CBSE Class 12 Political Science Syllabus for Board Exam 2026-27, Download Free PDF Here

Chapter No.

Chapter Name

Marks Allotted

PART: A- CONTEMPORARY WORLD POLITICS

1

The End of Bipolarity

6

2

Contemporary Centres of Power

6

3

Contemporary South Asia

6

4

International Organizations

6

5

Security in the Contemporary World

6

6

Environment and Natural Resources

6

7

Globalisation

4

PART A - Total

40

PART B-POLITICS IN INDIA SINCE INDEPENDENCE

1

Challenges of Nation-Building

6

2

Era of One-Party Dominance

4

3

Politics of Planned Development

2

4

India’s External Relations

6

5

Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System

4

6

The Crisis of Democratic Order

4

7

Regional Aspirations

6

8

Recent Developments in Indian Politics

8

PART B - Total

40

TOTAL

80

1. The End of Bipolarity

Topics to be focused:

a) The Soviet System

b) Gorbachev and the disintegration

c) Causes and Consequences of Disintegration of Soviet Union

d) Shock Therapy and its Consequences

e) New entities in world politics

· Russia

· Balkan States

· Central Asian States

f) India's relations with Russia and other post-

communist countries

2. Contemporary Centres of Power

Topics to be focused:

a) European Union

b) Association of Southeast Asian Nations

c) Rise of China as an economic power

d) Japan and South Korea as emerging powers

3. Contemporary South Asia

Topics to be focused:

a) Military and Democracy in Pakistan and Bangladesh

b) Monarchy and Democracy in Nepal

c) Ethnic Conflict and Democracy in Sri Lanka

d) India-Pakistan Conflicts

e) India and its Neighbours

f) Peace and Cooperation

4. International Organizations

Topics to be focused:

a) Meaning and importance of International Organisations

b) Evolution of the UN

c) Structure and function of International Organisations

d) Principal Organs of UN

e) Reform of the UN after ColdWar

f) Reform of Structures, Processes and Jurisdiction of the UN

h) India and the UN Reforms

i) Key Agencies: IMF, World Bank, WTO, ILO, IAEA.

j) NGO: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch.

g) Implications and Future of International Organisations

5. Security in the Contemporary World

Topics to be focused:

a) Meaning and Type of Security.

b) Traditional concept of Security

c) Non-tradition notions of Security.

d) New Sources of Threats

e) Cooperative Security

f) India’s Security strategy

6. Environment and Natural Resources

Topics to be focused:

a) Environmental Concerns

b) Global Commons

c) Common but differentiated responsibilities

d) India’s Stand on Environment Issues

f) Environmental Movements

g) Resource Geopolitics

e) Rights of Indigenous peoples

7. Globalisation

Topics to be focused:

a) Concept of globalisation

b) Causes and Consequences of globalisation

c) India and globalization

d) Resistance to globalisation

e) India and resistance to globalisation

1. Challenges of Nation Building

Topics to be focused:

a) Challenges for the new Nation.

· Three Challenges.

b) Partition: Displacement and Rehabilitation.

· Consequences of Partition.

c) Integration of Princely States.

· The problem

· Government’s approach

· Hyderabad

· Manipur

d) Reorganisation of States.

2. Era of One-Party Dominance

Topics to be focussed:

a) Challenge of building democracy.

b) Congress dominance in the first three general elections.

· Nature of Congress dominance

· Congress as a social and ideological coalition.

· Tolerance and management of Factions

c) Emergence of opposition parties.

3. Politics of Planned Development

Topics to be focussed:

a) Political contestation.

· Ideas of Development.

· Planning

· Planning Commission

b) The Early Initiatives

· The First Five Year Plan.

· Rapid Industrialisation.

4. India’s External Relations

Topics to be focussed:

a) International Context

b) The Policy of Non-Alignment.

· Nehru’s role

· Distance from two camps.

· Afro Asian Unity

c) Peace and conflict with China

· The Chinese Invasion1962

· War and Peace with Pakistan

· Bangladesh War 1971

d) India’s Nuclear Policy.

5. Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System

Topics to be focused:

a) Challenge of Political Succession

· From Nehru to Shastri

· From Shastri to Indira Gandhi

b) Fourth General Election1967

· Context of the Election.

· Non Congressism

· Electoral Verdict

· Coalitions

· Defections

c) Split in the Congress

· Indira vs the Syndicate

· Presidential Election 1969

d) The 1971 Election and Restoration of Congress

· The outcome and after Restoration

6. The Crisis of Democratic Order

Topics to be focused:

a) Background to Emergency.

· Economic Context.

· Gujarat and Bihar Movements

· Conflict with Judiciary

c) Declaration of Emergency

· Crisis and response

· Consequences

c) Lessons of the Emergency.

d) Politics after Emergency.

· Lok Sabha Elections 1977

· Janata Government

d) Legacy

7.Regional Aspirations

Topics to be focused:

a) Region and the Nation

 Indian Approach

 Areas of Tension

 Jammu and Kashmir

 Roots of the Problem

 External and Internal disputes

 Politics since 1948

 Insurgency and After

 2022 and Beyond

b) Punjab

 Political Context

 Cycle of Violence

 Road to Peace

c) The Northeast

 Demand for autonomy

 Secessionist Movements

 Movements against outsiders

 Assam and National Integration

8.Recent Developments in Indian

Politics Topics to be focused

a) Context of 1990s

b) Era of Coalition

 Alliance Politics

c) Political rise of the Backward Classes

 Mandal Implemented

 Political Fallouts

d) Communalism, Secularism and Democracy.

 Ayodhya Issue

 From Legal proceedings to amicable

acceptance

e) Emergence of New Consensus

f) Lok Sabha Elections (2004- 2019)

g) Growing Consensus

S. No

Competencies

Marks

Percentage

1

Knowledge and Remembering: Exhibit memory of

previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, and basic concepts.

22

27.50%

2

Understanding: Understanding of facts and ideas by

Organising, comparing, explaining, describing, and stating main ideas.

24

30%

3

Applying: Solve problems by applying acquired

knowledge, facts to interpret a situation/ cartoon/ clippings/ sources/ Map

22

27.50%

4

Analysis and Evaluation: Classify, compare, contrast, or differentiate between pieces of information; organise and/ or integrate from a variety of sources; Examine, synthesise information into parts and identify motives or causes. Make inferences and find evidence to support

generalisations.

12

15%

80

100%