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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

How far was the drain theory a focal point of nationalist critique of colonialism?

  • UPSC 2019
  • Early Indian Nationalism

The Drain of Wealth theory, systematized above all by Dadabhai Naoroji, gave the early nationalist critique of colonialism something it had previously lacked — a single, quantifiable, unifying grievance around which disparate complaints against British rule could be organized.

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What the full answer covers

  • Naoroji and the Making of a Master Argument
  • From Economic Theory to Political Weapon
  • The Limits of the Drain as the Sole Focus

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