Modern History is one of the most important subjects in your UPSC preparation. The reason is, every year a significant number of questions comes from this subject and many of them can be done correctly by putting little effort. It is comparatively easier than the ancient and medieval and the return of investment is also very high in modern history, so this should be prepared accordingly.
Before moving to the planner the following points should be kept in mind:
- You have to simultaneously solve questions and revise the topics otherwise you will keep reading new topics and will forget the earlier ones.
- 35 days means 5 weeks. Now every Saturday of the week should be reserved for revision and remembering important facts and Sunday should be reserved for tests and revision.
- Your first reading of any chapter should be without underlining anything just read the chapter.
- After your first reading of the chapter refer to the previous year questions of that chapter only.
- Then read the chapter again two times and this time you can use small pencil marks (but not markers at this stage, markers should be used in later revisions)
- Revise the chapter on Sunday and give a test on that chapter and again revise the chapter based on the mistakes you made in the test.
- Making notes of this book is not required at all as the book itself is in notes form.
- The summary and the boxes in the chapters can be used for better revision.
- After completing the complete book in 35 days, multiple revisions of the same are very important.
- You should at least revise it 5-6 times before the exam.
- Multiple revisions with tests is the key.
Week 1
Day 1: Complete Syllabus in detail, Chapter-1 (Sources of History of Modern India) and Chapter-2 (Major approaches to history of modern India)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped:
- Not that important just one quick reading of the chapters.
Day 2: Chapter-3 (Advent of Europeans in India)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped:
- Rise and fall of all the Europeans
- Anglo-Dutch rivalry
- Carnatic wars
- Causes of success of the Britishers
Day 3: Chapter-4 (India on the eve of British Conquest)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Later Mughals
- Causes of fall of Mughals
- Rise of regional states
Day 4 and 5: Chapter-5 (Expansion and Consolidation of British Power in India)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- British conquest accidental or intentional
- Causes of success of Britishers in India
- British conquest of Bengal
- Anglo-Mysore wars
- Anglo-Maratha struggle
- Conquest of Sindh
- Conquest of Punjab
- Policy of ring-fence
- Subsidiary alliance
- Doctrine of lapse
- North-West frontier
Day 6: Revision of all the chapters.
Day 7: Revision of complete week’s work and chapter wise tests
Week 2
Day 1: Chapter-6 (People’s Resistance against British before 1857)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Peasant movements
- Sepoy mutinies
- Weaknesses of the mutinies
Day 2: Chapter-7 (The revolt of 1857)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Major causes of the revolt
- Important leaders of the revolt
- Reason of failure
- Significance of the revolt
Day 3: Chapter-8 (Socio-Religious Reform Movements: General Features) and Chapter-9 (A general survey of Socio-Cultural Reform Movements)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Impact of British rule on social reforms
- Position of women
- Caste based exploitation
- Social movements and their main leaders
- Important organization and its founder
- Significance of the social movements
Day 4: Chapter-10 (Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India) and Chapter-11 (Indian National Congress: Foundation and moderate phase)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Factors leading to growth of modern nationalism
- Political associations before INC
- Aims and objectives of INC
- Safety valve theory
- Moderates
- Approach
- Important leaders
Day 5: Chapter-12 (Era of Militant Nationalism) and Chapter-13 (First phase of Revolutionary Activities) and Chapter-14 (1st World War and Nationalist Response)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Reasons of the grown of militant nationalism
- Swadeshi movement
- Partition of Bengal
- Annulment of partition
- Surat split
- Morley-Minto reforms
- Revolutionary activities abroad
- Home Rule Movement
- Lucknow session
- Lucknow pact between Congress and Muslim League
Day 6: Revision of all the chapters.
Day 7: Revision of complete week’s work and chapter wise tests
Week 3
Day 1: Chapter-15 (Emergence of Gandhi) Chapter-16 (Non-Cooperation Movement and Khilafat Aandolan)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
- Government of India Act 1919
- Champaran Satyagraha
- Ahmadabad Mill strike
- Kheda satyagraha
- Rowlett Act
- Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
- Hunter Commission
- Khilafat issue
- Non-cooperation and khilafat movement
Day 2: Chapter-17 (Emergence of Swarajists, socialist ideas, revolutionary activities and other new forces)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Swarajists
- Socialist ideas
- Revolutionary activities in 1920s
Day 3: Chapter-18 (Simon Commission and the Nehru report) and Chapter-19 (CDM and round table conferences)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Indian statutory commission
- Nehru report
- CDM
- Calcutta session of INC
- Irwin’s declaration
- Salt satyagraha
- Karachi congress session
- Round table conference ( broad idea of participants)
- Communal Award
- Harijan campaingn
- Gandhi and Ambedkar
Day 4: Chapter-20 (Debates on future strategy after CDM) and Chapter-21 (Congress rule in the Provinces)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Struggle-truce-struggle strategy
- Government of India Act, 1935
- Work under congress ministries
Day 5: Chapter-22 (Nationalist response in the wake of WW2)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Gandhi and Bose
- WW2 and nationalists response
- August offer
- Cripps Mission
Day 6: Revision of all the chapters.
Day 7: Revision of complete week’s work and chapter wise tests
Week 4
Day 1: Chapter-23 (QIM, demand for Pakistan, and the INA)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- QIM
- Famine of 1943
- Wavell plan
- INA and Subhash Chandra Bose
Day 2: Chapter-24 (Post-War National scenario)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- INA trials
- Cabinet mission
- Interim government
- Spread of communalism in India
Day 3: Chapter-25 (Independence with Partition) and Chapter-26 (Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial developments)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Atlee’s statement
- Mountbatten Plan
- Partition of India
- All the acts (Very important)
- Civil services in India
- Military in India
- Judiciary in India
- Administrative structure
Day 4: Chapter-27 (Survey of British Policy in India) and Chapter-28 (Economic Impact of British rule in India)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Administrative policies
- Social and cultural policies
- Deindustrialization
- All the economic impacts
- Drain of wealth theory
Day 5: Chapter-29 (Development of Indian press) and Chapter-30 (Development of education)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Vernacular press act
- Evolution of education from Charter act till Independence
- Wood’s dispatch
- Hunter commission
- Saddler commission
- Vernacular education
- Wardha scheme of basic education
Day 6: Revision of all the chapters.
Day 7: Revision of complete week’s work and chapter wise tests
Week 5
Day 1: Chapter-31 (Peasant movements) and Chapter-32 (The movement of the working class)
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Peasant movements (basic points)
- Contribution of working class
Day 2: Unit-10
Important topics from the chapter that should not be skipped
- Quick reading for India After Independence
Day 3: Unit-10
Day 4: Revision Chapter 2-11
Day 5: Revision Chapter 12-21
Day 6: Revision chapter 22-32
Day 7: Revision of complete week’s work and chapter wise tests and full syllabus tests
All the best!!!
Some Important Links:
UPSC Prelims 2019 Question Paper pdf Article 300A
Instruments of Capital Market Capital Market Instruments
Parliamentary form of Government in India Explain the Current Trends in Inflation
Classification of Environment First Past the Post System UPSC
Environmental Clearance Process in India Constitutional Values
