ICSE Class 8 History Syllabus – The Modern World

• Theme 1: A Period of Transition
  1. The period of transition – basic understanding
  2. Sources
     • Primary
     • Secondary
  3. Transition from Medieval to Modern Age
     • Renaissance
     • Reformation
     • Voyages and Discoveries
  4. The Industrial Revolution
     • Meaning and reasons why it began in England
     • Major inventions
     • Impacts of Industrial Revolution
  5. Imperialism
     • Meaning
     • Causes and impacts with special reference to South Asian countries

• Theme 2: The Growth of Nationalism
  1. The French Revolution
     • Causes
     • The outbreak
     • Impact
     • Post-revolution period
     • Napoleon Bonaparte (brief study)
  2. The American War of Independence
     • Colonies
     • Causes
     • Beginning
     • Birth of the United States of America
  3. American Civil War
     • Background
     • Causes
     • Beginnings
     • Role of Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address

• Theme 3: India in the 18th Century
  1. Decline of the Mughal Empire – Major factors/causes
  2. Rise of independent/regional kingdoms
     • Hyderabad
     • Awadh
     • Bengal
     • Rajputs
     • Sikhs
     • Mysore
     • Marathas

• Theme 4: Traders to Rulers
  1. Advent of English East India Company – brief mention
  2. Conquest of Bengal – Battle of Plassey, Buxar: causes and results
  3. Dual Government – drawbacks
  4. Policy of British Expansion
     • Doctrine of Lapse
     • Subsidiary Alliance
     • Annexation of Awadh (pretext)

• Theme 5: British Policies and Impacts
  1. Economic Policy
  2. Land Revenue System – Permanent Settlement only
  3. Exploitation of artisans and weavers
  4. Drain of wealth
  5. Introduction of Modern Education
     • Wood’s Despatch – meaning and effects

• Theme 6: The Great Uprising of 1857
  1. Reasons – political, socio-religious, economic, military
  2. Immediate causes
  3. Leaders and Spread of the uprising
  4. Consequences
  5. Nature of the Uprising

• Theme 7: Socio-Religious Reforms
  1. Contribution of Social Reformers (brief)
     • Raja Ram Mohan Roy
     • Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar
     • Dayanand Saraswati
     • Swami Vivekanand
     • Jyotiba Phule
     • Annie Besant
     • Veerasalingam
     • Kandukuri
     • Sree Narayana Guru
     • Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
     • Singh Sabhas

• Theme 8: India’s Struggle for Freedom
  1. Phase 1
     • Rise of Nationalism – factors: economic exploitation, spread of western education, role of the Press, repressive policy of Lord Lytton
     • Early political associations
       • The Indian National Congress – formation and objectives
       • The Moderates – leaders, methods, demands
     • Partition of Bengal – Anti-Partition Movement (Swadeshi and Boycott)
     • Surat Split – brief understanding
  2. Phase 2
     • Home Rule Movement – leaders and objectives
     • Lucknow Pact (1916) – Unity Pact, brief understanding
     • Gandhian Era (1917–1947)
       • Early campaigns – Kheda, Champaran, Ahmedabad (brief)
       • Mass Movements
         • Non-cooperation: causes, withdrawal, impact
         • Rowlatt Act
         • Jallianwala Bagh
         • Khilafat (Chauri-Chaura)
       • Civil Disobedience Movement – causes, Simon Commission, Lahore Session
       • Quit India – Forward Bloc and INA (objectives only)
       • Independence and Partition – Cabinet Mission Plan, Mountbatten Plan, Indian Independence Act (clauses only)

ICSE Class 8 Civics Syllabus

• Theme 1: The three main organs of the Indian Government: Legislature, Executive, Judiciary
  1. Legislature
     • Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – composition, term, election, qualifications, Presiding officer
     • Powers & functions of the Union Parliament
  2. Executive
     • The President, The Vice-President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers
     • Qualifications
     • Election (method, not procedure)
     • Powers and functions
  3. The Judiciary
     • The Supreme Court and High Court – composition, qualifications of judges, appointment
     • Jurisdiction and functions:
       • Original
       • Appellate
       • Revisory
       • Judicial Review
       • Court of Record
       • Writs – meaning and a few examples

• Theme 2: United Nations
  1. Aims and Principles
  2. Organs (all SLR mentioned in brief)
     • General Assembly
     • Security Council
     • International Court of Justice – composition and functions (detail)
  3. Agencies of UN – functions only
     • UNESCO
     • UNICEF
     • WHO