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Best Modern History Books For UPSC

Also Read Best Modern History Books For UPSC in Hindi

Modern History Books For UPSC – History is one of the most important subjects for candidates preparing for the UPSC exam. Whether or not it is your chosen optional for the Mains, fair knowledge of History is crucial to ace the UPSC Exam. Selecting the right Modern History book for UPSC will ensure that you perfect your preparation for the modern history portion in the final exam. Candidates who choose History as an optional paper must make sure they read all pertinent study materials, including books, for the UPSC Civil Services Mains stage.

  • The list of Modern History Books for UPSC exam preparation is essential for preparing for the Prelims and Mains stages since the History subject covers the Modern History section along with Ancient Indian History, Medieval History, and World History.
  • In this article, we have listed the Best Modern History Books for UPSC which comprehensively cover the modern history syllabus of Prelims and Mains.

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List Of Best Modern History Books For UPSC

Modern History Books For UPSC List

Selecting the right Modern History Books for UPSC is crucial for candidates, specifically those aspiring to appear for the UPSC History optional paper, of which Modern History is a major component. Modern History section might yield high grades, but UPSC aspirants frequently find it difficult because it’s challenging for students to take notes that balance static topics and trending issues. Candidates can have a look at some of the top books for modern history UPSC in the table below.

List Of Modern History Books For UPSC 
Book Name Author/Publication Book Description
A Brief History of Modern India Spectrum A comprehensive text, it is considered to be the best Modern History book for UPSC. It details upon the history of India from the turbulent colonial period to independence and after.
NCERT XI – Modern India Bipin Chandra Bipin Chandra’s History of Modern India is a book that charts the history of colonial India from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries.
India after Gandhi Ramchandra Guha The widely praised book by Ramachandra Guha details the history of the biggest and least likely democracy in the world, with all of its hardships, triumphs, and humiliations.
India’s Struggle for Independence Bipin Chandra Bipin Chandra’s book India’s Struggle for Independence will provide you a thorough and exhaustive review of the Indian independence movement.
Indian Art and Culture Nitin Singhania Nithin Singhania’s work, Indian Art and Culture, is fresh yet excellent. With the help of numerous images, the author has supplied a broad knowledge base on Indian sculpture, paintings, music, and architecture.
Mastering Modern World History Norman Lowe This book by Lowe is a go-to book for an in-depth and detailed overview of Modern World History.
History of Modern World Jain and Mathu This book is not a political story, but rather a social explanation of the circumstances under which British rulers were able to control India.
From Plassey and Partition Sekhar Bandyopadhyay This is a very readable explanation of how India became a nation. It spans around 200 years of turbulent political and socioeconomic events.
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Modern History Books For UPSC PDF

As explained above, Modern History is an important part of the History subject for the UPSC exam. Having the list of Modern History Books for UPSC will make things easy for the candidates appearing for the upcoming exam. To help them, we have given the Modern History Book For UPSC PDF Download link below, click on the link and keep a copy of the same.

Important Topics on Modern History For UPSC

The subject of history is significant in the UPSC Prelims. A candidate can do well in the test if they thoroughly prepare the static History topics. The History portion in the Prelims exam covers “History of India and the Indian National Movement. If you’re a candidate planning to appear for the IAS and want to know what’s significant in Modern History, you should definitely study Important topics of Modern History for UPSC. Go through the entire These primary topics can be broken down into a number of significant topics, a list of which is provided below.

Modern History Important Topics for UPSC
Portuguese in India The Extremist (1905-1920) Nehru Report (1928)
Dutch in India Differences between the Moderates and the Extremists Lahore Session, 1929
Danes in India Partition of Bengal (1905) Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1931)
The English Swadeshi Movement First Round Conference, 1930
The French Muslim League, 1906 Gandhi-Irwin Pact, 1931
The Carnatic Wars Surat Session of INC, 1907 Karachi session of 1931
Anglo Maratha Wars Indian Council Act (Morley-Minto Act) 1909 Second Round
Doctrine of Lapse Ghadar Party, 1913 Conference, 1931
The Charter Acts Komagata Maru Incident 1914 Civil Disobedience Movement (Second-Phase)
Land Revenue System: Ryotwari and Mahalwari system The Lucknow Pact (1916) Third Round
Revolt of 1857 Home Rule Movement (1915–1916) Conference (17 November 1932)
Administrative changes after 1857 August Declaration, 1917 Communal Award
Montford Reforms (1919) Champaran Satyagraha (1917) Poona Pact, 1932
Orientalist-Anglicist Controversy Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918) Government of India Act, 1935
Wood’s Dispatch (1854) Kheda Satyagraha (1918) August Offer of 1940
Hunter Education Commission (1882-83) Government of India Act, 1919 Demand for Pakistan (1942)
Saddler University Commission (1917-19) Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919) Cripps Mission (1942)
Hartog Committee (1929) Khilafat Movement Quit India Movement
Wardha Scheme of Basic Education (1937) Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) I N.A. Trials
Vernacular Press Act, 1878 Bardoli Resolution Rajagopalachari Formula, 1945
Socio-religious reforms Nagpur Session of Congress Desai – Liaqat Pact
Peasant Movements Swaraj Party and its Evaluation Cabinet Mission (1946)
Early Phase Indian National Congress Muddiman Committee (1924) Wavell Plan
The Moderate Congress (1885-1905) Simon Commission (1927) Mountbatten Plan of June 1947
Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) Indian Independence Act 1947

Tips to Prepare with Modern History Books for UPSC

Many aspirants make the usual mistake of diving straight into the UPSC standard books when preparing the Modern History Books for UPSC. A subject like history necessitates a thorough knowledge of the study material; mindless memorizing from the Modern history textbooks can never get you decent scores on this paper. We have offered the greatest preparation advice for studying modern history for the UPSC in order to resolve this.

  • Go through the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers at least twice or three times to understand the complexity of the questions before diving into any book.
  • Start with the NCERTs because they will help you understand the fundamentals. All of the NCERTs needed for modern history are available on our website.
  • You can begin reading the standard books once you’ve finished the NCERT Modern History books.
  • You don’t need to read the entire book; simply keep the UPSC Syllabus handy and adjust your reading.
  • Avoid studying a single topic from several books at once.
  • To better prepare for the UPSC, read through the UPSC Modern History Previous Year Question Papers to get a sense of the kinds of questions that are typically asked from this section.
  • Solve Modern History Mock Test Papers to prepare better for UPSC.
Also, check Ancient, Medieval, and World History Books:
Ancient History Books For UPSC Medieval History Books For UPSC World History Books For UPSC

We hope the information in this article assisted you in choosing the best modern history book for the UPSC Exam. Get more information and study materials for additional subjects by downloading the Testbook App for free. With Testbook SuperCoaching, you can now ace the competition with expert notes, in-person coaching, and much more for a range of national competitive exams.

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