QUESTION 13
GS1
15 marks
“There arose a serious challenge to the Democratic State System between the two World Wars.” Evaluate the statement.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Evaluate the claim that democracy faced a serious challenge between 1919 and 1939.
EvaluateWeigh what works and what does not, and say how far it succeeds.
Demand-wise check
- 1Evidence for: rise of Fascism (Italy 1922), Nazism (Germany 1933), militarism (Japan), dictatorships in Spain, Portugal, Eastern Europe≈50 words
- 2Causes: Versailles resentment, Great Depression, fear of communism, weak coalition governments≈50 words
- 3Counter-evidence: democracies survived in Britain, France, USA (New Deal), Scandinavia≈50 words
- 4Verdict: the challenge was serious and led to war, but democracy was not universally defeated≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
ContextExamples of collapseCausesWhere democracy heldVerdict
Where marks usually go
- Only describing Hitler and Mussolini
- No counter-view that democracy survived in Britain, France, USA and Scandinavia
Draw this
- Map of Europe 1938: democracies vs dictatorships
Value addition
- FactOf the new democracies created in Europe after 1918, most had become authoritarian by 1938; Czechoslovakia was the main exception in central Europe until Munich.Standard modern history
- FactGerman unemployment reached about 6 million in early 1932, which helped the Nazi vote rise to 37% in July 1932.Weimar election records
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 7 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 11 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 11 minutes, then get it checked.