UPSC Modern History Syllabus Topics for IAS Exam 2024

Registration - 4 Feb '26 - 24 Feb '26

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Updated on Jun 13, 2024 18:33 IST

UPSC ask very detail-oriented questions from the Modern History section. The UPCS ask the Indian National Movement section is a very important section for IAS Prelims exam. See here the most important topics for the Indian Freedom Struggle section. The candidates can see here the important questions from the Modern History

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: 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?

The candidates must prepare the five fundamental subjects as notified for the IAS prelims exam. These are History, Geography, Economy, Polity, Current Affairs, General Science. The candidates should also prepare the Environmental issues too.

Q: How can I download the IAS syllabus PDF?

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 UPSC releases the IAS syllabus in a separate PDF?

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

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UPSC Important Topics for IAS 2024

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

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.

The above syllabus is taken from the official notification of UPSC CSE.

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

The Union Public Service Commission introduced the Ethics paper in 2013. The ethics paper is an essential component of the IAS Main Examination. The Ethics syllabus is important because the right strategy can fetch good marks in the paper. The Ethics papers is designed to check the Integrity and Moral principles in the candidates.

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