(IAS Planner) Optional Subjects Syllabus: (History)

History (Optional)

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 Government; 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, origin and the rise of Rajputs

• The Cholas: administration, village economy and society

• “Indian Feudalism”

• Agrarian economy and urban settlements

• 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 Vishishtadvaita, 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 architecture, sculpture, painting

15. The Thirteenth Century:

• Establishment of the Delhi Sultanate: The Ghurian invasions – factors behind Ghurian success

• Economic, social and cultural consequences

• 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 territorial 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, foreign contacts and Ibn Battuta’s account

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 India, 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 administration

• 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 systems

• Rajput policy

• Evolution of religious and social outlook, 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, insurance 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 system

• Emergence of Afghan Power, Battle of Panipat:1761

• State of politics, culture and economy on the eve of the British conquest.

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 telegraph 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 controversy, 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 18th and 19th 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; CrippsMission; 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 Movement 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 reorganization 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 postcolonial electoral politics; Dalit movements.

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

16. Enlightenment and Modern ideas:

• Major ideas of Enlightenment: Kant, Rousseau

• Spread of Enlightenment in the colonies

• Rise of socialist ideas (up to Marx); spread of Marxian Socialism.

17. 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.

• British Democratic Politics, 1815- 1850; Parliamentary Reformers, Free Traders, Chartists.

18. Industrialization:

• English Industrial Revolution: Causes and Impact on Society

• Industrialization in other countries: USA, Germany, Russia, Japan

• Industrialization and Globalization.

19. Nation-State System:

• Rise of Nationalism in 19th century

• Nationalism: state-building in Germany and Italy

• Disintegration of Empires in the face of the emergence of nationalities across the world.

20. Imperialism and Colonialism:

• South and South-East Asia

• Latin America and South Africa

• Australia

• Imperialism and free trade: Rise of neo-imperialism.

21. Revolution and Counter-Revolution:

• 19th Century European revolutions

• The Russian Revolution of 1917- 1921

• Fascist Counter-Revolution, Italy and Germany.

• The Chinese Revolution of 1949

22. World Wars:

• 1st and 2nd World Wars as Total

• Wars: Societal implications