IAS Mains History 2002
Paper II
Section A

Comment on any Three of the following statements in about 200 words each:

The verdict at Plassey was confirmed by the English victory at Buxar.

India broke her British fetters with Western hammers.

Gandhi restrained mass movements, yet he retained his popularity among the masses.

The ideology of Subhash Chandra Bose was a combination of nationalism, fascism and communism.

The rise and expansion of British empire was an accident rather than the result of a deliberate policy and design. Critically examine this statement.

The recurring famines in the 19th century were the inevitable consequence of the British policy and expose the real character of the paternal solicitude for the peasantry on the part of the British administration. Examine this statement critically.

Discuss the nature of the leadership and programme of the Congress Socialist party.

Section B

Comment on any Three of the following statements in about 200 words each:

The Renaissance was the discovery of the world and of man.

If monarchical misrule ignited the French Revolution, lofty ideas both inspired and sustained it.

The Great Depression (1928 34) was attended by momentous consequences in the economic as well as in the political sphere.

One of the most important consequences of the Second World War was division of Europe, eastern and western.

Napoleon kindled the national sentiment, but German unity was achieved by Bismarck. Discuss.

Examine the circumstances in china in the years 1945 49. What did the United States do to resolve the conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists there?

Discuss the main factors leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union.