GS 1 Syllabus of UPSC CSE Mains Examination

8. Delhi Sultanate

• Slave (Ghulam) or Mamluk Dynasty 
• Khilji Dynasty 
• Tughluq dynasty 
• Sayyid Dynasty 
• Lodi dynasty 

1. Important Modern History Events Before 1857

• Later Mughals  
• Regional powers in 18th  Century  
• Carnatic Wars 
• Battle of Plassey & Buxar  
• Anglo-Mysore War  
• Anglo Punjab War  
• Socio-economic Condition of People 
• European Penetration of India 
• British Conquest of India 
• British Policies & Their Impact – Economic, Administrative & Socio-cultural 
• Socio-cultural Reform Movements 
• Uprisings Against British Pre-1857 

2. Revolt of 1857

• Causes, Leaders, and Nature of revolt of 1857  
• Suppression of revolt of 1857  
• Consequences of Revolt of 1857 
• Act of Good Governance 1858 

• Political, Economic & Administrative Unification of the Country 
• Role of Western Education 
• Role of Press 
• Rediscovery of India’s Past 
• Early Political Movements 
• Formation of INC 
• Era of Moderates 

5. Beginning of Mass Nationalism (1919-1939)

• Mahatma Gandhi – His Ideas & Leadership 
• Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms 
• Rowlatt Act, Satyagrah and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 
• Non-cooperation & Khilafat Movement 
• Swarajists & No-Changers 
• Emergence of New Forces – Socialistic Ideas, Youth & Trade Unionism 
• Revolutionary Activity 
• Simon Commission & Nehru Report 
• Civil Disobedience Movement 
• Round Table Conferences 
• Communal Award & Poona Pact 
• Participation in Elections to Central Legislature (1934) & Provincial Assemblies (1937) 
• Government of India Act, 1935 

• National Movement During World War II 
• August Offer 
• Individual Satyagraha 
• Growth of Communalism 
• Peasant Movements 
• State People’s Struggle 
• Cripps Mission 
• Quit India Movement 
• Wavell Plan 
• INA & Subhash Chandra Bose 
• Cabinet Mission 
• Nationalist Upsurge Post-World War II 
• Independence with Partition 

1. Factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)

• Classification of Industries
• Location & Distribution of the Industries on the Basis of
  • Raw Material
  • Labour
  • Market
  • Capital
  • Land
  • Grants & Financial Incentives
  • Power
  • Transport
  • Water
  • Communication
• Distribution of Major Industries – Iron & Steel, IT, Cotton Textile
• Agglomeration & Footloose Industries

2. Important Geophysical Phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including Water-bodies and Ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes

• Earthquakes
  • Why Does Earth Shake?
  • Earthquake Waves
  • Shadow Zone
  • Types of Earthquake
  • Measuring Earthquake
  • Effects of Earthquake
• Tsunami
  • What Causes Tsunami
  • Effect of Tsunami
  • Mitigating the Impact of Tsunami
• Volcanoes
  • Types of Volcanoes
  • What Causes Volcanoes?
  • Volcanic Landforms
  • Intrusive volcanic Landforms
  • Extrusive Volcanic Landforms
  • Distribution of Volcanoes
• Cyclone
  • Tropical Cyclones
  • Anti-Cyclone
  • Extra Tropical Cyclones
• Factors Causing Changes in Critical Geographical Features
• Examples of Changing Geographical Features – Melting of Ice Sheets, Desertification etc.
• Impact of Changing Geographical Features
• Physical Geography of India
  • Physiography of India
  • Drainage System
  • Climate
  • Soils in India
  • Natural Vegetation
• Human Geography
  • Demography
  • Urbanization
  • Census
• Economic Geography
  • Agriculture
  • Mineral resource
  • Energy resources
  • Industry
  • Transport and Communication

3. Distribution of Key Natural Resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent)

• Types of Resources
  • On the Basis of Origin, Ownership, Exhaustibility etc.
• Land Resources
  • Land Utilisation
  • Land Use Pattern
  • Land Degradation & Conservation
• Forest Resources
  • Types & Distribution – Grasslands, Forests etc.
  • Causes of Depletion
  • Conservation of Forests
• Water Resources
  • Marine & Freshwater
  • Water Scarcity & Need For Conservation
  • Integrated Water Resources Management
• Agricultural Resources
  • Types of Farming
  • Cropping Patterns
  • Contribution to Economy, Employment & Output
  • Food Security
• Mineral & Energy Resources
  • Classification of Minerals – Ferrous & Non-Ferrous
  • Occurrence of Minerals
  • Conservation of Minerals
  • Classification of Energy Resources – Conventional & Non-Conventional
  • Occurrence of Energy Resources
  • Conservation of Energy Resources

4. Salient features of World’s Physical Geography

• Geomorphology
  • Origin & Evolution of Earth
  • Interior of the Earth
  • Distribution of Continents & Oceans
  • Plate Tectonic Theory
  • Distribution of Earthquakes & Volcanoes
  • Rocks & Rock Cycle
  • Geomorphic Processes – Endogenic & Exogenic
  • Landforms & their Evolution
  • Geological Time Scale
• Oceanography
  • Hydrological Cycle
  • Seafloor Spreading
  • Ocean Floor Configuration
  • Temperature & Salinity of Oceans
  • Movement of Oceans – Waves, Tides, Currents
• Climatology
  • Earth’s Atmosphere – Composition & Structure
  • Solar Radiation, Heat Budget & Temperature
  • Atmospheric Circulation & Weather Systems
  • World Climate (examples)
• Soil Geography
  • Soil & Soil Contents
  • Process of Soil Formation
  • Soil Forming Factors
  • Types of Soils (examples)
  • Soil Erosion & Conservation

1. Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India

• Features of Indian society
• Diversity (Types – caste, linguistic, social and religious, race, tribe and ethnicity, culture)
• Challenges posed by Diversity
• Unity
• Pluralism
• Unity in Diversity
• Inequality and Exclusion
• Family System

2. Role of Women and Women’s Organization

• Women’s organizations in Indian history
• Types of women’s organizations
• Level of penetration
• 19^th Century Social Reform Movements and Early Women’s Organisations –
  • Agrarian Struggles and Revolt
  • Participation in Freedom Struggle
• Women’s organization (With Examples)
• Problems faced by women’s organizations
• Is a larger vocal role possible and ways to achieve the same
• Role of SHGs, Micro finance Institution

3. Population and Associated Issues

• Basic Demography of India
• Population Trends in India and their Implications
• Causes and Effects of Over Population
• Challenges of Population Explosion
• Changing Age Structure of Indian Population
• Demogarphic Dividend: Boon or Bane for India
• Population Aging in India
• India’s Population Policy & Initiatives

4. Poverty and Developmental Issues

• Concept of Development and Poverty
• Types of Poverty
• Measurement of Poverty – Poverty Line
• Causes of Poverty
• Poverty as a Social Problem
• Socio-economic Spread of Poverty
• Consequences of Poverty –
  • Inequality
  • Continuation of Vicious Cycle
  • Who is worst affected by poverty?
• Problem of Rising Urban Poverty
• Poverty Alleviation Initiatives
• Policy shifts from “Trickle Down” Economics to Inclusive or Pro-poor Development to Reduce Poverty
• Relation between Poverty Reduction and Development: Poverty-Inequality-Development Nexus

5. Urbanization, their problems and their remedies

• Urbanisation Trends in India and Their Implications – Demographic and Social Dimensions
• Factors Driving Urbanisation
• State of Service Delivery and Challenges posed by Urbanisation
• Problems of Urban Areas
• Social Consequences of Urbanisation
• Impact of Urbanisation in Rural Areas
• Urban Planning and Role of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
• Reforms Required and Government Initiatives Taken So Far
• Problems of Slums

6. Effects of Globalization on Indian society

• Understanding Globalisation – Its Different Dimensions
• Globalisation & Culture – Homogenisation vs. Globalization
• Factors Driving Globalisation
• Globalisation & India
• Impact of Globalisation on India – Socio-cultural, economic, on women, agrarian sector etc.
• Does Globalisation cause Poverty?

7. Social Empowerment

• Which are the Socially Disadvantaged Groups?
• Meaning and concept of social empowerment
• Dimensions of Social Empowerment
• Why do we need social empowerment?
• Government Initiatives to Aide Social Empowerment
• Empowerment in reality and India’s experience

8. Communalism

• Communalism – Its Characteristics
• Communalism in India in the Past
• Communalism in Contemparory India
• Causes of Communalism
• Consequences of Communalism
• Measures to Control & Eradicate Communalism
• Secularism as an Antidote to Communalism

9. Regionalism

• Concept of Region & Regionalism
• Different Forms of Regionalism
• Regionalism in India
• Causes of Regionalism
• Concept of ‘Sons of Soil’
• Consequences of Regionalism
• Federalism & Regionalism
• Role of Regional Parties
• Measures to Contain Regionalism
• Regionalism in the International Sphere

10. Secularism

• Concept of Secularism
• Indian Model of Secularism
• Secularism in India
• Nature & Practice of Secularism in India
• Uniform Civil Code
• Challenges faced by Secularism in India
• Measures to Make India Truly Secular

1. Beginning of the Modern World

• Renaissance
• Discovery of Sea Routes
• Reformation
• Counter Reformation
• Industrial Revolution
• European Nations Settle North America
• Rise of Slave Trade
• American War of Independence
  • Foundation of American Colonies
  • The Independence of United States of America
  • The American Revolutionary War
  • What was the impact of American Revolution?
  • US Civil War
  • Impact of Civil War on USA
  • Global Impact of US Civil War
  • Impact on India
• French Revolution
  • Causes
  • The revolution in France
  • France under Napoleon
  • Impact of revolution
  • Significance of revolution
• Nationalism in Europe
  • Rise of the nation- state system
  • Unification of Italy
  • Unification of Germany
• Rise of Capitalism, Colonialism & Imperialism
  • Colonialism
  • The age of Imperialism (1870-1914)
  • Imperialism in Asia
  • Analysis of Colonialism

2. World War I

• Causes of the War
• Scope & Course of the War
• Russian Revolution
  • Major events in pre-revolution Russia
  • Causes
  • Course of revolution
  • Consequences
  • Aftermath of the war
  • Post-Lenin Russia
• End of the War & Peace Treaties
• Consequences of the War
• League of Nations

3. World Between the Two Wars

• Europe After the War – Fascism & Nazism
• The Great Depression
• Emergence of Soviet Union
• Nationalist Movements in Asia & Africa
• US as a Strong Power

4. World War II

• Fascist Aggression & Response of Western Democracies
• Outbreak of the War
• Theatres of the War
• US Entry into the War
• Global Nature of the War
• The Holocaust
• Resistance Movements
• After-effects of the War

5. Decolonialisation & Redraw of National Boundaries

• Europe after World War II
• Cold War
• Rise of Asia & Africa
• Developments in West Asia & North Africa
• Spread of Communism
• Korean War
• Vietnam War
• Cuban Crisis
• Collapse of Soviet Union

6. Concept, Types & Social Impact of Political Philosophies

• Communism
• Capitalism
• Socialism