Edition – 2025 – 26

It is pleasures to present our readers-university students, candidates preparing for the I.A.S. and various states civil services examination. The syllabus of history is very vast. So it is tough to posses a general but accurate knowledge of World History without going through a large number of texts and journals dealing with the subject. This book not only serves the needs of I.A.S. aspirants but also of general students as a basic book who require a through grasp of essential facts before appearing in any competitive examinations. I also kept in view the requirements of the growing number of candidates for competitive examination in which questions from Modern World History are asked. I make this book useful not only to IAS aspirants but also to University students and candidates for competitive examinations.

This book has evolved from teaching notes compiled over a number of years and makes no claim to any originality of content. Its originality lies in its treatment of
events: Instead of presenting a narrative account of events as so many text books do, the book is geared to specific questions of the type which appear on examination paper; this approach encourages students to think analytically, not just about what happened but about why it happened and why it was important. At the same time enough material is provided on each topic to enable students to build up their own answers to SOVIET DISINTEGRATION…. other questions; sometimes this can be done from the same chapter; sometimes, by using the cross-references. Although it is intended primarily for those studying for a first examination in Modern World History, the book should provide an excellent introduction for higher study, and will also be suitable for general and liberal studies courses. I hope to it will be useful for the general reader who wants a short introduction to world affairs. The books recommended are mainly for the general reader who wishes to investigate a topic further, and most of them are too detailed and too advanced for basic examinations. However, books marked with an asterisk are suitable for students at this level.