History Optional Test Series for UPSC Mains 2024

Test Number

Syllabus

Date of test

Suggested Sources

1

Sources, Pre-history and Proto-history, Indus Valley Civilization, Megalithic Cultures, Aryans and Vedic Period, Period of Mahajanapadas, Mauryan Empire, Post - Mauryan Period.

Early State and Society in Eastern India, Deccan and South India,Guptas, Vakatakas and Vardhanas, Regional States during Gupta Era, Themes in Early Indian Cultural History, Map-work, art and architecture, cultural history of India.

03rd July, 2024

Primary Sources

1. History of Ancient and Early Medieval India - Upinder Singh
2. Early India - Romila Thapar (Mauryas)

Secondary Sources

1. Ancient India (Old Ncert_ - R S Sharma

Primary Sources

1. History of Ancient and Early Medieval India - Upinder Singh
2. Early India - Romila Thapar (History of Deccan and South India)

Secondary Sources

1. Ancient India (Old Ncert_ - R S Sharma

2

Early Medieval India (Political, Socio-Economic, Cultural themes), Regional Kingdoms - Palas, Rashtrakutas, Pratiharas, Imperial Cholas - Political, Economic, Social, Cultural Themes.

Delhi Sultanate

• Political themes
• Socio - Economic themes
• Cultural Themes

Bhakti - Sufi Movement

The Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Century‐ Political Developments and Economy: Rise of Provincial Dynasties : Bengal, Kashmir (Zainul Abedin), Gujarat.— Malwa, Bahmanids.— The Vijayanagara Empire.

Fifteenth and Sixteenth Century

• Lodis
• Surs
• Rise of Mughal empire (Political, Economic, Social, Central Asian Politics)

Akbar

• Conquests and consolidation of empire.
• Establishment of jagir and mansab systems.

Rajput policy.

• Evolution of religious and social outlook.
• Theory of Sulh‐i‐kul and religious policy.
• Court patronage of art and technology.

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. Economy and society, in the 16th and 17th Centuries

The Eighteenth Century

11th July, 2024

Primary Sources

1. Ignou BA (Early Medieval India)
2. Value addition videos
3. Satish Chandra/J.L.Mehta

Secondary Sources

1. Medieval India (Old Ncert) - Satish Chandra

Primary Sources

1. Ignou BA (Early Medieval India)
2. Value addition videos
3. Satish Chandra/J.L.Mehta

Secondary Sources

1. Medieval India (Old Ncert) - Satish Chandra

Ishita Banerjee and Dube (18th century)

3

Advent of Europeans into India

• Impact on Indian Political structure, overseas trade, religion, accounts of travellers

Establishment of British Rule in India

• War with native states and various policy of subordination
• Sub-imperialism
• Emergence of British Paramountcy

Early Structure of the British Raj and Constitutional developments in India

• From Act of 1773 to GoI Act 1935

Economic Nature of British rule Indian Response to the British rule

• Social and Religious Reform Movements in Bengal and Other Areas, Indian Renaissance, Islamic Revivalism
• Peasant movement and tribal uprisings in the 18th and 19th centuries
• 1857 Revolt and impact
• Factors leading to the birth of Indian Nationalism; Politics of Association
• The Foundation of the Indian National Congress

Indian National Movement

• INC Politics from 1885 to the arrival of Gandhi

Rise of revolutionary movement in India Rise of Gandhi and Gandhian movement

• 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

Turbulent 1920s

- Swarajists

• Rise of Left in Indian politics
• Revolutionary movement
• Simon Commission and Indian politics Indian politics from the the act of 1935 to Indian Independence Act, 1947

Politics of Separatism

• The Muslim League
• The Hindu Mahasabha
• Communalism and the politics of partition
• Transfer of power and Independence.

India since Independence

• 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.
• Caste and Ethnicity after 1947; Backward Castes and Tribes in post-colonial electoral politics; Dalit movements

Economic reconstruction and challenges

26th July, 2024

Primary Sources

1. From Plassey to Partition - Shekhar Bandhopadhyay
2. A New Look AtModern IndianHistory - B.L Grover and Mehta
3. India’s struggle for Independence - Bipan Chandra

Secondary sources

1. A History of Modern India - Ishita Banerjee and Dube
2. NCERT

Primary Sources

1. From Plassey to Partition - Shekhar Bandhopadhyay
2. A New Look AtModern IndianHistory - B.L Grover and Mehta
3. India’s struggle for Independence - Bipan Chandra
4. India Since Independence - Bipan Chandra (Selectively)

Secondary sources

1. A History of Modern India - Ishita Banerjee and Dube

NCERT

4

Enlightenment and Modern ideas

• Major Thinkers and their influence on Modern European setup

Origins of Modern Politics :

• European States System
• American Revolution and the Constitution.
• French Revolution and Aftermath, 1789-1815.
• American Civil War with reference to Abraham Lincoln and the abolition of slavery
• Revolutions of 1830 and 1848
• British Democratic politics (1815-1850) Parliamentary Reformers, Free Traders, Chartists.

Industrial Revolution

Nation‐State System

• Rise of Nationalism in the 19th century
• Nationalism: State-building in Germany and Italy
• Disintegration of Empires in the face of the emergence of nationalities across the World

Imperialism and Colonialism

• South and South-East Asia
• Latin America and South Africa
• Australia
• Imperialism and free trade
• Rise of neo-imperialism

World Wars

• 1st and 2nd World Wars as Total Wars
• Societal implications
• World War I: Causes and Consequences
• World War II: Causes and Consequences

Revolution and Counter revolution

• Russian revolution 1917
• Fascism and Nazism
• Chinese revolution (1945 - 1949)

The World after World War II

• Emergence of Two power blocs.
• Emergence of Third World and non-alignment
• UNO and the global disputes

Decolonisation

• Latin America-Bolivar
• Arab World-Egypt
• Africa-Apartheid to Democracy
• South-East Asia-Vietnam
• Decolonization and Underdevelopment
• Factors constraining Development; Latin America, Africa

Rise of modern Europe

• Post-War Foundations; NATO and European Community
• Consolidation and Expansion of the European Community
• European Union.
• Disintegration of the Soviet Union and the Rise of the Unipolar World
• Factors leading to the collapse of Soviet Communism and the Soviet Union, 1985-1991
• Political Changes in East Europe 1989-2001

End of the Cold War and US Ascendancy in the World as the lone superpower.

07th Aug, 2024

Primary Sources

1. Ignou BA (Enlightenment and thinkers, British Democratic politics)
2. A History of the Modern World - Ranjan Chakravarthy

Secondary Sources

1. History of the modern World - Jain and Mathur

Primary Sources

1. Modern World History - Norman Lowe

Issues in Twentieth Century World History - Sneh Mahajan

5

Full Length Test - Paper I

27th Aug, 2024

Covering syllabus of Paper-I

6

Full Length Test - Paper II

29th Aug, 2024

Covering syllabus of Paper-II

7

All India History Optional Open Test

10^th September

Full coverage of syllabus