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Political Science Syllabus

CUET Political Science Syllabus

The Common University Entrance Test for UG, or the CUET UG, is a national-level entrance examination that acts as a getaway for students to pursue undergraduate courses in top participating central universities, state, private, and deemed universities under the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India. It provides a single-window opportunity for students who are looking to transition to higher studies. The exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) to ensure fairness and accessibility in all aspects of the examination. With over 10 lakh students participating each year, the competition is steep for limited seats. 

Understanding the CUET 2025 political science syllabus can help candidates have a competitive edge with key insights like important topics, section-wise weightage, and patterns of questions.

1.0CUET UG 2025 Political Science Syllabus: Overview

CUET UG aspirants of the political science department are advised to thoroughly assess the political science CUET syllabus to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Although CUET UG aligns its syllabus with the class XI and class XII NCERT curriculum, there might be additional topics that one needs to cover. Individuals must have strong foundational knowledge of politics, government, and power at the local, national, and international levels. 

CUET Political Science Units

CUET Political Science Syllabus Topics

CUET Political Science Syllabus Subtopics

Politics in India since Independence

The Era of One-Party Dominance

  • First three general elections
  • Nature of Congress dominance at the national level
  • Uneven dominance at the state level
  • Coalitional nature of Congress
  • Major opposition parties

Nation-Building and Its Problems

  • Nehru’s approach to nation-building: Legacy of partition: the challenge of ‘refugee’ resettlement
  • The Kashmir problem
  • Organisation and reorganisation of states
  • Political conflicts over language

Politics of Planned Development

  • Five-year plans
  • Expansion of the state sector
  • The rise of new economic interests
  • Famine and suspension of five-year plans
  • Green revolution and its political fallouts

Indian External Relations

  • Nehru’s foreign policy
  • Sino-Indian War of 1962
  • Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971
  • India’s nuclear programme and shifting alliances in world politics

Challenge to and Restoration of the Congress System

  • Political succession after Nehru
  • Non-Congress and Electoral Upset of 1967
  • Congress split and reconstitution
  • Congress Victory in the 1971 elections
  • Politics of ‘garibi hatao’

Crisis of the Constitutional Order

  • Search for ‘committed’ bureaucracy and judiciary
  • Navnirman movement in Gujarat and the Bihar movement
  • Emergency: context, constitutional and extra-constitutional dimensions, resistance to emergency
  • 1977 elections and the formation of the Janata Party
  • Rise of civil liberties organisations

Regional Aspirations and Conflicts

  • Rise of regional parties
  • Punjab crisis and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984
  • The Kashmir situation
  • Challenges and responses in the north-east

Rise of New Social Movements

  • Farmer’s movement
  • Women’s movement
  • Environment and development- affected people’s movement
  • Implementation of Mandal Commission report and its aftermath

Democratic Upsurge and Coalition Politics

  • Participatory upsurge in the 1990s
  • Rise of the JD and the BJP
  • The increasing role of regional parties and coalition politics
  • UF and NDA governments
  • Elections 2004 and UPA government

Recent Issues and Challenges

  • The challenge of and responses to globalisation: new economic policy and its opposition
  • Rise of OBCs in north Indian politics
  • Dalit politics in the electoral and non-electoral arena
  • Challenge of communalism: Ayodhya dispute and Gujarat riots

Contemporary World Politics

Cold War Era in World Politics

  • The emergence of two power blocs after the Second World War
  • Arenas of the Cold War
  • Challenges to Bipolarity: Non-Aligned Movement, the quest for new international economic order
  • India and the Cold War

Disintegration of the ‘Second World’ and the Collapse of Bipolarity

  • New entities in world politics: Russia, Balkan states, and Central Asian states
  • Introduction to democratic politics and capitalism in post-communist regimes
  • India’s relations with Russia and other post-communist countries

US Dominance in World Politics

  • Growth of unilateralism: Afghanistan, first Gulf War, response to 9/11 and attack on Iraq
  • Dominance and challenge to the US in economy and ideology
  • India’s renegotiation of its relationship with the USA

Alternative Centres of Economic and Political Power

  • The rise of China as an economic power in post- Mao era, the creation, and expansion of the European Union, ASEAN
  • India’s changing relation with China

South Asia in the Post-Cold War Era

  • Democratisation and its reversals in Pakistan and Nepal
  • Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka
  • Impact of economic globalisation on the region
  • Conflicts and efforts for peace in South Asia
  • India’s relationship with its neighbours

International Organisations in a Unipolar World

  • Restructuring and the future of the UN
  • India’s position in the restructured UN
  • Rise of new international actors: new international economic organisations, NGOs
  • How democratic and accountable are the new institutions of global governance?

Security in the Contemporary World

  • Traditional concerns of security and politics of disarmament
  • Non-traditional or human security: global poverty, health, and education
  • Issues of human rights and migration

Environment and Natural Resources

  • Environment movement and evolution of global environment norms
  • Conflicts over traditional and common property resources
  • Rights of Indigenous people
  • India’s stand-in global environment debates

Globalisation and Its Critics Economic

  • Economic, cultural and political manifestations
  • Debates on the nature of consequences of globalisation
  • Anti- globalisation movement
  • India as an arena of globalisation and struggle against it

2.0CUET UG Political Science Chapter Wise Weightage

It is important to understand the section-wise weightage of the CUET UG political science syllabus to understand which topics need to be prioritised during the preparation stage. Areas like recent developments in Indian politics and challenges to the congress system hold the most importance. Refer to the table below to understand the section-wise weightage for the CUET political science syllabus.

CUET Political Science Syllabus 2025 Weightage

Topics

Weightage

Recent Developments in Indian Politics

8-9

Challenges to the Congress System

5

The End of bipolarity

2-3

Cold War Era

3-4

US Hegemony in World Politics

2-3

Alternative Centers of Power

2-3

Contemporary South Asia

2-3

International Organizations

2-3

Security in the Contemporary World

2-3

Globalisation

2-3

Environment and Natural Resources

2-3

3.0CUET UG 2025 Political Science Preparation Tips

Individuals appearing for CUET UG political science paper need to have a strategic approach to be able to succeed and get into their desired college. Here are some tried and tested preparation tips to help candidates excel in this competitive examination.

  • Know Key Theories and Concepts

CUET thoroughly tests the foundational knowledge of each student to understand their depth. Go over the main ideas and key thinkers associated with them for best preparation. Revise key theories like realism, liberalism, and constructivism for a holistic preparation.

  • Study Major Political Events

Individuals need to have an in-depth understanding of the major political events throughout history that are covered by the NCERT. Review significant events in Indian and global politics to increase the chances of a better score.

  • Familiarise The Political Systems

Have a thorough understanding of different political systems and their features. During preparation, one can compare and contrast various political institutions for better retention.

  • Analyse Current Affairs

Individuals need to sit for a general test alongside their domain subject to prove their competence. Analysing current political events around the world not only helps in the domain paper of political science candidates but also their general tests.

  • Review Political Terminology

Create a glossary of terminologies during preparation. One can refer to that to revise the CUET UG political science syllabus and understand the topics better. 

CUET UG political science syllabus might seem challenging to students due to such intricate topics, but with a proper strategic approach, one can easily navigate the complexities. The CUET political science syllabus is paramount for candidates to gain key insights about the examination.

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