CBSE Class 11 History Syllabus 2026-27

HISTORY SUBJECT CODE: 027 CLASS: XI (2026-27)

RATIONALE

The History curriculum introduces the students to a set of important historical events and processes through a focus on a series of historical issues, debates and through various sources. Discussion of these themes would allow students not only to know about the events and processes, but also to discover the excitement of reading history. However, practical way of assessing whether the learning objectives have been actualised or not, can be ensure d by the way of having stated outcomes. These outcomes have been enumerated against the learning objectives so that the concerned teachers and their students can adopt different kinds of constructive strategies and competency-based assessment techniques. It is also to be understood that the learning objectives and their outcomes are essentially linked and complementary to each other.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

History gives us the tools to analyse and explain problems in the past, it helps us to see the patterns that might otherwise be not known in the present. It provides a crucial perspective for understanding and solving the current and future problems.

Studying the diversity of human experience helps us appreciate cultures, ideas, and traditions and to recognise them as meaningful outcomes of specific times and places. History helps us realise how different is our life from that of our ancestors, yet how similar we are in our goals and values. With lessons from the past, we not only learn about ourselves and how we came to be, but also develop the ability to avoid mistakes and create better paths for our societies.

The subject emphasises that history is a critical discipline, a process of enquiry, a way of knowing about the past, rather than just a collection of facts. The syllabus would help them to understand the process through which historians write history, by choosing and assembling different types of evidence, and by reading their sources critically. They will appreciate how historians follow the trails that lead to the past, and how historical knowledge develops.

The syllabus would also enable students to store/relate/compare developments in different situations, analyse connections between similar processes located in different time periods, and discover the relationship between different methods of enquiry within history and the allied disciplines.

THEMES IN CLASS XI

The syllabus in class XI is organised around some major themes in the world history.

1. Focus on some important developments in different spheres-political, social, cultural, and economic.

1. Study not only the grand narratives of development-urbanisation, industrialisation, and modernisation-but also to know about the processes of displacements and marginalisation. Through the study of these themes' students will acquire a sense of the wider historical processes as well as an idea of the specific debates around them.

The treatment of each theme in class XI would include an overview of the theme under discussion, a more detailed focus on one region of study and an introduction to a critical debate associated with the issue.

Many of the themes will introduce to the debates in the field and show how historians continuously rethink old issues.

COURSE STRUCTURE Class XI

Section Title Theme No. Theme Title Marks

Reading of World Introduction of World History

History Introduction Timeline I (6 MYA TO 1 BCE)

EARLY SOCIETIES Writing and City Life 10

Introduction Timeline II

(C. 100 BCE TO 1300 CE)

EMPIRES An Empire Across Three Continents 10

Nomadic Empires 10

Introduction Timeline III (C. 1300 TO 1700)

Ш CHANGING 4 The Three orders 10

TRADITIONS 5 Changing Cultural Traditions 10

Introduction Timeline IV (C. 1700 TO 2000)

IV TOWARDS 6 Displacing Indigenous Peoples 10

MODERNISATION Paths to Modernisation 15

Map Map work of the related Themes 05

Theory Total 80

Project work 20

TOTAL 100

Note-The Maps available in the official website of Govt., of India may be used

COURSE CONTENT CLASS XI

Section Theme Learning outcome with specific competencies Timeline I ** Understanding the concept of chronology (6 MYA TO 1 BCE) Theme 1 ** Elucidate the interwoven social and cultural aspects Writing and City Life of civilization in order to understand the connection Focus: Iraq, 3^rd between city life and culture of contemporary lmillennium civilizations through their writings. EARLY BCE SOCIETIES a. Growth of towns Analyse the outcomes of a sustained tradition of

writing.

1. Nature of early urban societies Explain the connection between the growth of human
2. Historians 'Debate on civilisation and the tradition of writing. uses of writing. Timeline II * Understanding the periods in order of time.

(C.100 BCE TO 1300 CE) Explain and relate the dynamics of the Roman Theme 2 Empire in order to understand their polity, economy, society and culture. An Empire ** Analyse the implications of Roman's contacts with EMPIRES across Three the subcontinent empires and discuss about Continents slavery. Examine the domains of cultural transformation in that period & the impact of slavery. Identify the living patterns of nomadic pastoralist Theme 3 society.

• Trace the rise and growth of Genghis Khan in order

NOMADIC EMPIRES to understand him as an oceanic ruler.

• Analyse socio-political and economic changes during the period of the descendants of Genghis khan
• Distinguish between the Mongolian people's perspective and the world's opinion about Genghis

Khan

• Explain the myriad aspects of feudalism with

Timeline III reference to first, second, third and fourth order of the

1. 1300 TO 1700) Ш

• Relate between ancient slavery and serfdom.

CHANGING Theme 4 TRADITIONS The Three Orders Assess the 14th century crisis and rise of the nation

states.