At a glance
PaperPaper ISubjectHistorySyllabusHistory of India: broad understanding of the social, economic and political aspects of Indian history from ancient to modern timesImportanceHigh
IndexHistoryFreedom Struggle
This is the index for the HISTORY section of Paper I. The CAPF syllabus asks for a "broad understanding of the social, economic and political aspects of Indian history from ancient to modern times". The freedom struggle is the highest-yield zone because it also seeds the Paper II essay. Notes are anchored to the NCERT history set and Spectrum's "A Brief History of Modern India". Read in roughly the chronological order below, then revise from the Last-mile recall block at the foot of each note.
For the official syllabus clause and where it sits, see syllabus index.
- indus valley civilisation, the Harappan sites, town planning, economy, script, and the debate over decline (c. 2600 to 1900 BCE).
- vedic age, the Early and Later Vedic periods, the four Vedas, society, polity, and the move from pastoral tribes to territorial kingdoms.
- mahajanapadas jainism and buddhism, the sixteen mahajanapadas, the rise of Magadha, Mahavira and Jainism, the Buddha and Buddhism, and the Buddhist councils.
- mauryan empire, Chandragupta and Kautilya, Bindusara, Ashoka and the Dhamma, the edicts, administration, and decline (321 to 185 BCE).
- post mauryan and gupta age, the Kushanas and Satavahanas in brief, the Gupta empire, the classical "golden age", and the achievements in science and art.
- south india and sangam age, the early Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas, the Sangam literature and society, and the administration of the later Imperial Cholas.
- delhi sultanate, the five dynasties (Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi), key rulers, administration, and Indo-Islamic architecture (1206 to 1526).
- mughal empire, Babur to Aurangzeb, the mansabdari and zabti systems, art and architecture, and the eighteenth-century decline (1526 to 1707, then twilight to 1857).
- bhakti and sufi movements, the Nirguna and Saguna bhakti saints, the Sufi silsilas, and their social and linguistic impact.
- advent of europeans and british conquest, the Portuguese to the English East India Company, Plassey 1757 and Buxar 1764, subsidiary alliance, and the Doctrine of Lapse.
- revolt of 1857, the causes, the centres and their leaders, the suppression, the consequences, and the Government of India Act 1858.
- socio religious reform movements, the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Aligarh and the other reform bodies, and the reformers and their work.
- rise of nationalism moderates and extremists, the founding of the Congress in 1885, the Moderate phase, the Swadeshi movement of 1905, the Surat split of 1907, and the Home Rule Leagues.
- gandhian era and mass movements, Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad, the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh 1919, Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and the Dandi March, and Quit India 1942, with the key sessions and pacts.
- towards independence acts and partition, the constitutional Acts of 1909, 1919 and 1935, the Cripps and Cabinet Missions, the Mountbatten Plan, Independence and Partition in 1947, and a summary of revolutionary nationalism.
- personalities of the freedom struggle, the Moderates, Extremists, Gandhians, revolutionaries, women and reformers, with their slogans, newspapers and books, a person-centred reference for matching questions.
- post independence consolidation, the integration of the princely States (Patel and V.P. Menon, Operations Polo and Vijay, Junagadh, Hyderabad and Kashmir), the linguistic reorganisation, the liberation of Goa and Pondicherry, the early wars, and the framing of the Constitution.
- art and architecture of india, the Harappan, Mauryan and Buddhist beginnings, the rock-cut caves and stupas, the temple styles (Nagara, Dravida, Vesara), the schools of sculpture, and the Indo-Islamic, Mughal and colonial styles.
- indian music dance and painting, the Hindustani and Carnatic music systems, the eight classical dances and their States, the folk dances, and the schools of miniature and folk painting.
- Chronology ("Arrange the following events / dynasties / movements in order").
- Matching (ruler to dynasty, leader to movement, session to year, Act to provision, site to river).
- Who-did-what one-liners (who founded, who presided, who led the revolt at a centre).
- Statement-based ("Which of the statements is/are correct") on a date, an Act, or a reform body.
History rewards clean recall of the date, the actor, and the cause-and-effect. Long argument is for the Paper II essay.
- syllabus index
- Index (the freedom struggle feeds the making of the Constitution)
- Index (the Paper II essay theme on the freedom struggle)