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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

“The rise and expansion of British empire was an accident rather than the result of a deliberate policy and design.” Critically examine this statement.

  • UPSC 2002
  • British Expansion in India

Whether British dominion in India resulted from calculated design or unplanned drift remains one of the central historiographical debates on colonial expansion, with serious historians arguing both sides.

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What the full answer covers

  • The Case for "Accident"
  • The Case for "Design"
  • Reconciling the Two Positions

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