UPSC Prelims 2020
Modern History Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — 1, 2, and 4 only

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 1931) was a landmark agreement between Mahatma Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin that led to the suspension of the Civil Disobedience Movement. The pact included Congress participation in the Second Round Table Conference, withdrawal of ordinances, and release of non-violent political prisoners, but did not accept Gandhi's demand for an inquiry into police excesses.

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The British government agreed to invite the Indian National Congress to participate in the Second Round Table Conference in London as part of the pact.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: The pact provided for the withdrawal of repressive ordinances that had been promulgated in connection with the Civil Disobedience Movement.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: While Gandhi raised the issue of police excesses during negotiations, the British government refused to accept his suggestion for an inquiry into police brutality, making this a point of contention.
✅ Statement 4 – Correct: The pact stipulated the release of political prisoners arrested during the Civil Disobedience Movement, except those convicted of violence.

📝 Short Notes: Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 5, 1931)

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — Birsa Munda's Revolt of 1899-1900

The term "Ulgulan" meaning "Great Tumult" specifically refers to the rebellion led by Birsa Munda during 1899-1900 among the Munda tribes of Chhotanagpur region. This uprising was directed against the British colonial administration and the exploitative jagirdari system that had destroyed the traditional common land holdings of the Mundas. Birsa Munda proclaimed "Abua Raj Seter Jana, Maharani Raj Tundu Jana" (Let the kingdom of the queen be ended and our kingdom be established), making it a movement for self-rule and restoration of tribal rights.

📝 Short Notes: Major Tribal Uprisings in India

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India

Lord Wellesley established Fort William College in Calcutta in 1800 primarily to train young British civil servants in Indian languages, customs, and administrative practices. The college aimed to create a cadre of well-trained administrators who could effectively govern British territories in India, as Wellesley was dissatisfied with the existing training provided by the East India Company in London.

📝 Short Notes: Fort William College

• Established: 1800 by Lord Wellesley (Governor-General, 1798-1805) at Calcutta
• Primary Purpose: Training British civil servants in Indian languages (Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi), customs, laws, and administrative practices
• Background: Wellesley believed the Company's Haileybury College in London provided inadequate training for Indian administration
• Curriculum: Oriental languages, Indian history, culture, legal systems, and administrative procedures
• Opposition: The Court of Directors in London opposed it due to high expenses and established Haileybury College (1806) as an alternative
• Later Status: Fort William College continued but was reduced to mainly a language school after 1854
• Significance: Promoted Oriental studies and helped create a professional civil service, though it also served colonial administrative interests

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 1 — 1 and 2 only

Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar's "Desher Katha" (1904) was a seminal work during the Swadeshi Movement that critiqued British colonial exploitation and inspired nationalist consciousness. Statements 1 and 2 are correct while statement 3 is incorrect regarding the scope of 'desh'.

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The book warned against the colonial state's psychological conquest and mental subjugation, exposing economic exploitation and urging Indians to recognize British imperial designs.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Deuskar's passionate nationalist writings inspired swadeshi cultural expressions including street plays, folk songs, and popular theatre that spread nationalist ideas among masses.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: Deuskar used 'desh' in the broader context of India as a nation, not specifically Bengal; though written in Bengali, the book addressed pan-Indian concerns and national consciousness.

📝 Short Notes: Desher Katha and Early Nationalist Literature

• Author: Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar (1869-1912), a Maharashtrian who grew up in Bengal and bridged the renaissance movements of both regions.
• Publication: Written in Bengali in 1904, during the height of the Swadeshi Movement and before the partition of Bengal.
• Content: Exposed British economic drain, criticized colonial education system, and warned against mental colonization; presented statistical evidence of India's impoverishment under British rule.
• Impact: Became one of the most influential texts of early nationalism; inspired swadeshi activism, cultural performances, and nationalist consciousness among the masses.
• Cultural Significance: The book contributed to the development of nationalist literature in regional languages and promoted the use of 'desh' (nation) as a unifying concept beyond regional identities.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 1 — Gopal Baba Walangkar

Gopal Baba Walangkar published the monthly journal Vital-Vidhvansak (Destroyer of Brahmanical or Ceremonial Pollution) in 1888, which was the first journal specifically targeted at untouchable communities. He was a pioneering social reformer who addressed caste discrimination and raised consciousness about the rights and dignity of Dalits through his writings in this journal and other publications.

📝 Short Notes: Early Dalit Social Reform Movement

• Gopal Baba Walangkar (1840-1900): First intellectual rebel from the Dalit community to launch systematic criticism of the caste system; considered the pioneer of Dalit activism in Maharashtra.
• Vital-Vidhvansak (1888): Monthly journal meaning 'Destroyer of Ceremonial Pollution'; first publication targeting untouchable audiences; aimed at raising social consciousness.
• Vital Viduvansan (1889): Pamphlet with 26 questions addressed to Maharashtrian elites, protesting the position of untouchables in society.
• Walangkar's Ideology: Concluded from reading Hindu texts that caste was contrived by Aryan invaders to control indigenous Anaryan people.
• Other Contributions: Wrote articles for Marathi newspapers like Sudharak and Deenbandhu; composed inspirational Marathi couplets for the masses.
• Historical Significance: Laid the foundation for later Dalit movements led by figures like Jyotiba Phule and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — 2 and 3 only

This question tests knowledge of specific historical terms used during the colonial and pre-colonial periods in India. Only pairs 2 and 3 are correctly matched, while pair 1 incorrectly describes Aurang.

❌ Pair 1 – Incorrect: Aurang was not in-charge of the treasury; it was a Persian term for a warehouse or workshop where goods were collected and processed before sale.

✅ Pair 2 – Correct: Banian (or Baniya) refers to Indian agents employed by the East India Company who managed business transactions, served as interpreters, brokers, and cash-keepers, often functioning as trading partners rather than mere servants.

✅ Pair 3 – Correct: Mirasidar (from Persian 'miras' meaning inheritance) was a hereditary landowner and co-proprietor who was designated as a revenue payer to the state.

📝 Short Notes: Colonial Administrative and Commercial Terms

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 1 — Indian handicrafts were ruined

The Industrial Revolution in Britain during the first half of the 19th century led to the mass production of cheap machine-made goods, which flooded Indian markets. This resulted in the deindustrialization and ruin of India's traditional cottage and handicraft industries, particularly textiles, as they could not compete with British imports.

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The Industrial Revolution in Britain led to cheap machine-made goods that destroyed traditional Indian handicrafts and cottage industries through unfair competition.

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: Machines were not introduced in Indian textile industry in large numbers during the first half of the 19th century; modern mills with imported machinery only started emerging in the 1850s in cities like Bombay and Ahmedabad.

❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: Railway lines were not laid in many parts during the first half of the 19th century; the first railway line (Bombay-Thane) was inaugurated only in 1853, and significant expansion occurred only in the latter half of the century.

❌ Statement 4 – Incorrect: Heavy duties were not imposed on British imports; rather, British goods enjoyed duty-free or low-duty access to Indian markets, while Indian goods faced high tariffs in Britain, creating an unequal trade relationship.

📝 Short Notes: Economic Impact of Industrial Revolution on India

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — its unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions

The decline of indigo cultivation in India by the early 20th century was primarily due to the invention of synthetic dyes in Germany (1880s), which were cheaper, easier to produce, and more consistent in quality than natural indigo. This led to a collapse in the global demand for natural indigo, making its cultivation economically unviable for planters in India. While peasant resistance (especially the Indigo Revolt of 1859-60) did occur earlier, the decisive factor for decline was the economic obsolescence caused by synthetic alternatives.

📝 Short Notes: Indigo Cultivation in India

• Colonial Indigo System: European planters forced Indian peasants to cultivate indigo on their land through tinkathia system (3/20th of land) and oppressive contracts.
• Indigo Revolt (1859-60): Peasant uprising in Bengal against exploitative planters, supported by missionaries and Bengali intellectuals; led to government inquiry (Indigo Commission, 1860).
• Champaran Satyagraha (1917): Gandhi's first major movement in India against indigo planters in Bihar, forcing abolition of the tinkathia system.
• Synthetic Dyes (1880s): German chemist Adolf von Baeyer synthesized indigo artificially; commercial production began in 1897 by BASF.
• Economic Impact: By 1913, synthetic indigo dominated the market; natural indigo cultivation became unprofitable and virtually disappeared by 1920s.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — 2 and 3 only

The Rakhmabai case (1884) was a landmark litigation concerning a child marriage where Rakhmabai refused to live with her husband Dadaji Bhikaji, who then filed a suit for restitution of conjugal rights. The case sparked nationwide debate on child marriage and age of consent, ultimately contributing to the Age of Consent Act, 1891.

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: The case did not revolve around women's right to education; though Rakhmabai was educated and later became a doctor, the legal dispute concerned her marital obligations.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: The case generated significant public discourse on child marriage and directly influenced the passage of the Age of Consent Act, 1891, which raised the age of consent from 10 to 12 years.
✅ Statement 3 – Correct: The litigation was initiated by her husband seeking restitution of conjugal rights after Rakhmabai refused to cohabit with him following their child marriage when she was 11 years old.

📝 Short Notes: Rakhmabai Case and Social Reforms