IAS Mains History 2003
Paper II
Section A

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

‘Absentee landlordism was a consequential feature of Bengal's Permanent land settlement.’

‘India underwent suffering and mortality in the wake of recurring famines’ in the later half of the 19th century.

‘In the summer of 1942 Gandhi was in a strange and uniquely militant mood’

‘Rabindranath Tagores's nationalism was based on a Catholic internationalism.’

What was the impact of early British land policy in the village communities of North India?

Trace the factors which led to a split in the Indian national Congress in 1907. What was its impact on the course of the nationalist movement?

Examine the causes of the rise and progress of revolutionary movements in India from 1905 to 1931.

Section B

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

‘The French Revolution attacked privileges and not property’

‘The roots of the rise of Fascism lay in Peace Treaties.’

‘The Security Council is the heart of the United nations’

‘The Brussels Treaty of 17 March, 1948 paved the way for the formation of NATO’

Bismarck united Germany not by majority of votes and speeches but by a policy of Blood and iron. In the light of this statement assess the contribution of Bismarck to the unification of Germany.

Examine the causes of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and indicate its significance in world history.

Analyze the factors leading to the end of the Cold war and account for the US ascendancy in the world.