Karnataka Public Service Commission, chiefly known as KPSC is a government agency of Karnataka state, aimed to make recruitments to various civil services through competitive and departmental examinations. Here is a Detailed Syllabus for KPSC Mains Optional Paper - History.
Karnataka PSC Syllabus
KPSC Mains Optional Paper - History
PAPER — I Section A : History of India (Down to A.D. 750)
- I The Indus Civilisation Origins ; Extent; Characteristic features, Major cities. Trade and contacts, causes of decline, Survival and continuity.
- The Vedic Age Vedic literature, Geographical area known to Vedic Texts, Differences and similarities between Indus civilization and Vedic culture, Political, Social and Economic patterns, Major religious ideas and rituals.
- Ill The Pre-Maurya Period Religious movements (Jainism, Buddhism andother sects), Social and economic conditions, Republics and growth of Magadha imperialism.
- Iv The Maurya Empire Sources, Rise,. Extent and fall of the empire; Administration. Social and economic conditions, Ashoka's policy and reforms.
- The Post-Maurya period (200 B.C. — 300 A.D.) Principal dynasties in Northern and Sourthern India, Economy and Society; Sanskrit, Prakrit and Tamil, Religion (Rise of Mahayana and Theitic cults), Art (Gandhara, Mathura and other schools), Contacts with Central Asia.
- The Gupta Age Rise and fall of the Gupta Empire, the vakatakas, Administration, Soceity, Economic, literature, art and religion, Contacts with South East Asia.
- vii. Post Gupta Period (C. 500 — 750 A.D.) Pushyabhutis, The Mukharis, The later Guptas, Harsha Vardhana and his times, Chalukyas of Badami, The Pallavas; Society administration and art. The Arab conquest.
- viii. General review of science and technology, education and learning.
Section —B : Medieval India — India 750 A.D. to 1200 A.D.
I. Political and Social conditions; the Rajputs, their polity and social structure, Land structure, and its impact on Society.
II. Trade and Commerce
III. Art, Religion and philosophy, Shankaracharya.
Iv. Maritime Activities; contacts with the Arabs, Mutual cultural Impacts.
V. Rashtrakutas, their role in History — Contribution to art and culture, the Chola Empire-Local, Self Government, features of the Indian village system; Society; economy, art and learning in the South.
Vi. Indian Society on the eve of Mohmud of Ghanznl's Compalgns; Al-Biruni's observations.
India :1200 —1765
vii. Foundation of the Delhi Sultanaite in Northern India; causes and circumstances; its impact on the Indian Society.
viii. Khilji Imperialism; significance and implications, Administrative and economic regulations and their impact on State and the people.
New Orientation of State Policies and administrative principles under Muhammed bin Tughaliq; Religious policy and public works of Firoz shah.
Disintegration of the Delhi Sulthanaite ; causes and its effects on the Indian Polity and society.
Nature and character of state; political ideas and institutions, Agrarian structure and relations, growth of urban centers, Trade and commerce, condtion of artisans and peasants, new crafts, industry and technology, Indian Medicines.
xii. Influence of Islam on Indian culture, Muslim mystic movements; nature and significance of Bhakti saints, Maharashtra Dharma, Role of Vaisnava revivalist movement; social and religious significance of the chaitanya Movement, impact of Hindu Society on Muslim Social life.
xiii. The Vijayanagar Empire; its origin and growth; contribution to art, literature and culture, social and economic conditions; system of administration; break-up of the Vijayanagar Empire.
xiv. Sources of History; Important chronicles, Insrlptions and Travellers Accounts.
Establishment of Mughal Empire in Northern India, Political and Social conditions in Hindustan on the eve of the Babur invasion; Babur and Humanyun, Establishment of the Portuguese control in the Indian ocean, its political and economic consequences.
xvi. Sur Administration; political; revenue and military administration.
xvii. Expansion of the Mughal Empire under Akbar; political unification; new concept of monarachy under Akbar, Akbar's religo-political outlook; Relations with the non-Muslims.
xvii. Growth of regional languages and literature during the medieval period, Development of art and architecture.
xix. Political Ideas and Institutions, Nature of the Mughal State, Land Revenue Administration; the Manasabdari and the Jagirdari systems, the land structure and the role of Zamindars, agraraian relations, the military organization.
Aurangzeb's religious policy; expansion of the Mughal Empire in Deccan, Revolts against Aurangzeb-Character and consequences.
xxi. Growth of urban centres; industrial, economy-urban and rural; Foreign Trade and Commerce, The Mughals and the European trading companies.
xxii. Hindu-Muslim relations; trends of integration; composite culture (16'n to 18") centures)
xxiii. Rise of Shivaji, his conflict with the Mughals; administration of Shivaji; expansion of the Maratha power under the peshwas (1707-1761); Maratha Political structure under the First three Peshwas; Chauth and Sardeshmukhi; Third Battle of Panipat, causes and effects; emergence of the Maratha confederacy; its structure and role.
xxiv. Disintegration of the Mughal Empire, Emergence of the new Regional States.
PAPER — II
Section — A : Modern India (1757.1947)
- Historical Forces and Factors which led to the British conquest of India with special reference to Bengal, Maharashtra and Sind; Resistance of Indian powers and causes of their failure, Emergence of Hyder and Tipu on Political scene, of Mysore — Anglo Mysore and Mysore Nizam relations.
- Evolution of British Paramountcy over princely States, Restoration of Odeyar rule at Mysore.
- Stages of colonialism and changes in Administrative structure and policies, Revenue, Judicial and Social and Educational and their Linkages with British colonial interests.
- British economic policies and their impact: Commercialisation of agriculture, Rural indebtedness, Growth of agricultural labour, Destruction of handicraft industries, Drain of wealth, Growth of modern industry and rise of a capitalist class. Activities of the Christian Missions.
- Effects at regeneration of Indian society — Socio-religious movements; social, religious, political and economic ideas of the reformers of 19'h Century 'Renaissance', caste movements in general with special reference to South India and Maharashtra; tribal revolts specially in Central and Eastern India.
- Civil rebellions, Revolt of 1857, civil Rebellions and peasant Revolts with special reference to Indigo revolt, Deccan riots and Mapplla Uprising.
- Rise and growth of Indian National Movement; Social basis of Indian nationalism, policies and programme of the early nationalist and militant nationalists, militant revolutionary group terrorists, Rise and Growth of communalism, Emergence of Gandhiji in Indian politics and his techniques of mass mobilization; Non-co-operation, Civil disobedience and Quit India Movement; Trade Union and peasant movements State (s) People movements; Rise and growth of Left-wing within the congress-The Congress Socialists and Communists; British official response to National Movement. Attitude of the Congress to Constitutional changes, 1909-1935; Indian National Army. Naval Mutiny of 1946; The partition of India and Achievement of Freedom.
- Annexation and rendition of Mysore, The Diwans of Mysore, Independence movement in Mysore and Mysore congress, Quit India, Issor Mysore Chalo Movement. State re-organisation Commission; Literary movement in Karnataka; Backward Class Movement; Havanur report and its implications.
Section — B World Histoy — 1500 to Present
- The Foundations of the modern world, The legacy of classical antiquity and the middle ages, Impact of the renaissance and reformation, Commercial revolution, Failure of the Spanish empire, Westphalia as a 'turning point'.
- The age of absolutism; Break-up of the feudal system, Louis XIV and Colbertism, The Ideal of grand monarchy, Failure of absolutism in England. Absolutism in Parssoa Austria, Commercial and Colonial rivalries and the European Wars, The war of the Spanish Succession, the diplomatic revolution and the seven years war, Partition of Poland, Absolutism in Eastern Europe, Peter the Great and Catherine-II.
- The New Society, Merchantalism and Laissez-faire, the rise of the middle class, new trends In literature and arts, scientific revolution, Newton, Descartes, Political thought of Hobbes and Lock, the widening horizon of Western Civilisation, contacts with the African, Asiatic and American Worlds.
- The beginning of Enlightement, The idea of progress, Voltaire and the Enthronment of Reason, Rousseau and Montesquieu, Diderot and the Encyclopedia, Burke and Be Maistre. The French Philosophers, the academies, and Journals and the dissemination of knowledge, the character of enlightenment.
- The American and French revolutions, Their significance and message, the Vienna settlement and the age of reaction, Romantic revival, Hegel and German Idealism, The Victorian era in England, Bourgeois liberalism.
- The industrial revolution, Growth of the factory system, The classical economist and utilitarian philosophers, the revolutions of 1830/32 and 1848 utopian socialism, Karl marx's scientific socialism, Working class movements, and social legislations, Nationalism in Europe, Unification of Italy and Germany, Civil war in America, Colonialism in Afro-Asian countries, Cases of China and Japan. The Ottoman empire.
- Neo-lmperialism in Europe, The Eastern question, Partition of Africa, The formation of the Triple Alliance, The welding of the Entente Europe in two camps.
- The First World War, Paris peach conference , League of Nations; New trends in cultural fields, Darwin, Einstein and froud, Philosophical Reflections of the theories of evolution, relativity and quantum mechanics , New trends in literature.
- The Russian revolution, Socialism in one country, Fascism in Italy, Nazism in Germany, The great depression, milestones to the second world war.
- U.N.O. Cold war, Afro — Asian resurgence, Detente, The Contemporary scene. Star Wars, Gorbachev, Glasnost and Perestroika, Collapse of U.S.S.R. and process of Globalisation.
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