Day: October 7, 2024

Q. “The international situation that confronted the peacemakers in Paris was in the brutal realities of history, the result of a temporary redistribution of the balance of power in the world.” Comment. [UPSC- 1987] Ans: The statement refers to the complex and fluid geopolitical environment that the leaders faced during the Paris Peace Conference of […]

Q. Critically examine the main features of the foreign policy of Nazi Germany. [UPSC- 1982] Ans: The foreign policy of Nazi Germany, orchestrated primarily by Adolf Hitler and his key advisors, was characterized by aggressive expansionism, blatant disregard for international treaties, and a ruthless pursuit of ideological goals, aimed at overturning the post-World War I […]

Q. “The nationalist political movements for liberation such as the non-cooperation and civil disobedience movements and their leadership depended heavily on the peasantry.” Comment. [UPSC- 1993] Ans: Nationalist political movements for liberation, particularly in colonial contexts like India, often depended heavily on the support and participation of the peasantry. The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) and the […]

Q. Jawaharlal Nehru was the architect of India’s policy of non-alignment. In the light of this statement discuss India’s relations with the two ‘Power Blocks’ between 1947-1964. [UPSC- 2001] Ans: Jawaharlal Nehru, as the first Prime Minister of independent India, played a pivotal role in shaping India’s foreign policy, particularly its stance of non-alignment during […]

Q. “The Simla Conference (1945) afforded the last opportunity of the forces of nationalism to fight a reargued action to preserve the integrity of the country and when the battle was lost, the waves of communalism quickly engulfed it.” Comment. [UPSC- 1988] Ans: The Simla Conference of 1945 was a crucial moment in the final […]

Q. “Dalhousie changed the map of India with speed and thoroughness no campaign could equal.” Comment. [UPSC- 2001] Ans: The statement captures the transformative impact of Lord Dalhousie’s tenure as Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856. His policies and actions not only expanded British territorial control over the Indian subcontinent but also laid the […]

Q. After 1757 there grew up a State of Bengal which was a “sponsored state” as well as a “plundered state”. Comment. [UPSC- 1999] Ans: The characterization of Bengal after 1757 as both a “sponsored state” and a “plundered state” aptly describes the transformation of the region following the British East India Company’s victory at […]

Q., “The vernacular press in the nineteenth century was both newspaper as well as ‘viewspapers’ that enlightened the dormant masses.” Comment. [UPSC- 2008] OR “The vernacular press in nineteenth century India served not just as newspapers but more importantly as views-papers.” Comment. [UPSC- 2011] Ans: The characterization of the vernacular press in the nineteenth century […]

Q. “Thus the League sought to achieve to profoundest of all psychological revolutions to transform the war mentality of man into a peace mentality.” Comment. [UPSC- 1992] Ans: The statement  captures the essence of the League’s ambitious and idealistic mission in the aftermath of World War I. The League of Nations, established in 1920, was […]

Q. The French Revolution (1789) sought to remove both “the religious and secular props of the existing social order.” Elucidate. [UPSC- 1996] Ans: The French Revolution of 1789 was a pivotal event in world history that sought to fundamentally transform the political, social, and religious structures of France. The revolutionaries aimed to dismantle the “ancien […]