History is a popular choice of optional subject among the UPSC aspirants because of its importance in the General Studies paper of both Prelims and UPSC CS (Main) exam. Not only does it have good scoring potential, but it is also a consistent choice among the toppers of UPSC CSE which enhances the success rate of this optional subject.
For aspirants who are good at remembering facts and dates, history can be remembered as a story of events in a sequential manner. There are ample resources and study materials easily available, and the knowledge required in the subject is primarily static. The only con of opting for the History optional is that it has a huge syllabus that needs to be covered holistically. However, if you’ve read it during your graduation or post-graduation, or you’re extremely passionate and interested in this subject, that should not be a matter of concern for you. In this article, we will discuss the syllabus of UPSC History Optional, preparation strategy, and booklist to easily study for History Optional Subject.
Table of Contents
Syllabus of UPSC History Optional
History Optional has 2 papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2, each of 250 marks each. Paper 1 comprises ancient and medieval history, and Paper 2 comprises modern and world history. Listed below is an overview of the UPSC History Optional Syllabus for Paper 1 and Paper 2. The syllabus tests candidates understanding of historical world events starting from ancient history to modern and world history as well. Listed below is the syllabus of history optional of paper 1 and paper 2.
History Optional Syllabus Paper 1
Let us begin with the history optional syllabus for Paper 1. The topics and sub-topics are as follows.
| 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. |
| Pre-history and Proto-history | Geographical factors; hunting and gathering (paleolithic and mesolithic); Beginning of agriculture (neolithic and chalcolithic). |
| Indus Valley Civilization | Origin, date, extent, characteristics, decline, survival and significance, art, and architecture. |
| Megalithic Cultures | Distribution of pastoral and farming cultures outside the Indus, Development of community life, Settlements, Development of agriculture, Crafts, Pottery, and Iron industry |
| 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 |
| Period of Mahajanapadas | Formation of States (Mahajanapada): Republics and monarchies; Rise of urban centers; Trade routes; Economic growth; Introduction of coinage; Spread of Jainism and Buddhism; Rise of Magadha and Nandas. Iranian and Macedonian invasions and their impact |
| 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; the disintegration of the empire; Sungas and Kanvas |
| Post – Mauryan Period (Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Kushanas, Western Kshatrapas) | Contact with the outside world; growth of urban centers, economy, coinage, development of religions, Mahayana, social conditions, art, architecture, culture, literature, and science |
| Early State and Society in Eastern India, Deccan, and South India | Kharavela, The Satavahanas, the Tamil States of the Sangam Age; Administration, economy, land grants, coinage, trade guilds, and urban centers; Buddhist centers; Sangam literature and culture; Art and architecture |
| Guptas, Vakatakas and Vardhanas | Polity and administration, Economic conditions, Coinage of the Guptas, Land grants, Decline of urban centers, Indian feudalism, Caste system, Position of women, Education and educational institutions; Nalanda, Vikramshila and Vallabhi, Literature, scientific literature, art, and architecture |
| The regional States during the 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| The Fourteenth Century | “The Khalji Revolution”; Alauddin Khalji: Conquests and territorial expansion, agrarian and economic measures; Muhammad Tughluq: Major projects, agrarian measures, the bureaucracy of Muhammad Tughluq; Firuz Tughluq: Agrarian measures, achievements in civil engineering and public works, the decline of the Sultanate, foreign contacts and Ibn Battuta’s account |
| 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, the evolution of a composite culture; Economy: Agricultural production, the rise of urban economy and non-agricultural production, trade, and commerce |
| The Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Century | Political Developments and Economy: Rise of Provincial Dynasties: Bengal, Kashmir (Zainul Abedin), Gujarat, Malwa, Bahmanids; The Vijayanagara Empire; Lodis; Mughal Empire, First phase: Babur and Humayun; The Sur Empire: Sher Shah’s administration; Portuguese Colonial enterprise; Bhakti and Sufi Movements |
| 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. |
| Akbar | Conquests and consolidation of the Empire; Establishment of Jagir and Mansab systems; Rajput policy; Evolution of religious and social outlook, the 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 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
History Optional Syllabus Paper 2
Following is the history optional syllabus for paper 2.
| 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. |
| British Expansion in India | Bengal – Mir Jafar and Mir Kasim; The Battle of Buxar; Mysore; The Marathas; The three Anglo-Maratha Wars; Punjab |
| 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 |
| Economic Impact of British Colonial Rule | 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 laborers; Impoverishment of the rural society; 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. |
| 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 |
| Social and Religious Reform movements in Bengal and Other Areas | Ram Mohan Roy, The Brahmo Movement; Devendranath Tagore; Iswarchandra Vidyasagar; The Young Bengal Movement; Dayananda Saraswati; The social reform movements in India including Sati, widow remarriage, chil marriage, etc.; The contribution of Indian renaissance to the growth of modern India; Islamic revivalism – the Feraizi and Wahabi Movements. |
| 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 |
| 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. |
| Rise of Gandhi | The 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 |
| Constitutional Developments in Colonial India between 1858 and 1935 | |
| 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 |
| Politics of Separatism | the Muslim League; the Hindu Mahasabha; Communalism and the politics of partition; Transfer of power; Independence |
| Consolidation as a Nation | Nehru’s Foreign Policy; India and her neighbors (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 |
| Caste and Ethnicity after 1947 | Backward castes and tribes in postcolonial electoral politics; Dalit movements. |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Industrialization | English Industrial Revolution: Causes and Impact on Society; Industrialization in other countries: USA, Germany, Russia, Japan; Industrialization and Globalization. |
| 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 |
| Imperialism and Colonialism | South and South-East Asia; Latin America and South Africa; Australia; Imperialism and free trade: Rise of neo-imperialism |
| 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 |
| World Wars | 1st and 2nd World Wars as Total Wars: Societal implications; World War I: Causes and consequences; World War II: Causes and consequence |
| The World after World War II | The emergence of two power blocs; Emergence of Third World and non-alignment; UNO and the global disputes |
| Liberation from Colonial Rule | Latin America-Bolivar; Arab World-Egypt; Africa-Apartheid to Democracy; South-East Asia-Vietnam |
| Decolonization and Underdevelopment | Factors constraining development: Latin America, Africa |
| Unification of Europe | Post War Foundations: NATO and European Community; Consolidation and Expansion of European Community; European Union. |
| The 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 Eastern Europe 1989-2001; End of the cold war and US ascendancy in the World as the lone superpower |
Booklist for UPSC History Optional
Following is the recommended booklist for UPSC History Optional Syllabus. Be extremely syllabus specific while studying from this booklist. The syllabus of this optional is already very vast, so be sure to focus on the topics that have been mentioned in the syllabus.
| Book Title | Author |
|---|---|
| NCERT (Class IX to XII) | National Council of Educational Research and Training |
| NIOS/IGNOU Notes | National Institute of Open Schooling / Indira Gandhi National Open University |
| India’s Ancient Past | R. S. Sharma |
| History of Medieval India: From 647 A.D. to the Mughal Conquest | Satish Chandra |
| History of Modern India | Bipan Chandra |
| India’s Struggle for Independence | Bipan Chandra |
| Indian Art and Culture | Nitin Singhania |
| A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century | Upinder Singh |
| From Plassey to Partition and After: A History of Modern India | Sekhar Bandyopadhyay |
| A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century | Farooqui Salma Ahmed |
| Contemporary India: Economy, Society, Politics | Neera Chandhoke |
| A History of Modern World | Jain and Mathur |
| Mastering Modern World History | Norman Lowe |
How to Prepare for History Optional?
- Know the syllabus inside out: Even before you choose history as an optional subject, you must know the syllabus inside out. Don’t wait to start your preparation before going through the syllabus. Know the syllabus before you start preparing so that your preparation can be focused in nature and you do not deviate from the topics of importance. The syllabus is divided period-wise from medieval to modern history. Cover the syllabus in an organised manner and make sure no topic is left out.
- Narrow Down Resources: Out of all the recommended resources, narrow down whichever ones you need to study. Don’t try to cover all the books from cover to cover. Select the most important ones and study them meticulously. Gather all the books and resources and keep them for easy access.
- Build your basics: NCERT books are extremely good for learning the basic events and their timeline. Study the basics from NCERT of classes IX to XII. Also, be sure to make structured and to-the-point notes for easy revision later on, as going through the vast course material won’t be feasible closer to the exam.
- Gain deeper insight with recommended standard books: Read the recommended standard booklist as suggested by toppers to build on your knowledge and gain a richer insight into historical events.
- Previous Years Question Papers: Practice from previous years papers- know the types of questions asked and how to answer them. Also, refer to toppers answer sheets and know how they answered the questions- this will help you prepare a good strategy to score high marks yourself.
- Practice Maps: Practice map-based questions thoroughly as your knowledge of historical sites and routes will be tested. Allocate the adequate time to practice these questions. Refer to previous years questions and know the level of details asked in the previous years map based questions. Focus on studying to the level of details asked by the UPSC.
For an overall preparation strategy for UPSC Mains, refer to the linked article.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the history optional syllabus?
The history optional subject comprises two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2. The syllabus of Paper 1 includes ancient and medieval history, and Paper 2 comprises modern and world history. The sub-topics of the two papers are listed in the table above.
What is the success rate of history optional subject?
The reported success rate of history optional has been approximately 6%- 15% in recent years. In 2021 the reported success rate was 15% but dipped to 6.8% in 2019- thus showing a wide range.
What are the advantages of choosing history optional?
Choosing history optional brings many advantages. Some of them being the easy availability of study resources, a structured syllabus that overlaps highly with GS I paper syllabus and consistent marking patterns- making it a scoring opportunity for candidates.
What are the cons of choosing history optional?
The cons of choosing history optional are it’s extensive syllabus- it spans over various periods of history from ancient to modern history as well as world history, and requires candidates to cover a large timeline of events. Also, since the answers demanded are more interpretation and analysis based rather than fact-based, it can leave room for subjective evaluation.
