GS1 World History PYQ 2013–2025 | UPSC Previous Year Questions | Legacy IAS Academy
Overview
World History is one of the most intellectually rewarding segments of GS1, covering the sweep of modern global history from the 18th-century Revolutions through the Cold War. The UPSC syllabus specifies: world history from the 18th century (events, personalities, ideas) including Industrial Revolution, World Wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonialism, decolonization, political philosophies (communism, capitalism, socialism), and their effects on society.
Across 2013–2025, this segment has generated 15 questions — roughly 1–2 per year, with occasional years yielding none. The World Wars and Interwar Period cluster is the single most tested theme (4 questions), followed by the American & French Revolutions (2), Industrial Revolution (3), and Decolonization (3). The 2025 paper brought back the French Revolution explicitly (Q13), reinforcing that classical revolution themes remain perennially relevant.
A distinctive feature of World History questions is their demand for comparative, analytical, and “contemporary relevance” framing — examiners consistently ask how 18th–20th century events continue to shape the modern world. Strong answers must connect the historical to the present.
Syllabus Map
Click each theme to expand sub-topics and question counts.
American & French Revolutions
American Revolution — economic causes, mercantilism, independence1
French Revolution — foundations of modernity, liberty, fraternity2
Revolutions as twin foundations of the modern world1
Industrial Revolution
Why England first — preconditions, social consequences1
Railways and socio-economic transformation globally1
Rise of Nationalism, Imperialism & Colonialism
Scramble for Africa — artificial borders, European rivalry1
World Wars & Interwar Period
WWI — balance of power, causes and responsibility1
Germany’s responsibility for both World Wars1
Great Depression — policy instruments and responses1
Challenge to democratic state systems between the wars1
Socialism, Communism & Political Philosophies
Soviet New Economic Policy (NEP) 1921 — influence on India1
Decolonization
Suez Crisis 1956 — events and Britain’s decline1
Decolonization of Malay Peninsula — problems and process1
West Africa — new elite and anti-colonial struggles1
Heatmap — Theme × Year
Darker = more questions that year.
Theme
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
American & French Revolutions
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
Industrial Revolution
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
3
Nationalism & Imperialism
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
World Wars & Interwar
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
4
Socialism & Communism
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Decolonization
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
Total per Year
4
2
2
1
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1
15
01234+
2013 was the most concentrated year (4 questions). The subject has maintained steady 1-question-per-year cadence from 2019 onwards. World Wars and Decolonization are the two themes with the widest year-spread.
Trends
Total World History PYQs per Year (2013–2025)
Year
Questions
2013
4
2014
2
2015
2
2016
1
2017
1
2018
0
2019
1
2020
0
2021
1
2022
0
2023
1
2024
1
2025
1
Total
15
Theme-wise Distribution — World History PYQs
Theme
Questions
% of Total
World Wars & Interwar Period
4
27%
American & French Revolutions
3
20%
Industrial Revolution
3
20%
Decolonization
3
20%
Nationalism & Imperialism
1
7%
Socialism & Communism
1
7%
Total
15
100%
Questions by Theme
American & French Revolutions
3 questions
GS1 → World History → Revolutions (18th–19th C.) → American & French
201310m150w
American Revolution was an economic revolt against mercantilism. Substantiate.
Mapping: Causes of American independence — Navigation Acts, taxation without representation, mercantilist exploitation, colonial economic grievances as driver of separation from Britain.
ID: GS1-U05-T01-S01
201915m250w
Explain how the foundations of the modern world were laid by the American and French Revolution.
Mapping: Twin revolutionary legacies — popular sovereignty, separation of powers, Declaration of Rights, abolition of feudalism, nationalism, constitutionalism as pillars of modernity.
ID: GS1-U05-T01-S02Secondary: GS1-U05-T01-S01
202515m250w
The French Revolution has enduring relevance to the contemporary world. Explain.
Mapping: Legacy of liberté-égalité-fraternité — human rights discourse, democratic governance, secularism, nationalism, social contract theory as living influences in the 21st century.
GS1 → World History → Industrial Revolution → Origins & Global Spread
201310m150w
“Latecomer” Industrial Revolution in Japan involved certain factors that were markedly different from what the West had experienced.
Mapping: Meiji Restoration, state-led industrialization, zaibatsu, technology transfer without colonial exploitation — Japan’s compressed, state-directed path contrasts with organic British industrialization.
ID: GS1-U05-T02-S01
201515m250w
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?
Mapping: Preconditions of British industrialization (capital, coal, colonies, enclosures, Protestant work ethic) — social costs (child labour, urbanization, inequality) compared to India’s contemporary development challenges.
ID: GS1-U05-T02-S02
202315m250w
Bring out the socio-economic effects of the introduction of railways in different countries of the world.
Mapping: Railways as industrial revolution catalyst — integration of markets, displacement of artisans, new labour classes, colonialism (India, Africa), national integration (USA, Germany), and economic transformation globally.
ID: GS1-U05-T02-S03Secondary: GS1-U01-T01-S04 (British colonial railways in India)
GS1 → World History → Colonialism & Nationalism → Scramble for Africa
201310m150w
Africa was chopped into states artificially created by accident of European competition. Analyse.
Mapping: Berlin Conference 1884–85, Scramble for Africa, arbitrary boundary demarcation ignoring ethnic/linguistic realities, legacy of artificial nation-states and post-colonial conflicts.
GS1 → World History → 20th Century Conflicts → WWI, WWII & Interwar
201310m150w
What policy instruments were deployed to contain the great economic depression?
Mapping: New Deal (USA), Keynesian demand management, currency devaluation, protectionism, unemployment relief schemes — interwar economic policy responses and their legacies for modern fiscal theory.
ID: GS1-U05-T04-S01
201515m250w
To what extent can Germany be held responsible for causing the two World Wars? Discuss critically.
Mapping: Fischer controversy on WWI, Treaty of Versailles war-guilt clause, Weimar Republic’s failure, Nazi expansionism — critically evaluating mono-causal vs. multi-causal historiography of German responsibility.
ID: GS1-U05-T04-S02
202115m250w
“There arose a serious challenge to the democratic state system between the two world wars.” Evaluate the statement.
Mapping: Rise of fascism (Italy, Germany), Stalinist USSR, authoritarian regimes across Europe — interwar failure of Weimar democracy, League of Nations’ impotence, and reasons liberalism seemed to be losing to totalitarianism.
How far is it correct to say that the First World War was fought essentially for the preservation of balance of power?
Mapping: Alliance systems (Triple Alliance vs. Triple Entente), imperial rivalry, balance-of-power diplomacy, assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as trigger — evaluating structural vs. contingent causation of WWI.
GS1 → World History → Post-WWII → Decolonization & National Liberation
201415m250w
What were the events that led to the Suez Crisis in 1956? How did it deal a final blow to Britain’s self-image as a world power?
Mapping: Nasser’s nationalization of Suez Canal, Anglo-French-Israeli invasion, US and Soviet pressure for withdrawal — Suez as the definitive end of British imperial pretensions and signal of American-Soviet Cold War bipolarity.
ID: GS1-U05-T06-S01
201615m250w
The anti-colonial struggles in West Africa were led by the new elite of Western-educated Africans. Examine.
Mapping: Pan-Africanism, Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), educated elite using colonial tools (English, newspapers, constitutionalism) to challenge colonial rule — role of World War II veterans and changing British imperial policy.
What problems were germane to the decolonization process of Malay Peninsula?
Mapping: Malayan Emergency (communist insurgency), multi-ethnic complexity (Malay, Chinese, Indian), British managed withdrawal, Malayan Union controversy, Federation of Malaya 1957 — a distinctive decolonization case distinct from South Asian or African models.
How to use: World History questions almost always demand “contemporary relevance.” Never answer historically alone — always close with how the event, ideology, or process echoes today. This is what separates average answers from high-scoring ones.
High Yield Topics
World Wars and the Interwar Period top the frequency chart with 4 questions — covering Germany’s responsibility, Great Depression policy responses, interwar democratic crisis, and WWI’s balance-of-power logic. Revolutions (American + French), Industrial Revolution, and Decolonization each contribute 3 questions. Together, these four themes account for 87% of all World History PYQs. The French Revolution (2025) and WWI (2024) signal that “classic” topics never go out of fashion here.
Trend Shifts (2013–2025)
2013 was the most intense year (4 questions). From 2016 onward, World History consistently produces exactly 1 question per year (with occasional zeros in 2018 and 2020). Decolonization was heavily tested in 2014–2017 (3 of 3 questions in those years) and then disappeared completely. This suggests Decolonization may return as a high-probability topic for 2026. The Revolutions cluster has shown a revival pattern: American Revolution (2013), both revolutions together (2019), French Revolution standalone (2025).
Recurring Question Frames
Directive verbs: “Explain” (3), “Discuss” (3), “Examine” (2), “Evaluate” (2), “Substantiate” (1), “Analyse” (1), “Bring out” (1), “How far is it correct” (1). The “How far is it correct” frame (2024) is particularly testing — it demands a nuanced, multi-perspectival answer rather than a simple yes/no. “Evaluate the statement” (2021) similarly requires historiographical balance. Avoid one-sided narratives in World History.
Coverage Gaps
Several syllabus-specified topics have never appeared explicitly: Cold War and its political consequences, Chinese Revolution (1949) and Mao’s policies, Russian Revolution (1917) beyond NEP reference, rise of Nazi Germany as a standalone question, United Nations and post-war international order, Korean and Vietnam wars, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Cold War in particular — given its centrality to global history — is a significant gap and a plausible future question, especially framed through India’s non-alignment policy.
