Factors for the decline of the Mughal Empire;

The regional principalities: Nizam’s Deccan, Bengal, Awadh;

Maratha ascendancy under the Peshwas;

The Maratha fiscal and financial system; •

Emergence of Afghan Power, Battle of Panipat: 1761;

State of political, cultural and economic, on the eve of the British conquest.

PYQs: The Eighteenth Century [1985-2026]

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Year	Question	Answer
2026	Would you consider eighteenth century in India an era of 'Dark Age', or a period of economic growth? Elucidate.
2026	Trace the trajectory of Maratha polity from Shivaji to Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao. What was the impact of the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) on the Maratha State? Analyze.
2025	Critically examine the political, military and administrative factors that led to the transformation of the Maratha character in the 18th century. How did these changes influence its rise and eventual decline?	View answer
2024	How did the Maratha guerilla warfare tactics contribute to their military successes against larger and more established armies?	View answer
2024	Examine the role of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty in the political transformation of the State of Hyderabad.	View answer
2024	Evaluate the impact of the Third Battle of Panipat on the political economy of 18th-century India.	View answer
2023	The Marathas posed a significant threat to the integrity of the Mughal Empire. Discuss.	View answer
2023	"Haidar Ali was born to build an empire, and Tipu Sultan to lose one”. Comment.	View answer
2023	Analyze the rise of the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh.	View answer
2023	The economy of India was not stagnant in the eighteenth century. Discuss.	View answer
2022	Aurangzeb's Deccan policy was a major factor in Mughal decline. Discuss.	View answer
2022	Account for the rise of the Maratha power in the eighteenth century.	View answer
2021	How far is it justified to consider the states like Bengal, Awadh and Hyderabad as ‘successor states’ of the Mughal state?	View answer
2020	Critically evaluate history of the Eighteenth century India with reference to culture and economy.	View answer
2019	"It was as much the court intrigues as also the defiance of the provincial powers that hastened the decline of the Mughals in the 18th Century. Comment.	View answer
2018	"The Afghan invasions in the Eighteenth Century not only signified the military irrelevance of the Mughal Empire but also hastened its decline". Explain.	View answer
2017	"The political disintegration was responsible for the socio- economic decline in India during the 18th century." Comment.	View answer
2017	How will you view the Maratha policy of expansion? Delineate.	View answer
2016	Do you think that the agrarian crisis of the 17th century led to the disintegration of the Mughal empire? Discuss.	View answer
2016	Was it the weakening of the Mughal empire or the rise of regional power that led to British conquest of India? Discuss.	View answer
2016	Is it true that the court intrigues and weak revenue system led to the collapse of the Maratha empire? Comment.	View answer
2015	Compare the Peshwas’ bureaucratic management with that of the Imperial Mughal administration.	View answer
2012	How was the Afghan nobility responsible for the decline of the Afghan empires? Discuss.	View answer
2011	Discuss the causes of the rise and growth of regional kingdoms with special reference to the Deccan in the 18th century.	View answer
2008	What are the distinguishing components of the debate on “The Eighteenth Century"?	View answer
2007	Write brief essay on Chauth and Sardeshmukhi of the Maratha rulers.	View answer
2005	How would you like to characterize the eighteenth century in Indian history?	View answer
2004	Write brief essay on the system of the collection of Chauth and Sardeshmukhi by the Maratha rulers.	View answer
2003	Write brief essay on Chauth and Sardeshmukhi.	View answer
2002	Write brief essay on Consequences of the Third Battle of Panipat.	View answer
2001	Were the Marathas restricted by their geopolitical limitations from becoming the paramount power of India?	View answer
2001	Write brief essay on Savai Jai Singh the astronomer.	View answer
1998	Write brief essay: Third Battle of Panipat.	View answer
1988	“The expansion of Mughal empire in Deccan brought about its decline.” Discuss.	View answer
1987	Write short answer of not more than 200 words: Structure and role of the Maratha Confederacy.	View answer
1986	Account for the rise of the Marathas as a political power. How did they influence the course of history?	View answer