Civil Service Mains Optional HISTORY

HISTORY


PAPER - I
1. Sources:
Archaeological sources:
Exploration, excavation, epigraphy,
numismatics, monuments
Literary sources:
Indigenous: Primary and secondary;
poetry, scientific literature, literature,
literature in regional languages, religious
literature.
Foreign accounts: Greek, Chinese and
Arab writers.

2. Pre-history and Proto-history:
Geographical factors; hunting and
gathering (paleolithic and mesolithic);
Beginning of agriculture (neolithic and
chalcolithic).

3. Indus Valley Civilization:
Origin, date, extent, characteristics, decline,
survival and significance, art and
architecture.

4. Megalithic Cultures:
Distribution of pastoral and farming cultures
outside the Indus, Development of
community life, Settlements, Development
of agriculture, Crafts, Pottery, and Iron
industry.

5. Aryans and Vedic Period:
Expansions of Aryans in India.
Vedic Period: Religious and philosophic
literature; Transformation from Rig Vedic
period to the later Vedic period; Political,
social and economical life; Significance of
the Vedic Age; Evolution of Monarchy and
Varna system.

6. Period of Mahajanapadas:
Formation of States (Mahajanapada) :
Republics and monarchies; Rise of urban
centres; Trade routes; Economic growth;
Introduction of coinage; Spread of Jainism
and Buddhism; Rise of Magadha and
Nandas.
Iranian and Macedonian invasions and
their impact.

7. Mauryan Empire:
Foundation of the Mauryan Empire,
Chandragupta, Kautilya and Arthashastra;
Ashoka; Concept of Dharma; Edicts; Polity,
Administration; Economy; Art, architecture
and sculpture; External contacts; Religion;
Spread of religion; Literature.
Disintegration of the empire; Sungas and
Kanvas.

8. Post - Mauryan Period (Indo-Greeks,
Sakas, Kushanas, Western Kshatrapas):
Contact with outside world; growth of urban
centres, economy, coinage, development
of religions, Mahayana, social conditions,
art, architecture, culture, literature and
science.

9. Early State and Society in Eastern
India, Deccan and South India:
Kharavela, The Satavahanas, Tamil States
of the Sangam Age; Administration,
economy, land grants, coinage, trade
guilds and urban centres; Buddhist centres;
Sangam literature and culture; Art and
architecture.

10. Guptas, Vakatakas and Vardhanas:
Polity and administration, Economic
conditions, Coinage of the Guptas, Land
grants, Decline of urban centres, Indian
feudalism, Caste system, Position of
women, Education and educational
institutions; Nalanda, Vikramshila and
Vallabhi, Literature, scientific literature, art
and architecture.

11. Regional States during Gupta Era:
The Kadambas, Pallavas, Chalukyas of
Badami; Polity and Administration, Trade
guilds, Literature; growth of Vaishnava and
Saiva religions. Tamil Bhakti movement,
Shankaracharya; Vedanta; Institutions of
temple and temple architecture; Palas,
Senas, Rashtrakutas, Paramaras, Polity
and administration; Cultural aspects. Arab
conquest of Sind; Alberuni, The Chalukyas
of Kalyana, Cholas, Hoysalas, Pandyas;
Polity and Administration; local Govern-ment; Growth of art and architecture,
religious sects, Institution of temple and
Mathas, Agraharas, education and
literature, economy and society.

12. Themes in Early Indian Cultural
History:
Languages and texts, major stages in the
evolution of art and architecture, major
philosophical thinkers and schools, ideas
in Science and Mathematics.

13. Early Medieval India, 750-1200:
- Polity: Major political developments in
Northern India and the Peninsula, ori-gin and the rise of Rajputs
- The Cholas: administration, village
economy and society
- “Indian Feudalism”
- Agrarian economy and urban settle-ments
- Trade and commerce
- Society: the status of the Brahman and
the new social order
- Condition of women
- Indian science and technology

14. Cultural Traditions in India, 750-1200:
- Philosophy: Skankaracharya and
Vedanta, Ramanuja and Vishishtad-vaita, Madhva and Brahma-Mimansa
- Religion: Forms and features of religion,
Tamil devotional cult, growth of Bhakti,
Islam and its arrival in India, Sufism
- Literature: Literature in Sanskrit, growth
of Tamil literature, literature in the newly
developing languages, Kalhan’s
Rajtarangini, Alberuni’s India
- Art and Architecture: Temple architec-ture, sculpture, painting

15. The Thirteenth Century:
- Establishment of the Delhi Sultanate:
The Ghurian invasions – factors behind
Ghurian success
- Economic, social and cultural conse-quences
- Foundation of Delhi Sultanate and early
Turkish Sultans
- Consolidation: The rule of Iltutmish and
Balban

16. The Fourteenth Century:
- “The Khalji Revolution”
- Alauddin Khalji: Conquests and territo-rial expansion, agrarian and economic
measures
- Muhammad Tughluq: Major projects,
agrarian measures, bureaucracy of
Muhammad Tughluq
- Firuz Tughluq: Agrarian measures,
achievements in civil engineering and
public works, decline of the Sultanate,
contacts and Ibn Battuta’s ac-count

17. Society, Culture and Economy in the
Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries:
- Society: composition of rural society,
ruling classes, town dwellers, women,
religious classes, caste and slavery
under the Sultanate, Bhakti movement,
Sufi movement
- Culture: Persian literature, literature in
the regional languages of North India,

literature in the languages of South In-dia, Sultanate architecture and new
structural forms, painting, evolution of a
composite culture
- Economy: Agricultural production, rise
of urban economy and non-agricultural
production, trade and commerce

18. The Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth
Century – Political Developments and
Economy:
- Rise of Provincial Dynasties: Bengal,
Kashmir (Zainul Abedin), Gujarat,
Malwa, Bahmanids
- The Vijayanagra Empire
- Lodis
- Mughal Empire, First phase: Babur and
Humayun
- The Sur Empire: Sher Shah’s adminis-tration
- Portuguese Colonial enterprise
- Bhakti and Sufi Movements

19. The Fifteenth and early Sixteenth
Century – Society and Culture:
- Regional cultural specificities
- Literary traditions
- Provincial architecture
- Society, culture, literature and the arts
in Vijayanagara Empire.

20. Akbar:
- Conquests and consolidation of the
Empire
- Establishment of Jagir and Mansab sys-tems
- Rajput policy
- Evolution of religious and social out-look, theory of Sulh-i-kul and religious
policy
- Court patronage of art and technology

21. Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth
Century:
- Major administrative policies of
Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb
- The Empire and the Zamindars
- Religious policies of Jahangir,
Shahjahan and Aurangzeb
- Nature of the Mughal State
- Late Seventeenth century crisis and the
revolts
- The Ahom Kingdom
- Shivaji and the early Maratha Kingdom.

22. Economy and Society in the Sixteenth
and Seventeenth Centuries:
- Population, agricultural production, craft
production
- Towns, commerce with Europe through
Dutch, English and French companies :
a trade revolution
- Indian mercantile classes, banking, in-surance and credit systems
- Condition of peasants, condition of
women
- Evolution of the Sikh community and the
Khalsa Panth

23. Culture in the Mughal Empire:
- Persian histories and other literature
- Hindi and other religious literature
- Mughal architecture
- Mughal painting
- Provincial architecture and painting
- Classical music
- Science and technology

24. The Eighteenth Century:
- Factors for the decline of the Mughal
Empire
- The regional principalities: Nizam’s
Deccan, Bengal, Awadh
- Maratha ascendancy under the
Peshwas
- The Maratha fiscal and financial sys-tem
- Emergence of Afghan Power, Battle of
Panipat:1761
- State of politics, culture and economy
on the eve of the British conquest


PAPER - II

1. European Penetration into India:
The Early European Settlements; The
Portuguese and the Dutch; The English and
the French East India Companies; Their
struggle for supremacy; Carnatic Wars;
Bengal -The conflict between the English
and the Nawabs of Bengal; Siraj and the
English; The Battle of Plassey; Significance
of Plassey.

2. British Expansion in India:
Bengal – Mir Jafar and Mir Kasim; The
Battle of Buxar; Mysore; The Marathas; The
three Anglo-Maratha Wars; The Punjab.

3. Early Structure of the British Raj:
The early administrative structure; From
diarchy to direct control; The Regulating
Act (1773); The Pitt’s India Act (1784); The
Charter Act (1833); The voice of free trade
and the changing character of British
colonial rule; The English utilitarian and
India.

4. Economic Impact of British Colonial
Rule:
(a)Land revenue settlements in British
India; The Permanent Settlement; Ryotwari
Settlement; Mahalwari Settlement;
Economic impact of the revenue
arrangements; Commercialization of
agriculture; Rise of landless agrarian
labourers; Impoverishment of the rural
society.
(b)  Dislocation of traditional trade and
commerce; De-industrialisation; Decline of
traditional crafts; Drain of wealth; Economic
transformation of India; Railroad and
communication network including tele-graph and postal services; Famine and
poverty in the rural interior; European
business enterprise and its limitations.

5. Social and Cultural Developments:
The state of indigenous education, its
dislocation; Orientalist-Anglicist contro-versy, The introduction of western
education in India; The rise of press,
literature and public opinion; The rise of
modern vernacular literature; Progress of
science; Christian missionary activities in
India.

6. Social and Religious Reform
movements in Bengal and Other Areas:
Ram Mohan Roy, The Brahmo Movement;
Devendranath Tagore; Iswarchandra
Vidyasagar; The Young Bengal Movement;
Dayanada Saraswati; The social reform
movements in India including Sati, widow
remarriage, child marriage etc.; The
contribution of Indian renaissance to the
growth of modern India; Islamic revivalism
– the Feraizi and Wahabi Movements.

7. Indian Response to British Rule:
Peasant movements and tribal uprisings
in the 18
th
and 19
th
centuries including the
Rangpur Dhing (1783), the Kol Rebellion
(1832), the Mopla Rebellion in Malabar
(1841-1920), the Santal Hul (1855), Indigo
Rebellion (1859-60), Deccan Uprising
(1875) and the Munda Ulgulan (1899-1900); The Great Revolt of 1857 - Origin,
character, causes of failure, the
consequences; The shift in the character
of peasant uprisings in the post-1857
period; the peasant movements of the
1920s and 1930s.

8.  Factors leading to the birth of Indian
Nationalism; Politics of Association; The
Foundation of the Indian National
Congress; The Safety-valve thesis relating
to the birth of the Congress; Programme
and objectives of Early Congress; the social
composition of early Congress leadership;
the Moderates and Extremists; The
Partition of Bengal (1905); The Swadeshi
Movement in Bengal; the economic and
political aspects of Swadeshi Movement;
The beginning of revolutionary extremism
in India.

9. Rise of Gandhi; Character of Gandhian
nationalism; Gandhi’s popular appeal;
Rowlatt Satyagraha; the Khilafat
Movement; the Non-cooperation
Movement; National politics from the end
of the Non-cooperation movement to the
beginning of the Civil Disobedience
movement; the two phases of the Civil
Disobedience Movement; Simon
Commission; The Nehru Report; the
Round Table Conferences; Nationalism
and the Peasant Movements; Nationalism
and Working class movements; Women
and Indian youth and students in Indian
politics (1885-1947); the election of 1937
and the formation of ministries; Cripps
Mission; the Quit India Movement; the
Wavell Plan; The Cabinet Mission.

10.  Constitutional Developments in the
Colonial India between 1858 and 1935

11.  Other strands in the National Move-ment
The Revolutionaries: Bengal, the Punjab,
Maharashtra, U.P, the Madras Presidency,
Outside India.
The Left; The Left within the Congress:
Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose,
the Congress Socialist Party; the
Communist Party of India, other left parties.

12.  Politics of Separatism; the Muslim
League; the Hindu Mahasabha;
Communalism and the politics of partition;
Transfer of power; Independence.

13.  Consolidation as a Nation; Nehru’s
Foreign Policy; India and her neighbours
(1947-1964); The linguistic reorganisation
of States (1935-1947); Regionalism and
regional inequality; Integration of Princely
States; Princes in electoral politics; the
Question of National Language.

14.  Caste and Ethnicity after 1947;
Backward castes and tribes in post-colonial electoral politics; Dalit movements.

15.  Economic development and political
change;  Land reforms; the politics of
planning and rural reconstruction; Ecology
and environmental policy in post - colonial
India; Progress of science.

16. Enlightenment and Modern ideas:
(i) Major ideas of Enlightenment: Kant,
Rousseau
(ii) Spread of Enlightenment in the
colonies
(iii) Rise of socialist ideas (up to Marx);
spread of Marxian Socialism.

17. Origins of Modern Politics:
(i) European States System.
(ii) American Revolution and the Consti-tution.
(iii) French revolution and aftermath, 1789-1815.
(iv) American Civil War with reference to
Abraham Lincoln and the abolition of
slavery.
(v) British Democratic Politics, 1815-1850; Parliamentary Reformers, Free
Traders, Chartists.

18. Industrialization:
(i) English Industrial Revolution:
Causes and Impact on Society
(ii) Industrialization in other countries:
USA, Germany, Russia, Japan
(iii) Industrialization and Globaliza-tion.

19. Nation-State System:
(i) Rise of Nationalism in 19th cen-tury
(ii) Nationalism: state-building in Ger-many and Italy
(iii) Disintegration of Empires in the
face of the emergence of nation-alities across the world.

20. Imperialism and Colonialism:
(i) South and South-East Asia
(ii) Latin America and South Africa
(iii) Australia
(iv) Imperialism and free trade: Rise
of neo-imperialism.

21. Revolution and Counter-Revolution:
(i) 19th Century European revolu-tions
(ii) The Russian Revolution of 1917-1921
(iii) Fascist Counter-Revolution, Italy
and Germany.
(iv) The Chinese Revolution of 1949

22. World Wars:
(i) 1st and 2nd World Wars as Total
Wars: Societal implications
(ii) World War I: Causes and conse-quences
(iii) World War II: Causes and conse-quence

23. The World after World War II:
(i) Emergence of two power blocs
(ii) Emergence of Third World and
non-alignment
(iii) UNO and the global disputes.

24. Liberation from Colonial Rule:
(i) Latin America-Bolivar
(ii) Arab World-Egypt
(iii) Africa-Apartheid to Democracy
(iv) South-East Asia-Vietnam

25. Decolonization and Underdevelop-ment:
(i) Factors constraining develop-ment: Latin America, Africa

26. Unification of Europe:
(i) Post War Foundations: NATO and
European Community
(ii) Consolidation and Expansion of
European Community
(iii) European Union.

27. Disintegration of Soviet Union and the
Rise of the Unipolar World:
(i) Factors leading to the collapse of
Soviet communism and the So-viet Union, 1985-1991
(ii) Political Changes in Eastern Eu-rope 1989-2001.
(iii) End of the cold war and US as-cendancy in the World as the lone
superpower.