UPSC Mains Political Science Syllabus PAPER – I

1.Political Theory and Indian Politics:

2.Political Theory: meaning and approaches.

3.Theories of the State: Liberal, Neoliberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and feminist.

4.Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques.
(Helps in GS Paper of Ethics,Integrity & Aptitude.Direct Question on Rawls has been asked in GS Paper 4)
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5.Equality: Social, political and economic; the relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action.
(Helps In Essay writing & Opinion Based Questions of Polity)

6.Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; the concept of Human Rights.
(Helps In Essay writing & Opinion Based Questions of Polity)

7.Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy – representative, participatory and deliberative.
Helps in Essay writing & Indian Polity)

8.Concept of power, hegemony, ideology, and legitimacy.
(Helps in Answer writing in Governance :GS Paper 2)

9.Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism.
(Helps in Ethics and case studies & Essay writing)

10.Indian Political Thought: Dharamshastra, Arthashastra, and Buddhist traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy.
(Direct Question in Ethics paper 4 of General studies)

11.Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt.
(Direct Question in Ethics paper 4 of General studies)
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2.Indian Government and Politics:

Indian Nationalism:

(a) Political Strategies of India’s Freedom Struggle:

Constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, Non-cooperation, Civil Disobedience; Militant and revolutionary movements, Peasant and workers’ movements. (b) Perspectives on Indian National Movement: Liberal, Socialist and Marxist; Radical humanist and Dalit.

Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives.
(Helps In GS Paper 1)
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Salient Features of the Indian Constitution: The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review and Basic Structure doctrine.

(a) Principal Organs of the Union Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and Supreme Court.

(b) Principal Organs of the State Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature, and High Courts.

Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; the significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements.

Statutory Institutions/Commissions: Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Finance Commission, Union Public Service Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women; National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Minorities, National Backward Classes Commission.

Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.
(Helps In GS Paper 2 Indian Polity)
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Planning and Economic Development: Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; the role of planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalization and economic reforms.
This Part Helps in Economy & Agriculture :GS Paper 3 of Civil Services Mains Exam)
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Caste, Religion, and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.
Helps in Indian Society
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Party System: National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of parties; patterns of coalition politics; Pressure groups, trends in electoral behavior; changing socio-economic profile of Legislators.
Helps in Answer writing of Opinion Based Questions of Indian Polity)
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Social Movements: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements.
(Helps in Environment s well as better Essay Writing on Topics Related to above part)
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