CBSE Board History Syllabus for Class 11

Class XI
History

Units Periods Marks
1. Introduction to World History 

Section A: Early Societies 
2. Introduction 
3. From the beginning of time 
4. Early Cities 

Section B: Empires 
5. Introduction 
6. An empire across three continents 
7. Central Islamic lands 
8. Nomadic Empires 

Section C: Changing Traditions 
9. Introduction 
10. Three orders 
11. Changing cultural traditions 
12. Confrontation of cultures 

Section D: Paths to Modernization 
13. Introduction 
14. The Industrial Revolution 
15. Displacing indigenous People 
16. Paths to modernization 

units 1-16
Class XI: 
                
1. Introduction to World History 
SECTION A: EARLY SOCIETIES
2. Introduction 
3. From the Begining of Time  Familiarize the learner with ways
Focus: Africa, Europe till 15000 BC of reconstructing human evolution.
(a) Views on the origin of human beings. ‰ Discuss whether the experience of
(b) Early societies. present-day hunting-gathering
(c) Historians' views on present-day hunting- people can be used to understand
gathering societies. early  societies.
4. Early Cities 
Focus: Iraq, 3rd millennium BC ‰ Familiarize the learner with the
(a) Growth of towns. (b) Nature of early nature of early urban centres.
urban societies. ‰ Discuss whether writing is
(c) Historians' Debate on uses of writing. significant as a marker of
civilization.

SECTION B: EMPIRES
5. Introduction 
6. An Empire across Three Continents (12) ‰ Familiarize the learner with the
Focus: Roman Empire, 27 B.C to A.D history of a major world empire
600. ‰ Discuss whether slavery was a
(a) Political evolution (b) Economic s i g n i f i c a n t   e l e m e n t   i n   t h e
  expansion (c) Religion (d) Late Antiquity. economy.
(e) Historians views on the institution
  of Slavery.
7. Central Islamic Lands:  ‰ Familiarize the learner with the
Focus: 7th to 12th centuries rise of Islamic empires in the
(a) Polity (b) Economy (c) Culture. Afro-Asian territories and its
(d) Historians viewpoints on the nature implications for economy and
of the crusades. society.
‰ Understand what the crusades
meant in these regions and how
they were experienced.
8. Nomadic Empires: 
Focus: the Mongol, 13th to 14th century ‰ Familiarize the learner with the
(a) The nature of nomadism. (b) Formation varieties of nomadic society and
of empires. (c) Conquests and relations their institutions.
with other states. (d) Historians’ views on ‰ Discuss whether state formation is
nomadic societies and state formation. possible in nomadic societies.228

SECTION C: CHANGING TRADITIONS
9. Introduction (6)
10.Three Orders (12) ‰ Familiarize the learner with the
Focus: Western Europe, 13th-16th century nature of the economy and society
(a) Feudal society and economy: (b) of  this period and the changes
Formation of states. (c) Church and within them.
Society. ‰ 
11. Changing cultural traditions (14)
Focus on Europe, 14th to 17th century’. ‰ Explore the intellectual trends in
(a) New ideas, and new trends in literature the period.
and arts. (b) Relationship with earlier ideas ‰ Famirize   s tudent s  wi th  the
(c) The contribution of West Asia. paintings and buildings of the
period
(d) Historian’s view points on the validity ‰ Introduce the debate around the
of the notion ‘European Renaissance’. idea of ‘Renaissance’.
12. Confrontation of Cultures (12)
Focus on the America 15th to 18th ‰ Dicuss   changes   in   European
century. economy that led to the voyages.
(1) European voyages of exploration. (b) ‰ Discuss the implications of the
Search for gold; enslavement, raids.
 (c) Indigenous people and people.
cultures - the Arawaks, the Aztecs, the ‰ Explore the debate on the nature
Incas. (c) The history of displacements. of the slave trade and see what this
debate tells us about the meaning
(d) Historian's view points on the of these “discoveries”.
slave trade,

SECTION D: PATHS TO MODERNIZATION
13. Introduction (8)
14. The Industrial Revolution. (12)
Focus on England, 18th and 19th century. ‰ Understand the nature of growth in
(a) Innovations and technological change the   period   and   its   limits .
(b) Patterns of growth. (c) Emergence of a ‰ Initiate students to the debate on
working class. the idea of industrial revolution.
(d) Historians' viewpoints Debate, 'Was
there an Industrial Revolution?
 15.Displacing indigenous People.  Sensitize students to the processes
Focus on North America and Australia, of displacements that accompanied
I8th-20th century, the development of America and
(a) European colonists in North America Australia.
and Australia. (b) Formation of white ‰ Understand the implications of
settler societies. (c) Displacement and such processes for the displaced
repression of local people, populations.
(d) Historians view points on the impact
of European settlement on indigenous
population.
16.Paths to Modernization. ‰ Make students aware that.
Focus on East Asia. Late 19th and 20th transformation in the modern
century. world takes many different forms.
(a) Militarization and economic growth in ‰ Show how notions like
Japan.
(b) China and the Communist ‘modernization’ need to be
alternative. critically assessed.
(c) Historians' Debate on meaning of
modernization