UPSC Mains World History Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Topic-wise previous year questions from UPSC Mains — General Studies Paper 1
📋 UPSC SyllabusHistory of the world will include events from the 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc. — their forms and effect on the society.
Trend Analysis
Year-wise and theme-wise distribution of World History questions
2013
4
2014
2
2015
2
2016
1
2017
1
2018
0
2019
1
2020
0
2021
1
2022
0
2023
1
2024
2
2025
1
Revolutions
3
3
Industrial Revolution
4
4
World Wars & Interwar
4
4
Colonisation & Decolonisation
4
4
Political Philosophies
0
⚠️ Political Philosophies — No direct UPSC Mains question (2013–2025)
Year
Marks
Theme
15 of 15 questions
1
The French Revolution has enduring relevance to the contemporary world. Explain.
202515 Marks250 WordsRevolutionsQ13
2
Explain how the foundations of the modern world were laid by the American and French Revolutions.
201915 Marks250 WordsRevolutionsQ13
3
American Revolution was an economic revolt against mercantilism. Substantiate.
201310 Marks200 WordsRevolutionsQ13
4
How far was the Industrial Revolution in England responsible for the decline of handicrafts and cottage industries in India?
202415 Marks250 WordsIndustrial RevolutionQ13
5
Bring out the socio-economic effects of the introduction of railways in different countries of the world.
202310 Marks150 WordsIndustrial RevolutionQ3
6
Why did the industrial revolution first occur in England? Discuss the quality of life of the people there during the industrialization. How does it compare with that in India at present?
201512.5 Marks200 WordsIndustrial RevolutionQ6
7
"Latecomer" Industrial Revolution in Japan involved certain factors that were markedly different from what West had experienced. Analyze.
201310 Marks200 WordsIndustrial RevolutionQ11
8
How far is it correct to say that the First World War was fought essentially for the preservation of balance of power?
202415 Marks250 WordsWorld Wars & InterwarQ12
9
"There arose a serious challenge to the Democratic State System between the two World Wars." Evaluate the statement.
202115 Marks250 WordsWorld Wars & InterwarQ13
10
To what extent can Germany be held responsible for causing the two World Wars? Discuss critically.
201512.5 Marks200 WordsWorld Wars & InterwarQ7
11
What policy instruments were deployed to contain the Great Economic Depression?
201310 Marks200 WordsWorld Wars & InterwarQ14
12
What problems are germane to the decolonization process in the Malay Peninsula?
No direct UPSC Mains question has been asked on Political Philosophies & their Impact on Society (2013–2025). This is a syllabus-specified topic and remains a high-probability area for future papers.
Political Philosophies0 Questions asked
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