The UPSC has only briefly addressed the world history syllabus. As a result, the majority of the questions in the mains examination appear to be from outside the syllabus. As a result, we must focus on the syllabus with great care. We can get direct help for this from the world history syllabus of the history optional. There is no need to go into detail about these topics here; simply understanding them will help you answer the GS world history section.

If we look at past years' UPSC mains Paper 1 question papers, we can notice very few questions from world history were asked in the last couple of years, and only one question was asked in 2021 (severe challenge to the Democratic State System). 1 question in 2019 (the modern world's foundation). In 2017, one issue (decolonization in the Malay Peninsula) and one question (anti-colonial fight by elite Western-educated individuals in West Africa) were asked. Given this pattern, it would be prudent not to devote too much time and attention to an in-depth study of World History.

Given the time an aspirant devotes to preparation, there are two options. First, if an aspirant begins his or her preparation a year before the Prelims, he or she might consult the Old NCERT book. However, it should be noted that any book that the aspirant is reading should be given enough time to be revised at least three times.

Overall, an aspirant should not devote too much time to the world history section of the GS mains paper -1 because the syllabus of the GS mains paper -1 is vast in comparison to the number of questions asked in the Mains Exam. Instead, that time can be spent on other aspects of history.

UPSC Syllabus for World History

The Civil Service Exam Mains syllabus now includes a part on World History. This section focuses on events from the year 1700 or the 18th century. The UPSC has only discussed the World History syllabus briefly, which is why questions from this part appear to be unrelated to the syllabus. The UPSC World History Syllabus contains the following topics:

Industrial Revolution

World War 1, World War 2

Decolonization

Unification of Italy

Unification of Germany

Colonization

Nazism and Fascism

Communism, Capitalism, and Socialism

Redraw of national boundaries

World History UPSC Books

Books are essential in preparing for the UPSC CSE. Candidates must collect all of the necessary books to prepare for UPSC World History. With so many options available, candidates may feel overwhelmed when making their choice. To make things easier, we've included the best World History Books for UPSC below.

World History NCERT for UPSC

History of Modern World – Jain and Mathur

Mastering Modern World History – Norman Lowe

History of Modern World – BV Rao

Bottomline

In conclusion, even though the UPSC CSE exam's world history part is crucial, candidates should be aware that only a small number of questions from this area are asked in the Main Exam. It is therefore advised to limit the amount of time spent studying world history in-depth. Other historical topics should be given priority, and appropriate time should be allowed for review. A well-thought-out and balanced strategy would help candidates succeed in the UPSC CSE exam's world history subject.