MAINS 2014
GS1
10 marks
Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from mid-eighteenth century till independence.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Critically examine the phases and effects of British economic policy in India from the 1750s to 1947.
Examine criticallyAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1Mercantile phase (1757-1813): plunder after Plassey, Company monopoly, drain via investments≈30 words
- 2Free trade/industrial capital phase (1813-1858): end of monopoly (Charter Act 1813), deindustrialisation of handicrafts, land settlements (Permanent 1793, Ryotwari, Mahalwari), commercialisation of agriculture≈30 words
- 3Finance capital phase (1858-1947): railways, guaranteed returns, home charges, tariff policy, discriminating protection after 1920s, war finance≈30 words
- 4Critical balance: famines, drain theory vs some infrastructure, unified market, modern banking; benefits incidental to colonial interest≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Three phases with policiesEffects on agriculture, industry, tradeCounter-viewConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Listing policies without a timeline from mid-18th century to 1947
- Being one-sided without the 'critically' part (railways, unified market)
Draw this
- Timeline 1757-1947 marking the three phases and key policies
Value addition
- ThinkerDadabhai Naoroji's drain theory in 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' (1901); R.C. Dutt's 'Economic History of India' (1902-04).Economic nationalists
- DataAngus Maddison estimated India's share of world GDP at about 24% in 1700 and about 4% in 1950.Maddison, The World Economy
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Monika Srivastava · AIR 16 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
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