PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Western Political Thought

Everywhere, inequality is a cause of revolution – Aristotle. Comment.

How the answer moves

The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.

Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes

Route 1 quote = heart of Aristotle’s revolution theory revolution = any change in constitution/rulers, big or small root cause = injustice bred by inequality

Route 2 revolution defined broadly among many causes, inequality the deepest because it breeds a sense of injustice

Body flow

proportionate justice injustice = equals treated unequally / unequals treated equally felt mis-distribution of honour, office, wealth discontent rebellion inequality real or imagined relative deprivation perceived injustice = most combustible material Canevaro & Mantzouranis: clashing proportional-equality conceptions roots of stasis / metabole remedy: strong middle class + mixed polity narrows gap, softens resentment

Counter-view

Aristotle narrow + status-quoist (revolution only political, seeks prevention) vs Marx revolution as structural transformation, driving force of history

Conclusion routes

Route 1 claim powerful but limited link between inequality and instability stays sharp

Route 2 perceived injustice, not poverty alone, is the real trigger insight holds across regimes

Model answer

Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.

Handwritten model answer — UPSC PSIR 2017, Western Political Thought

Also asked on this head

Western Political Thought — 27 questions in the Vault.

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How this is taught

The same flow snapshot, built for every head of the syllabus, with the answer written in class.

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