiwash, 22 January 1760
Robert Clive and the siege of Arcot 1751
Battle of Plassey 1757
fall of Pondicherry 1761
Courtenay Peregrine Ilbert
Lord Ripon
1883
European and Anglo-Indian Defence Association
Act III of 1884 / half-European jury compromise
Behari Lal Gupta
Surendranath Banerjea and the Indian Association
Indian National Congress, December 1885
Lord Cornwallis
22 March 1793
Decennial Settlement 1789-90
John Shore
ten-elevenths / one-eleventh division
Sunset Law
Fifth Report of 1812
Bengal Rent Act X of 1859
Bengal Tenancy Act 1885
Ranajit Guha, A Rule of Property for Bengal
Dadabhai Naoroji
drain of wealth / Home Charges
R. C. Dutt
de-industrialisation
famines of 1876-78 and 1899-1900; Bengal famine 1943
Morris D. Morris
Tirthankar Roy
Angus Maddison
Bipan Chandra, History of Modern India / Freedom Struggle
(a) Underline the various factors for decline of the Indian cottage industries during the nineteenth century. (20 marks)
(b) Was the Moplah Rebellion in Malabar an expression of anti-landlord and anti-foreign discontent ? Discuss. (20 marks)
(c) “In my belief, congress is to tottering to its fall and one of my great ambitions which in India is to assist it to a peaceful demise.” Comment. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) 19 वीं शताब्दी के दौरान भारतीय कुटीर उद्योगों के पतन के विभिन्न कारकों को रेखांकित कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(b) क्या मालाबार में मोपला विद्रोह जमींदार-विरोधी और विदेशी-विरोधी असंतोष की अभिव्यक्ति था ? विवेचना कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(c) “मेरे विश्वास में कांग्रेस अपने पतन की ओर बढ़ रही है और भारत में इसका शांतिपूर्ण समापन करने में मदद करना, मेरी सबसे बड़ी अभिलाषाओं में से एक है।” टिप्पणी कीजिए। (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) 'Underline the various factors' requires a systematically classified account of why Indian cottage and handicraft industry declined across the nineteenth century - political, commercial-tariff, technological, infrastructural and social causes - supported by dates and concrete instances, and closing with a note on the de-industrialisation debate. (b) 'Discuss' with a direct question means the candidate must take a position: was the Moplah (Mappila) rebellion of 1921-22 an agrarian and anti-colonial movement, or something else? The answer must establish the agrarian structure and the Khilafat-Non-Cooperation context, acknowledge the communal dimension, and reach a reasoned, evidenced verdict. (c) Identify the speaker and context of this remark - Lord Curzon writing to the Secretary of State, Lord George Hamilton, in November 1900 - and comment on it: explain why Curzon believed the Congress was dying, what he did that bore on it, and how spectacularly the prophecy was falsified by the Swadeshi upsurge his own Partition of Bengal provoked.
dadni and gomasta system
Charter Act 1813
abolition of import duties 1882
countervailing excise on Indian mill cloth 1896
Bombay-Thane railway, 16 April 1853
Suez Canal 1869
decay of Dacca, Murshidabad and Surat
Lord William Bentinck's 1834-35 report on the weavers
(a) ‘Raja Rammohan Roy stands in history as the living bridge over which India marches from her unmeasured part to her incalculable future.’ Explain. (20 marks)
(b) 'The Quit India Movement of 1942 was a decisive phase in India's struggle for independence, rooted in the circumstances of the second world war, colonial policies and the growing strength of Indian Nationalism.' Analyse. (20 marks)
(c) 'The Orientalist-Anglicist controversy of the 19th century constituted a turning point in shaping colonial educational policy in India.' Examine. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) ‘राजा राममोहन राय इतिहास में उस सजीव सेतु के रूप में खड़े हैं जिसके ऊपर से होकर भारत अपने अपरिमेय अतीत से अपने अगणनीय भविष्य की ओर अग्रसर होता है।’ व्याख्या कीजिए। (20 अंक)
(b) '1942 का भारत छोड़ो आन्दोलन भारतीय स्वतन्त्रता संग्राम का एक निर्णायक चरण था, जिसकी पृष्ठभूमि द्वितीय विश्वयुद्ध की परिस्थितियों, औपनिवेशिक नीतियों तथा भारतीय राष्ट्रवाद के उभार में निहित थी ।' विश्लेषित कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) '19 वीं शताब्दी का ओरिएंटलिस्ट-एंग्लिसिस्ट विवाद भारत में औपनिवेशिक शिक्षा नीति के स्वरूप को निर्धारित करने वाला एक महत्वपूर्ण मोड़ था ।' परीक्षण कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) 'Explain' Sophia Dobson Collet's metaphor of Rammohan Roy as a living bridge between India's past and future: the answer must demonstrate, with specific works, institutions and legislation, how Rammohan simultaneously drew on indigenous tradition and imported modern rationalism - and must also register the critiques that qualify the 'father of modern India' label. (b) 'Analyse' requires causal dissection, not narrative: show how the war situation, British colonial policy (especially the Cripps failure) and the accumulated strength of Indian nationalism converged in August 1942, describe the movement's distinctive character, and assess in what sense it was 'decisive'. (c) 'Examine' whether the Orientalist-Anglicist controversy was a genuine turning point in colonial education policy: set out the two positions and the statutory context, describe the resolution of 1835, and then test the 'turning point' claim against the continuities before and after it.
Sophia Dobson Collet, The Life and Letters of Raja Rammohun Roy (source of the metaphor)
Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin
Vedanta Sutra translation 1815
The Precepts of Jesus, 1820
Atmiya Sabha 1814-15
Brahmo Sabha, 20 August 1828
Regulation XVII of 1829 and Lord William Bentinck
Dharma Sabha and Radhakanta Deb
Sambad Kaumudi 1821 and Mirat-ul-Akhbar 1822
letter to Lord Amherst, 11 December 1823
Hindu College 1817 and David Hare
died at Bristol, 27 September 1833
Cripps Mission, 22 March 1942
Wardha CWC resolution, 14 July 1942
Gowalia Tank, Bombay, 8 August 1942
'Do or Die' / 'Karo ya Maro'
arrests of 9 August 1942; Aga Khan Palace and Ahmednagar Fort
Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, Aruna Asaf Ali, Usha Mehta's Congress Radio
(a) Why did the British Crown assume direct control over the Indian Government in 1858 ? Mention the new administrative arrangements. (20 marks)
(b) 'Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army awakened an unprecedented sense of national consciousness among both the Indian armed forces and masses. Evaluate. (20 marks)
(c) How did the introduction of Community Development Programme and Panchayat Raj Programme promote welfare of rural India ? Explain. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) 1858 में ब्रिटिश राजसत्ता ने भारतीय सरकार पर सीधा नियंत्रण क्यों संभाला ? नए प्रशासनिक प्रबंधों का उल्लेख करें । (20 अंक)
(b) 'सुभाष चन्द्र बोस और आजाद हिन्द फौज ने भारतीय सेना तथा जनसमान्य के मध्य राष्ट्रीय चेतना को अभूतपूर्व रूप से जागृत किया ।' मूल्यांकन कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) समुदाय विकास कार्यक्रम और पंचायतराज कार्यक्रम की शुरुआत ने ग्रामीण भारत के कल्याण को कैसे बढ़ावा दिया ? व्याख्या कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (b) evaluate: criteria > evidence > balanced judgment | (c) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Comprehensive, analytical, and well-supported with specific examples and evidence.
Revolt of 1857 as the immediate occasion; the Company's failures of military control, intelligence and policy (annexation of Awadh, Doctrine of Lapse)
Long-run parliamentary control: Regulating Act 1773, Pitt's India Act 1784, Charter Acts 1813, 1833, 1853
Government of India Act, 2 August 1858: Company rule ended; Court of Directors and Board of Control abolished
Secretary of State for India (Lord Stanley first) with a 15-member Council of India
Governor-General also styled Viceroy (Canning) as the Crown's representative
Queen's Proclamation, 1 November 1858 (Allahabad): no further annexation, princes' rights respected, religious non-interference, equal eligibility for office, amnesty
Mohan Singh's first INA (1942) and Rash Behari Bose's Indian Independence League; Bose's arrival (1943) and revival of the INA
Provisional Government of Azad Hind, Singapore, 21 October 1943; 'Delhi Chalo', 'Jai Hind'
Imphal-Kohima campaign of 1944 and military failure; Rani of Jhansi Regiment
Red Fort trials from November 1945 - Shah Nawaz Khan, P. K. Sahgal, G. S. Dhillon; defence by Bhulabhai Desai, Nehru, Tej Bahadur Sapru
Mass agitation: INA Week, Calcutta disturbances of November 1945 and February 1946; commutation of sentences (January 1946)
Effect on the armed forces: RIN mutiny of February 1946; unrest in the air force; British doubts about the Indian Army's loyalty
CDP launched 2 October 1952, building on the Etawah pilot (Albert Mayer, 1948) and Nilokheri
Development blocks with a Block Development Officer and Village Level Workers; National Extension Service (1953)
Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each :
(a) "Immanuel Kant was an advocate of liberalism and nationalism." (10 marks)
(b) "The rise of the Cordelier Club in France was significant for the revolutionary body." (10 marks)
(c) "The Meiji reign (1868-1912) was an epoch making in the industrial history of Japan." (10 marks)
(d) "Globalization tends to benefit the privileged sections of society and further marginalized those who are already disadvantaged." (10 marks)
(e) 'The July Revolution of 1830 marked a significant turning point in the advancement of liberalism and constitutionalism in France.' Analyse. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित कथनों में से प्रत्येक का लगभग 150 शब्दों में समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए :
(a) "इमैनुअल कांट राष्ट्रवाद और उदारवाद के समर्थक थे ।" (10 अंक)
(b) "फ्रांस में कॉर्डेलियर क्लब का उत्कर्ष क्रांतिकारी संगठन के लिये महत्वपूर्ण था ।" (10 अंक)
(c) "जापान के औद्योगिक इतिहास में मेइजी का राज्य-काल (1868-1912) एक युगान्तकारी घटना थी ।" (10 अंक)
(d) "वैश्वीकरण की प्रवृत्ति विशेषाधिकार प्राप्त सामाजिक वर्गों का पक्ष लेने और पहले से ही जो पिछड़े हुए हैं, उन्हें और अधिक हाशिये पर धकेलने की होती है ।" (10 अंक)
(e) '1830 की जुलाई क्रांति, फ्रांस के उदारवाद और संवैधानिक शासन की दिशा में एक महत्वपूर्ण मोड़ था ।' विश्लेषित कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) Critically examine a compound claim about Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). The two halves must be judged separately: the liberal half is largely defensible with qualifications, while the nationalist half is questionable, since Kant's political philosophy is explicitly cosmopolitan and federal rather than national. A candidate who endorses both halves without discrimination has not examined the statement. (b) Critically examine the significance of the Cordeliers Club for the revolutionary movement in France: identify what it was, who led it, its distinctive social composition, the specific interventions that made it matter (1791-1794), and the limits of its significance, including its destruction in 1794. (c) Critically examine whether the Meiji era (1868-1912) was genuinely epoch-making for Japanese industry: establish the state-led industrialisation with specific institutions, dates and firms, then qualify the claim by noting how much of Japan remained agrarian and what the social costs were. (d) Critically examine the claim that globalisation systematically favours the privileged and further marginalises the disadvantaged. The answer must present the evidence and theorists on both sides - rising within-country inequality against falling absolute poverty and narrowing between-country gaps - and reach a qualified conclusion about when and why globalisation produces each outcome. (e) Analyse - and critically examine, given the printed stem - whether the July Revolution of 1830 marked a significant advance for liberalism and constitutionalism in France. The answer must explain the immediate cause (the Ordinances of Saint-Cloud), the events of the Trois Glorieuses, the constitutional changes under the July Monarchy, and the clear limits that make the advance partial.
What is Enlightenment? (1784), sapere aude
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), categorical imperative
Perpetual Peace (1795)
federation of free states / cosmopolitan right
republican constitution and separation of powers
Kant's denial of a right of rebellion
active and passive citizens
Fichte, Addresses to the German Nation (1807-08)
Herder
'On the Common Saying' / 'Theory and Practice' (1793) - freedom of the pen
Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
founded April 1790, Cordeliers convent
Danton, Marat, Desmoulins, Hebert, Chaumette
L'Ami du Peuple and Le Pere Duchesne
Champ de Mars petition and massacre, 17 July 1791
flight to Varennes, 20-21 June 1791
insurrection of 10 August 1792
execution of the Hebertists, 24 March 1794
sans-culottes
Meiji Restoration 1868; Charter Oath
land tax reform 1873
Kobusho (Ministry of Industry) 1870
Tomioka silk mill 1872
Tokyo-Yokohama railway 1872
Matsukata deflation 1881-85 and sale of state enterprises
zaibatsu: Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Yasuda
Shibusawa Eiichi, Osaka Spinning Mill 1883
Yawata Iron and Steel Works 1901
fukoku kyohei
WTO, 1 January 1995 (GATT 1947)
Washington Consensus
Thomas Piketty
Joseph Stiglitz
Branko Milanovic / elephant curve
Jagdish Bhagwati
Amartya Sen or Dani Rodrik
East Asian financial crisis, 1997
fall in extreme poverty since 1990
Charles X
Polignac ministry, 1829
Ordinances of Saint-Cloud, 25-26 July 1830
Les Trois Glorieuses, 27-29 July 1830
Adolphe Thiers
Lafayette
Louis Philippe, 'King of the French', 9 August 1830
(a) The Vienna Settlement of 1815 was based on three principles, restoration, legitimacy and compensation. Elucidate. (20 marks)
(b) The conquests of Napoleon were ephemeral but his civilian work was built on granite. Explain. (20 marks)
(c) Review the features of the 'New Imperialism' in the context of the revival of colonialism in the nineteenth century. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) 1815 का वियना समझौता तीन प्रमुख सिद्धांतों पर आधारित था, पुनःस्थापना, वैधता तथा क्षतिपूर्ति । स्पष्ट कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) नेपोलियन के विजय अभियान अल्पकालिक थे लेकिन उनका असैनिक कार्य ग्रेनाइट सदृश स्थायी था । व्याख्या कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) उन्नीसवीं सदी में उपनिवेशवाद के पुनरुत्थान के संदर्भ में नव-साम्राज्यवाद की विशेषताओं की समीक्षा कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) 'Elucidate' the three organising principles of the Vienna Settlement - restoration, legitimacy and compensation - which means defining each principle and illustrating it with the actual territorial and dynastic decisions of 1814-15, and then assessing what the settlement achieved and what it ignored. (b) 'Explain' a contrast: demonstrate first that Napoleon's military and imperial conquests were transient - undone entirely by 1815 - and second that his civil institutions proved durable, naming the Codes, the administrative, financial, educational and religious settlements, and showing which of them survived. A critical answer will also note the authoritarian side and the debt to the Revolution's own jurists. (c) 'Review the features' of New Imperialism in the context of the nineteenth-century revival of colonialism: define the phenomenon and its period (c. 1870-1914), list its distinguishing characteristics against the older colonialism, and review the competing explanations of why it happened.
Metternich, Castlereagh, Tsar Alexander I, Hardenberg, Talleyrand
Final Act of the Congress of Vienna, 9 June 1815
legitimacy, restoration, compensation, balance of power
German Confederation of 39 states, Federal Act of 8 June 1815
Lombardy and Venetia to Austria
Congress Poland; Norway to Sweden; Belgium to the Netherlands
First Treaty of Paris, 30 May 1814; Second Treaty of Paris, 20 November 1815
Holy Alliance, 26 September 1815; Quadruple Alliance, 20 November 1815
Crimean War 1853-56
18 Brumaire, 9 November 1799
Austerlitz, 2 December 1805
Treaty of Tilsit, 7 July 1807
Continental System / Berlin Decree 1806
Leipzig, 16-19 October 1813; Waterloo, 18 June 1815
Civil Code / Code Napoleon, 21 March 1804
Concordat of 1801 with Pius VII
prefects, law of 17 February 1800
Bank of France 1800; Legion of Honour 1802
Imperial University 1808 and the lycees
Berlin West Africa Conference, 1884-85
effective occupation
Leopold II and the Congo Free State
J. A. Hobson, Imperialism: A Study (1902)
Lenin, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (1916)
(a) The Industrial Revolution in England accelerated the decline of traditional Indian handicrafts and cottage Industries. Critically examine the factors responsible for this decline and its impact on the Indian economy and society. (20 marks)
(b) Lenin was the brilliant strategist of the socialist revolution. Substantiate. (20 marks)
(c) 'The League of Nations failed to achieve its objectives of maintaining international peace and security.' Analyse the major factors responsible for its failure during the period 1919-1946. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) 'इंग्लैंड की औद्योगिक क्रांति ने भारत के पारम्परिक हस्तशिल्प एवं कुटीर उद्योगों के अवनयन की प्रक्रिया की गति प्रदान की ।' इस संदर्भ में भारतीय उद्योगों के पतन के कारणों एवं भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था और समाज पर पड़ने वाले प्रभावों का आलोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) लेनिन समाजवादी क्रांति के शानदार रणनीतिकार थे । प्रमाणित कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) 'राष्ट्रसंघ अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय शांति और सुरक्षा बनाए रखने के अपने उद्देश्य में सफल नहीं हो सका ।' 1919-1946 के बीच इसकी विफलता के प्रमुख कारणों का विश्लेषण कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) A two-part 'critically examine': first the factors behind the decline of Indian handicrafts and cottage industries in the age of the English Industrial Revolution, and second the consequences of that decline for the Indian economy AND Indian society. The critical element requires engagement with the de-industrialisation debate rather than assertion. (b) 'Substantiate' means prove the claim with evidence: demonstrate Lenin's strategic brilliance through his specific theoretical innovations and tactical decisions from 1902 to 1921 - the vanguard party, the April Theses, the timing of October, Brest-Litovsk and the NEP - while noting honestly the costs and the contribution of others, above all Trotsky. (c) 'Analyse the major factors' behind the League of Nations' failure between 1919 and 1946: the answer must separate structural and constitutional defects from political and circumstantial ones, illustrate each with named crises, and - for balance - note the League's genuine achievements before concluding.
Charter Act 1813 and 1833
abolition of import duties, 1882
countervailing excise on Indian mill cloth, 1896
dadni and gomasta system
Bombay-Thane railway, 16 April 1853
Suez Canal, 1869
decay of Dacca, Murshidabad and Surat
ruralisation / de-industrialisation
Amiya Kumar Bagchi; Morris D. Morris; Tirthankar Roy
Dadabhai Naoroji and R. C. Dutt
What Is To Be Done? (1902)
Bolshevik-Menshevik split, 1903
Two Tactics of Social Democracy (1905)
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (1916); weakest link
April Theses, April 1917
'Peace, Land, Bread' and 'All power to the Soviets'
October Revolution, 25 October (7 November) 1917
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, 3 March 1918
Kronstadt rebellion and the New Economic Policy, March 1921
Trotsky and the Military Revolutionary Committee
Covenant as Part I of the Treaty of Versailles, 28 June 1919; League in being 10 January 1920
(a) 'The Acerbo law played a crucial role in strengthening Mussolini's hold on power by undermining democratic institutions in Italy.' Examine. (20 marks)
(b) The European Union sought to create 'Europe without frontiers'. Elaborate. (20 marks)
(c) Discuss the core principles and significance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. (10 marks)
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) 'एसर्बो कानून ने इटली में लोकतान्त्रिक संस्थाओं को कमजोर करते हुये मुसोलिनी की सत्ता को सुदृढ़ करने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई ।' परीक्षण कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(b) यूरोपीय संघ ने 'सीमाओं के बिना एक यूरोप' बनाने का प्रयास किया । सविस्तार वर्णन कीजिए । (20 अंक)
(c) उत्तरी अटलांटिक संधि संगठन के मूल सिद्धांतों एवं महत्व की विवेचना कीजिए । (10 अंक)
Answer approach & key points
(a) 'Examine' the role of the Acerbo Law in consolidating Mussolini's power by undermining Italian democratic institutions: the answer must state the law's provisions and date accurately, trace what it produced at the 1924 election and in the Matteotti crisis, and then weigh it against the other instruments of fascist consolidation - violence, liberal collusion and the monarchy. (b) 'Elaborate' how the European integration project pursued a 'Europe without frontiers': trace the removal of economic, physical, monetary and personal frontiers through the treaties and programmes from 1951 to the present, and note honestly the frontiers that have persisted or returned. (c) 'Discuss the core principles and significance' of NATO: the answer must state the founding facts, set out the substantive principles as they appear in the North Atlantic Treaty (especially Articles 3, 4, 5 and 10), and then assess the organisation's historical significance in the Cold War and after, including its criticisms.
Giacomo Acerbo
Acerbo Law, 1923
two-thirds of seats for the list with at least 25 per cent of the vote
March on Rome, 28 October 1922; Mussolini PM 31 October 1922
election of 6 April 1924 and the 'listone'
Giacomo Matteotti, murdered June 1924
Aventine Secession
Mussolini's speech of 3 January 1925
leggi fascistissime, 1925-26
Victor Emmanuel III
Schuman Declaration, 9 May 1950
Treaty of Paris 1951 (ECSC)
Treaties of Rome, 25 March 1957
customs union completed 1 July 1968
Single European Act 1986/1987 and the 1992 internal market deadline
the four freedoms
Schengen Agreement, 14 June 1985
Maastricht Treaty, 7 February 1992 / in force 1 November 1993
the euro, 1999 and 2002
Brexit, 2016 referendum and 2020 departure
North Atlantic Treaty, 4 April 1949, Washington
twelve founding members
Article 5 collective defence
Article 4 consultation; Article 3 self-help; Article 10 open door