SSC
The ideals of 'Liberty, Equality and Fraternity' in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution were inspired by the:
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Answer: Option C — French Revolution
Detailed Solution
The ideals of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution were inspired by the French Revolution (1789), whose famous slogan was "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite".
The French Revolution:
- It began in 1789, when the people of France rose against the absolute monarchy of King Louis XVI and the privileges of the nobles and the clergy.
- The storming of the Bastille prison on 14 July 1789 became the symbol of the revolution; 14 July is the national day of France.
- The National Assembly adopted the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" (August 1789), which proclaimed that all men are born free and equal in rights.
- The monarchy was abolished, and Louis XVI was executed in 1793.
- The revolution spread the ideas of liberty, equality, fraternity, democracy and nationalism across Europe and the world.
Meaning of the ideals in the Indian Preamble:
- Liberty: Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; it means the absence of restraints on individuals and the opportunity to develop their personalities.
- Equality: Equality of status and of opportunity; it means the absence of special privileges for any section of society, and equal chances for all.
- Fraternity: A sense of brotherhood among all Indians, assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation.
Dr. Ambedkar's view:
Dr. Ambedkar said that liberty, equality and fraternity form a "union of trinity", and that to divorce one from the other is to defeat the very purpose of democracy.
He also said that he had derived these ideals from the teachings of the Buddha, not from the French Revolution.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Russian Revolution, the American War of Independence and the Glorious Revolution were not the source of this slogan.
Quick tip
Remember: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" in the Preamble = inspired by the French Revolution (1789); Ambedkar called them a "union of trinity".
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Preamble & Salient Features — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Preamble & Salient Features, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, the meaning of its key words (sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity), and the salient features of the Constitution, such as its federal structure with a unitary bias and the parliamentary form of government. Remember that the words 'socialist', 'secular' and 'integrity' were added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, the only time the Preamble has been amended. Questions also test landmark cases on the Preamble: the Supreme Court held in the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) that the Preamble is part of the Constitution. Practise the Preamble and salient features questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.