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Political Science (International Relations and Organisation)
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 4
2012 Jan Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 4 Political Science (International Relations and Organisation) 2012 Jan Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.
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The question paper reproduced here is the paper as set by Karnataka State Law University at the 2012 Jan examination.
Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2012 Jan examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2012 Jan examination, reproduced as Karnataka State Law University set them, in the order it set them. Long reading passages are shortened to their first and last lines and our summary; the original paper prints them in full. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.
Duration 3 hours · Total marks 100 · 20 questions answered
Instructions printed on the paper
- N.B. (1) Answer all 5 questions. (2) One essay type and one short note answers have to be attempted, which is referred as Part (a) and Part (b) in all the Units. (3) Figures to the right indicate marks. (4) Answers should be written either in English or in Kannada completely.
How to use this volume
Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.
Q1
Unit I
(a)Explain Nationalism. Discuss merits and demerits of Nationalism.[15]
Answer
For full marks, cover: what nationalism is (Gellner, 1983: "a political principle, which holds that the political and the national unit should be congruent"; Kohn: "a state of mind"; Renan's "daily plebiscite"; Anderson's "imagined political community"); nationalism as feeling, ideology and movement; its merits and demerits drawn from five historical cases: (1) the French Revolution (the Declaration of 1789, art. 3), (2) the unification of Italy and Germany (Mazzini's Young Italy, 1831; unity by 1870 and 1871), (3) Nazism and the road to war (the Nuremberg laws, 15 September 1935; 1939), (4) Indian nationalism (the Congress, 1885; the Swadeshi movement, 1905; Tagore's warning, 1917), (5) decolonisation and its shadows (GA res. 1514, 1960; 51 to 193 UN members; the break-up of Yugoslavia, 1991, and Rwanda, 1994); a ledger of merits and demerits; what decides whether nationalism helps or harms (civic or ethnic; liberal or aggressive; under law or above it; circumstance); nationalism today (the 2016 referendum; economic nationalism; India's G20 theme, 2023); India's constitutional nationalism; a conclusion.
What is nationalism?
Nationalism is the belief that a nation, a people who feel they belong together, should be united and should govern itself. Ernest Gellner put it precisely: "Nationalism is primarily a political principle, which holds that the political and the national unit should be congruent." Hans Kohn called nationalism first and foremost "a state of mind". Ernest Renan described a nation's existence as "a daily plebiscite", a constant will to live together. Benedict Anderson called the nation "an imagined political community", because its members will never meet most of the others yet feel bound to them.
Nationalism works at three levels. It is a feeling of loyalty to one's nation. It is an ideology that places the nation above other loyalties. It is a movement that seeks a state for the nation or defends its independence.
Merits and demerits drawn from history
1. The French Revolution: the people as the nation. The Declaration of the Rights of Man of 1789 proclaimed: "The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation" (art. 3). Power passed, in principle, from kings to peoples.
Merit: nationalism joined with democracy. A nation of citizens, not subjects, claimed the right to govern itself. Demerit: the same revolutionary nationalism soon fuelled wars of conquest across Europe.
2. The unification of Italy and Germany: nations become states. Giuseppe Mazzini founded Young Italy at Marseille in July 1831 to unite the Italian people. Italy was united in stages by 1870, and Germany in 1871.
Merit: nationalism ended foreign rule and division, creating states that matched their peoples. Demerit: German unity came through wars, and the new great power upset the balance of Europe.
3. Nazism: nationalism turned aggressive. In Germany after the First World War, nationalism became a creed of racial superiority and revenge. The Nuremberg race laws, announced on 15 September 1935, stripped Jews of their rights. Germany's expansion led to the Second World War in 1939.
Demerit: aggressive nationalism produced racism, persecution, dictatorship and world war. Lesson: when the nation is worshipped above law and humanity, nationalism becomes its own worst enemy.
4. Indian nationalism: freedom from foreign rule. The Indian National Congress was founded at Bombay on 28 December 1885. The Swadeshi movement against the partition of Bengal in 1905 asked Indians to use Indian goods. Nationalism united a people of many languages and religions in the struggle for independence, won in 1947.
Merit: nationalism gave dignity, unity and self-reliance to a colonised people. It also revived Indian languages, arts and history, which colonial rule had looked down upon. Cultural nationalism of this kind appeared elsewhere too. On 21 February 1952 the police fired on students in Dhaka who demanded recognition of Bengali. UNESCO later proclaimed that day International Mother Language Day. Warning: Rabindranath Tagore, in his lectures on Nationalism (1917), warned against the aggressive, machine-like nationalism of the West, and against India copying it.
5. Decolonisation and its shadows. The General Assembly's resolution 1514 of 1960 declared that "All peoples have the right to self-determination". Nationalism freed dozens of nations, and the UN grew from 51 members in 1945 to 193 by 2011. But narrow ethnic nationalism also tore states apart. Slovenia and Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991, and war followed in Bosnia. In Rwanda in 1994 ethnic hatred led to genocide.
Merit: self-determination ended empires. Demerit: ethnic nationalism divided states and turned neighbours against each other.
The ledger
| Merits | Demerits |
|---|---|
| Freedom from foreign rule (India, decolonisation) | Aggression and war (Nazi Germany, 1939) |
| Unity of divided peoples (Italy, Germany) | Racism and persecution of minorities (Nuremberg laws, 1935) |
| Democracy: sovereignty of the people (1789) | Dictatorship in the name of the nation |
| Cultural revival and self-respect | Break-up of multi-ethnic states (Yugoslavia, 1991) |
| Self-reliant development (Swadeshi, 1905) | Economic nationalism that harms trade |
| A world of equal sovereign states | Obstacles to international co-operation |
What decides whether nationalism helps or harms
- Civic or ethnic. Civic nationalism unites people as citizens under shared laws, whatever their language or religion. Ethnic nationalism defines the nation by blood or faith and excludes others.
- Liberal or aggressive. Liberal nationalism claims self-government for its own nation and respects others' equal right. Aggressive nationalism claims superiority and seeks to dominate.
- Under law or above it. Nationalism that accepts international law and human rights is a force for freedom. Nationalism that recognises no law beyond the nation becomes a danger to all.
- Leadership and circumstance. Economic crisis, humiliation in war and demagogic leaders can turn healthy national feeling into hatred, as Germany showed after 1919. Security, prosperity and responsible leaders keep it healthy.
Nationalism today
Nationalism remains one of the strongest forces in world politics.
- Within unions. In 2016, 51.9 per cent of those voting in the United Kingdom's referendum chose to leave the European Union. Many Leave voters gave as their main reason that decisions about the country should be taken in the country. National feeling can thus pull states out of even the most integrated regional body.
- Economic nationalism. Governments again raise tariffs and favour home industries. This can protect jobs, but it can also start trade wars that hurt everyone.
- Between nationalism and internationalism. Many states try to combine national pride with co-operation. India chose "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", the world as one family, as the theme of its G20 presidency in 2023, under the words "One Earth, One Family, One Future". National interest and global responsibility are presented as partners, not rivals.
The lesson of history is not that nationalism must be abolished, which is neither possible nor desirable. It is that nationalism must be kept civic, liberal and lawful.
India's constitutional nationalism
India's Constitution builds a civic nationalism. Its Preamble promises fraternity, "assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation". It also directs the State to "foster respect for international law and treaty obligations" (art. 51(c)). National unity is combined with equal rights for all citizens and respect for the world order.
Conclusion. Nationalism is the principle that the nation and the state should coincide and that a people should govern itself. History shows both its faces. In 1789, in Italy and in India's freedom struggle, it brought democracy, unity, dignity and freedom, and it ended empires. In Nazi Germany, in Yugoslavia and in Rwanda it brought racism, war and the persecution of minorities. Whether nationalism helps or harms depends on whether it is civic or ethnic, liberal or aggressive, and bound by law or above it. Nationalism of the civic, liberal and lawful kind remains a foundation of a free world.
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