These are Questions on Modern India & World History
Answer
all questions. Marks are provided against each question. Qs No 2 to 11 carry 20
marks each.
1. Critically
examine the following statements in about 150 words each: [10x5=50]
a.
“An important but tragic
consequence of the forcible expansion of cultivation, the reclamation of
grazing lands and wastelands, and the commercialization of agriculture was the
increased incidence of famines, particularly in the 2nd half of the
19th century.”[Dube, p 111]
b. “The
first occasion for a nationalist upsurge in the 20th century was
provided by the high-handed policy of Viceroy Curzon and his decision to
partition Bengal.” [Dube, p 221]
c.
“.........Gandhi’s success
was due to the links he established and the support he commanded from
vernacular leaders of regions that were not in the forefront of the nationalist
struggle till then.” [Dube, p 282]
d. “Political
parties of distinct hues and colours participated in protests against the
trials of the INA prisoners of war”[Dube, p 406]
e.
“Artillery remained the weak
link in the Maratha army.....Besides, it lagged far behind in sophistication”
[Dube, p 17]
2. Would you agree
that post-independence, India dealt with the Princely States with a kid-glove
strategy? Can you suggest any alternative model of integrating the recalcitrant
Princely states?
3. India faced a
number of insurgencies, wars and internal political turmoil post-independence. Bring out, according to your own assessment,
three biggest challenges India faced after independence and thereafter discuss
the issues in detail.
4. Critically evaluate,
if 100% of the Indian Sepoys had revolted, then would the result of the revolt
of 1857 been different?
5. The recent
agitation in the University of Legon in Ghana against Gandhi and the
controversial depiction of Gandhi by Jad Adams has essentially eroded him of
the status of the Mahatma. What is your assessment?
6. “Suhrawardy,
Bengal’s Prime Minister was the architect of the communal holocaust post Direct
Action Day called by the Muslim League.” Comment.
7. “Gandhian
Satyagraha was merely a utopian exercise. In a span of over three decades,
Gandhian political methods emasculated a large section of the populace.”
Critically opine.
8. How could the
Ghadar movement have been turned into a success? Should Lala Hardayal be held
responsible for its apparent failure?
9. Did any
‘proletariat’ in the true sense of the term develop within Indian sub-continent
post-1881? Posit instances. Was there any possibility of a proletariat-led
revolution against the Imperial-bourgeoisie structure?
10. Demonstrate the
difference between peasant-based anti-colonial movements of pre and post-1920.
Provide special reference to Tebhaga and Telangana movements.
11. Wasn’t
the tribal insurrections in colonised India only clamour of the autochthonous adivasis against external intervention, without
any linkage to the notion of anti-Imperial political-nationalist struggle?
Answer
all questions. Marks are provided against each question. Qs No 1 to 10 carry 20
marks each.
Q1. Citing dominant illustrations, demonstrate how reactionary regimes since 18th century, have attempted to suppress popular resistance and coerce citizens into submission.
Q2. “The Civil War aided the Bolsheviks in cementing their
hold over the people in Russia.” Critically analyse.
Q3.
“In the 21st century, Africa is a comparatively peaceful continent than what it
was in the post-decolonisation years.” Why do you think that was the case in
Africa post-decolonisation?
Q4.
“Colonialism and Imperialism prevailed over Southeast Asia from the 1500s to
the mid-1940s. There were seven contending colonial powers in Southeast Asia”
Discuss.
Q5.
“ Though the inhabitants of Latin America had a number of grievances, yet
revolution was brought about by the upper classes.” Was this peculiar, for
instance, if compared with France or America?
Q6. How
did Industrialisation take place in Germany? What was the role of Zollverein? Compare the German case
with that of the Russian.
Q7. “The Third World was not an outcome of Cold War, but a result
of economic hegemony”. Do you agree?
Q8. Elucidate
the principle of collective defence, which is enshrined in Article 5 of the
Washington Treaty of NATO.
Q9. “The
European Union, a diplomatic marvel, continues to grapple with intermittent fissures arising out of economic contentious
issues that pose a challenge to an effective integration of the Union.”
Critically examine
Q10. France couldn’t, what Britain could – that is,
avoid big revolutions. How and why?
Q11. Comment on the following in about 150-200 words
in your own language [10 marks each]
A.
“Gorbachev has been chosen by many historians as
the perfect punchbag for justifying the collapse of Soviet Union”.
B.
“Students, peasants, and workers of Vienna stormed
into the Diet demanding the dismissal of Metternich. There was civil war.”
C.
“Bismarck’s first campaign on behalf of imperial unity was
launched against the Roman Catholic Church, called the ‘Kulturkampf’ “
D.
Zimbabwe took a long time than usual to break the
fetters of colonialism
E.
“The
rise of Socialism in Latin America in the 1960s had its roots in the Cuban
Revolution”
Paper
II FULL [Modern India + World History] [02 OCT 2017]
Max
Marks: 250 Max Time: 180
mins
Question Nos. 1 &
5 are compulsory. Answer any three questions from the rest, taking at least one
question from each section. Marks are detailed against each question.
Section
A
1.
Critically examine the following statements
in NOT more than 150 words each:
[10x5=50]
a.
“The policy of education that was followed
post-1854 was ironically more influenced by the Macaulay Minute than the Wood’s
Despatch”
b.
“After the First World War the Indian
National Movement entered into a new phase. With the emergence of Gandhi, the
element of mass mobilisation was introduced”
c.
“Against the background of Cripps Mission and
the compulsive inclusion of India in the war the political scenario in India
had worsened. As such if Congress was to keep its promises for an independent
India , the time has come when Congress was to give a final blow to British
paramount in India”
d.
“Next to Hyderabad, the most important power
that emerged in South India was Mysore under Haidar Ali. The kingdom of Mysore
had prescribed its precarious independence ever since the end of the
Vijayanagar Empire”
e.
“Renunciation, meditation and devotion were
the ways of salvation sought by Ramakrishna Paramhansa”
2A. “With the clouds
of World War II looming large in the horizon, Nehru's skill in international
relations would be tested once more. Nehru did not support Bose's policy of
siding with the Axis forces, and intended to extend support to the Allies.”
Critically discuss.
2B. “India is a
puzzling and complex mix of tribal, feudal and industrial stages of social
evolution.This is compounded to low literacy rate, strangle-hold of religion,
superstitions, ignorance and poverty.” Do you agree in the context of India from
1947 to 1964?
2C. India and
Pakistan have been in conflict ever since independence. The Indian subcontinent
was partitioned 1947 and ever since there has been a conflict of interests.
Explain. [20+15+15=50]
3A. Bhagat Singh came
from a family of patriots and freedom fighters. His uncle, Ajit Singh was a
pioneer in opposing the Colonization Act 1905 and had to remain in exile till
the country gained independence. His father also was an active participant in
the struggle for the liberation of the country from the colonial rule. Do you
think such family background helped Bhagat Singh to take up revolutionary
activities?
3B. “British
settlements in Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta became the nuclei of flourishing
cities. Large numbers of Indian merchants and bankers were attracted to these
cities. People attracted towards Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta partly due to the
new commercial opportunities available in these cities and partly due to the
unsettled condition and insecurity outside them, caused by the break-up of the
Mughal Empire.” Give your opinion.
3C. Sketch the
British Provincial administration post-1857 to 1885. [15+15+20=50]
4A. The Morley-Minto
Reforms Increased the number of elected members in the Imperial Legislative
Council and the provincial councils. Discuss.
4B. Gandhiji took a
very serious view of Chauri Chaura incident. It convinced him that the
nationalist workers had not yet properly understood nor learnt the practice of
non-violence without which, he was convinced, civil disobedience could not be a
success. What is your opinion on Gandhiji’s methods, especially in the backdrop
of this incident?
4C. The Cabinet
Mission proposed a two-tiered federal plan, which was expected to maintain
national unity while conceding the largest measure of regional autonomy. Do you
think this was the best possible solution at that juncture? Did it work? [10+20+20=50]
Section
B
5. Critically examine
the following statements in about 150 words each: [10x5=50]
a. “Edmund
Burke was one of the first to suggest that the philosophers of the French
Enlightenment were somehow responsible for the French Revolution, and his argument
was taken up, and elaborated on, by many historians, including Tocqueville and
Lord Acton. The philosophes undoubtedly provided the ideas. It may well be that
the collapse of the old regime was the consequence of other factors.”
b. “Great
Britain was a veritable champion of liberalism. It was also the first country
to destroy autocracy. However, democracy was built up, by reforms.”
c.
“As
'chancellor' of the new United Germany, Bismarck concentrated on building a
powerful state with a unified national identity.”
d. “When
"power" replaced human muscles in driving machines, employers largely
ceased to give their work out to men and women who bought or hired machines for
use in their own homes. Instead, they gathered all the machines together in a
single factory, or mill, where the "power" could be applied to all at
once with the least trouble and expense.”
e. “The
Enlightenment was an intellectual movement. Enlightenment thinkers tried to
apply reason and the scientific method to laws that shaped human actions.”
6A. What is totalitarianism? How did Stalin
change Soviet society?
6B. How were developing nations affected by the Cold War? With special reference to Brazil, bring out what happened in Latin America post-WWII.
6B. How were developing nations affected by the Cold War? With special reference to Brazil, bring out what happened in Latin America post-WWII.
6C. By 1900, the
Great Powers in Europe were beginning to divide themselves into two separate
groups. A major cause of this had been the growth in power of Germany and its
rivalry with other powers, particularly France. Discuss. [15+15+20=50]
7A. “Russia was determined to help establish
pro-Russian governments in the Balkans, pre-1914.” Critically evaluate.
7B. The
groundwork for Italian unification was laid by a literary and political
movement known as Risorgimento. Do you agree?
7C. Paint a picture
of Africa post-decolonisation, till 1991. [15+15+20=50]
8A. “Indian
independence had an amazing demonstration effect. The attainment of
independence in India triggered off a wave of same growths crossways Africa and
Asia.” Demosntrate.
8B. Adolf
Hitler‘s der totale krieg (Total War)
had the objective of complete destruction of enemy‘s community through
wholesale mobilization of the volk
(general people). Explain by citing instances.
8C. “The
Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution were
rooted in ideals that challenged the political structure of the world.”
Examine. [20+15+15=50]
