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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

Comment on the French ambition of building a territorial empire in India.

  • UPSC 2016
  • European Penetration into India

The French, uniquely among India's early European trading powers, conceived — under Joseph François Dupleix — an explicit ambition of converting commercial settlements into a genuine territorial empire, a project that came remarkably close to success before collapsing within a decade.

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What the full answer covers

  • The Origins of the Ambition
  • Dupleix's Bid for Empire
  • The Collapse of the Ambition
  • Assessing the Ambition in Retrospect

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