Bipan Chandra Books for UPSC

Bipan Chandra is a name that needs no introduction to IAS aspirants. His book ‘India’s Struggle for Independence’ is the go-to book for many aspirants for the modern history section in the UPSC syllabus. There are other books also authored by Chandra which are useful for the UPSC civil services exam. In this article, you can get a list of Bipan Chandra’s books for IAS exam.

A brief about the author

Bipan Chandra was a respected Indian historian who specialised in the Indian freedom movement. A former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Hindu College, DU, he was considered a leading authority on Mahatma Gandhi. Chandra was also Chairman of the National Book Trust.

UPSC Books by Bipan Chandra

1. India’s Struggle for Independence

This book is a comprehensive book covering the Indian freedom movement from the 1857 Indian Revolt. It covers a lot of important details and also includes historical information from various parts of India. The book has been written after extensive research and all the information given here is corroborated and so you can take them as authentic. Also covered at length are Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy which is a UPSC-favourite.

2. History of Modern India

Although this book covers the period of Indian history from the 18^th to the 20^th centuries, it is not a chronicle on the freedom movement as such. It details the social factors and conditions prevailing in India at that time, which effectively helped the British to cement their rule over the subcontinent. The book presents an interesting everyday-reality of the lives of people during those times. It talks about the common man’s observations and reactions to British rule. Basically, it discusses the causes and effects of British rule over India. This makes a good read if you want your answers to be innovative and analytical, where you don’t just throw out facts and incidents but an analysis of them as well.

3. India Since Independence

This book is a sequel to “India’s Struggle for Independence”. As the name suggests, it covers India since independence including the challenges faced, achievements, the framing of the Constitution and how the country has succeeded in the face of its colonial legacy. The book also covers the evolution of the Nehruvian political, economic and foreign policies. It also includes party politics, anti-caste politics, untouchability and the Punjab crisis. The book also gives an objective assessment of Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Jayaprakash Narayan, Rajiv Gandhi, V P Singh, A B Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.

4. NCERT Class XII Modern India

NCERT textbooks give a lucid description of events in a simple and interesting language. These books are considered basics to your IAS exam preparation. The class XII textbook (old NCERT) by Bipan Chandra is a good basic book for understanding the freedom movement. You can download this book from the link below:

Class XII Modern History NCERT PDF

Bipan Chandra has authored several other books. For your UPSC preparation, you don’t have to study them. However, during your free time, if you are interested in acquiring a few points for various topics like history and politics, you can read them. We give you a list of a few select titles by Bipan Chandra.

1. The Making of Modern India: From Marx to Gandhi
2. In the Name of Democracy: The JP Movement and the Emergency
3. Ideology and Politics in Modern India
4. The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism in India: Economic Policies of Indian National Leadership
5. Communalism in Modern India