Modern History
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2023
1. What was the difference between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore in their approach towards education and nationalism?
2. How did the colonial rule affect the tribal in India and what was the tribal response to the colonial oppression?
2022
1. Why did the armies of the British East India Company – mostly comprising of Indian Soldiers – win consistently against the more numerous and better equipped armies of the then Indian rulers? Give reasons.
2. Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-eighteenth century? Give reasons.
2021
1. To what extent did the role of the moderates prepare a base for the wider freedom movement? Comment.
2. Bring out the constructive programme of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement.
2020
1. Evaluate the policies of Lord Curzon and their long term implications on the national movement.
2. Since the decade of the 1920s, the national movement acquired various ideological strands and thereby expanded its social base. Discuss.
2018
1. Throw light on the significance of thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times.
2. Why indentured labor was taken by British from India to other colonies? Have they been able to preserve their cultural identity over there?
2017
1. Clarify how mid-eighteenth century India was beset with the specter of a fragmented polity?
2. Why did the ‘Moderates’ fail to carry conviction with the nation about their proclaimed ideology and political goals by the end of the nineteenth century?
3. Examine how the decline of traditional artisanal industry in colonial India crippled the rural economy.
4. Highlight the importance of new objective that got added to the vision of Indian independence since the twenties of the last century.
5. The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th century social reform movement. What were the major issues and debates concerning women in that period?
2016
1. Explain how the upraising of 1857 constitutes an important watershed in the evolution of British policies towards colonial India.
2. Discuss the role of women in the freedom struggle especially during the Gandhian phase.
3. Highlight the difference in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for freedom.
2015
1. How different would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss.
2. Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, despite having divergent approaches and strategies, had a common goal of amelioration of the downtrodden. Elucidate.
3. It would have been difficult for the Constituent Assembly to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India in just three years but for the experience gained with the Government of India Act, 1935. Discuss.
2014
1. The third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761. Why were so many empire-shaking battles fought at Panipat?
2. Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from mid-eighteenth century till independence.
3. In what ways did the naval mutiny prove to be the last nail in the coffin of British colonial aspirations in India?
4. What were the major political, economic and social developments in the world which motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India?
2013
1. Defying the barriers of age, gender and religion, the Indian women became the torch-bearer during the struggle for freedom in India. Discuss.
2. Several foreigners made India their homeland and participated in various movements. Analyze their role in the Indian struggle for freedom.
3. “In many ways, Lord Dalhousie was the founder of modern India.” Elaborate.
4. Critically discuss the objectives of Bhoodan and Gramdan Movements initiated by Acharya Vinoba Bhave and their success.
