UPSC Prelims 2015 Analysis

Explanation

A book titled Some Economic Aspects of British Rule in India (1903) by Subramania Iyer argued that India's economic stagnation wasn't due to its pre-colonial past, but rather a direct consequence of British policies.

The Economic History of India in the Victorian Age (1903) is a book written by R.C. Dutt that analyzed the economic transformation of India under British rule.

Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1876), this influential book written by Dadabhai Naroji argued that British policies were a significant cause of widespread poverty in India. Naoroji presented his theory of the "drain of wealth," which explained how the transfer of resources from India to Britain hampered economic growth.

Thus efforts of all three led to an economic critique of British colonialism in India.

Explanation

The Cabinet Mission of 1946 came to India and aimed to discuss the transfer of power from the British government to the Indian leadership, to preserve India's unity and grant it independence.

The Cabinet Mission Plan proposed a three-tier structure with a central federal government. Thus, statement one is correct.

The Cabinet Mission's focus was on the constitutional structure, not the judiciary. Hence, statement two is incorrect.

The Civil Service wasn't part of the Cabinet Mission's plan. So, statement three is also incorrect.

Explanation

The Government of India Act of 1919 aimed to expand Indian participation in governing the country.

The Act introduced a dual scheme of governance, separating the central and provincial subjects, with a division of powers between the British Government and Indian authorities.

It established a dual system of government at the provincial level, known as diarchy. Certain subjects called Transferable subjects like education and health were placed under Indian ministers answerable to elected councils, while others called Reserved subjects remained under British control.

Explanation

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 - 25 December 1972), informally called Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian politician, independence activist, lawyer, writer, historian, and statesman.

Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India, as India soon became a Republic in 1950.

The Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha (at Tanjore coast in the Madras Presidency) was a march started by Indian statesman C. Rajagopalachari, inspired by the Dandi March as Part of the Civil Disobedience Movement in April, 1930.

Explanation

The first woman president of the Indian National Congress was Annie Besant (1917). Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian Women president of the Indian National Congress in 1925. Thus, statement one is wrong.

The first Muslim to become president of the Indian National Congress was Badrudin Tayabji (Madras, 1887).

Explanation

The movement that contributed to the split in the Indian National Congress, resulting in the emergence of 'moderates' and 'extremists', was the Swadeshi Movement.

The Swadeshi Movement saw two distinct groups emerge within the Indian National Congress

1. Moderates This group, led by leaders like Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Surendranath Banerjee, believed in constitutional and peaceful methods to achieve independence. They supported the boycott of British goods but opposed the use of violence or extreme measures.

2. Extremists (also known as Radicals or Nationalists) This group, led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Bipin Chandra Pal (the Lal-Bal-Pal trio), advocated for more aggressive and revolutionary methods to drive out the British. They supported the use of boycotts, civil disobedience, and even violence if necessary.

The ideological differences between the moderates and extremists intensified during the Swadeshi Movement, eventually leading to the Surat Split in 1907, where the two factions clashed openly at the Congress session, resulting in a temporary split in the party.

Explanation

The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) was a socialist caucus within the Indian National Congress.

It was founded in 1934 by Congress members who rejected what they saw as the anti-rational mysticism of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Influenced by Fabianism as well as Marxism-Leninism, the CSP included advocates of armed struggle or sabotage (such as Yusuf Meherally, Jai Prakash Narayan, and Basawon Singh (Sinha)) as well as those who insisted upon ahimsa or nonviolent resistance (such as Acharya Narendra Deva).

The CSP advocated decentralized socialism in which cooperatives, trade unions, independent farmers, and local authorities would hold a substantial share of the economic power.

• It was in favour of socialist ideas within the Congress.
• It believed in democratic socialism.
• It did not favour separate electorates.

Explanation

A committee named the 'Sedition Committee' was set up in 1918 by the British Raj, led by Sir Sidney Rowlatt, a British judge. The purpose of this committee was to investigate political activities considered seditious by the British government, particularly in Bengal and Punjab.

Gandhi believed the Rowlatt Act, passed based on the committee's recommendations, was unjust. It gave the British authorities broad powers to arrest and detain people suspected of revolutionary activities without trial.

While not the primary tool used by Gandhi, Gandhi did attempt to leverage the support and networks of the Home Rule Leagues to mobilize people against the Rowlatt Act. Thus, statements one and two are correct.

Demonstration against Simon Commission was held in 1928 while Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919. Thus, statement three is incorrect.