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UGC NET Political Science Indian Political Thought Flashcards
60 question-and-answer cards covering Indian Political Thought as it is examined in UGC NET Political Science. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Indian Political Thought deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What is Muhammad Iqbal best known for in political thought?
His 1930 Allahabad Address to the Muslim League, where he proposed a consolidated Muslim-majority state in north-west India — an early articulation of the demand that led to Pakistan.
What philosophical concepts did Iqbal develop relating to the individual and community?
'Khudi' (selfhood/ego — development of the individual self) and the importance of the 'Millat' (the universal Muslim community/Ummah) over territorial nationalism.
Who was M. N. Roy and what was his early international contribution?
Manabendra Nath Roy — founder of the Communist Party of Mexico and a co-founder of the Communist Party of India; he debated Lenin at the 2nd Comintern Congress (1920) on the colonial/national question.
What political philosophy did M. N. Roy develop after breaking with Communism?
'Radical Humanism' (New Humanism) — emphasizing individual freedom, reason, and morality over class dictatorship, and 'Party-less Democracy' organized through local people's committees.
What was M. N. Roy's disagreement with Lenin at the Comintern?
Lenin favored alliance with bourgeois nationalist movements in colonies; Roy argued communists should support the revolutionary peasant-worker masses directly rather than the national bourgeoisie.
What is 'Hindutva' as defined by V. D. Savarkar?
In his 1923 book 'Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?', Savarkar defined it as a cultural-political identity: a Hindu is one for whom India is both Pitribhumi (fatherland) and Punyabhumi (holy land).
What are the three essentials ('the three pillars') of Savarkar's Hindutva?
A common Nation (Rashtra) / geographical unity, a common Race/blood (Jati), and a common Civilization/culture (Sanskriti) — geography, race, and culture.
What was Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's role in the framing of the Indian Constitution?
He served as Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly and is regarded as the chief architect ('Father') of the Indian Constitution.
Which constitutional provision did Ambedkar call 'the heart and soul of the Constitution'?
Article 32 — the right to constitutional remedies, which guarantees the right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights.
What were Ambedkar's core social-political ideals?
Annihilation of caste; the trinity of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity; social democracy as the basis of political democracy; and safeguards for Dalits/Depressed Classes through constitutional reservation.
What was Jawaharlal Nehru's vision for modern India, summarized in his key 'isms'?
Democracy, secularism, socialism (a 'socialistic pattern of society' via mixed economy and Five-Year Plans), scientific temper, and non-alignment in foreign policy.
What was Nehru's concept of a 'scientific temper' and the 'temples of modern India'?
Scientific temper is a rational, evidence-based, questioning attitude he wished to instill nationally; he called large dams, steel plants, and scientific institutions the 'temples of modern India.'
What was Ram Manohar Lohia's distinctive socialist ideal?
A non-Marxist, decentralized 'Indian socialism' emphasizing small-unit technology, the principle of immediate equality, and his theory of 'Saptakranti' (Seven Revolutions) against all forms of inequality.
What are the targets of Lohia's 'Saptakranti' (Seven Revolutions)?
Against inequality of: man-woman; caste/colour; colonial domination; private capital; foreign aggression/for world government; for civil liberties (against unjust encroachment); and against possessions/private property — pursued non-violently (Satyagraha).
What movement is Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) most associated with?
The 'Total Revolution' (Sampoorna Kranti) / JP Movement of 1974–75 — a mass anti-corruption agitation against the Indira Gandhi government that became a key trigger for the 1975 Emergency.
What is JP's concept of 'Total Revolution' and his earlier idea of 'partyless democracy'?
Total Revolution is a combination of seven revolutions (social, economic, political, cultural, ideological, educational, spiritual) to transform society. He earlier advocated 'Sarvodaya' and partyless 'Communitarian democracy' built on village panchayats.
Who propounded 'Integral Humanism' (Ekatma Manavavad) and when?
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, in a series of lectures in 1965; it became the official ideological doctrine of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (and later the BJP).
What is the central idea of Deendayal Upadhyaya's Integral Humanism?
An integrated, holistic view of the individual (body, mind, intellect, soul) and society as an organic whole, rejecting both Western capitalism and Marxist socialism in favour of indigenous (Bharatiya/dharma-based) development.
What are the key concepts of 'Chiti' and 'Antyodaya' in Deendayal Upadhyaya's thought?
'Chiti' is the innate soul/national essence (the fundamental nature of a nation); 'Antyodaya' is the upliftment of the last/poorest person, the true measure of progress.
How did Gandhi's view of nationalism differ from Tilak's?
Tilak pursued aggressive/militant political nationalism ('Swaraj is my birthright'), while Gandhi grounded nationalism in non-violence, truth, and moral/spiritual self-purification with mass non-violent struggle.
Contrast Tagore's and Gandhi's positions on machinery and modern civilization.
Gandhi (in Hind Swaraj) rejected modern industrial civilization and machinery in favour of village self-sufficiency and charkha; Tagore was more open to science and reason, criticizing Gandhi's charkha cult while sharing humanist concerns.
Compare the social-origin theories of kingship in the Dharmashastra versus the Aggannasutta.
Dharmashastra (e.g., Manu) tends toward a divine-origin/divinely-ordained king created to prevent matsyanyaya; the Buddhist Aggannasutta gives a consent-based, elective (Mahasammata) social-contract origin without divine sanction.
Contrast M. N. Roy's Radical Humanism with Marxist communism.
Marxism emphasizes class struggle, economic determinism, and proletarian dictatorship; Roy's Radical Humanism centers the free, rational individual, moral values, and decentralized party-less democracy, rejecting collectivist dictatorship.
Contrast Iqbal's 'Millat'-based identity with Tagore's universal humanism.
Iqbal grounded identity in the religious community (Millat/Ummah) and a separate Muslim homeland; Tagore rejected narrow nationalism and religious-political boundaries in favour of universal human unity (the religion of man).
What this deck covers
The Indian Political Thought deck follows the UGC NET Political Science Indian Political Thought syllabus — 20 chapters and 20 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 3.0 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 197 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Indian Political Thought flashcards FAQ
How many Indian Political Thought flashcards are in this UGC NET Political Science deck?
60 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these UGC NET Political Science flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 60-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Indian Political Thought cards cover?
They follow the UGC NET Political Science Indian Political Thought syllabus — 20 chapters and 20 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.