UPSC Modern History Syllabus Topics for IAS Exam 2024

Indian Administrative Services 2024 ( IAS )

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Registration: 22 Jan '25 - 11 Feb '25

Rachit Kumar
Rachit Kumar Saxena
Manager-Editorial
Updated on Jun 13, 2024 18:33 IST

UPSC does not define the topics of the Indian National Movement. To prepare for the IAS prelims exam, it is important to know all the topics of the Indian National Movement so that they can answer the questions asked from this section.

UPSC_Modern_History_Syllabus

UPSC Modern History Syllabus

UPSC Modern History Syllabus: The Union Public Service Commission will conduct the UPSC CSE (IAS) prelims exam 2024 on June 16, 2024. The Commission is expected to ask around 10 -12 questions from the Modern History and Indian National Movement section of the UPSC IAS syllabus. The Commission asks deep-rooted questions from the Modern History and Indian National Movement syllabus. The candidates should prepare the Modern History syllabus topics thoroughly for the UPSC IAS exam. Only NCERT Books will not suffice and the candidates will be required to prepare from the standard UPSC IAS books to study in depth. 

Also Read: UPSC Answer Key 2024 Live Updates

IAS Prelims exam is the first stage and the most important stage of the IAS exam because most candidates are filtered out at this stage only. Some of the well-deserving candidates also could not qualify the IAS prelims exam because of a shortage of one or two marks from the cutoff.  Candidates must prepare for the IAS prelims exam in the last two months to cover all the topics of the UPSC IAS syllabus. UPSC does not define the topics of the Indian National Movement. To prepare for the IAS prelims exam, it is important to know all the topics of the Indian National Movement so that they can answer the questions asked from this section. Indian National Movement can be considered as the events related to the struggle for freedom. The events and the leaders are the two most important parts of this section. The third important point is the British policy and actions taken to neutralise the Indian efforts.

Any of the topics of the Indian National Movement can not be studied in isolation because all the events are related to each other. The candidates must comprehend the events and make notes so that they can revise the important events speedily.

The candidates can see the Indian National Movement Topics:

  • India on the Eve of British Conquest
  • Expansion and Consolidation of British Power in India
  • Causes of British Success in India
  • British Conquest of Bengal
  • Mysore’s Resistance to the Company
  • Anglo-Maratha Struggle for Supremacy
  • Conquest of Sindh
  • Conquest of Punjab
  • Extension of British Paramountcy through Administrative Policy
  • Relations of British India with Neighbouring Countries
  • British India and the North-West Frontier
  • Resistance against British Before 1857
  • The Revolt of 1857: Causes, Events, Spread, Leaders
  • Suppression of the Revolt, Reasons of its failure
  • Socio-Religious Reform Movements
  • Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India
  • Foundation of Indian National Congress
  • Era of Militant Nationalism (1905-1909)
  • First Phase of Revolutionary Activities (1907-1917)
  • First World War and Nationalist Response
  • Emergence of Gandhi
  • Non-Cooperation Movement and Khilafat Andolan
  • Emergence of Swarajists, Socialist Ideas, Revolutionary Activities and Other New Forces
  • Simon Commission and the Nehru Report
  • Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences
  • Debates on the Future Strategy after Civil Disobedience Movement
  • Congress Rule in Provinces
  • Nationalist Response in the Wake of World War II
  • Quit India Movement, Demand for Pakistan, and the INA
  • Post-War National Scenario
  • Independence with Partition
  • Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments
  • Survey of British Policies in India
  • Economic Impact of British Rule in India
  • Development of Indian Press
  • Development of Education
  • Peasant Movements 1857-1947
  • Movement of the Working Class
  • Challenges Before the Newborn Nation
  • Indian States
  • Making of the Constitution for India
  • The Evolution of Nationalist Foreign Policy
  • First General Elections
  • Developments under Nehru’s Leadership (1947-64)
  • Prime Ministers after Nehru

There are various topics which have overlapping with Modern History topics but they are important because it forms the basis and background. By studying these topics, the candidates will relate more with the situation of those times and it will help them construct the worldview of those times. IAS 2024 Prelims exam can also asked a good number of questions from the Indian National Movement section of the IAS Syllabus.

Q:   What are the five fundamental subjects of IAS syllabus?

A:

 The candidates should prepare the five fundamental subjects as mentioned for the IAS prelims exam. These fundamental subjects are

  • History
  • Geography
  • Economy
  • Polity
  • Current Affairs
  • Environment issues
  • General Science

The candidates should also prepare the Environmental issues because they have gained more importance in the recent years.

Q:   How can I download the IAS syllabus PDF?

A:

The candidates should note that the IAS syllabus is not released separately on the official website. The Union Public Service Commission releases the IAS syllabus as a section in the IAS notification. The candidates can download the IAS syllabus pdf as given here for all their preparation references.

The candidates can check the subject-wise IAS main syllabus in the official pdf.

Q:   Does the syllabus of IAS change every year?

A:

No,  IAS syllabus is same in last few years and before changing the syllabus, the UPSC needs to take approval from the Ministry of Personnel and Training before changing the IAS syllabus. The candidates should prepare the UPSC IAS syllabus in its present form and do not fear the change that will be made in the syllabus because in any way, the topics prepared will be relevant to the IAS exam irrespective of any change in UPSC IAS syllabus. 

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Q:   Does the UPSC releases the IAS syllabus in a separate PDF?

A:

The Union Public Service Commission releases the IAS syllabus as a part of the Civil Service Exam notification PDF. The candidates are required to download the Notification PDF to get the IAS syllabus PDF. The candidates can download the IAS syllabus PDF available here. 

The candidates can download here the IAS Syllabus PDF

Q:   Does IAS syllabus change every year?

A:

No, the Union Public Service Commission does not change the IAS syllabus every year. The Commission is required to take the approval of the Ministry of Personnel before changing the syllabus of the IAS exam. So we can say that, the IAS syllabus does not change every year. 

The candidates need to read the Civil Service Exam Notification (IAS notification) as released by the Union Public Service Commission to know all the topics mentioned in the IAS syllabus.

Q:   Which topics are mentioned in the IAS Ethics Syllabus for the main exam?

A:

The Ethics paper in the UPSC IAS main exam is a relatively new paper. It is recently introduced and the candidates are required to prepare all the topics mentioned in the official syllabus and the case studies. The candidates face difficulty in answering the questions having case studies because the questions have the inter-twined problem involving the problem related to more than one basic principle of probity in the administration. 

The candidates are tested for their clarity of the behaviour in the Public life. It tests, how the candidate prioritise and choose from the various options available to them. The UPSC mentioned the following broad topics in the IAS Ethics Syllabus:

  • Ethics and Human Interface:
  • Attitude
  • Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service
  • Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration:
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Probity in Governance
  • Ethics, Codes of Conduct

Q:   What is the Ethics syllabus in the IAS Main exam?

A:

The Union Public Service Commission mention the Ethics syllabus in the IAS notification. The candidates can see below the IAS main Ethics syllabus as mentioned in the official notification:

  • Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in-human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics - in private and public relationships. Human Values - lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; the role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values. 
  • Attitude: Content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion. 
  • Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and nonpartisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections. 
  • Emotional intelligence: Concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance. 
  • Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world. 
  • Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance. 
  • Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of
  • Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, and challenges of corruption. 
  • Case Studies on the above issues.

Q:   Why Ethics syllabus is important for IAS main exam?

A:

The Union Public Service Commission introduced the Ethics paper in 2013. The ethics paper is an essential component of the IAS Main Examination, and a comprehensive understanding of ethics can greatly benefit candidates in several ways. The Ethics syllabus is important because the right strategy can fetch good marks in the paper. The Ethics papers is designed to check the following qualities in the candidates:

  • Understanding the role of civil servants
  • Moral principles
  • Integrity
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Communication skills
About the Author
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Rachit Kumar Saxena
Manager-Editorial

With over thirteen years of experience in the government exam and its preparation domain, Rachit knows the life cycle of almost all government exams and related information. He deeply understands the user requiremen... Read Full Bio

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Answered 2 months ago

The Union Public Service Commission is expected to release the UPSC IAS admit card 2024 soon on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The Commission will conduct the IAS main exam 2024 from September 20, 2024. The IAS main exam will be conducted at the weekends only. 

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