Modern History: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims)

Explanation

The Charter Act of 1813 renewed the East India Company’s charter for another 20 years, ending its monopoly on trade with India (except for trade in tea and opium with China). It also allocated funds for promoting education in India and acknowledged the need for social and economic reforms. It gave missionaries permission to travel to India was one of the key components of this law.

Statement 1 is correct: The Charter Act 1813 ended the trade monopoly of the East India Company except for the trade in tea, opium, and with China.

Statement 2 is correct: company’s territories in India came under the sovereignty of the British Government through this Act.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The revenue of India was controlled by the British parliament through Pitt’s India Act 1784.

Explanation

The Old World refers to the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa, known to Europeans before the discovery of the Americas. The New World refers to the Americas, including North and South America, which were "discovered" by Europeans after Christopher Columbus’s voyages in the late 15th century. Tobacco, cocoa, and rubber were domesticated in the ‘New World’ and introduced into the ‘Old World’ through the European explorers in the late medieval or early modern era. The Columbian exchange was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: On 30 September, 1932, Mahatma Gandhi founded the All India Anti Untouchability League, to remove untouchability in society. This league for social transformation resonated throughout the nation, including in Bihar, where enthusiastic support was seen.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: Sahajanand Saraswati, a prominent peasant leader, was the first President of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), founded in 1936 in Lucknow. The organization aimed to address the issues faced by peasants and advocate for agrarian reforms.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: The Self-Respect Movement was started by E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker in Tamil Nadu in 1925 with the aim of destroying the contemporary Hindu social order in its totality and creating a new, rational society without caste.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: All India Liberal Federation was founded by Surendra Nath Banarjea and some of its prominent leaders were Tej Bahadur Sapru, V. S. Srinivasa Sastri and M. R. Jayakar. Tej Bahadur Sapru was one of the presidents of Indian National Liberal Federation. It advocated for gradual constitutional progress and dominion status for India.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: K.C. Neogy was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, a member of the first Cabinet of independent India and the chairman of the first Finance Commission of India.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: Puran Chand Joshi was an early leader of the communist movement in India. He served as the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of India from 1935 to 1947, playing a crucial role in shaping the party’s direction during a formative period.

Explanation

The Subsidiary Alliance was a diplomatic strategy introduced by Lord Wellesley in 1798, aiming to maintain British control over Indian states.

Option (c) is correct: The Subsidiary Alliance aimed to establish British paramountcy over the Indian States and to ensure their military and political subservience to the British East India Company. Securing a fixed income for the company was not the primary objective of the system. Hyderabad was the first state to come under it. The native Indian ruler had to pay for the maintenance of the British army and if he failed to make the payment, a portion of his territory was taken away and ceded to the British. They could not engage in alliances with other powers without British consent.

Explanation

The Santhal Rebellion (1855-56) in the Rajmahal Hills was sparked by the oppression of revenue officials, police, moneylenders, and landlords (referred to as "dikus" by the Santhals). Led by Sido and Kanhu, the Santhals revolted, declaring independence from the British. The rebellion was suppressed by 1856 after extensive military action.

Statement (1) is correct: After the Santhal Uprising (1855-56), the British created the Santhal Parganas in 1855 by carving out areas from Bhagalpur and Birbhum districts to provide the Santhals with a separate administrative region.

Statement (2) is correct: The British introduced legal restrictions on land transfers, making it illegal for a Santhal to transfer land to a non-Santhal. This was done to prevent exploitation by moneylenders (Mahajans) and landlords (Zamindars), which had been a major cause of the rebellion.

Explanation

Champaran Satyagraha (1917) was undertaken after Mahatma Gandhi learned about the abuses suffered by farmers, who were forced into growing indigo by British planters and estate owners. Under the Tinkathia system in Champaran, tenants were forced to grow indigo on 3/20th of their land for landlords. European planters imposed high rents and illegal fees, sparking passive resistance. This marked the beginning of Gandhian methods and the involvement of peasants in the Indian National Movement.

Explanation

The Government of India Act, 1935 divided powers between the Centre and provinces into three lists: Federal (59 items), Provincial (54 items), and Concurrent (36 items). It granted residuary powers to the Governor-General, who could authorize either legislature to legislate on such matters.

Explanation

Under British rule, Indian agriculture became increasingly commercialized. The traditional subsistence farming was replaced by large-scale cultivation of crops such as cotton, indigo, and jute for export purposes, often to meet the needs of British industries. Options (a), (b) and (d) are incorrect:

Indian handicrafts suffered during British rule due to the influx of cheap machine-made British goods, which displaced local handicrafts in domestic and international markets. The number of Indian-owned factories was very limited during the 19th century. Most of the industries, including textile mills, were controlled by the British. The urban population did not see a rapid increase during British rule. While some cities grew due to British administrative and military needs, the overall urbanization rate was low compared to European countries. Moreover, much of India’s population remained rural, engaged in agriculture.

Explanation

The East India Company was originally formed in Britain for pursuing trade with the East Indies in Southeast Asia. It ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China, where the main items of trade were cotton, silk, tea and opium. Also Bengal produced saltpeter, a key ingredient for making gunpowder, which was in high demand for both domestic use and export.