Unlock Elite Access: Level Up Your Preparation with Exclusive Content

History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

Do you agree then the economic effects of the Industrial Revolution were to add enormously to wealth and capital on the one hand and to degrade the masses to permanent poverty as the other ? Elucidate.

  • UPSC 2022
  • Industrialization

The claim captures a real polarisation the Industrial Revolution produced, but "permanent poverty" overstates the case — the actual historiography splits between an optimist and a pessimist reading of workers' living standards, and the balanced verdict is more qualified than either extreme.

You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of the History Optional PYQ Master Pack.

What the full answer covers

  • The Case for "Enormous Wealth and Capital"
  • The Pessimist Case: Degradation of the Masses
  • The Optimist Rejoinder
  • Reconciling the Two Schools
  • Conclusion

Unlock this answer and 1,350+ more

  • 1,350+ solved UPSC History Optional PYQs from 1985 to 2025, Paper-1 and Paper-2
  • Topic-wise across Ancient, Medieval, Modern, Post-Independence and World History
  • Model answers with a clear structure and historian citations
  • Map section solutions included, at no extra cost
  • Read online on lotusarise.com, plus PDF download

₹1,499₹2,50040% off

Get History Optional PYQ Master Pack @ ₹1,499 →

One-time payment · No subscription · Instant access · UPI, cards, RuPay

See every Industrialization question (30 solved) →Already enrolled? Log in