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Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.

Q1. [1] medium thorough-understanding
Which of the following best explains why nationalism in Europe shifted from a liberal-democratic force in the first half of the nineteenth century to a tool of conservative state power and imperialism by the last quarter? (A) Liberal nationalists failed to win mass support and were replaced by conservative leaders who used nationalist sentiment to consolidate state power and justify expansion. (B) The Congress of Vienna successfully destroyed all liberal-nationalist movements, forcing leaders to adopt conservative nationalism instead. (C) Nationalism became imperialist only because industrialisation created a need for raw materials in Asian and African colonies. (D) The unification of Germany and Italy eliminated the need for liberal nationalism in Europe, redirecting nationalist energy outward.
  1. A Secret societies like the Carbonari successfully overthrew monarchies across Europe, making liberal revolutions unnecessary.
  2. B After the failure of the 1848 liberal revolutions, conservative leaders like Bismarck harnessed nationalist sentiment to strengthen state power, and later European powers used it to justify imperial expansion.
  3. C The Romantic movement convinced people that culture and folk traditions were more important than constitutions and representative governments.
  4. D The unification of Germany and Italy satisfied all nationalist demands in Europe, leaving only imperial rivalries to drive politics.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:40 · grounding rag
Model Answer

Answer: (B)

After the failure of the 1848 liberal revolutions, conservative leaders like Bismarck harnessed nationalist sentiment to strengthen state power, and later European powers used it to justify imperial expansion.

Explanation

The textbook explicitly states: "After 1848, nationalism in Europe moved away from its association with democracy and revolution. Nationalist sentiments were often mobilised by conservatives for promoting state power." Bismarck's unification of Germany through military force (not elected parliaments) is the key example. The "Nationalism and Imperialism" section further confirms nationalism became "a narrow creed" used by major powers to further imperialist aims. Option A is false (secret societies didn't overthrow monarchies); C is partially true but not the best explanation; D is incorrect as nationalist tensions continued within Europe (e.g., Balkans).

Source: Chapter 1, Section 4 (The Making of Germany and Italy) and Section 6 (Nationalism and Imperialism)

Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.