UPSC World History Notes 2025, Topic wise, Download PDF

World History Notes for UPSC offer concise and organized notes of significant global events, turning points, and the developments that have shaped the modern world. These notes are essential for UPSC aspirants as they form a major component of the General Studies Paper 1 in the UPSC Mains Exam 2025. These notes include the interactions between civilizations, cultures, and societies, helping in building a deeper understanding of global history and its impact on contemporary issues. 

UPSC World History Notes

Vajiram and Ravi have carefully prepared UPSC World History Notes by the best faculty and subject experts which are specifically designed for UPSC aspirants. These notes offer in-depth content on crucial events like the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, and the American Revolution, highlighting their transformative effects on global history. By studying these World History Notes for UPSC, aspirants can gain valuable insights into how these events shaped modern civilization and continue to impact global politics and society today.

UPSC World History

UPSC World History plays a crucial role in UPSC CSE 2025, including the historical events and their relevance to present-day global affairs. To help aspirants in the preparation, UPSC World History Notes Serve. These notes cover important topics and sub-topics, ensuring a well-rounded approach to the subject for the UPSC Exam 2025.

Renaissance

This section of the UPSC World History Notes covers two transformative periods in Europe: the Renaissance (14th to 16th centuries) and the Enlightenment (17th to 18th centuries). 

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• Renaissance

Industrial Revolution

This section of the UPSC World History Notes covers the Industrial Revolution period that shifted societies from feudal, agrarian economies to capitalist, industrialized systems. Originating in Britain, the revolution brought significant technological advancements and changes in production methods. 

• Industrial Revolution
  • Why Industrial Revolution started in England?

American Revolution

This section of the UPSC World History Notes covers the American Revolution, a crucial event that took place between 1763 and 1783. The revolution was a struggle by the 13 American colonies against British colonial rule, driven by demands for greater autonomy and rights. 

• American Revolution
  • American Civil War – American War of Independence 

French Revolution

This section of the UPSC World History Notes covers the French Revolution, which took place from 1789 to 1799. This revolutionary movement brought changes to France, removing the monarchy and establishing the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

• French Revolution
  • Napoleon Bonaparte

Rise of Nationalism in Europe

This section of the World History Notes for UPSC highlights the rise of nationalism in Europe, referring to the emergence of strong patriotic sentiments, collective identity, and the desire for self-governance among diverse European populations during the 18th and 19th centuries. 

• Rise of Nationalism in Europe
  • Unification of Germany
  • Unification of Italy

Imperialism

This section of the World History Notes for UPSC discussed imperialism, which refers to a policy where a country extends its influence over other nations or territories through military force or other means of power.

• Imperialism
  • Colonialism
  • Colonialism vs Imperialism

World War 1

This section of the UPSC World History Notes discusses World War I, also known as the Great War, a global conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918. 

• World War 1
  • Treaty of Versailles

Russian Revolution

This section of the UPSC World History Notes discusses the Russian Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, which took place in October 1917.

• Russian Revolution

Inter-War Period

This section of the UPSC World History Notes discusses the interwar period, which spanned from 1919 to 1939. This era followed the end of World War I and saw the rise of political, economic, and social conflicts.

• Inter-War Period
  • League of Nations
  • Fascism
  • Rise of Nazism in Germany
    • Hitler

World War 2

This section of the UPSC World History Notes highlights World War II, a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The war was fought between the Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—and the Allied powers, including France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and others. 

• World War 2

United Nations 

This section of the UPSC World History Notes includes the United Nations (UN), an intergovernmental organization founded to promote international cooperation, peace and security among its member states. 

• United Nations 

Cold War

This section of the UPSC World History Notes covers the Cold War, which started from the late 1940s to the early 1990s. It was a global ideological and geopolitical conflict between the capitalist West, led by the United States, and the communist East, spearheaded by the Soviet Union.

• Cold War
  • Warsaw Pact
  • NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • Communism
  • Socialism
  • Capitalism

Decolonization

This section of the UPSC World History Notes covers decolonisation, the process through which colonies or regions under the political and economic control of foreign powers gained independence and sovereignty. 

• Decolonization

Dissolution of the Soviet Union

This section of the UPSC World History Notes covers the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), which was established in 1922 following the socialist revolution in Russia. 

• Dissolution of the Soviet Union