the making of global world assignment

The Making of a Global World (Easy Notes)

Introduction:

1 a. silk routes link the world:, 1 b. food travels: spaghetti and potato:.

• ‘Asia’ Before and After 16th Century :-
• ‘Americas’ Before and After 16th Century :-
• ‘Europe’ Before 19th Century:

‘Africa’ till 18th Century:

‘india and china’ till 18th century:, migration to the cities and overseas:, in mid 19th century:, 2 b. role of technology:, 2 c. late 19th century colonialism:, 2 d. rinderpest, or the cattle plague:, new system of slavery:, 2 f. indian entrepreneurs abroad:, 2 g. indian trade, colonialism and the global system:, what happened during the war, 3 b. post war recovery:, mass production:, mass consumption:, emergence of us as an international creditor:, how the economic depression affected the us, effects in rural india:, effects in urban india:, establishment of two institutions of bretton woods:, 4 b. the early post-war years:, 4 c. decolonization and independence:, 4 d. end of bretton woods and the beginning of ‘globalization’.

The world which we term as a ‘global village’ is the outcome of a long history. Through this, we came across different phases which resulted in interconnectedness of the entire world. So, this chapter will take you to the journey of globalization. We will study how the economic, political and cultural closeness took place over time. Let’s discuss the premodern world first.

1. The Pre-Modern World:

• The Pre-Modern Era lasted till the 18th century.
• For Example: Priests traveled for knowledge, traders for opportunities and pilgrims for spiritual fulfillment.
• Goods: The trade link between Indus Valley Civilization and West Asia is the evidence of globalization in the past. Since, it linked both of them till 3000 BCE.
• Money: Maldives, China and East Africa used cowries (Seashells) as a form of currency for more than a thousand year.
• Disease: Furthermore, we can trace the spread of diseases to the 7th century.
• Silk Routes link the world.
• Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potatoes.
• Conquest, Diseases and Trade.
• The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world.
• Historians identified many silk routes over the sea and on the land which connected Asia, Europe and Northern Africa.
• It is believed that it existed since before the Christian Era and thrived till the 15th Century.
• Moreover, Chinese pottery, textiles and spices of India & Southeast Asia travelled through these routes for trading with Europe.
• In return, they used to get precious metals- gold and silver from Europe.
• Trade and cultural exchange always went hand in hand. Since, trade helped people to share their ideas, food and teachings.
• Christian missionaries, Muslim and Buddhist preachers used these routes to spread their teachings.
• Food offers many examples of long-distance cultural exchange.
• Take for instance, noodles and Spaghetti. It is believed that noodles traveled west from China and became spaghetti.
• Another example we can take is of Pasta (the Italian dish).
• In the 16th Century, Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered the Americas. It was after that many of our common foods such as Potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies, sweet potatoes and so on came to be known.
• On one hand, the introduction of potatoes led the poor population of Europe to eat better.
• On the other hand, peasants of Ireland became so dependent on potatoes that when disease destroyed crops in the mid 1840s, many died due to starvation.

1 C. Conquest, Disease and Trade:

‘ asia’ before and after 16th century :-.

• In the 16th Century, European sailors found a sea route to Asia and America (For trade).
• For centuries before, Maximum trading would run mainly in the Indian Ocean.
• The Indian Subcontinent was a crucial point in their network.
• However, after the entry of Europeans, the flow of trade expanded and shifted towards Europe.

‘ Americas’ Before and After 16th Century :-

• Before the 16th Century, America had been cut off from the entire world.
• For Example:- Peru and Mexico had silver mines which Europeans began to use for trading purposes with Asia. It helped Europeans in growing their wealth.
• In the 17th Century, When Europeans heard about an imaginary place ‘El Dorado’, they set off in search of El Dorado which was also known as the city of gold.
• In the 16th Century, Portuguese and Spanish decided to take decisive action on conquest over America.
• American inhabitants had no immunity (due to isolation) against these diseases that came from Europe.
• However, Europeans were already immune to such a disease.
• As a consequence, conquest became much easier.

‘ Europe’ Before 19th Century:

• Until the nineteenth century , poverty and hunger were common in Europe.
• Cities were crowded and deadly diseases were widespread.
• Religious conflicts were common, and religious dissenters had to face persecution.
• As a result, thousands of people fled from Europe to America.
• Europeans captured Africans and made them slaves.
• Therefore, Africans had to do plantation work of cotton and sugar in America for European markets.
• India and China were among the world’s richest countries.
• They were pre-eminent in Asian trade.
• However after the 15th Century, China stopped overseas trading. Hence, less involvement in the trade affairs paved the way for Europeans to emerge as the center of world trade.

2. The Nineteenth Century (1815-1914)

• The world changed profoundly in the nineteenth century.
• Economic, political, social, cultural and technological factors helped in transforming and reshaping the external relations.
• Flow of Trade: Trading of goods such as wheat, cloth.
• Flow of Labor: Migration of people from one place to another in search of work.
• Lastly, Flow of Capital: Short term and long term investments over long distances.
• A World Economy takes shape
• Role of Technology.
• Late Nineteenth Century and Colonialism.
• Rinderpest, or the Cattle Plague.
• Indentured Labor Migration from India
• Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad.
• Indian Trade, Colonialism and the Global System.

2 A. A world Economy takes shape:

• It began with the change in the pattern of food production and consumption.
• In the late 18th Century, Britain, who preferred to be self-sufficient in food, had to import food.
• Rapid increase in population.
• Expansion of industries and urban centers caused an increase in the demand of agricultural products.
• Corn Laws: The laws allowing the British Government to restrict the import of corn is known as the Corn Laws.
• Industrialists and urban dwellers were unhappy with the high price. Hence, they forced abolition of the Corn Laws.
• Britain again started importing food. However, it impacted domestic farmers badly.
• Since they could not compete with cheaper imported products, many of them left agricultural work.
• This led to migration of many farmers in cities or overseas in search of work.
• As food prices fell, consumption in Britain rose.
• Industrial growth led to higher income and therefore more food imports.
• In Eastern Europe, Russia, America and Australia- land was cleared to meet the growing demand of Britain.
• Besides, they constructed Railways to link the agricultural regions to the ports. And also built Harbors
• Capital: It flowed from financial centers such as London.
• Labor: Nearly 50 million people emigrated from Europe to America and Australia.
• Around 150 million people all over the world left their homes. They migrated to other places for a better future.

By 1890, Global agricultural economy took shape. It was established with the combination of road, railways, ships and labor. Several changes took place. These changes were:-

• Food could be imported from thousands of miles away.
• It became increasingly the work of agricultural laborers to till the land rather than peasants.
• People cleared away most of the forest areas for agricultural purposes.
• Railways, steamships, telegraph etc. were some such inventions, without which we cannot imagine the transformed 19th century world.
• For Example: Colonization influenced the development of Faster Railways, Lighter wagons and Larger ships. These modifications helped in moving food more cheaply and quickly from faraway farms to final markets.
• It enabled the transport of perishable foods over long distances.
• Also helped in reducing shipping cost and meat prices.
• People could buy a variety of foods which also brought social peace in Europe.
• Many people (from different parts of the world) had to lose their freedom and livelihood.
• Europeans brought colonial societies into the world economy through painful economic, social and Ecological changes.
• Take for instance ‘African map’ during colonial rule. It seems as if the borders are demarcated by ‘ruler’. In fact in 1885, the big European powers met in Berlin to complete the carving up of Africa between them.
• Britain and France made vast additions to their overseas territories in the late 19th century.
• Belgium and Germany became new colonial powers.
• In the late 1890’s, The USA took over some colonies of Spain and emerged as a new colonial power.
• In Africa, land was in abundant quantity and population was relatively low.
• Land and livestock sustained African livelihoods. So they rarely worked for a wage.
• In the late 19th Century, Africa’s vast land and mineral resources attracted Europeans.
• Europeans made plans to establish plantations and mines.
• However, they had to confront an unexpected problem- a shortage of labor willing to work for wages.
• Imposition of heavy taxes: They could pay heavy taxes only through plantation and mining work.
• Changes in inheritance laws: In which only one member of a family could inherit land.
• In the late 1880’s, a devastating disease named Rinderpest came to Africa.
• 1887: First came in East Africa.
• 1892: Africa’s Atlantic Ocean (West).
• 1896: Cape (Africa’s southernmost tip)
• Rinderpest killed 90% of the cattle.
• The loss of cattle destroyed African livelihoods.
• Moreover, planters, mine owners and colonial governments successfully made their monopoly over remaining scarce cattle resources.
• Thus, this helped European colonizers to conquer and subdue Africa.

2 E. Indentured Labor Migration from India:

• One side shows, there was faster economic growth in the world which led to higher incomes of some people.
• The Other side shows that many people lived miserably.
• In the 19th Century, thousands of Indian and Chinese laborers went to work on plantations, in mines, and in road and railway construction projects around the world.
• In India, indentured laborers were hired under contracts which promised return travel to India after they had worked five years on their employer’s plantation.
• Most indentured laborers came from Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Central India and the dry districts of Tamil Nadu.
• Decline in cotton industry.
• Rise in land rents.
• Clearing of land for mines and plantations.
• They could not pay rent and became indebted.
• The most common destinations for migrants were Caribbean islands, Mauritius and Fiji.
• Tamil migrants went to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Malaya.
• Indentured workers were also recruited for tea plantations in Assam .
• Employers paid them commission in exchange for workers.
• Often, Agents would provide false information about final destination, modes of travel, the nature of work and living and working conditions.
• Workers did not even know how far they had to travel.
• Sometimes agents even forcibly abducted less willing migrants.
• Indenture has been described as a ‘new system of slavery’.
• After reaching the plantations, laborers had to live in harsh living and working conditions.
• There were few legal rights for them.
• Some workers ran into the jungles.
• For Example: Hosay in Trinidad.
• Rastafarianism by Indian migrants of the Caribbean.
• Chutney music in Trinidad and Guyana.
• These forms of cultural fusion are part of the making of the global world.
• For example: Writer V.S. Naipaul, Shivnarine Chanderpal and Ramneresh Sarwan are names similar to Indians.
• In 1900’s, India’s nationalist leaders described indentured labor as abusive and cruel.
• Finally in 1921, British India’s Imperial Legislative Council had to abolish it.
• However, the sense of inferiority remained in the minds of descendants for many decades.
• Growing food and other crops for the world market required capital.
• Large plantations could borrow capital from banks and markets. However, peasants had no such option due to lack of sources to borrow money.
• Shikaripuri Shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiyars were amongst the many groups of financiers and merchants.
• They financed export agriculture in Southeast and Central Asia.
• They followed a high-level system of transferring money throughout various locations.
• These Shroffs and Chettiyars used either their own reserves or the money borrowed from European banks.
• They also developed indigenous forms of corporate organization.
• Indian traders and moneylenders also followed European colonizers into Africa.
• However, Sindhi traders even ventured beyond European colonies.
• In these markets, they could sell local and imported products.
• Historically, India exported fine cottons to Europe.
• Gradually, industrialization led the British cotton manufacture to expand.
• As a result, industrialists pressurized the government to restrict cotton imports and protect local industries. So, the Government imposed some tariff barriers on cloth imports into Britain.
• Consequently, the inflow of fine Indian cotton began to decline.
• For Example: Decline in the share of cotton textiles: from 30 % around 1800 to 15 % by 1815. And It dropped below 3 % by the 1870’s.
• For Example: Between 1812 and 1871, the share of raw cotton exports rose from 5% to 35%.
• Indigo exports also increased in these years.
• In 1820’s, Britain grew opium in India and exported it to China. Then with the earned money, they used to finance tea and other imports from china.
• Over the 19th Century, British manufacturers flooded the Indian market.
• Food grain and raw material exports from India to Britain and the rest of the world increased.
• But the value of British exports to India was much higher than the value of British imports from India.
• Trade Surplus: If the exports of a country exceed its imports, the country is said to have a favorable balance of trade, or a  trade surplus .
• For Example: Britain used surplus to balance its trade deficits with other countries.
• private remittances home by British officials and traders.
• interest payments on India’s external debt.
• Pensions of British officials in India etc.

3. The Inter War Economy:

• The First World War (1914-1918) was mainly fought in Europe.
• The world experienced economic and political instability .
• and people around the world had to face catastrophic war (a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, suffering, or death).
• Wartime Transformations.
• Post-War Recovery.
• Rise Of Mass Production And Consumption.
• The Great Depression.
• India And The Great Depression.

3 A. Wartime Transformations:

• Allies: Britain, France and Russia (later joined by the US).
• Central Power: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey.
• The war began in August 1914.
• Many governments thought it would be over by Christmas. However, it lasted for more than 4 years.
• The world’s leading industrialists nations were involved in this war who intended to destroy their enemies in any possible way.
• This was the first industrial war in which the use of machine guns, tanks, aircraft, chemical weapons, etc was seen in a large amount.
• To fight the war, millions of soldiers had to be recruited from around the world and moved to the front lines on large ships and trains.
• War caused 9 million deaths and 20 million injuries i n which most of them were men of working age.
• This led to reduction in the able-bodied workforce in Europe.
• And household incomes declined after the war.
• Industries were restructured to produce war-related goods.
• Men went to work and women started doing all those works which were earlier performed by men only.
• The war led to snapping of economic links between some of the world’s largest economic powers.
• Reason: Europeans borrowed large sums of money from US Banks and the US public. So, the US and its citizens owned more overseas assets than foreign governments and citizens owned in the US.
• While Britain was preoccupied with war, industries had developed in India and Japan. Thus, after the war Britain found it difficult to recapture its earlier position of dominance in the Indian market, and to compete with Japan internationally.
• Moreover, Britain had come under debt due to the amount of money it borrowed from the US.
• The war led to an economic boom which increased demand, production and employment. But when the boom ended, production contracted and unemployment increased.
• For instance, in 1921, one in every five British workers was out of work. Indeed, those who had jobs were anxious and uncertain about job security.  
• For Example: Before war, Europe was the major supplier of wheat. Although, war disrupted wheat production. Meanwhile Canada, America and Australia expanded their wheat production. However, after the end of war, Britain revived and created a glut in wheat. Thus, grain prices fell, rural incomes declined and farmers fell deeper into debt.

3 C. Rise of Mass Production and Consumption:

• As you know, the first world war helped to boost the US economy.
• So, it did not take long for the USA to recover from the war-loss.
• The US economy resumed its strong growth in the early 1920’s.
• A well-known pioneer of mass production Henry Ford was the car manufacturer.
• Since in the assembly line, each worker had to repeat a single task mechanically and continuously.
• Moreover, the pace of work was dictated by the conveyor belt.
• This method helped in producing a single car in 3 minutes intervals.
• The T-Model Ford was the world’s first mass-produced car.
• At first, workers were unable to control the pace of work. Thus, they quit in large numbers.
• In desperation Ford doubled the daily wage to $5 in January 1914. And he also banned trade unions from operating in his plants.
• Henry Ford recovered the high wage by repeatedly speeding up the production line and forcing workers to work ever harder.
• Soon, he described his decision to double the daily wage as the ‘best cost-cutting decision’.
• This resulted in the spread of Fordist industrial practices in the US. Europeans also copied it in the 1920s.

Advantages of Mass production:

• It lowered the costs and prices of engineered goods.
• Due to higher wages, people could afford durable consumer goods such as cars.
• Car production in the US rose from 2 million in 1919 to more than 5 million in 1929.
• People also started purchasing other goods such as refrigerators, washing machines, radios, gramophone players etc through the system of ‘hire purchase’ (on installments).
• People began making large investments in housing and household goods.
• The housing and consumer boom created the basis of prosperity in the US.
• It created a cycle of higher employment and incomes, rising consumption demand, more investments, and more employment and incomes.
• In 1923, the US became the largest overseas lender in the world.
• US imports and capital exports also boosted European recovery and world trade.
• However, it lasted for 6 years only. By 1929, the world had to face economic depression.

3 D. The Great Depression:

• The Great Depression began around 1929 and lasted till the mid-1930s.
• During this period most parts of the world experienced catastrophic declines in production, employment, incomes and trade.
• Agricultural regions and communities faced the worst effect. It was due to fall in the price of agricultural products for a longer period as compared to industrial goods.
• Agricultural overproduction: Prices of agricultural products were low. So, in order to maintain overall income, farmers produced in large quantities. However, It further pushed prices down. And Farm produce rotted for a lack of buyers.
• For Example: Amount reduced from 1$ Billion in 1928 to 250 Millions in 1929.
• Countries that depended crucially on US loans now faced an acute crisis.
• In Europe it led to failure of some major banks.
• It also collapsed the British currencies such as British pound sterling.
• In Latin America and elsewhere it intensified the fall in the prices of agricultural and raw materials.
• The US doubled import duties in order to protect its economy. It was again a setback for world trade.
• Due to fall in prices, the US stopped lending domestic loans and started collecting back loans.
• As a consequence, those who were unable to repay loans had to give up their homes, cars and other consumer durables.
• Unemployment became widespread and people began searching for any work.
• For Example: In 1933, over 4000 banks had closed.
• And between 1929 and 1932 about 110,000 companies collapsed.
• Finally in 1935, modest (Stable) economic recovery was seen in the US economy.
• However, the havoc of the Great Depression still persisted in the minds of people.

3 E. India and the Great Depression:

• Through this topic, we can understand the connection of the Global Economy in the early 20th Century.
• In the integrated global economy, the tremors of a crisis in one part of the world could be felt in another part.
• In the 19th Century, colonial India was the exporter of agricultural products due to which depression immediately affected Indian trade.
• Between 1928-1934, exports, imports and wheat prices fell by 50%.
• They grew raw jute for exports in the form of gunny bags.
• But when markets crashed, jute prices declined by more than 60%.
• Those peasants who borrowed loans for better returns fell deeper and deeper into debt.
• They used up their savings, mortgaged lands , and sold whatever jewelry and precious metals they had to meet expenses.
• In these depression years, India became an exporter of precious metals , notably gold.
• Gold Exports helped speed up Britain’s recovery, but did little for the Indian peasants.
• In 1931, peasants participated in the civil disobedience movement led by Mahatma Gandhi at the height of the depression.
• The depression proved less grim for Urban India as they had fixed salaries and very low prices of goods.
• They were in a more stable position than others.
• Industrial investment also grew as the government extended tariff protection to industries, under the pressure of nationalist opinion.

4. Rebuilding a World Economy: The Post-War Era

• The Second World War broke out a mere two decades after the end of the First World War.
• Axis powers: Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy.
• Allies: Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the US.
• It was a war waged for six years on many fronts, in many places, over land, on sea, in the air.
• At least 60 million people were killed in this destructive war (about 3% of World’s 1939 population).
• Many more civilians than soldiers died from war-related causes.
• Vast places of Europe and Asia had to face destruction due to aerial bombardment.
• This caused an immense amount of economic devastation and social disruption.
• Reconstruction proved to be long and difficult.
• The Emergence of the US as a dominant economic, political and military power.
• The dominance of Soviet Union which made huge sacrifices to defeat Nazi Germany. And also transformed itself from a backward agricultural country into a world power.

Here are four subtopics that we will discuss:

• Post-war Settlement and the Bretton Woods Institutions.
• The Early Post-war Years.
• Decolonization and Independence.
• End of Bretton Woods and the Beginning of ‘Globalisation’.

4 A. Post War Settlement and the Bretton Woods Institutions:

• However, to ensure mass consumption there was a need for high and stable incomes.
• Stable incomes required full employment.
• Full employment needed government initiative. Thus, the government had to step in.
• The government had power to control flows of goods, capital and labor in order to attain a full employment goal.
• Economic Stability & Full Employment.
• Finally, the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference finalized the framework in July 1944 at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA.
• The Bretton Woods conference established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) . It was for dealing with external surpluses and deficits of its member nations. (commenced in 1947)
• To finance post-war reconstruction, The international Bank for reconstruction and Development was set up. It is popularly known as the World Bank. (commenced in 1947)
• The US had veto power (key decision making) of both institutions (IMF & WB).
• In the Bretton Woods system, a fixed rate was set.  It means nationalist currencies were pegged  to the dollar at a fixed rate.
• For Example: World trade grew annually at over 8% and incomes at nearly 5% between 1950 and 1970.
• Unemployment rate remained near 5% in most industrial countries.
• Spread of technology and enterprise became worldwide.
• Developing countries began to catch up with the advanced industrial countries.
• In the mid 20th Century, many colonized countries in Asia and Africa emerged as independent nations.
• Although, their economies & societies were handicapped by poverty and lack of resources.
• As you read above, the IMF and World Bank were designed to satisfy the financial needs of industrial countries. However, these institutions did not have the efficiency to deal with the challenge of poverty and lack of development.
• Gradually, when the economies of Europe and Japan grew, they became less dependent on the above institutions. Thus, they made developing countries their new target.
• Newly formed countries started taking guidance from International Agencies to come out of poverty.
• For Example: The US used to exploit developing countries’ resources very cheaply.
• Main Concerns of NIEO: They wanted a system that would give them real control over their natural resources.
• They asked for more development assistance.
• Fairer prices for raw materials.
• And better access for their manufactured goods in developed countries’ markets.
• From the 1960’s, increasing costs weakened the US’s finances and competitive strength.
• The US Dollar could not maintain its value in relation to Gold.
• This led to collapse in the system o f fixed exchange rates and the introduction of a system of floating exchange rates .
• Earlier developing countries used to take help from International institutions for loans. But now they were forced to borrow from Western commercial banks and private lending institutions.
• This made developing countries face debt crises.
• It affected especially Africa and Latin America.
• The industrial world was also hit by unemployment from the mid-1970s to1990s.
• For Example: Low wages in countries like China attracted foreign MNCs.
• Thus, the relocation of industry to low-wage countries stimulated world trade and capital flows. It led to rapid economic transformation in countries like India, China and Brazil.

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CBSE Class 10 Social Science -The making of a Global World -Study Notes

CBSE Class 10  Science CBSE Class 10 Social Science CBSE Class 10 Maths

Notes and Study Materials

• Concepts of The The making of a Global World
• The The making of a Global World Master File
• The The making of a Global World NCERT Text Book Chapter
• The The making of a Global World Ncert Solution
• Past Many Years Question Papers Solution The The making of a Global World
• The The making of a Global World Note 1

Examples and Exercise

• Assignment 1
• Assignment 2
• HOT Q and A

The Making of a Global World‌ ‌Class‌ ‌10‌ History Chapter 3 Notes with Video Explanation

Cbse class 10 history chapter 3 the making of a global world notes, video explanation, question answers from india and the contemporary world book.

The Making of a Global World Class 10 Notes – Here is a CBSE‌ ‌Class‌ ‌10‌ ‌History‌ ‌Chapter‌ ‌3‌ The Making of a Global World‌ ‌‌Notes and Detailed‌ ‌‌ explanation‌‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌chapter‌ ‌’ Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World’‌‌ ‌along‌ ‌with‌ ‌question‌ ‌answers.‌ ‌Given‌ ‌here‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌complete‌ ‌explanation‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌lesson,‌ ‌along‌ ‌with‌ ‌all‌ ‌the‌ ‌exercises,‌ ‌‌ The Making of a Global World Questions and‌ ‌Answers‌‌ of Class 10 History Chapter 3 ‌are given ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌back‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌lesson.‌

Topics Covered in Class 10 History Chapter 3 Notes are The Pre Modern World, The Nineteenth Century (1815-1914), The Inter War Economy and Rebuilding a world economy: The Post-war Era.

By Puneet Kaur

Here we will talk about terms like Globalization, Economy, Trade etc. But the question arises how these terms came into existence? What led people to move to different places in search of work and how business and trade grew? These are some of the questions which we will discuss in this chapter.

Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World 

• The Pre modern World See Video Explanation
• The Nineteenth Century (1815-1914) See Video Explanation
• The Inter war Economy See Video Explanation
• Rebuilding a World Economy: The Post-war Era See Video Explanation
• MCQs for Class 10 History Chapter 3 Nationalism in India
• Chapter 3 The Making of A Global World NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History
• CBSE Class 10 History MCQ Questions
• CBSE Class 10 Civics MCQ Questions
• CBSE Class 10 Geography MCQ Questions
• CBSE Class 10 Economics MCQ Questions
• NCERT Solutions Class 10 SST Important Question Answers

1. The Pre-modern World

In olden times, travelers, merchants, priests and pilgrims travelled to far off distances for knowledge, opportunity and spiritual fulfillment. These people used to carry along goods, money, values, skills, ideas, inventions and sometimes diseases also. Not only this, they also took various foods and cultural habits with them to the different places that resulted in the diversity of culture.

The Making of a Global World‌ Part 1 Video Explanation

The movement of goods and people can be traced back to 3000 B.C ,where one can find the coastal trade links of the Indus valley civilization with the present day West Asia. During that period the currency used for carrying out trade activities was cowries or seashells. The trade links can be found between Maldives to China and East Africa. Even the spread of disease can be traced as far back as the seventh century.

So now we know that people, their skills, diseases and many other things were being transferred with them from one place to another for various reasons resulting in the establishment of various trade links. Now we will discuss the silk routes that linked the world.

1.1 Silk Routes Link the World

The silk routes serve as a good example of the pre modern trade and cultural links between the different parts of the world. Historians have found out various silk routes over land and through the sea. These routes were linked with the vast regions of Asia, Europe and Northern Africa. It is believed that these routes existed since before the Christian era and flourished till the fifteenth century. Not only silk but the Chinese pottery also travelled the same route. Similarly the textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia went to different parts. In return the expensive metals like gold and silver moved from Europe to Asia.

Just like trade, there was cultural exchange also. Various Christian, Muslim and Buddhist preachers went to different parts and spread into different parts of the Asia.

As trade and culture travelled from one place to another so did the food material.

Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato

Food is also a great example of cultural exchange. New crops were introduced to different places through traders and travelers. Various food items of the world sometimes share common origins. Take for example spaghetti and noodles. The belief about the noodles is that it travelled from China to west and became spaghetti. Some even say that pasta was taken to Sicily (island in Italy) by the Arabs.

Not only the specific ones but even our common foods such as potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies, sweet potatoes were introduced in Europe and Asia after the discovery made by Christopher Columbus. These foods were only introduced in Europe and Asia after Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered the vast continent that would later become known as the Americas.

So, we can say that most of our common foods came from America’s original inhabitants- the American Indians.

Potatoes being cheap became an essential food for the poor of Europe. Ireland’s poorest peasants became so dependent on them that most of them died when the crop failed in the mid 1840s.

The criss cross of various cultures and people also resulted in the transfer of diseases. So, we can say that the pre modern world saw the transfer of various elements of humans’ society that also led to conquests and flourishing of trades.

Conquest, Disease and Trades

During the sixteenth century, the European sailors found a sea route to Asia and later on succeeded to cross the western ocean to reach America. Before this, for many centuries, the Indian Ocean was a famous trading centre. The Indian subcontinent was the center of the exchange of goods, people, knowledge, customs etc. Later, the entry of Europeans led to the flow of all these things towards Europe.

America remained unknown to the world for millions of years. Its discovery in the sixteenth century led to the beginning of trade of its minerals and crops.

Valuable metals, especially silver from mines of present day Peru and Mexico increased the wealth of Europe that financed its trade with Asia. As these expeditions gained popularity in order to explore more trade and wealth centres, rumors and imaginations also became common. So, in the seventeenth century many expeditions set off in search of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold.

Soon various powers like the Portuguese and the Spanish started colonizing America in order to enhance their trade and increase their wealth. But conquering was not always done with the use of arms and ammunition but it also happened because of the spread of disease. Yes, it is true in the context of Spanish conquerors who took germs of small pox with them to America. The natives were not immune to deadly disease. This resulted in the death of a large number of the Native Americans and found the way of establishing Spanish control over the place.

Until the nineteenth century, poverty and hunger became a common problem in Europe. Not only this, cities became crowded and there was an outbreak of deadly diseases. Religious disputes became common and people were persecuted. Various people left Europe for America. During the eighteenth century, African slaves were captured to work in the sugar and cotton plantations to be sold into the European markets.

If we talk about China and India during the eighteenth century, both of these countries were the richest countries in the world. They were the leading countries in the Asian trade but it is also said that during the fifteenth century China restricted its overseas trade which resulted in decline of its importance in the trade world. America gradually gained an important position in the trade market and this led to the moving of the centre of the world trade westwards. Europe soon rose to be the centre of world trade.

So, now that we know about the pre modern time in which the trades began within the different continents, let’s see what new changes were experienced in the nineteenth century.

2. The Nineteenth Century (1815-1914)

During the nineteenth century various economic, political, social and cultural factors led to the change of the societies and the external relations. In the nineteenth century three types of flow between the international economies were noticed. These were:

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• Trade in goods
• Labor i.e. the migration of people in search of work
• Movement of capital for short and long term investments over long distances.

These three flows were interconnected in a way that affected the life of people in a deeper way than before. These interconnections were sometimes interrupted, for example labor migration was generally restricted as compared to the capital flows.

These flows resulted in the shaping of the world economy. But how this happened? Let’s discuss.

A World Economy Takes Shape

To start with, let’s talk about food first. During the eighteenth century the demand for the food grains increased in Britain. It was so because of the huge population of Britain. As the cities came up and the industrial sector grew, the demand for the food grains went up and so were the price of the food grains raised. The British government put restrictions on the import of goods due to the pressure by the various landed groups. Such laws came to be known as the Corn Laws. This led to the increase in food prices. The industrialists and the urban residents were unhappy because of this and hence forced the government to abolish the Corn Laws.

So, the government abolished the Corn Laws in Britain. This led to the import of cheap corn into the country creating a tough competition for the corn growers. Soon it was found that the lands were left uncultivated because growing corn in Britain was not profitable business any more. This led to the unemployment of laborers as they were thrown out of the work. Hence, these people were forced to move to the cities or to different countries for work.

Later on the food prices fell and the consumption of the same increased in Britain. From the mid nineteenth century, the rapid industrial growth increased the income of Britain. So, now Britain could import more food.

Around the world- in Eastern Europe, Russia, America and Australia lands were cultivating food to export it into Britain.

Not only the lands were cleared, but railway lines were also laid and new harbors were built to link the agricultural regions. Soon people had to get settled on lands in order to cultivate them. Therefore, the need of building homes and settlements arose. For this, there was a huge need for finance and labour. This led to flow of capital from London and supply of labour in America and Australia.

Such a situation led to the migration of about 50 million people from Europe to America and Australia in the nineteenth century. It is estimated that about 150 million people around the world left their homes for a better future.

So, by 1890, a global agricultural economy came into being. It was accompanied by the various types of labour movement patterns, capital flows, ecologies and technology. So, now food didn’t come from a nearby village or town but from a far off distance. The agricultural workers started working on the land and all the agricultural regions were linked by the railways, ports etc. The ships which took the food grains were generally manned by low paid workers from southern Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

All these changes were also observed in the west Punjab but on a smaller scale. The British government developed the canal system in order to transform a semi desert area into fertile lands. It was done so in order to grow cotton and wheat in order to export it.

Not only food, but cotton and rubber were also cultivated to be used by Britain. The production of these goods increased rapidly. The world trade during 1820-1914 was estimated to have multiplied from 25 to 40 times. Around 60 percent of the trade comprised of primary products i.e. the agricultural products such as wheat, cotton and mineral like coal.

Now, we know about the role of agricultural products in shaping the world economy. Let’s talk about the role of technology in shaping up the world economy which we see today.

Role of Technology

Technology plays an important role in the growth of the world economy. The invention of railways, steamships and telegraph played an important role in transforming the nineteenth century world. The advancement in technology was due to the various social, political and economic factors. For instance, the colonization by various European powers increased the demand of improved t ransportation such as faster railways, larger ships and so on as this would facilitate the quick and cheap movement of agricultural products to distant places.

The meat trade is one of the finest examples of this connected process. Earlier, the animals were shipped alive from America to Europe. This was not a profitable venture for most of the time for the following reasons:

• The livestock used to take up more space
• Most of them died, fell ill or caught diseases which resulted in their being unfit to be consumed.
• This resulted in the rise in price of meat.

During those days consumption of meat by the poor was almost an impossible thing. Soon this problem sorted with the introduction of ships with refrigerators. It had the following benefits.

• The meat could be shipped in large quantities resulting in the cost cutting of the transportation.
• Now, it was easy to handle the perishable meat for a longer time.
• The price of the meat reduced, this allowed the poor to consume meat as their daily diet.

So, we can say that the nineteenth century experienced exchange of goods, capital, labour and all such exchanges were further facilitated by the improvement in technology. But as the world was shrinking due to the improved transportation the growth of imperialism was also experienced during this time. Various European powers were establishing their colonies in different countries which would serve their businesses in the home country. Let’s see this

Late nineteenth–century Colonialism

During the nineteenth century, trade flourished and markets also expanded. But, this period is not remembered for the expansion of trade and economic prosperity only, but also for the darker side to this process. In many parts of the world, the growth and expansion of trade brought some of the disadvantages such as loss of freedoms and livelihoods. It was so because during this century Europeans gained control over various territories of the world and formed their colonies.

In 1885 the European powers after gaining control over Africa demarcated their respective territories. For this purpose, they met in Berlin to complete the division process of Africa between them. Britain and France were the ones that had established their control over vast overseas territories in the late nineteenth century. Belgium and Germany rose as the new colonial powers. Later in 1890, US became a colonial power by gaining control over the territories held by Spain.

This colonization by the European powers led to a destructive impact on the lives of the people who were the residents of these colonies. So, how were their lives impacted? Let’s check this

Rinderpest or the Cattle Plague

As discussed earlier, the colonial rule impacted the lives of the various people who were the residents of these colonies. But the question arises as to how does this happen and what is Rinderpest we are talking about? Well, Rinderpest was a cattle disease which spread in Africa in the 1890s leading to a deep impact on the lives and livelihood of the Africans.

To understand this, we should first know how Africa used to be before its colonization. Historically, Africa had vast land and a relatively small population. For centuries, the African people were dependent on the land and livestock. As their needs were fulfilled with the land and livestock, none of them had ever worked for wages. So, when Europeans entered Africa, they were unable to get laborers for themselves because no one was ready to work for the wages.

So, in order to get laborers they started using forceful methods like increase in tax that could be paid only if the Africans work for wages. Later on the ownership rights of land were limited up to only one member, as a result other members were pushed into the labour market. Mineworkers were kept confined in the compounds and were not allowed to move freely.

While all this was on a go, the cattle plague or the Rinderpest arrived in Africa in the 1880s. It came with the infected cattle that were imported from British Asia in order to feed the Italian Soldiers invading Eritrea in East Africa. The Rinderpest disease very soon moved towards west from east then towards Atlantic coast in 1892. It reached the Cape five years later. It is estimated that Rinderpest killed 90 percent of the cattle.

As loss of cattle destroyed the livelihoods of the Africans this resulted into the increase in supply of wage laborers for the planters, mine owners and colonial government who can now monopolized the scarce cattle resource to strengthen their power.

Similar incidents happened in the other parts of the world that were conquered by the western countries.

Indentured Labor Migration from India

The story of indentured or the bonded labour also serves as a best example to explain the two sided nature of the nineteenth-century world. On one side it shows the fast growing economies and on the other, it shows the great misery. Some were becoming wealthier and other poorer, there was technological advancement in some areas and new forms of coercion in other areas.

In the nineteenth century a large number of Indian and Chinese laborers went to work on plantations, mines and rails and roads construction projects around the world. The Indian indentured laborers were hired under contracts with the condition of return travel to India after the completion of five years at the employers’ plantation.

Most of these workers belonged to areas like east Uttar Pradesh, Central India, Bihar and dry districts of Tamil Nadu. The people of these areas were forced to indentured labour for number of reasons:

• Decline of cottage industries
• Rise in rent of lands
• Most of the lands were cleared for mines and plantations.

All the above things affected the lives of people so badly that they become deeply indebted and hence were forced to leave their home in search of work. Some of the most visited places by the Indian indentured migrants were the Caribbean islands like Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam or Mauritius and Fiji. Tamil migrants generally chose the nearby places like Ceylon and Malaya. Sometimes they were also recruited for tea plantations in Assam.

The recruitment was generally carried on by various agents who charged their commission for that. These agents tried to tempt the workers by showing them non real dreams about the good working conditions and good wages. So, the workers saw these jobs as an opportunity to come out of poverty and misery. But they were generally unaware about the real truth of harsh working conditions and low wages in these places of work. In some cases the workers were forcefully abducted to work by these agents.

As life at these places was harsh and full of difficulties, the workers discovered their own ways of surviving. Some of them escaped from these places. Those who were caught were severely punished. Others decided to be a part of the new culture prevailing at these places. For Example, In Trinidad the annual Muharram procession started receiving participation by the people of all races and religions. Likewise, the protest religion of Rastafarianism is also said to reflect the cultural links with Indian migrants to the Caribbean. Not only this, the popular chutney music of Trinidad and Guyana is another creative contemporary expression of the post indenture experience.

Such a crisscross of various cultures led to the stay of indentured workers at these new places even after their contracts were ended. Some of the other workers did come back to India but only for a short span and then left again for their new homes. That is why we still found people from Indian origin residing at these places.

Though they had started relating themselves with the new culture but still know that their lives were full of hardships. So, in order to protect the rights of such workers Indian nationalist leaders began opposing the system of indentured labour migration as abusive and cruel.

So, till now we know that colonization led to the bringing of the concept of indentured labour which forced workers to move to far off places in search of work. But the movement by people was not only due to the indentured contracts but also because they wanted to invest in the flourishing trade markets in order to earn a high fortune. So, who were they? They were the Indian Entrepreneurs.

Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad

As we have already read that food and crops were being grown by various countries to be exported, but this required capital. Large plantations could borrow it from banks and markets but what about the poor peasants?

These peasants used to borrow money from Indian bankers. Shikaripuri Shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiars were the important bankers or money lenders who used to provide money for export agriculture in Central and Southeast Asia. The funds provided by them were either their own or borrowed funds from European banks. They had a sophisticated system to transfer money over large distances and even developed indigenous forms of corporate organization. The Indian traders followed the European colonizers into Africa. Hyderabadi Sindhi traders went ahead of the European colonies. With the development of safe and comfortable passenger vessels, the Indian traders were able to establish their shops at busy ports worldwide through which they sell local and imported products to tourists and others.

So, now we know about colonialism, the flourishing of world trade under it, the adversities faced by the people and how the Indian traders and moneylenders began to benefit from it. Next we will talk about the Indian trade with respect to colonialism and world trade.

Indian Trade, Colonialism and the Global System

Historically, the fine Indian cotton was in huge demand in Europe but with the development of technology and growth of industries, British cotton manufacture began to expand. As British industrialists were facing tough competition from the Indian cotton so they forced the government to impose restrictions on the import of cotton in Britain. This resulted in the decline of the Indian cotton export.

In the beginning of the nineteenth century, British traders started exporting their products into various countries. This led to a tough competition for the Indian textiles or cotton producers as there were no taxes for the British producers. This led to a decline in the trade share of the Indian textile. For instance there was some 30 percent of share of Indian cotton in the trade market during 1800 which declined to 15 percent by 1815. By the 1870s this proportion dropped below 3 percent.

When India was experiencing decline in the export of furnished products it also saw the increase in export of raw materials. So, between 1812 and 1871 the share of raw cotton exports rose from 5 percent to 35 percent. Indigo used for dying cloth was another such product that was exported for many decades. The export of opium to china grew rapidly in 1820. Britain grew opium in India and exports it to China in order to earn income. This income was then used to import tea and other products from China.

The new thing which was observed in the nineteenth century was that the Britishers were importing products from India at low cost and exporting finished products at very high cost. Thus Britain had a trade surplus this means that its income was higher than its expenses. So Britain started using this surplus in order to cover its trade deficit with other countries. Britain’s trade surplus also helped in paying off the other expenses of Britain such as remittances, debts and pensions.

So, now we know how the world trade grew and took a new shape. Its association with forced labour and colonialization gave it a new shape. But soon this led to the war between various economies as now everyone wants to earn more and wants to have more share in the world trade. Such conflicts resulted in World War 1. So how does it impact the whole world? Let’s check this.

3. The Inter war Economy

The First World War (1914-18) was fought in Europe. But it impacted the whole world. The war created economic and political instability at a worldwide level. To understand this, we have to first know the facts of the war and then we will discuss its impacts.

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Wartime Transformations

The First World War was fought between two powers Allies and the central power. Allies were Britain, France and Russia. They were later joined by the US. On the other side were the central powers, Germany, Austria- Hungary, and Ottoman Turkey. The war which was supposed to end within a few months lasted upto 4 years.

This war proved to be very destructive as it saw the use of machine guns, tanks, aircraft, chemical weapons etc. on a large scale. All these were the products of modern large-scale industry. To fight the war, millions of soldiers were recruited from around the world and were taken to the actual place. The war took the lives of around 9 million people and 20 million were injured. Such a large number of casualties were never seen in any of the wars before.

Those who were killed or injured were generally men of working age. These deaths reduced the workforce in Europe. As there were only a few members left in the families, household incomes declined after the war.

The war led to a restructuring of industries into those that produce war-related products and even the societies were also reorganized, Men went to battle and women stepped out to undertake jobs. As the war had increased expenditure so the Britain borrowed money from US banks as well as from the US public. This led to a change in the position of the US from the debtor to creditor and also a prosperity of the US citizens.

The war had generated a situation of economic crisis in various countries which had led to huge loss of men and money. So, now the question arises as to how did these economies recovered from it.

Post war Recovery

Post-war economic recovery was not an easy task. Britain that was once a prosperous economy before the war was now in a situation of crisis. This was because when Britain was busy in war. The industries in Japan and India developed. So, after the war, Britain found it difficult to regain its control over the Indian market and also it was unable to compete with Japan in the international market. Moreover, Britain had taken huge amounts of loans from the US at very high rates of interest which resulted in the huge external debts on the economy.

During the war, the economy had experienced boom as there was an increase in demand, production and employment. But as the war came to an end, so did the boom period ended. So, now there was a huge population that was unemployed. The government had reduced its public expenditure after the war in order to cover up its losses. The situation during post war time was worse; you can guess it from the fact that in 1921, one in every five British workers was jobless.

Not only this, various agricultural economies also went into crisis. If we talk about wheat production, Eastern Europe was the major supplier of wheat in the world market. But during the war the supply was disrupted.

During this period, countries like Canada, America and Australia increased their wheat production. So, when the war was over, there was a huge supply of wheat from various parts of the world leading to fall in the price of wheat and rendering farmers into debts.

As some of the countries were bearing the brunt of the war and were trying hard to come out of the economic crisis. There were some countries that had recovered fast out of it. Here, we are talking about the US. So, what was the reason that led the US to come very fast out of this and how the country moved towards the mass production that led to the growth of the economy. Let’s discuss this

Rise of Mass Production and Consumption

So, in the US recovery was quicker. As we know that war helped in boosting the US economy therefore after a short period of difficulty the US economy resumed a strong growth in the early 1920s. One of the reasons behind the growth of the US economy was the concept of mass production in the 1920s.

It was first used by a famous car manufacturer Henry Ford. He took this idea from the assembly line of a Chicago slaughterhouse where the slaughtered animals were picked apart by butchers as they came down a conveyor belt. So he applied this concept of assembly line to his new car plant in Detroit. His view was that the assembly line method will allow quicker and cheaper way of producing vehicles.

The concept of the assembly line would allow the worker to work in a set limit of time that would make the production process faster and allow the worker to gain expertise in a particular task. As it was assumed the production increased, Ford’s cars came off the line at a gap of three minutes. But the problem arose when workers refused to work as this was impossible for them to match the pace of the work. To encourage them Ford doubled their daily wage. Though it was a risky decision made by him that could lead him to the losses but it proved to be a profitable venture for him. He forced his workers to work hard. This resulted in high production which in return cut down its cost of production and Ford was able to earn huge profits.

The industrial practice used by Ford became an inspiration for other production houses in the US and Europe in the 1920s. Finally, mass production led to lowering down of the cost of production. Not only this, due to higher wages the living standard of the workers also improved. They could even buy cars now. This led to more sales of cars and so the car production in the US increased from 2 million in 1919 to more than 5 million in 1929. Similarly there was an increase in the demand of refrigerators, washing machines, radios, gramophone players by the hire purchase system. Hire purchase system means when you buy a product on weekly or monthly installments.

The increase in demand for houses and consumer goods brought the boom in the economy and led to the prosperity of the US. The demand and investment in housing and consumer goods created more chances of employment and income. So, in 1923 the US grabbed the largest share of overseas lending.

Though US export triggered the European recovery and world trade and income growth for next few years, it could not last longer. By 1929 the world was facing the economic depression that made a greater impact on the lives of the people.

So what was the great depression? Let’s discuss about it

The Great Depression

The great depression was a situation of economic crisis that was caused due to the crash of the stock market in October 1929. So, the great depression lasted up to the mid 1930s. During this period, different parts of the world faced decline in production, employment, income and trade. The exact time and impact of the depression varied across the countries. But the most affected were the agricultural regions and communities. It was so because of the fall in the prices of the food grains that prevailed for a long period.

The depression was an outcome of several factors. As we have read that agricultural overproduction was a main reason that led to the fall in the price of food grains, so in order to overcome the problem, the farmers began producing more to cover up their losses. But this proved useless for them as it led to the further reduction of prices of agricultural products. The second reason was the lack of interest in lending loans by the US. In the mid 1920s US was lending loans easily to the overseas borrowers but with the beginning of crisis the US investors became more cautious in lending loans. This can be understood with the fact that in the first half of 1928, US overseas loans amounted to over 1billion dollar and a year later it was only a quarter of it. So, the withdrawal of US loans created a huge problem for those countries that were dependent on the US for the loans. In Europe many major banks failed and currencies like pound and sterling collapsed. When the US tried to safeguard its economy by increasing the import duty, it led the world trade into a more troublesome situation.

Just like other industrial countries, the US was also badly affected by the depression. As the prices of every commodity were falling and the chances of depression were getting stronger therefore the banks stopped lending even the domestic loans. They stopped following the policy of easy loans. All this led to the following:

• Farms were not being able to sell their crops
• Households were ruined
• Businesses had collapsed.

As it was becoming difficult for the local residents to pay off their debts so they started selling their houses, cars and other durables in order to pay off the loans. The days of prosperity were no where the only thing left was the depression and its aftereffects. People were forced to go far off distances in order to search for work. As the banks were not able to recover their loans so finally the banking system of the US collapsed. By 1933 over 4000 banks had closed and between 1929-11932 around 110,000 companies shut down.

The great depression was not affecting only European nations but it had badly affected India too. Let’s have a look at this

India and the Great Depression

When we talk about the impact of the depression on India we can see how the economies of different countries have got integrated by the early twentieth century. So, if one part of the world was getting affected by the depression, the other part too was facing the same kind of challenge.

During the nineteenth century, India as a part of British colony was an exporter of agricultural goods and an importer of manufacturers. The depression led to the crash of the market and it severely affected India. India’s exports/imports reduced drastically from 1928-1934. As the prices of products in the international market fall, the prices in India also came down. The situation was so bad that the prices of wheat fell by 50 percent between 1928-1934.

The ones who suffered the most were the peasants and not the urban residents. It was so because the prices of the agricultural products had drastically reduced so there was no income for the peasants. On the other hand the British government had not made any reduction in the revenue. So, paying taxes without any income was not an easy task.

For example let’s consider the case of jute farmers. These farmers used to grow jute which was then processed in the factories and exported in the form of gunny bags. But as the exports for gunny bags collapsed, the price of jute also crashed more than 60%. Some of the peasants had borrowed to increase the output of the jute in order to earn more. But as the prices fell, they were not able to earn any income and soon fell into the vicious circle of loans.

The condition of peasants across India was not good. They had to rely upon their savings or had to mortgage lands and sell their jewellery or precious metals in order to meet their expenses. In these depression years, India came up as an exporter of precious metals especially gold. John Maynard Keynes, a famous economist, believed that Indian gold exports may help the world to recover from the depression. Britain certainly gets some help in this but the plight of the Indian peasants didn’t change. The Indians from rural areas were suffering badly from the depression. At this time Mahatma Gandhi launched the civil disobedience movement to help them.

The depression as said earlier proved less grim for the urban Indians as they were the Zamindars, salaried employees who received fixed income in the form of salaries or rents. They gained better position as the prices of each commodity had reduced. Industrial investments also grew as the government provided tariff protection to industries because of the pressure inserted on them by the nationalists.

So, now we know how businesses grew in the world market and how the situation changed due to the great depression but this didn’t remain for long. When the economies came out of this, they tried to rebuild themselves. So, how did this happen? Let’s see this.

4. Rebuilding a World Economy: The Post-war Era

As we all know that World War 1 proved very disastrous for the whole world. While the world was trying to recover from the aftermath of WW1, the Second World War broke after the gap of two decades of WW1. The Second World War (1939-1945) was fought between two powers, the Axis (mainly Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allies (Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the US). This lasted for six years on many fronts, in many places, over land, on sea, in the air.

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Once again the world was turned towards death and destruction. This time at least 60 million people or about 3 percent of the world’s 1939 population are believed to have been killed, directly or indirectly as a result of the war. Large number of people was injured.

This time, the difference was that the deaths that took place were that of civilians and not the fighters in the battlefields. Vast parts of Europe and Asia were destroyed by aerial bombardment or relentless artillery attacks. The war proved to be the biggest economic setback for many countries.

After this war two countries rose to their power. They were the US that emerged as the dominant economic, political and military power in the western world and the other was the Soviet Union. Soviet Union had made huge sacrifices to defeat Nazi Germany and had modified itself from an agricultural economy to a world power during the very years when the capitalist world was trapped in the Great depression.

So, when the world economies found themselves again trapped in the depression, what steps did they took to come out of it? Let’s discuss.

Post-war Settlement and the Bretton woods institutions

The economists and politicians drew two conclusions after the war was over. The first was that for the sustainment of the industrial society mass consumption is equally important as the mass production. But here the problem was that for mass consumption, there was a requirement of appropriate and stable incomes. For this, there was a need for stable employment.

But again the problem was that markets alone could not guarantee full employment. Consequently, governments would have to step in to minimize irregularity of price, output and employment. Only the government could restore economic stability.

The second was related to the country’s economic links with other countries. If the country wants to achieve full employment, it could only be done if the government controls the flow of goods, capital and labour. So, in short we can say that the main agenda of the postwar international economic system was to maintain economic stability and full employment in the industrial world. So, a framework was designed for this at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference held in July 1944 at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA.

The Bretton woods conference resulted into the following:

• Establishment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with external surplus and deficit of its member nations.
• The second was the formation of the international bank for reconstruction and development also known as the World Bank to finance postwar reconstruction.

The financial operations of both the IMF and the World Bank began in 1947. Decision making process is handled by the western industrial powers. US possessed the right of veto over important decisions of IMF and World Bank.

The international monetary system links national currencies and monetary systems. The Bretton Woods system is based on fixed exchange rates. In this system national currencies are pegged to the dollar at a fixed rate.

The dollar here has a fixed price of $35 per ounce of gold.

So, now we know that IMF and World Bank were created in order to preserve economic stability and full employment. Now we will see what economies experienced after the war.

The Early Post-war Years

The Bretton Woods system brought an era of growth of trade and income for the western industrial nations and Japan. It was an era of growth like never before. So, from 1950-1970 world trade grew annually at over 8% and incomes at nearly 5%. The growth in this time period was mostly stable. Like for example the unemployment rate for this period averaged less than 5% in most industrial countries.

During these decades, the world saw the invention of various new technologies and growth of enterprises. As developing countries wanted to match with the pace of the advanced countries, they made huge investments of capital and started importing plants and equipment featuring modern technology.

Though this period is remembered for growth of business and technology across the globe it is also remembered for the decolonization and independence of various nations. Let’s have a look at this

Decolonization and Independence

Though the Second World War had come to an end still there were many countries that were under the European colonial rule. So, in the coming two decades most of the African and Asian colonies set themselves free from colonialism. But, these countries were suffering with the problems like poverty and lack of resources. They had turned into non developed economies because of the plunder they had born due to the colonial rule.

The IMF and the World Bank were formed to meet the financial demands of the industrial countries. They were still not equipped to tackle the problems like poverty and lack of development in the underdeveloped countries. During this period Europe and Japan became self sufficient, so now they were not in the need of IMF or World Bank’s help. Thus from the late 1950s the Bretton Woods institution shifted its attention towards the developing countries.

Though various colonies had acquired independence still they were under indirect control of various European powers. It was so because they took guidance and help from the rich dominating economies which in return got cheap access to their valuable natural resources. US serve the best example of it as it managed to exploit developing countries’ natural resources at very cheap rates.

As most of the developing economies were not growing as fast as the western economies did during the 1950s and 1960s. So, they organized themselves into G-77 nations and put a demand for a new international economic order (NIEO). By NIEO their main aim was to have a real control over their natural resources, fair prices for raw materials and better access for their manufactured goods in developed countries’ markets.

So, now we know that western world was developing day by day and the underdeveloped countries were making various attempts to bring growth and developments in their countries. Now we will discuss the concept of Globalisation and the end of the Bretton Woods.

End of Bretton Woods and the Beginning of ‘Globalisation’

Post war world had seen years of stable and rapid growth but it was not as good as it seemed. From the 1960s the US began to face the weakened finances and competition issues. It was because of the rise in cost of its overseas involvements. The US dollar failed in maintaining its value in relation to gold. This finally led to the collapse of the system of fixed exchange rates and the introduction of a system of floating exchange rates. Not only this, the international financial system also changed in the mid-1970s. Previously, the developing countries could take loans from international institutions but now they were forced to take loans from Western commercial banks and private lenders. All this led to the rise of debt crises in developing countries. Regions like Africa and Latin America were now facing problems like low income and increased poverty.

From the 1970s till the 1990s, Industrial world also faced the problem of unemployment. It was so because MNCs began shifting their production operations to low wage Asian countries.

Though China had cut itself from the world economy after its independence in 1949, due to the new economic policies in China and the collapse of the Soviet Union and Soviet style communism in Eastern Europe brought the countries again into the fold of the world economy.

As the wage rate was low in China it became a popular destination for various foreign MNCs. The companies started shifting their production lines in China in order to cut their cost.

The shifting of industries to low wage countries have increased world trade and capital flows. In the past two decades, countries like India, China and Brazil have undergone rapid economic transformation.

CBSE Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World Class 10 Questions and Answers

Q1- Give two examples of different types of global exchanges which took place before the seventeenth century, choosing one example from Asia and one from the Americas?

A1- The two examples of different types of global exchanges which took place before the seventeenth century are as follows:

• Food articles like spaghetti or noodles are believed to have been taken to the west from China. There is a myth that pasta was taken to Sicily by Arab traders in the fifth century. Other food items like potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes etc were transported to Europe from America.
• Things like Chinese silk, pottery, Indian textiles and spices that were carried to Africa and Europe in exchange of gold and silver.

Q2- Explain how the global transfer of disease in the pre modern world helped in the colonization of the Americas?

A2- It is said that during the colonization of America by Portuguese and Spanish, weapons were not used to get control over the area. It was due to the germs of smallpox which were carried by the invaders to America. Americans had lived a life of isolation for long so they were not immune to the germs of smallpox. This led to the death of large number of people in America, clearing the way for its invaders.

Q3- Write a note to explain the effects of the following:

• The British government’s decision to abolish the Corn Laws.
• The coming of rinderpest to Africa.
• The death of men of working age in Europe because of the world war.
• The Great Depression on the Indian Economy.
• The decision of MNCs to relocate production to Asian countries.

A 3- Due to the increase in the population of Britain during eighteenth century, the demand for the food grains rose. As there was Corn Law prevailing in the country that banned the import of corn into the country, the price of the food grains rose. All this led to a situation of difficulty for the residents. Soon, the British government was forced to abolish the law in order to fill the shortfall of crop. This led to availability of food grains in the country at nominal prices.

• Rinderpest is a cattle plague. In Africa the population was very less and most of them were dependent on their land and cattle for their livelihoods. So, when Africa was invaded by the Europeans none of the Africans were ready to work for daily wages. Rinderpest entered Africa with the Asian cattle that were taken there to feed the Italians. This causes the death of almost 90% of African cattle. As the residents were not left with any option to earn livelihood they were forced by the situation to work for wages in the plantations and mines of Europeans.
• World War 1 proved very disastrous. Most of the working age men died in the battlefields resulting in the lack of availability of manpower for Europe. So, because men were in the battlefields, the women stepped out to undertake jobs in order to support their families.
• The great depression laid a huge impact on the Indian economy. It can be easily understood from the fact that the import and export from India halved between 1928-1934. Prices of food grains fall leading to the miserable life for peasants. They were forced to use their savings, mortgage lands and sell their jewellery in order to meet their expenses.
• The low wage rate prevailing in various countries like China or some other Asian countries led to the relocation of MNCs to these countries. It was done in order to cut down the cost of production. This led to the economic transformation of countries like India, China and Brazil.

Q4- Give two examples from history to show the impact of technology on food availability?

A4- The impact of technology on food availability can be seen through the following instances:

• With the coming of faster railways, lighter wagons and larger ships, transport of food became cheaper and quicker to far off places.
• The manufacture of ships with refrigerators enabled us to transport perishable foods like meat to long distances in large quantities and at lower prices.

All this enabled people from different groups of societies to purchase food items at low prices.

Q 5- What is meant by the Bretton Woods Agreement?

A 5- The Bretton Woods was a framework designed at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference held in July 1944 at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA. It resulted into the formation of the International Monetary Fund to deal with external surpluses and deficits of its member nations and the World Bank to finance post war reconstruction.   Also See : Class 10 Social Science History Lessons

• Chapter 1 The Rise of Nationalism in Europe, Class 10 History Explanation, Question and Answers
• Nationalism in India Class 10 Notes History Chapter 2
• Chapter 4 The Age of Industrialization,‌ ‌Class‌ ‌10‌ ‌History‌ ‌ Explanation,‌ ‌Question‌ ‌and‌ Answers‌
• Chapter 5 Print Culture and The Modern World,‌ ‌Class‌ ‌10‌ ‌History‌ ‌ Explanation,‌ ‌Question‌ ‌and‌ Answers

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History | The Making of a Global World

A chapter on the emergence of a new global economy after the World Wars.

• Questions & Answers

Introduction to CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Chapter "The Making of a Global World"

“The Making of a Global World” examines the historical processes that led to the integration of the global economy, showcasing how various regions and people around the world have become increasingly interconnected. The chapter starts with the pre-modern world’s trade routes, including the Silk Road and the trans-Atlantic trade, setting the stage for future global interactions. It then delves into the changes brought about by European exploration and how colonization intensified global trade, leading to the widespread exchange of goods, capital, and labor.

The narrative moves forward to the Industrial Revolution and how it transformed trade and transport with the advent of the steam engine and the Suez Canal, accelerating global economic integration. Students learn about the economic impact of the two World Wars and the Great Depression, along with the post-war recovery, leading to the contemporary phase of globalization.

Emphasizing key historical events, such as the Gold Standard, the establishment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO), the chapter provides insights into the economic agreements that have shaped trade and cultural exchanges across the world. It also touches upon the environmental impact of globalization and the rising concerns over sustainable development.

Assignments for CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Chapter “The Making of a Global World”

• Trade Route Mapping : Create a map tracing old trade routes like the Silk Road and their modern equivalents.
• Industrial Revolution Impact Essay : Write an essay on how the Industrial Revolution contributed to creating a global world.
• Debate on Colonization : Conduct a debate on the economic impacts of colonization on the colonies and the colonizers.
• World Wars Research : Research the economic effects of the World Wars on different regions and present your findings.
• Global Organizations Analysis : Analyze the role of international economic organizations in shaping the modern global economy.

Conclusion “The Making of a Global World” chapter in CBSE Class 10 Social Science History provides a deep understanding of the economic, political, and social threads that weave together to form the tapestry of our global history. It emphasizes the significance of historical events in shaping our interconnected world and encourages students to think critically about the past’s influence on the present and future.

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Questions and Answers for CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Chapter "The Making of a Global World"

• Q1: What initiated the making of a global world? ANS : The making of a global world was initiated by pre-modern trade routes, European exploration, colonization, and the subsequent growth in global trade and exchange.
• Q2: How did the Industrial Revolution contribute to globalization? ANS : The Industrial Revolution contributed to globalization by advancing technology in transport and communication, thus facilitating faster and more efficient trade across the world.
• Q3: What were the impacts of the World Wars on the global economy? ANS : The World Wars disrupted global trade, led to massive economic losses, and reshaped political boundaries and economic systems, prompting the need for international economic cooperation and institutions.
• Q4: What role do international economic organizations play in globalization? ANS : International economic organizations like the IMF and WTO play a pivotal role in facilitating trade agreements, financial stability, and international economic cooperation, shaping globalization.
• Q5: How has globalization affected cultural exchanges? ANS : Globalization has increased cultural exchanges through the spread of ideas, languages, and lifestyles across the world, often leading to cultural assimilation as well as cultural diversity.
• Q6: What are the environmental impacts of globalization? ANS : The environmental impacts of globalization include increased pollution, depletion of natural resources, loss of biodiversity, and contribution to global climate change.
• Q7: Why is the concept of sustainable development important in the context of a global world? ANS : Sustainable development is important to ensure that economic growth does not compromise the environment or the well-being of future generations in our interconnected global world.
• Q8: How did the Great Depression affect global trade? ANS : The Great Depression caused a collapse in global trade, as countries imposed trade barriers and tariffs, leading to a decline in international economic cooperation.
• Q9: What was the Gold Standard, and how did it affect international trade? ANS : The Gold Standard was a system where the value of a country’s currency was defined in terms of gold. It facilitated stable exchange rates and international trade but was abandoned due to its inflexibility during economic crises.
• Q10: How did the establishment of the Suez Canal impact global trade? ANS : The establishment of the Suez Canal significantly reduced the maritime distance between Europe and Asia, leading to a surge in trade, faster movement of goods, and closer economic ties between different parts of the world.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World are given in this article. These solutions will help you learn the facts and events easily. With these solutions, you will also learn the right way to write your answers perfectly in exams. We have updated the  NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History  Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World for the current session so that you can easily score high marks in the exams. You can also download PDF of the solutions and use them whenever you are offline.

Class 10 History Chapter 3 NCERT Solutions PDF Download

Write in Brief

Question 1: Give two examples of different types of global exchanges which took place before the seventeenth century, choosing one example from Asia and one from the Americas.

Answer:  Examples of the different types of global exchanges which took place before the seventeenth century:

• Textiles, spices and Chinese pottery were exchanged by China, India and Southeast Asia in return for gold and silver from Europe.
• Gold and foods such as potatoes, soya, groundnuts, tomatoes and chillies were first exported from the Americas to Europe.

Question 2: Explain how the global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonisation of the Americas.

Answer: The global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonisation of the Americas because the native Americans had no immunity against the disease that came from Europe. Before the discovery of America, it had been cut off from the rest of the world for millions of years. So, they had no defence against the disease. In particular, Smallpox proved a deadly killer. It killed and decimated whole communities, paving the way for conquest.

Question 3: Write a note to explain the effects of the following:

(a) The British government’s decision to abolish the Corn Laws. (b) The coming of rinderpest to Africa. (c) The death of men of working-age in Europe because of the World War. (d) The Great Depression on the Indian economy.(e) The decision of MNCs to relocate production to Asian countries.

Answer: (a) The British government’s decision to abolish the Corn Laws resulted in losses for the agricultural sector, but progress in the industrial sector. Food began to be imported more cheaply into Britain, and thousands of workers involved in cultivation became unemployed. However, consumption increased and the industrial sector grew, with more workers being available in cities than in rural areas.

(b) Rinderpest arrived in Africa in the late 1880s. Within two years, it spread in the whole continent reaching Cape Town within five years. Rinderpest had a terrifying impact on people’s livelihoods and the local economy. It killed about 90 percent of the cattle. Planters, mine owners and colonial governments became successful to strengthen their power and to force Africans into the labour market.

(c) The death of men of working age in Europe because of the World War reduced the able-bodied workforce in Europe, leading to a steady decline in household incomes and a consequent struggle to meet the living expenditure by families whose men were handicapped or killed.

(d) By the early twentieth century, the global economy had become an integral one. The depression immediately affected Indian trade. India was a British colony that exported agricultural goods and imported manufactured goods. Under the impact of Great Depression, the Indian economy was closely becoming integrated into the global economy. As international prices crashed so did the prices in India. Between 1928 and 1934, wheat prices in India fell by 50 percent. The fall in agricultural price led to a reduction of farmers’ income and agricultural export. The government did not decrease their taxes due to which peasants’ indebtedness increased all across India. In these depression years, India became an exporter of precious metals, notably gold.

(e) The decision of MNCs to relocate production to Asian countries led to a stimulation of world trade and capital flows. This relocation was on account of low-cost structure and lower wages in Asian countries. It also benefitted the Asian nations because employment increased, and this resulted in quick economic transformation as well.

Question 4: Give two examples from history to show the impact of technology on food availability.

Answer: Two examples from history to show the impact of technology on food availability were:

(i) Improvement in transportation system:  Faster railways, lighter wagons and larger ships helped transport food more cheaply and quickly from production units to final markets.

(ii) Refrigerated ships:  Refrigerated ships helped transport perishable foods like meat, butter and eggs over long distances.

Question 5: What is meant by the Bretton Woods Agreement?

Answer: In order to preserve economic stability and full employment in the industrial world, the post-war international economic system was established. To execute the same, the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference was held in July 1944 at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA. The Bretton Woods Conference established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with external surpluses and shortages of its member-nations. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (popularly known as the World Bank) was set up to financial post-war reconstruction, and they started the financial operations in 1947.

Under the agreement, currencies were pegged to the price of gold, and the US dollar was seen as a reserve currency linked to the price of gold. Decision-making authority was given to the Western industrial powers. The US was given the right of veto over key IMF and World Bank decisions. The Bretton Woods system was based on fixed exchange rates. The Bretton Woods system Opened an era of unique growth of trade and incomes for the Western industrial nations and Japan.

Question 6: Imagine that you are an indentured Indian labourer in the Caribbean. Drawing from the details in this chapter, write a letter to your family describing your life and feelings.

Answer: Dear Family, I hope you all are fine there. I am working in Caribbean as an indentured labourer. Through this letter, I want to tell you about my work life and hardships. I have been hired by the colonisers under a contract which included wrong information regarding the place of work, mode of travel and living and working conditions. The contractor uses harsh and abusive language for us. There is a lot of work at the plantations with a heavy workload and sometimes I have to finish all of it in just one day. The contractor cuts my wages if he is not satisfied with my work. I am living here a slave’s life. I know you will be very upset to know my situation but the governments here are thinking to introduce new laws to protect the labourers like us. So, I hope this situation will pass soon. Your Loving, Suresh

Question 7: Explain the three types of movements or flows within international economic exchange. Find one example of each type of flow which involved India and Indians, and write a short account of it.

Answer: The three types of movements or flows within the international economic exchange are:

(i) Flow of trade (trade in goods such as cloth or wheat): India was involved in trade relations since ancient times. It exported textiles and spices in return for gold and silver from Europe.

(ii) Flow of labour (the migration of people to new areas in search of work): In the nineteenth century, thousands of Indian labourers went to work on plantations, in mines, and in road and railway construction projects around the world. Indentured labourers were hired under contacts which promised their return to India after working for five years in the plantation. The living conditions were harsh and the labourers had very few legal rights.

(iii) Flow of capital (short-term and long-term loan to and from other nations): To finance the World War, Britain took high loans from the USA. Since India was under British rule, the impact of these loan debts was felt in India too. The British government increased taxes, interest rates, and lowered the prices of products it bought from the colony. This affected the Indian economy very strongly.

Question 8: Explain the causes of the Great Depression

Answer: The Great Depression was a result of many different factors. The post-war global economy was weak. Also, agricultural over-production proved to be a nuisance, which was made worse by falling food grain prices. To counter this, farmers began to increase production and bring even more produce to the markets to maintain their annual incomes. This led to such a glut of food grains that prices plummeted further and farm produce was left to rot. Most countries took loans from the US, but American overseas lenders were wary about the same. When they decreased the amount of loans, the countries economically dependent on US loans faced an acute crisis. In Europe, this led to the failure of major banks and currencies such as the British pound sterling. In a bid to protect the American economy, USA doubled import duties. This worsened the world trade scenario. All these factors contributed to the Great Depression. It affected USA the worst on account of its being a global loan provider and the biggest industrial nation.

Question 9: Explain what is referred to as the G-77 countries. In what ways can G-77 be seen as a reaction to the activities of the Bretton Woods twins?

Answer: G-77 countries is an abbreviation for the group of 77 countries that demanded a new international economic order (NIEO); a system that would give them real control over their natural resources, without being victims of neo-colonialism, that is, a new form of colonialism in trade practised by the former colonial powers.

The G-77 can be seen as a reaction to the activities of the Bretton Woods twins (the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank) because these two institutions were designed to meet the financial needs of industrial and developed countries, and did nothing for the economic growth of former colonies and developing nations.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World: Chapter Overview

In this chapter you learn about the following topics:

• The Pre-modern World
• The Nineteenth Century (1815-1914)
• The Inter-war Economy
• Rebuilding a World Economy: The Post-war Era

The Making of a Global World

05 the making of a global world.

The Pre-modern World

‘Globalisation’ is often referred to as an economic system that has emerged since the last 50 years or so. The making of the global world has a long history of trade, migration of people in search of work, the movement of capital, etc.

Silk Routes Link the World:

• The silk routes linked together vast regions of Asia, Asia with Europe and northern Africa.
• They are known to have existed since before the Christian era and thrived almost till the fifteenth century.

Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato

• Europe’s poor began to eat better and live longer with the introduction of potato.
• The poor peasants of Ireland were so dependent on potatoes that when disease destroyed the potato crop in the mid-1840s, hundreds of thousands died of starvation.

Conquest, Disease and Trade

• But from the sixteenth century, America’s vast lands and abundant crops and minerals began to transform trade and lives everywhere.
• The Portuguese and Spanish conquest and colonisation of America was decisively under way by the mid-sixteenth century.
• The most powerful weapon of the Spanish conquerors was the germs such as those of smallpox that they carried.
• Once introduced, smallpox spread deep into the continent, ahead even of any Europeans reaching there.
• Until the nineteenth century, poverty and hunger were common in Europe.
• Religious conflicts were common, and religious dissenters were persecuted.

The Nineteenth Century (1815-1914)

• In the nineteenth century, economic, political, social, cultural and technological factors transformed societies and reshaped external relations.

A World Economy Takes Shape

• In nineteenth-century Britain, self-sufficiency in food meant lower living standards and social conflict.
• In Eastern Europe, Russia, America and Australia lands were cleared and food production expanded to meet the British demand.
• By 1890, a global agricultural economy had taken shape, accompanied by complex changes in labour movement patterns, capital flows, ecologies and technology.

Role of Technology

• Technological advances like the railways, steamships, the telegraph, were the result of larger social, political and economic factors.
• Colonisation stimulated new investments and improvements in transport resulting in faster railways, lighter wagons and larger ships.

Late nineteenth-century Colonialism

• Trade flourished and markets expanded in the late nineteenth century.
• The expansion of trade and increased prosperity had many negative repercussions.

Rinderpest or the Cattle Plague:

• In the late 1880s Africa was hit by rinderpest, a devastating cattle disease.
• As rinderpest spread, it killed 90 per cent of the cattle which in turn destroyed African livelihoods.
• Whatever little cattle resources remained, were monopolised by planters, mine owners and colonial governments.

Indentured Labour Migration from India

• In India, indentured labourers were hired under contracts which promised return travel after they had worked five years on their employer’s plantation.
• The main destinations of Indian indentured migrants were the Caribbean islands, Mauritius and Fiji.
• Recruitment was done by agents engaged by employers and paid a small commission.
• On arrival at the plantations, labourers found living and working conditions were harsh, and there were few legal rights.
• Most indentured workers stayed on after their contracts ended, or returned to their new homes after a short spell in India.

Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad

• Many groups of bankers and traders had a sophisticated system to transfer money over large distances, and even developed indigenous forms of corporate organisation.
• Indian traders and moneylenders also followed European colonisers into Africa.

Indian Trade, Colonialism and the Global System

• With industrialisation, British cotton manufacture began to expand.
• Tariffs were imposed on cloth imports into Britain.
• From the early nineteenth century, British manufacturers also began to seek overseas markets for their cloth.
• While exports of manufactures declined rapidly, export of raw materials increased equally fast.
• Over the nineteenth century, British manufactures flooded the Indian market.
• But the value of British exports to India was much higher than the value of British imports from India.
• Thus Britain used the surplus to balance its trade deficits with other countries.

The Inter-war Economy

• During the First World War the world experienced widespread economic and political instability, and another catastrophic war.

Wartime Transformations

• The First World War involved the world’s leading industrial nations which harnessed the powers of modern industry to inflict the greatest possible destruction on their enemies.
• Millions of soldiers had to be recruited from around the world and moved to the frontlines on large ships and trains.
• The scale of death and destruction was unthinkable without the use of industrial arms.
• The war led to the snapping of economic links between some of the world’s largest economic powers.
• Britain borrowed large sums of money from US banks as well as the US public.
• Thus the war transformed the US from being an international debtor to an international creditor.

Post-war Recovery

• Britain, which was the world’s leading economy in the pre-war period, faced a prolonged crisis.
• After the war Britain found it difficult to recapture its earlier position of dominance in the Indian market, and to compete with Japan internationally.
• When the war boom ended, production contracted and unemployment increased.

Rise of Mass Production and Consumption

• After a short period of economic trouble in the years after the war, the US economy resumed its strong growth in the early 1920s.
• Mass production became a characteristic feature of industrial production in the US.
• The housing and consumer boom of the 1920s created the basis of prosperity in the US.
• In 1923, the US resumed exporting capital to the rest of the world and became the largest overseas lender.

The Great Depression:

• The Great Depression began around 1929 and lasted till the mid1930s.
• Most parts of the world experienced major declines in production, employment, incomes and trade.
• Agricultural regions and communities were the worst affected.

Causes of the depression:

• Agricultural overproduction:
• Indebtedness:
• The withdrawal of US loans affected much of the rest of the world.
• The US was also the industrial country most severely affected by the depression.

India and the Great Depression:

• Due to the depression India’s exports and imports went down to half between 1928 and 1934.
• Peasants and farmers suffered more than urban dwellers.
• The depression proved less grim for urban India.

Rebuilding a World Economy: The Post-war Era:

• The Second World War was fought between the Axis powers and the Allies.
• Two crucial influences shaped post-war reconstruction.
• The first was the US’s emergence as the dominant economic, political and military power in the Western world.
• The second was the dominance of the Soviet Union.

Post-war Settlement and the Bretton Woods Institutions:

• The main aim of the post-war international economic system was to preserve economic stability and full employment in the industrial world.
• Its framework was agreed upon at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference held in July 1944 at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA.
• The IMF and the World Bank are referred to as the Bretton Woods institutions or the Bretton Woods twins.

The Early Post-war Years:

• With the Bretton Woods system came an era of unprecedented growth of trade and incomes for the Western industrial nations and Japan.
• Developing countries tried to catch up with the advanced industrial countries.

Decolonisation and Independence:

• Over the next two decades after the Second World War, most colonies in Asia and Africa emerged as free, independent nations.
• The IMF and the World Bank were designed to meet the financial needs of the industrial countries.
• From the late 1950s the Bretton Woods institutions began to shift their attention more towards developing countries.

End of Bretton Woods and the Beginning of ‘Globalisation’:

• From the 1960s the US’ overseas involvements weakened its finances and competitive strength.
• The industrial world was also hit by unemployment that began rising from the mid-1970s and remained high until the early 1990s.
• The relocation of industry to low-wage countries stimulated world trade and capital flows.
• In the last two decades the world’s economic geography has been transformed as countries such as India, China and Brazil have undergone rapid economic transformation.

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The Making of a Global World: A+ Class 10 Notes

Welcome to your go-to resource for Class 10 History Chapter 3 , " The Making of a Global World ," within the realm of Social Science. Our Class 10 Notes are thoughtfully curated, aligning seamlessly with the CBSE 2024-25 latest syllabus .

All deleted topics from the latest syllabus have been excluded, so you can be confident that you are getting the most up-to-date and relevant information.

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The Making of a Global World Class 10 Notes

Table of contents, the pre-modern world.

• Globalization is a long-term process, not just a recent phenomenon.
• Trade, migration, the movement of capital, and the spread of ideas and diseases have all contributed to globalization.
• Evidence of globalization can be found as far back as 3000 BCE.
• Cowries from the Maldives were used as currency in China and East Africa for over a millennium.
• The long-distance spread of disease-carrying germs can be traced back to the seventh century.
• By the thirteenth century, globalization was an unmistakable link between different parts of the world.

Silk Routes Link the World

The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world:

• Historians have identified several silk routes over land and by sea connecting vast regions of Asia with Europe and northern Africa.
• The name ‘silk routes’ points out the importance of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route.
• Chinese pottery also traveled the same route, as did textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia.
• In return, precious metals (gold and silver) flowed from Europe to Asia.
• Early Christian missionaries and Muslim preachers traveled this route to Asia. Much before all this, Buddhism from Eastern India spread in several directions through intersecting points on the silk routes.

Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato

• Traders and travelers introduced new crops to the lands they traveled.
• Even ‘ready’ foodstuff in distant parts of the world might share common origins like spaghetti and noodles or, perhaps, Arab traders took pasta to 5th century Sicily, an island now in Italy.
• Similar foods were also known in India and Japan, so the truth about their origins may never be known. Yet such guesswork suggests the possibilities of long-distance cultural contact even in the pre-modern world.
• Many of our common foods such as potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chilies, sweet potatoes, and so on were not known to our ancestors until about five centuries ago.
• These foods were only introduced in Europe and Asia after Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered the vast continent that would later become known as the Americas.

Sometimes the new crops could make the difference between life and death:

• Europe’s poor began to eat better and live longer with the introduction of the humble potato.
• Ireland’s poorest peasants became so dependent on potatoes that when disease destroyed the potato crop in the mid-1840s, hundreds of thousands died of starvation.

Conquest, Disease, and Trade

After the discovery of America, its vast lands and abundant crops and minerals began to transform trade and lives everywhere.

Precious metals, particularly silver, from mines located in present-day Peru and Mexico also enhanced Europe’s wealth and financed its trade with Asia.

European conquest was not just a result of superior firepower :

The Spanish conqueror’s most powerful weapon was not a conventional military weapon because

• they used germs like smallpox which spread deep into the continent before any European could reach there.
• America's original inhabitants had no immunity against these diseases that came from Europe. This disease erased the whole community, leading to conquest. This biological warfare in the mid-sixteenth century made it easy for the Spanish to overpower the Americans.

European flee to America in the 19th century:

• Poverty and hunger were common in Europe.
• Cities were crowded and deadly diseases were widespread.
• Religious conflicts were common and religious dissenters were persecuted.
• Therefore, thousands fled Europe for America where plantations were worked by slaves captured in Africa for growing cotton and sugar for European markets.

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CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Revision Notes Chapter 3

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CBSE Class 10 History Chapter 3 Notes – The Making of a Global World

In Class 10 History Chapter 3 Notes , students will study globalisation, its repercussions, the silk route and the events that happened in different centuries. Class 10 Chapter 3 History Notes will give students information about the movement of people across the world and how it paved the way for globalisation. The CBSE revision notes of Class 10 History Chapter 3 provided by Extramarks have been created by experts according to the CBSE syllabus . These notes are reliable, informative and precise, which will give students an overview of all the topics of Chapter 3 covered in NCERT books . 

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All the concepts are explained in simple language in Chapter 3 History Class 10 Notes to make them easy to understand for students who struggle with this subject. These notes include important questions to help students efficiently prepare for exams. Along with the Class 10 History Notes Chapter 3 , students can also download and solve CBSE extra questions, CBSE sample papers and CBSE past years’ question papers provided on the Extramarks website. It will help students understand the exam pattern and learn time management, which will help them perform well in exams.

CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Revision Notes for the Year 2022-23

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The Making of a Global World Class 10 Notes History Chapter 3 

The silk route.

In ancient times, the silk route linked numerous places around the world to establish trade relations and cultural alliances. It existed before the Christian era and reached its peak during the 15th century. Interestingly, the religious preachers and leaders who practised religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam travelled through these routes. The silk route spanned across land and sea and was used for trading and exchanging crucial goods such as textiles, Chinese pottery, Indian spices, and precious metals. Several historians have identified these silk routes in modern times. 

Food Too Saw New Places

As people moved from one place to another, cultures and customs also reached new places. The traders, priests and invaders carried the crops to the new lands they travelled to. This way, food also reached the farthest places, nooks and corners of the world. For example, food items such as noodles are readily available in every country all over the world. 

Land up for Grabs

With improvements in the transportation system, people wanted to travel to different corners of the world and discover new places. People also looked for more potential buyers to sell their products. Before the nineteenth century, the Indian Ocean was an important sea route, and trade activities were carried on through this sea route in India. 

After Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, countries such as Spain and Portugal followed the same route to colonise the “new” lands. These conquerors began to pay attention to other North American countries like Mexico and South American territories like Peru.

The Portuguese colonists brought certain diseases to the North American region. They did not use guns or fight with swords to kill the natives; the contagious diseases they carried killed many people. Before the nineteenth century, China and India were relatively wealthy compared to European towns, which were not as developed.

The Nineteenth Century

From the advent of the nineteenth century, globalisation accelerated and spread to different parts of the world. 

• Numerous traders went to far-off places in search of good markets. 
• People from poor countries migrated to rich nations for work. 
• Several people carried money to foreign lands with long-term and short-term objectives in mind.
• During this time, Britain saw enormous growth in industrialisation. As people had enough money, they flocked to the cities to get work in the industries. It led to an increased demand for agricultural goods. Countries like Russia, America, Australia and Eastern Europe met the increased demand for agricultural goods.

As people moved from one place to another, a better network of railways and harbours was required. To build them, thousands of workers were needed. As a result, almost 50 million people migrated from Europe to America and Australia in search of work and a better future. 

By 1890, the world witnessed a change. For example, food in England came from far-off places like America, and people no longer practised local farming. On the other hand, these supplier nations constructed railways, roads, and harbours to aid in the efficient transportation of commodities to Europe. So, these areas also saw huge developments.

Late Nineteenth Century

There were some repercussions of globalisation as well: 

• The traders who settled in different countries began to rule the regions and exploited the people and resources for their selfish motives. 
• In Africa, the Europeans imposed heavy taxes and strict inheritance laws. This made Africans work as labourers under the European colonists. 
• Many people from India migrated to areas such as Caribbean Islands, Mauritius and Fiji and worked as indentured labourers. 
• Due to industrialisation in England, the exports of India stopped, and people imported cheap goods from Britain. The availability of raw materials increased, which emptied the treasures of India. 

Did You Know?

The term globalisation was coined by Theodore Levitt as per the information published in the New York Times. 

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Q.1 Explain the three types of movement or flows within international economic exchange.

The economists have identified three types of movement or ‘flows’ within international economic exchanges.

1.The first is the flow of trade i.e. goods specially wheat.

2. The second is the flow of labour i.e. migration of labour in search of employment.

3. The third is the movement of capital for short term investments over long distances. All three flows were closely interwoven and had a deep impact on their lives.

Q.2 Explain what is referred to as the G-77 countries and what were its main objectives?

Group of 77 or G-77 was a loose coalition of developing countries, organised in the late 20 th century, to demand a New International Economic Order (NIEO). There were seventy-seven founding member countries of the organization, but the organization has since then expanded to a membership of one hundred and thirty member countries. The main objectives of the G-77 countries were as follows:

1. To establish a new system, whereby the developing countries get real control over their natural resources.

2. To obtain more assistance in their development

3. To establish fairer prices for raw-materials

4. To have better access for their manufactured goods in the market of the developed nations

Q.3 Explain the terms: 1. Tarrifs 2. Exchange Rates 3. Multinational Corporations

1. Tarrifs: They are taxes imposed on a country’s imports from the rest of the world. Tariffs are levied at the point of entry, i.e., at the border or at the airport. 2. Exchange Rates: Exchange rates link national currencies for purposes of international trade. There are broadly two kinds of exchange rates: Fixed Exchange Rate and Floating Exchange Rate. 3. Multinational Corporations: MNCs are large companies that operate in several countries at the same time. The first MNCs were established in the 1920s.

Q.4 Who were Shikaripuri shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiars?

Capital was required for g rowing food and other crops for the world market. In India, this capital was provided by Shikaripuri shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiars to the peasants.

1.They were amongst the many groups of bankers and traders who financed export agriculture in Central and Southeast Asia,

2. They used either their own funds or those borrowed from European banks.

3.They had a sophisticated system to transfer money over large distances, and even developed indigenous forms of corporate organization.

Q.5 What do you mean by Globalisation?

Globalisation is an ongoing process which means:

1. Reduction of trade barriers, with a view to allow free flow of goods to and from the country. It practically removes all hindrances and restrictions on foreign trade.

2. Free flow of capital, in terms of investment, by ensuring conducive atmosphere and easy approval of proposals. It encourages foreign trade, private and institutional foreign investment.

3. Free flow of technology and free movement of labour and manpower.

Q.6 Mention about problems of the post-war economic recovery.

Problems of post-war economic recovery were:

1. Britain, the world’s leading economic power in the pre-war period in particular faced a prolonged crisis. After the war British found it difficult to recapture its earlier position of dominance in the Indian market, and to compete with Japan internationally.

2. The war had led to an economic boom, that is, to a large increase in demand, production, and employment.

3. Many agricultural economies were also in crisis. Before the war, Eastern Europe was a major wheat supplier and when this supply disrupted, wheat production expanded dramatically.

4. Once the war was over, production in Eastern Europe revived and created an increase in wheat production. Grain prices fell and the farmers fell deeper into debt.

Q.7 Explain the different kinds of exchange rates?

An exchange rate is the current market price for which one currency can be exchanged for another. There are broadly two kinds of exchange rates:

1. Fixed exchange rates: When exchange rates are fixed and governments intervene to prevent movements in them.

2.Floating or flexible exchange rates: These rates fluctuate depending on demand and supply of currencies in foreign exchange markets, in principle without interference by governments.

Q.8 What do you mean by the Silk Routes? What was their importance?

The Silk Routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world. The name silk routes point to the importance of west bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route. Historians have identified several silk routes overland and by sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia, and linking Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They are known to have existed since before the Christian era and thrived almost till the 15th C. The Silk routes led to the social, cultural and economic growth.

1.Buddhism emerged from eastern India and spread in several directions through intersecting points on the silk routes.

2.The Chinese pottery also travelled the same route, as did textiles & spices from India & south-east Asia. In return, precious metals-gold and silver flowed from Europe to Asia.

Q.9 Describe the coming of Rinderpest to Africa.

Rinderpest had a terrifying impact on people’s livelihoods and local economy.

1.Rinderpest, devastating cattle disease, arrived in Africa in the late 1880s. It was carried by infected cattle imported from British Asia to feed the Italian soldiers invading Eritrea in Eastern Africa.

2.Entering Africa in the east, rinderpest moved west ‘like wild fire”, reaching Africa’s Atlantic coast in 1892. It reached the Cape (Africa’s southernmost tip) five years later. Along the way rinderpest killed 90 percent of the cattle.

3.The loss of cattle destroyed African livelihoods. Planters, mine owners and colonial governments now successfully monopolised what scarce cattle resources remained, to strengthen their power and to force Africans into the labour market.

4.Control over scarce resource of cattle enabled European colonizers to conquer and subdue Africa.

Q.10 What forced the British Government to abolish the Corn Laws?

The laws passed by the British Parliament in the 19th century to restrict and control the import of less expensive corn were known as ‘Corn Laws’. The British Parliament restricted the import of corn so that the interests of land owners, who dominated Parliament, might be protected. As a result of these Laws, prices of food items went up many times. The Corn Laws were strongly opposed by the industrialists and the urban dwellers as they were benefiting wealthy landowners at the expense of the ordinary consumer. They were also unhappy due to the high prices of food. So the British government was forced to abolish Corn Laws.

Q.11 What were the effects of the abolition of the ‘Corn Laws’?

The abolition of Corn Laws had many effects:

1.Food items could be imported into Britain more cheaply than it could be produced within the country.

2.British agriculture was unable to compete with foreign imports.

3.Vast areas of land were left uncultivated and thousands of men and women were thrown out of work.

4.Unemployed people flocked to the cities and migrated overseas.

Q.12 Explain briefly the impact of technology on food availability.

1. During the 19th century, several inventions like The railways, steamships, the telegraph, etc. were important inventions as without them we cannot imagine the transformed nineteenth-century world. 2. Colonisation stimulated new investments and improvements in transport. Faster railways, lighter wagons and larger ships helped move food more cheaply and quickly from faraway farms to final markets. 3. Refrigerated ships, which entered the scene since the 1870s, enabled the transport of perishable foods, especially meat, over long distances. This reduced shipping costs and lowered meat prices in Europe, where the poor could now buy and consume meat, which was once an expensive item and beyond their reach.

Q.13 Give two examples of global exchange which took place before 17 th Century. The examples should be beneficial as well as harmful.

From ancient times, travelers, traders, priests and pilgrims travelled vast distances for knowledge, opportunity and spiritual fulfillment, or to escape persecution.

One beneficial example: All of these people who were pioneer of global exchange carried with them goods, ideas and inventions, moral values etc.

One harmful example: The travelers, traders, priests & pilgrims also carried with them germs and diseases which proved very harmful for local residents who died in thousands.

Q.14 Explain the effects of Great Depression on Indian economy.

The Great Depression had an immediate effect on the Indian economy. Peasants and farmers suffered more than the urban dwellers.

1.Between 1928 and 1934, India’s imports and export nearly halved.

2.As international prices crashed, prices in India also plunged. Between 1928 and 1934, wheat prices in India fell by 50 per cent.

3.Jute producers of Bengal were hard hit by the depression. With the collapse in gunny export, the price of raw jute crashed more than 60 per cent.

All this led to an increase in peasants’ indebtedness.

Q.15 Briefly explain the term ‘Bretton Woods Institutions’.

The IMF and the World Bank are referred to as the Bretton Woods institutions, or sometimes as the Bretton Woods twins:

1.The IMF and the World Bank commenced financial operations in 1947.

2.Decision-making in these institutions is controlled by the Western industrial powers. The US has an effective right of veto over key IMF and World Bank decisions.

3.The post-war international economic system is also often described as the Bretton Woods system.

Q.16 What methods were used by the European employers to recruit and retain labour in Africa?

European employers used the following methods to recruit and retain labour in Africa:

1.Heavy taxes were imposed which could be paid only by working for wages on plantations and mines.

2.Mineworkers were also confined in compounds and not allowed to move about freely

3.Inheritance laws were changed so that peasants were displaced from land: only one member of a family was allowed to inherit land, as a result of which the others were pushed into the labour market.

Q.17 Name the main destinations of Indian indentured migrants.

Caribbean island, Mauritius and Fiji.

Q.18 Which city is called as the fabled city of gold?

El Dorado, is called as the fabled city of gold. In 17 th century many expeditions were set off in search of El Dorado.

Q.19 Which region was called Canal Colonies?

The semi-waste areas of Punjab, after being irrigated by new canals, began to be called Canal Colonies. They were created to grow more wheat and cotton for export.

Q.20 Mention the advantages of an Assembly line.

The advantages of the assembly line were as follows:

1.It allowed a faster and cheaper way of producing engineered goods.

It forced workers to repeat a single task mechanically and continuously,

at a pace dictated by the conveyor belt. This was a way of increasing the output per worker by speeding up the pace of work.

2.It also increased the output of the workers. No worker standing in front of a conveyor belt could afford to delay the motions, take a break, or even have a friendly word with a workmate.

3.It made mass production possible.

Q.21 Define an Assembly Line.

When different parts of a machine like cars are manufactured at different places but are assembled at one single place such as a system is called an assembly line.

Q.22 Mention the reason for the migration of Indian indentured labour to other countries.

Most Indian indentured workers came from the present-day regions of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, central India and the dry districts of Tamil Nadu. The reasons for their migration to other countries were:

1.Cottage industries declined in India and they got in debts.

2.Land rents rose and they failed to pay them.

3.Their lands were forcibly cleared for mines etc.

Q.23 Mention in brief about indentured labour.

Indentured labour is a form of labour widely used in plantations from the mid 19 th century. These labourers worked on contracts where their rights were not specified and the employers had all the power and could even jail them for non-fulfillment of contracts.

Q.24 Mention the positive changes brought by Colonisation. Answer

It stimulated new investments in foreign lands and improvements in transport such as faster railways, large ships etc. which transported raw materials & finish products quickly and cheaply.

Q.25 Why did Europeans flee to America in the 19th Century?

Poverty and hunger, crowded cities, deadly diseases and religious persecutions were very common in Europe till 19 th century. As a result thousands fled Europe for America.

Q.26 Which commodity was exported by India in the depression days? Answer

India became the exporter of precious metal, notably gold in the depression days.

Q.27 Bretton Woods system was based on what type of exchange rate?

Bretton Woods system was based on fixed exchange rates.

Q.28 Given below is a picture of merchants exchanging goods in the fifteenth century. This practice was prevalent due to the escalated travel by sailors and merchants. Answer the questions related to this.

a. Give two examples of food as long distance cultural contact in the pre-modern world. b. When were foods like potatoes, soya and tomatoes introduced in Europe?

a. Food offers many examples of long-distance cultural exchange. Traders and travellers introduced new crops to the lands they travelled. Even ready foodstuff, in distant parts of the world, might share common origin. Noodles travelled west from China to become spaghetti. Some Arab traders took pasta to Sicily, an island now in Italy.

b. Many of our common foods; such as potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies, sweet potatoes, and so on were not known to our ancestors, until about five centuries ago. They were only introduced in Europe and Asia after Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered the continent we now know as the Americas, many of these foods were transported and sold in Europe. Hence, people there began to eat better.

Q.29 What do you understand by mass production? Explain with an example.

Mass production was an important feature of the U.S. economy in the 1920s. A well known example of this is the Ford car, which was developed by Henry Ford. He set up a car manufacturing unit in Denver where, with the help of a conveyor belt and the assembly line production, cars were manufactured in large numbers and in lesser time. Henry Ford’s T-Model car was the world’s first mass produced car.

Q.30 Discuss how Britain had a trade surplus with India in the nineteenth century?

1. In the nineteenth century, goods from Britain flooded the Indian market and simultaneously food grain and raw material export increased from India to Britain.

2. The value of British exports to India was much more than the value of British exports from India leading to a trade surplus.

3. Britain used this surplus to balance its trade deficits with other countries.

Q.31 Why is the First World War known as the world’s first modern industrial war?

1. The WWI was the world’s first modern industrial war as it involved the leading industrial nations of the world. These nations had the capacity to inflict great damage on other nations.

2. It saw the use of machine guns, tanks, aircraft and chemical weaponry on a large scale.

3. Millions of soldiers around the world were recruited and they moved to frontlines on large ships and trains.

The war led to breaking up of economic ties between the largest of nations.

Q.32 What was the Great Depression of 1929? Answer

The Great Depression was a phenomenon that occurred in most parts of the World. Catastrophic declines in production, employment, incomes and trade were experienced, leading to a fall in world economy.

Q.33 What were the two crucial influences that shaped the post World War II reconstruction?

Two crucial influences that shaped the post war reconstruction were the emergence of U.S. as a dominant power in the Western World and the dominance of the Soviet Union, which had also emerged as a world power.

Q.34 What do you understand by the term ‘Exchange rate’?

The method of linking up national currencies for purposes of international trade is called exchange rate. There are broadly two kinds of exchange rates: fixed and floating.

Q.35 Given below is the picture of meat being loaded on a ship in 1878. Answer questions related to this picture.

a. What was the sales route of meat as a commodity?

b. What was the benefit of technology assisting in the transportation of meat to far off places?

a. Till the 1870s, animals were shipped live from America to Europe and then slaughtered when they arrived there. After the introduction of refrigerated ships, animals were slaughtered for food at the starting point – in America, Australia or New Zealand – and then transported to Europe as frozen meat.

b. Earlier animals were shipped live to Europe and slaughtered there. They took up a lot of place on ships and many died on the way. Many also died in voyage, fell ill, lost weight, or became unfit to eat. Meat was hence an expensive luxury beyond the reach of the European poor. With advancements in technology, ships became refrigerated and the slaughtered meat could be transported and sold in the markets of Europe. This reduced shipping costs and lowered meat prices in Europe. The poor in Europe could now consume a more varied diet.

Q.36 Given below is the picture of nineteenth century Indian indentured labourers in the cocoa plantations in Trinidad.

a. What were the main destinations of Indian indentured migrants in the early nineteenth century? b. Why was this indenture described as the ‘New Form of Slavery’?

a. The main destinations of Indian indentured migrants were the Caribbean islands (mainly Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam), Mauritius and Fiji. Tamil migrants went to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Malaya. Indentured workers were also recruited for tea plantations in Assam.

b. Indentured migrants were recruited by agents who were paid a small fee. They were provided with false information of final destinations, mode of travel and working and living conditions. Often, migrants were not even told that they were to embark on a long sea voyage. Sometimes, agents even forcibly abducted less willing migrants. On arrival, conditions were difficult from what they had imagined. Living and working conditions were difficult with few legal rights.

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Cbse class 10 social science history revision notes, chapter 1 - the rise of nationalism in europe.

Chapter 2 - Nationalism in India

Chapter 4 - the age of industrialisation, chapter 5 - print culture and the modern world, faqs (frequently asked questions), 1. what is the corn law.

The Corn Law was introduced in Britain in 1804. According to this law, the landowners who dominated the Parliament protected their income and monetary profits by imposing a duty on imported corn.

2. Describe the pre-modern world.

The premodern world was the time before the establishment of the Christian Empire till the 15th century. During this period, various communities interacted with each other, and people migrated from one place to another. Also, Christopher Columbus discovered America and the printing press was invented

3. What is NIEO?

The G-77 or 77 developing countries demanded a New International Economic Order (NIEO) in order to fully control their country’s resources, raw materials, and other produced commodities sold on the market.

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NCERT Solutions For Class 10 History Social Science Chapter 3 : The Making of a Global World

Ncert solutions for class 10 history chapter 3 – cbse free pdf download.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World discuss the creation of the world, which had a long history of trade, migration, people in search of work, the movement of capital, etc. Globalisation is an economic system with the free movement of goods, technology, ideas and people across the globe. To understand the complex topics related to globalisation, silk routes, the role of technology, etc., NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 3 will help students with the right approach.

The NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History  help students to have a deeper understanding of concepts covered in the chapter. Students can clear their doubts by referring to these NCERT Solutions provided below written in simple language. Refer to these NCERT Solutions and learn to write high-scoring answers in the CBSE exams.

• Chapter 1 Rise of Nationalism in Europe
• Chapter 2 Nationalism in India
• Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World
• Chapter 4 The Age of Industrialisation
• Chapter 5 Print Culture and the Modern World

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World:- Download PDF Here

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 3 – The Making of a Global World

The NCERT Solutions for Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World are given below. Students should also check NCERT Solutions for Class 10 for other subjects.

1. Give two examples of different types of global exchanges which took place in the seventeenth century, choosing one example from Asia and one from the Americas.

Solution: The following are examples of cross-cultural exchanges from Asia and the Americas:

a.  The Silk Route (Asia): The Silk Route is a good example of cross-cultural trade and connectivity between distant parts of the world. The name ‘Silk Route’ points to the importance of Westbound Chinese silk cargoes along this route.

Trade and cultural exchange always went hand in hand. Early Christian missionaries almost certainly travelled this route to Asia, as did early Muslim preachers a few centuries later.

b.  Food from the Americas: The food that is part of our staple diet today, like potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies, sweet potatoes etc., were not known to our ancestors until the accidental discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus.

These food items only made it to Europe and the rest of the world after the monumental discovery of the new continent.

2. Explain how the global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonisation of the Americas.

Solutions: The global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonisation of the Americas. The reason was that the native Americans were not immune to the diseases that the European settlers brought with them. The Europeans were, to a certain extent, immune to the effects of diseases like smallpox due to centuries of exposure. However, the native Americans had no such defence against this disease, as they were isolated from diseases native to the old world.

At times, settlers deliberately practised biological warfare on the natives by giving items laced with smallpox germs as ‘gifts of friendship’. The disease was far more effective in wiping out entire tribes and communities without having to resort to firearms.

3. Write a note to explain the effect of the following:

• The British government’s decision to abolish the Corn Laws.
• The coming of rinderpest to Africa.
• The death of men of working age in Europe because of the World War.
• The Great Depression on the Indian economy.
• The decision of MNCs to relocate production to Asian countries.
• The British government’s decision to abolish the Corn Laws was due to pressure from the landed groups, who were unhappy with the high price of food and the cheap inflow of agricultural products from Australia and America. As a result, many English farmers left their profession and migrated to towns and cities. Some went overseas. This indirectly led to global agriculture and rapid urbanisation, a prerequisite of industrial growth.
• Rinderpest (a fast-spreading disease of cattle plague) arrived in Africa in the late 1880s. It had a terrifying impact on people’s livelihoods and the local economy. It started in East Africa and soon spread to other parts of the continent. Within five years, it reached the Cape of Good Hope (Africa’s Southernmost tip), by which it had killed 90 % of the cattle population in that part of Africa. It spread through infected cattle imported from British Asia to feed the Italian soldiers invading Eritrea in East Africa. Using this situation to their advantage, colonising nations conquered and subdued Africa by monopolising scarce cattle resources to force Africans into the labour market. The Africans were forced to work for a wage due to the loss of their livelihood because of the effect of Rinderpest.
• The First World War was the first modern industrial war. It saw the use of machine guns, tanks, aircraft, chemical weapons etc., on a massive scale. To fight such a war, millions of soldiers had to be recruited from around the world and moved to the frontlines on large ships and trains. The scale of death and destruction was unlike any other conflict in the modern era. Most of the killed and maimed were men of working age; the deaths and injuries of these men drastically reduced the able-bodied workforce in Europe. With fewer members within the family, household incomes declined after the war. Thus, women stepped in to do the jobs that were earlier done by men. It increased the role of women and led to a demand for equal status in society. It made the feminist movement even stronger.
• In the nineteenth century, colonial India had become an exporter of agricultural goods and an importer of manufactures. The impact of the Great Depression on India was felt, especially in the agricultural sector. It was evident that the Indian economy was closely becoming integrated into the global economy. India was a British colony and exported agricultural goods and imported manufactured goods. As international prices crashed, so did the prices in India. Wheat prices in India fell by 50 % between 1928 and 1934.
• Wages were relatively low in Asian countries like China. Thus, they became lucrative destinations for investment by foreign MNCs competing to dominate world markets. The relocation of industry to low-wage countries stimulated world trade and capital flow.

The impact of MNC’s decision to relocate production to Asian Countries was as follows:

a. It provided a cheap source of labour for MNCs.

b. It stimulated world trade and increased capital inflow in Asian countries.

c. The local population had a greater choice of goods and services along with prospects of greater employment opportunities for them.

4. Give two examples from history to show the impact of technology on food availability.

• Improved transportation systems: Improved transportation systems helped the food items get delivered on time to the markets without any harm. Faster railways, lighter wagons and larger ships helped move food cheaply and quickly from faraway farms to final markets.
• Refrigerated ships: The development of refrigerated ships enabled the transport of perishable foods over long distances. Animals were slaughtered for food at the starting point – in America, Australia or New Zealand – and then transported to Europe as frozen meat. This reduced shipping costs and lowered meat prices in Europe. The poor in Europe could add meat to their diet, which was monotonous with only bread and potatoes.

5. What is meant by the Bretton Woods Agreement?

Solution: In order to preserve economic stability and full employment in the industrial world, the post-war international economic system was established. To execute the same, the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference was held in July 1944 at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA. The Bretton Woods Conference established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with external surpluses and shortages in its member nations. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (popularly known as the World Bank) was set up for financial post-war reconstruction, and it started its financial operations in 1947.

Under the agreement, currencies were pegged to the price of gold, and the US dollar was seen as a reserve currency linked to the price of gold. Decision-making authority was given to the Western industrial powers. The US was given the right to veto over key IMF and World Bank decisions. The Bretton Woods System was based on fixed exchange rates. The Bretton Woods System opened an era of unique growth of trade and income for the Western industrial nations and Japan.

6. Imagine that you are indentured Indian labour in the Caribbean. Drawing from the details in the chapter, write a letter to your family describing your life and feelings

Solution: Dear Ma and Pa,

My work as an indentured labourer in Jamaica is far from a walk in the park. Through this letter, I want to tell you about my life here.

When the contractor hired me, he was quite economical with the truth about the living and working conditions. To say nothing of the kind of work and place of work.

We have very few rights, with the contractor living up to the behaviour standards expected of them in the Caribbean – extremely harsh. He treats us like animals since we are a minority and thus easy targets for his wrath. Accidents are common in the sugar plantations in Jamaica. One time, I saw a worker burnt alive when the liquid sugar we were boiling accidentally spilt on him. Since he cannot work with his third-degree burns, the contractor saw it fit to throw him out without any due wages paid. We don’t have any rights to speak or to express our dissatisfaction about the working conditions. And if we do, we will face the overseer’s whips.

Whenever I do not attend my work, I am liable to be in jail. There is a lot of work at the plantations with a heavy workload and less time to finish it all.

In case of unsatisfactory work, my wages are cut. If there is hell on earth, it certainly is this. I know my writing will cause you anguish but rest assured, there is talk of new laws underway to protect labourers like us. Thus, this situation will pass soon.

7. Explain the three types of movements or flows within the international economic exchange. Find one example of each type of flow which involved India and Indians , and write a short account of it.

Solution: The three types of movements or flows within the international economic exchange are trade flows, human capital flows and capital flows or investments. These can be explained as the trade in agricultural products, migration of labour, and financial loans to and from other nations.

• The flow of trade (trade in goods, e.g. cloth or wheat)

India was a hub of trade in the pre-modern world, and it exported textiles and spices in return for gold and silver from Europe.

Fine cotton was produced in India and was exported to Europe. With industrialisation, British cotton manufacturing began to expand, and industrialists pressurised the government to restrict cotton imports and protect local industries. As a result of the tariffs that were imposed on cloth imports, the inflow of fine Indian Cotton began to decline.

• The flow of labour (the migration of people in search of employment)

In the field of labour, indentured labour was provided for mines, plantations and factories abroad, in huge numbers, in the nineteenth century. This was an instrument of colonial domination by the British. Indentured labourers were hired under contacts who promised return travel to India after they had worked five years on their employer’s plantation. The living conditions were harsh, and the labourers had little protection from the law or from it as they had few rights.

• The movement of capital (investments)

Britain took generous loans from the USA to finance the World War. Since India was an English colony, the impact of these loan debts was felt in India too. Food and other crops for the world market required capital. Large plantations could borrow it from banks and markets.

8. Explain the causes of the Great Depression.

Solution: The Great Depression was a result of many factors. Some of them are

• Agriculture overproduction was a major problem. As a result, agricultural prices fell. As prices fell, so did agricultural incomes. This increased the volume of goods in the market. The situation got worsened in the market. Prices fell further. Farm produce began to rot due to the lack of buyers.
• Prosperity in the USA during the 1920s created a cycle of higher employment and incomes. It led to a rise in consumption and demand. More investment and more employment created tendencies of speculation, which led to the Great Depression of 1929 up to the mid-1930s. The stock market crashed in 1929. It created panic among investors and depositors, who stopped investing and depositing. As a result, it created a cycle of depreciation.
• The withdrawal of US loans affected the rest of the world in many different ways. In Europe, it led to the failure of the major banks and the collapse of major currencies such as the British pound sterling. Some of the banks closed down when people withdrew all their assets, leaving them unable to invest. Some banks called back loans taken from them at the same dollar rate in spite of the falling value of the dollar.

9. Explain what is referred to as the G-77 countries. In what ways can G-77 be seen as a reaction to the activities of the Bretton Woods twins?

Solution: After the Second World War, many parts of the world were still under European colonial rule, and it took over two decades for the colonies in Asia and Africa to become free independent nations. When they became free, they faced many other problems, such as poverty, lack of resources, etc. Economies and societies were handicapped for being under colonial rule for long periods.

As colonies, many of the less developed regions of the world had been part of Western empires. The policy of the Bretton Woods twins tilted more in favour of the developed nations of the Western world. Now, ironically, as newly independent countries facing urgent pressures to lift their populations out of poverty, they came under the guidance of international agencies dominated by the former colonial powers.

Therefore, these colonies organised themselves as a group – the Group of 77 (or G-77) – to demand a new international economic order (NIEO). By the NIEO, they meant a system that would give them real control over their natural resources, more development assistance, fairer prices for raw materials, and better access to their manufactured goods in developed countries’ markets.

The Making of a Global World Summary

The NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social Studies  History – India and the Contemporary World – II Chapter 3 talks about the following topics:

• The Pre-modern World

1.1 Silk Routes Link the World

1.2 Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato

1.3 Conquest, Disease and Trade

• The Nineteenth Century (1815 – 1914)

2.1 A World Economy Takes Shape

2.2 Role of Technology

2.3 Late Nineteenth-century Colonialism

2.4 Rinderpest, or the Cattle Plague

2.4 Indentured Labour Migration from India

2.5 Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad

2.6 Indian Trade, Colonialism and the Global System

• The Inter-war Economy

3.1 Wartime Transformations

3.2 Post-war Recovery

3.3 Rise of Mass Production and Consumption

3.4 The Great Depression

3.5 India and the Great Depression

• Rebuilding a World Economy: The Postwar Era

4.1 Post-war Settlement and Bretton Woods Institution

4.2 The Early Post-war Years

4.3 Decolonisation and independence

4.4 End of Bretton Woods and the Beginning of Globalisation

‘India and the Contemporary World – II’ is an important book for Class 10 Social Sciences subject. Apart from this chapter, the full set of NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social Science  is given in the linked article. Also, access the NCERT Solutions for Class 10 for other subjects to ace the Class 10 CBSE examinations.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of Global World

Ncert solutions for class 10 history chapter 3 the making of global world social science.

Chapter 3 The Making of Global World Class 10 NCERT Solutions

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• The Making of a Global World

The world today is globalized. All the countries have become so interdependent that no nation today can survive in isolation. The world was not always connected this way. When people began to migrate in search of work or an even better lifestyle, it marked the beginning of the process of globalization. The greatest gift of globalization to mankind is that it has made it easy for us to connect even if we stay in two different countries.

The Making of the Global World : Till the Nineteenth Century

The internet has now helped us all to connect. The internet has connected the world in this millennium. However, have you ever wondered how life was many years ago? All through history, people have been interlinked for various reasons. 

The Pre-Modern World

Before the beginning of the nineteenth century, travellers, traders, scholars had travelled across different continents for gaining knowledge, for collecting religious text, or for various other reasons. The three things that will help us to understand the making of a global world in the pre-Modern era is:

Food Travels

Diseases and Trade

The Silk Route was a historic trade route that stretched from Asia to the Mediterranean traversing China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greece, and Italy. The route was called the silk route due to a large amount of silk trading that used to take place from the second century B.C. until the 14th century A.D.The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world. These routes were used to trade various types of goods ranging from Chinese pottery, silk, silver etc. Not only did the silk route provide a link between countries for importing and exporting goods but it also became important for the export of art, literature, and philosophies.

Food Travels – Spaghetti and Potato

Food is another way to understand how a  worldwide world existed in pre-modern times since traders or travellers introduced a new food to the place they visited. Indians, five centuries ago, were not aware of potatoes, maize, groundnut, etc. All these food items were only introduced to Europe and Asia after Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.

Another interesting story is about noodles or Spaghetti. According to many historians, noodles travelled from China to Europe and became spaghetti. However, this points to the very fact that there was an extended cultural contact within the pre-modern world.

European traders in the sixteenth century found a sea-route to Asia and an ocean-route to America.  Countries like Peru and Mexico, in South America, were full of mines with precious metals like silver which helped Europe finance its trade. Portuguese and Spaniards colonized South  America by the mid-sixteenth century.

What was unique in their conquest was that they did not use conventional military weapons; rather they used Biological warfare. Hunger and poverty in the 18th century were so common in the whole of Europe. Diseases like smallpox were widespread too.

The Americans never had strong immunity so when they would go for battles they would carry the germs of such diseases and thus fall sick and also transmit these germs to other Americans.

Until the Mid-eighteenth century, the world's two richest countries were China and India. Asia was the center of trade and commerce for the entire world. However, China slowly reduced its international contacts and retreated into isolation. Also, America was a  rising power. This led to a shift in trade and Europe became the center of world trade.

The Nineteenth Century

In the nineteenth century, three sorts of flow existed within international economic exchanges. They were:

Labour flow

Capital flow

Formation of the World Economy

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Britain's population began to rise and so was the demand for food grains. This led to an overall increase in the price of food grains. Corn laws that restricted the import of corn into Britain had been abolished due to tremendous pressure from the industrialists and the local people. This encouraged cheaper import of food items, much cheaper than the cost of production within Britain. This led to vast areas of land being left uncultivated and those who were engaged in agriculture, now moved to cities for employment opportunities. Britain at the same time experienced rapid Industrial growth which led to higher income for locals as well as higher consumption of food. Countries like Australia, America, Russia, and Eastern Europe began to grow food items to export them to Britain. However, there was no connectivity to export these goods. Eventually, Britain started to provide capital to these countries and the people from Europe began to migrate to America due to the requirement of high Labour. Products other than food items also began to be produced because of the rising demands in the British Markets.

Significance of Technology

New and Modern Technology was required to transport edible and perishable products from one country to another. There was a need for a faster medium of transportation and also new advancements for the delivery of fresh goods. Technology ensured that the trains were faster, wagons were lighter and ships were larger to accommodate the increasing demands.

Another problem that was being faced was the shipment of meat from America and Australia to Europe. The meat was considered a luxury in Britain. However, live animals were difficult to transport as they took up a lot of space and many also fell ill. The invention of ships with cold storage stepped in to solve this problem. Meat could easily be transported now.

Colonialism in Late Nineteenth Century

A Lot of Colonialism was taking place towards the end of the 19th century. European countries like Britain, France, Portugal were colonizing countries in Africa and Asia for increasing their trade. These countries would provide them with cheap raw material which then would be exported to their native countries and finally, the finished products would have been sold at high prices in these colonized countries.

Indentured Labor Migration from India

Thousands of Indian Labourers migrated to work in Mines, Plantations, and other construction projects. When the cotton industry declined it became difficult for the labourers to meet their expenses. Thus they migrated in search of better living conditions and work. But that was not the case. They were asked to sign a 5-year contract on the completion of which they could return to India and the living conditions were also not what they were told. While some of them escaped into the jungles, a few stayed back and adapted to the new culture leading to a fusion of cultures.

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Indian Trade

Due to the Industrial Revolution, Britain now began to produce cotton which they used to earlier export from India. This led to a decline in the demand for Indian cotton. There has been constant importing and exporting of various goods between India and Britain. But the export of Indian goods to Britain remained extremely low as compared to the British export to India. Thus Britain had a ‘trade surplus’ with India. 

Did You Know?

Indentured labour means a bonded labourer who had to work on a contract basis for free for his employer for a certain period because of any unpaid loan or for transportation cost to a job location.

FAQs on The Making of a Global World

Q. Write a Short Note on the Silk Route.

Answer: The Silk Route was a historic trade route that stretched from Asia to the Mediterranean traversing China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greece, and Italy. The route was called the silk route due to a large amount of silk trading used to take place from the second century B.C. until the 14th century A.D.The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world.

Q. What was Rinderpest?

Ans. Rinderpest was a cattle plague that had hit Africa in the late 1880s. Rinderpest was a deadly plague that killed over 90% of the cattle within five years.

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NCERT Solutions Class 10 for Social Science History Chapter 4 The Making of a Global World : In this post, we will share with you all the detailed NCERT Solutions of Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 4 The Making of a Global World . This will contain both in-text and back-exercise questions for Science and Social Science, and all exercise questions for Mathematics. For all school and board level examinations, doing all the NCERT Questions is a must.

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Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 4 – The Making of a Global World

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Exercise Questions:

Question 1: Give two examples of different types of global exchanges which took place in the seventeenth century, choosing one example from Asia and one from the Americas.

Answer 1: (a) Asia: The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade before the 17th century. The historians have identified several silk routes, overland and by sea, linking Asia with Europe and northern Africa. .These routes were used for trades in Chinese pottery, textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia. In return, precious metals – gold and silver – came from Europe to Asia.’ Secondly, Christian missionaries and later Muslim preachers travelled through these routes. It may be mentioned here that in ancient times, Buddhism too spread in several directions through intersecting points on the silk routes.

(b) Americas: After the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, many of our common foods such as potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chilies came from America’s original inhabitants i.e., the American Indians. From the sixteenth century, America’s vast lands, abundant crops and minerals transformed trade and lives everywhere. Precious metals like silver from mines in Peru and Mexico enhanced Europe’s wealth and financed its trade with Asia. Legends spread in seventeenth-century Europe about South America’s fabled wealth. Many expeditions set off in search of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. Thus there were global exchanges before the seventeenth century.

Question 2: Explain how the global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonisation of the Americas.

Answer 2: The global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonization of the Americas. The reason was that the native Americans were not immune to the diseases that the European settlers brought with them. The Europeans were to a certain extent immune to the effects of diseases like smallpox due to centuries of exposure, but the native Americans had no such defence against this disease, as they were isolated from diseases native to the old world.

At times, settlers deliberately practised biological warfare on the natives by giving items laced with smallpox germs as ‘gifts of friendship’. The disease was far more effective in wiping out entire tribes and communities without having to resort to firearms.

Question 3: Write a note and explain the effects of the following : (a) The British government’s decision to abolish the Corn Laws. (b) The coming of rinderpest to Africa. (c) The death of men of working-age in Europe because of the World War. (d) The Great Depression on the Indian economy. (e) The decision of MNCs to relocate production to Asian countries.

Answer 3: (a).The British government’s decision to abolish the Corn Laws was due to pressure from the landed groups, who were unhappy with the high price of food and the cheap inflow of agricultural products from Australia and America. As a result, many English farmers left their profession and migrated to towns and cities. Some went overseas. This indirectly led to global agriculture and rapid urbanization, a prerequisite of industrial growth. (b).Rinderpest (a fast-spreading disease of cattle plague) arrived in Africa in the late 1880s. It had a terrifying impact on people’s livelihoods and the local economy. It started in East Africa and soon spread to the other parts of the continent. Within five years, it reached the Cape of Good Hope (Africa’s Southernmost tip) by which it had killed 90 % of the cattle population in that part of Africa. It spread through infected cattle imported from British Asia to feed the Italian soldiers invading Eritrea in East Africa. Using this situation to their advantage, colonizing nations conquered and subdued Africa by monopolizing scarce cattle resources to force Africans into the labour market. The Africans were forced to work for a wage due to the loss of their livelihood due to the effect of Rinderpest. (c).The First World War was the first modern industrial war. It saw the use of machine guns, tanks, aircraft, chemical weapons etc. on a massive scale. To fight such a war millions of soldiers had to be recruited from around the world and moved to the frontlines on large ships and trains. The scale of death and destruction was unlike any other conflict in the modern era. Most of the killed and maimed were men of working age; the deaths and injuries of these men drastically reduced the able-bodied workforce in Europe. Within fewer members within the family, household incomes declined after the war. Thus women stepped in to do the jobs that were earlier done by men. It increased the role of women led to a demand for equal status in society. It made the feminist movement even stronger. (d).In the nineteenth century, colonial India had become an exporter of agricultural goods and importer of manufactures. The impact of the Great Depression in India was felt, especially in the agricultural sector. It was evident that the Indian economy was closely becoming integrated into the global economy. India was a British colony and exported agricultural goods and imported manufactured goods. As international prices crashed so did the prices in India. The wheat prices in India fell by 50 % between 1928 and 1934. (e).Wages were relatively low in Asian countries like China. Thus, they became lucrative destinations for investment by foreign MNCs competing to dominate world markets. The relocation of industry to low-wage countries stimulated world trade and capital flow. Impact of MNC’s decision to relocate production in Asian Countries was as follows: a. It provided a cheap source of labour for MNCs

b. It stimulated world trade and increased capital inflow in the Asian Countries

c. The local population now had a greater choice of goods and services along with prospects of greater employment opportunities for them.

Question 4: Give two examples from history to show the impact of Science and Technology on food availability.

Answer 4: (i) Availability of cheap food in different markets: Improvements in transport; faster railways, lighter wagons and larger ships helped move food more cheaply and quickly from the far-away farms to the final markets.

(ii) Impact on meat: Till the 1870s, meat from America was shipped to Europe in the form of live animals which were then slaughtered in Europe. But live animals took up a lot of ship space. But the invention of refrigerated ships made it possible to transport meat from one region to another. Now animals were slaughtered in America, Australia or New Zealand, and then transported to Europe as frozen meat. The invention of the refrigerated ship had the following advantages :

1.This reduced shipping costs and lowered meat prices in Europe. 2.The poor in Europe could now consume a more varied diet. 3.To the earlier, monotony of bread and potatoes many, not all, could add meat, butter and eggs. 4.Better living conditions promoted social peace within the country, and support for imperialism abroad

Question 5: What is meant by the Bretton Woods Agreement?

Answer 5: The main aim of the post-war international economic system was to preserve economic stability and full employment in the industrial world. The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference held in July 1944 at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire in the USA agreed upon its framework. The Bretton Woods Conference established the following institutions :

1.International Monetary Fund: Its aim was to deal with external surpluses and deficits of its member nations. 2.The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or World Bank was set “Up to finance post-war reconstruction. 3.The above institutions are known as The Bretton Woods institutions or Bretton Woods twins. The post-war international economic system is also often described as the Bretton Woods system. It was based on fixed exchange rates. National currencies were pegged to the dollar at a fixed exchange rate. The dollar itself was anchored to gold at a fixed price of $ 35 per ounce of gold. 4.The decision-making in these institutions is controlled by the western industrial powers. The US has an effective right of veto over key IMF and World Bank decisions.

Question 6: Imagine that you are an indentured Indian labour in the Carribean. Drawing from the details in the chapter, write a letter to your family describing your life and feelings

Answer 6: Dear Ma and Pa, My work as an indentured labourer Jamaica is far from a walk in the park. Through this letter, I want to tell you about my life here. When the contractor hired me, he was quite economical with the truth about the living and working conditions. To say nothing of the kind of work and place of work. We have very few rights, with the contractor living up to the behaviour standards expected of them in the Carribean -extremely harsh. He treats us like animals since we are a minority and thus easy targets for his wrath. Accidents are common in the sugar plantations in Jamaica. One time I saw a worker burnt alive when the liquid sugar we were boiling accidentally spilt on him. Since he cannot work with his third-degree burns, the contractor saw it fit to throw him out without any due wages paid. We don’t have any rights to speak or to express our dissatisfaction about the working conditions. And if we do, we will face the overseer’s whips. Whenever I do not attend my work, I am liable to be to jail. There is a lot of work at the plantations with a heavy workload and less time to finish it all.

In case of unsatisfactory work, my wages are cut. If there is hell on earth, it certainly is this. I know my writing will cause you anguish but rest assured there is the talk of new laws underway to protect labourers like us. Thus, this situation will pass soon.

Question 7: Explain the three types of movements or flows within the international economic exchange. Find one example of each type of flow which involved India and Indians, write a short account of it.

Answer 7: The three types of movements or flows within the international economic exchange are trade flows, human capital flows and capital flows or investments. These can be explained as—the trade in agricultural products, migration of labour, and financial loans to and from other nations.

1.The flow of trade (trade in goods, e.g. cloth or wheat): India was a hub of trade in the pre-modern world, and it exported textiles and spices in return for gold and silver from Europe.

Fine cotton was produced in India and was exported to Europe. With industrialization, British cotton manufacture began to expand, and industrialists pressurized the government to restrict cotton imports and protect local industries. As a result of the tariffs that were imposed on cloth imports, the inflow of fine Indian Cotton began to decline.

2.The flow of labour (the migration of people in search of employment): In the field of labour, indentured labour was provided for mines, plantations and factories abroad, in huge numbers, in the nineteenth century. This was an instrument of colonial domination by the British. Indentured labourers were hired under contacts which promised return travel to India after they had worked five years on their employer’s plantation. The living conditions were harsh, and the labourers had little protection of the law or from it as they had little rights.

3.The movement of capital (investments) : Lastly, Britain took generous loans from the USA to finance the World War. Since India was an English colony, the impact of these loan debts was felt in India too. Food and other crops for the world market required capital. Large plantations could borrow it from banks and markets.

Question 8: Explain the causes of the Great Depression

Answer 8: The Great Depression was a result of many factors:

1.Agriculture overproduction was a major problem. As a result, agricultural prices fell. As prices fell, so did agricultural incomes. This increased the volume of goods in the market. The situation got worsened in the market. Prices fell down further. Farm produce began to rot due to the lack of buyers. 2.Prosperity in the USA during the 1920s created a cycle of higher employment and incomes. It led to a rise in consumption and demands. More investment and more employment created tendencies of speculations which led to the Great Depression of 1929 up to the mid-1930s. The stock market crashed in 1929. It created panic among investors and depositors who stopped investing and depositing. As a result, it created a cycle of depreciation. 3.The withdrawal of US loans affected the rest of the world in many different ways. In Europe, it led to the failure of the major banks and the collapse of major currencies such as the British pound sterling. Some of the banks closed down when people withdrew all their assets, leaving them unable to invest. Some banks called back loans taken from them at the same dollar rate, in spite of the falling value of the dollar.

Question 9: Explain what is referred to as the G-77 countries. In what ways can G-77 be seen as a reaction to the activities of the Bretton Woods twins?

Answer 9: After the Second World War, many parts of the world were still under European colonial rule, and it took over two decades for the colonies in Asia and Africa to become free independent nations. When they became free, they faced many other problems such as poverty, lack of resources, etc. Economies and societies were handicapped for being under colonial rule for long periods. As colonies, many of the less developed regions of the world had been part of Western empires. The policy of the Bretton Woods twins tilted more in favour of the developed nations of the Western world. Now, ironically, as newly independent countries facing urgent pressures to lift their populations out of poverty, they came under the guidance of international agencies dominated by the former colonial powers. Therefore these colonies organised themselves as a group – the Group of 77 (or G-77) – to demand a new international economic order (NIEO). By the NIEO they meant a system that would give them real control over their natural resources, more development assistance, fairer prices for raw materials, and better access for their manufactured goods in developed countries’ markets.

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The Making of a Global World Extra Important Previous Years’ Topic Wise Questions Class 10 History CBSE

• Post last modified: 9 November 2022
• Post category: Class 10 Social Science Extra Question

The Making of a Global World Important Questions asked in Class 10 History previous years’ CBSE Board Exams given here with topic wise classifications would help a lot in preparing for class 10 CBSE Board exams. Some questions have been provided with more than one answer version.

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Questions from CBSE Sample Q. Paper 2022-23

Q. analyse any two factors that were responsible for the great depression in america during 1929. [cbse sqp, 2022-23].

Ans. (As per CBSE Marking Scheme)

i. Agricultural overproduction remained a problem and it was made worse by falling agricultural prices.

ii. As prices slumped and agricultural incomes declined, farmers tried to expand production and bring a larger volume of produce to the market but it pushed down prices.

iii. In the mid-1920s, many countries financed their investments through loans from the US, it was extremely easy to raise loans in the US when the going was good.

iv. But in the first half of 1928 countries that depended crucially on US loans faced an acute crisis.

v. The withdrawal of US loans affected the rest of the world in different ways In Europe it led to the failure of small major banks and the collapse of currencies such as the British pound sterling.

vi. Any other relevant point (Page – 94)

Q. What helped in the colonisation of Asian and African countries? Identify the correct statement from the following options. [CBSE SQP, 2022-23]

A. Intergovernmental policies for the expansion of trade B. Governmental invite to the mother countries for expansion C. Technology, investments and improvement in transport D. Capitalists of these regions wanted trade with colonial powers

Ans. C- Technology, investments and improvement in transport (Page – 83)

The Pre-Modern World

Note: Answers are based on CBSE marking Schemes. These answers can be elaborated upon to fit the word limit requirement as per the exam paper.

Q. How were the silk routes a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links? Explain. (CBSE Board, Term-I 2012) 

Q. explain any five characteristics of the silk routes..

(i) The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world.  

(ii) They were spread over land and sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia and linking with Europe and Africa.  

(iii) They existed since before the Christian era and thrived almost till the 15th century.  

(iv) Indian and Chinese pottery, textiles and spices travelled to Europe.  

(v) In return, precious metals, gold and silver flowed from Europe to Asia.  

(vi) Buddhism, Christian missionaries, and Muslim preachers also travelled through this route to Asia. 

Q. “Trade and cultural exchange always went hand in hand”. Explain the statement in the light of silk route. [Term-I, 2016-17, 2014] 

• There were several silk routes over land and sea which helped in trade and cultural links between the different countries of the world especially Asia, North Africa and Europe.
• The silk routes got their name due to the Chinese silk cargoes along these routes which were actively functional before the Christian era and up to the 15th century. Chinese pottery, Indian spices The Making of a Global World 83 and precious metals like gold and silver from Europe travelled through these silk routes.
• These silk routes were also used for cultural exchange by Christian missionaries, Muslim preachers and the Buddhists.

Q. In what ways did food items offer scope for long distance cultural exchange? Explain. [Term-I, 2016-17] 

Answer:  

(i) Traders and travellers introduced new crops to the lands they travelled.  

(ii) It is believed that noodles travelled west from China to become spaghetti.  

(iii) Arabs traders took pasta to Sicily, an island now in Italy in the 5th century.  

(iv) Many of our common foods such as potatoes, soya, groundnut, maize, tomatoes, chillies, sweet potatoes and so on were not known to our ancestors. 

Q. Explain how the global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonisation of the Americas? (2011)  

Ans. Global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonisation of the Americans:  

(i) America was not conquered and colonised by Europeans with the help of superior firepower alone.  

(ii) Germs, such as those of smallpox were helpful to a great extent.  

(iii) Americans had no immunity against them as a result of long isolation. Once introduced, the germs spread deep into the continent decimating whole communities and paving way for conquest. 

Q. Why did Europeans flee to America in the nineteenth century? Explain. [SQP-2020]  

Q. state three reasons why europeans fled to america in the 19th century. [term-i, 2013, 11] .

Ans. Europeans fled to America in the 19th century because:  

(i) Until the 19th century, poverty and hunger were common in Europe.  

(ii) Cities were crowded and deadly diseases were widespread.  

(iii) Religious conflicts were common and religious dissenters were persecuted.  

(iv) Scrapping of Corn Laws, led to the inability of British agriculture to compete with imports.  

(v) Thousands of people were left unemployed due to agricultural land lying uncultivated. So, people migrated in thousands, crossed oceans to find employment and a better future  

(vi) In America, plantations were growing cotton and sugar for the European market. These plantations were worked on by slaves. 

Q. Give three examples to show that the premodern world changed with the discovery of new sea routes to America. (Term-I 2012) 

Ans.  A few examples are as follows:  

(i) Many common foods, e.g., potatoes, soya, tomatoes, maize, etc., were introduced to Europe from America. These crops made a difference between life and death. The poor began to eat better and live longer in England with the introduction of potatoes.  

(ii) Religious dissenters from Europe fled due to the fear of persecution in Europe and migrated to America.  

(iii) Slave trade was started. European traders captured slaves in Africa and took them to America where they worked on plantations. Europe became the centre of world trade.  

(iv) Precious metals, e.g., silver from mines located in present-day Peru and Mexico also enhanced Europe’s wealth and financed its trade. 

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• The Making of a Global World: World War and the Great Depression

There were two main events that highlighted the Twentieth century as one of struggle and chaos. The first defining event was the first world war, and then immediately after came the great depression of 1929. Both these events have shaped our modern history. Let us take a detailed look.

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Changes during the world war.

The First World War was fought between 1914 and 1918, primarily in Europe. During this period, many economic and political changes occurred around the global world. The first modern industrial war, World War I, saw a large-scale use of machine guns, tanks, aircraft, chemical weapons, etc. – industrial arms. The war was fought between the following two blocs:

• Allies – Britain, France, and Russia (the US joined later)
• Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey

(Source: Wikipedia)

This war left around 9 million dead and 20 million injured. Most of these dead and/or injured were able-bodied men of the working age-group. Post-war, the number of working members in most households reduced, leading to a sharp decline in income .

A restructure of industries followed to accommodate an increased demand for war-related goods. Also, women began stepping out and taking up jobs that only men did earlier. The war needed a steady source of capital as well. The major powers battling against each other created newer ties. For e.g. Britain started borrowing capital from the US and soon the US became an international creditor.

Browse more Topics under The Making Of A Global World

• The Making of a Global World: Till the Nineteenth Century

Recovering from the World War

Britain had a tough time recovering from the First World War for many reasons:

• While Britain was at war, countries like India and Japan developed industries. Post-war Britain could not re-capture the Indian market or compete with Japan on a global level.
• The capital borrowed by Britain during the war led to a huge external debt which needed to be repaid.
• During the war, there was a surge in employment due to the increased demand of war-related goods. Post-war, as these demands decreased, many people were rendered jobless. In 1921, one out of every five British workers was unemployed.
• Pre-war, Eastern Europe supplied wheat to most of the global world. During the war, Canada, Australia, and America stepped up their wheat production. This was because the supply was disrupted from Europe. Post-war, once Europe started producing wheat again, they created a glut in the wheat market leading to a drop in prices and subsequent decrease in rural income.

The US Boom

Mass production helped the US recover from the post-war economic crisis. Henry Ford, a leading car manufacturer, was the pioneer of mass production . He observed the assembly line used in slaughterhouses in Chicago. The slaughtered animals were picked apart as they came down a conveyor belt. Eventually, he devised a cheaper and faster way of producing vehicles using the conveyor belt method.

In this method, the speed of the conveyor belt determined the speed of production. Workers could not take untimed breaks or indulge in friendly chats. The stress of the pace of work led to mass resignations. Ford then doubled the daily wage and banned trade unions from his organization. Now he could ask his workers to work harder and since he paid them double the wages. Soon, this method was copied by other companies across the US and Europe.

The increased wages also led to a subsequent increase in the purchase of durable consumer goods, like cars, refrigerators, washing machines, radios, gramophone players, etc. A system of ‘hire-purchase’ or installment-purchase as is known today, helped people acquire these goods sooner. These purchases were also fuelled by the housing boom in the US, which was also financed by loans.

This cycle of higher employment and incomes, rising consumer demand, more investment, and even more employment and incomes, contributed to the economic boom of the US. Soon the US became the largest international lender.

The Great Depression of 1929

In 1929, the global world experienced sharp declines in employment, production, trade, and incomes. While all industries were impacted, the agricultural sector was the most affected. The post-war global world economy was already crumbling and these factors pushed it towards an economic depression:

• Agricultural overproduction – Post-war, overproduction of crops was already a problem. The falling prices worsened it further. So, with falling prices and decreasing incomes, farmers tried increasing production to maintain their income. However, this led to a worsened glut in the market and a further drop in prices.
• Withdrawal of loans by the US – By mid-1928, the US had over $ 1 billion in overseas loans. Over the next year, these loans were reduced to around 25% of that amount. This led to an economic crisis in countries who depended on the US for loans. For e.g. in Europe, some banks collapsed and the currency de-valued while in Latin America the prices of agricultural products and raw materials slumped further.

The depression adversely affected the US too. Banks started reducing domestic lending, called back loans, harvests remained un-sold and businesses collapsed. The people who could not repay their loans had to forfeit their cars/ homes. Subsequently, people started migrating to places where they could find employment. The US banking system collapsed and many banks went bankrupt.

The Great Depression and India

In the global world, a crisis in one country affected all the other countries. Pre-depression, India exported agricultural products and imported manufactured goods. During the depression, the imports and exports took a huge hit. The wheat prices fell by around 50%.

It hit our agricultural sector the hardest. The jute farmers suffered as prices dropped by around 60%. Overall, the farmers and peasants faced increasing loans, reducing savings, and mortgaged lands. Subsequently, they started selling gold, jewelry and other precious metals to meet their expenses. Soon India became and exporter of gold which helped the global world in recovering from this depression. However, the farmers and peasants were still suffering.

On the other hand, people living in urban areas were much better off. With fixed sources of income and prices going down, they could afford more for a lesser amount of money.

The Post War Period

Around two decades after the end of the First World War, the Second World War broke out. Fought between the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan, and Italy and the Allies Britain, France, Soviet Union and the US, it went on for around six years.

Source: Wikipedia

Around 60 million people or 3% of the world’s population died. This war caused more civilian deaths than soldiers. Economic and Social disruption was immense. The US and Soviet Union emerged as superpowers post this war.

Lessons Learned from the World War

The economist and world leaders learned two strong lessons from this war:

• The Government must ensure the economic stability of a nation. This can lead to stable employment for people thereby ensuring a stable income. And, this would eventually increase mass consumption further boosting an industrial society based on mass production.
• The government should have complete control over the flow of goods, labour, and capital to be able to ensure full employment of its people.

In July 1944, at the United Nation’s Monetary and Financial Conference was held in Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA. This conference established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank).

• IMF – dealt with deficits and surpluses of its member nations
• World Bank-financed post-war reconstruction

These two institutions started operations in 1947 with decision making powers resting with the western industrial powers and the US having an effective right of veto. In the Bretton Woods system, all national currencies were pegged to the dollar at a fixed rate of exchange. However, the dollar was at a fixed price of $35 per ounce of gold.

Early Post-War Years

The Bretton Woods system helped the global world recover from the economic crisis of the war and brought trade to the Western countries and Japan. The technology was spreading and developing countries were trying to catch up with the other advanced countries. This period saw huge imports of industrial plant and equipment based on modern technology.

Decolonization

The Post-war period also saw a lot of colonies in Asia and Africa emerge as independent countries. However, they were poverty-stricken due to long periods of colonial rule. Once Britain and Japan rebuilt their economies, the IMF and World Bank shifted their focus to these former colonies. International agencies stepped in to help these countries lift their populations out of poverty.

However, these agencies were controlled by former colonial powers and they still had a stake in the vital resources of the former colonies. Also, large corporations of powerful countries like the US managed to secure rights to exploit the natural resources of the developing countries at cheap prices.

Soon the developing countries realized that they were not benefitting from the exponential growth of the western economies. Hence, they created a group – G-77 and demanded a New International Economic Order (NIEO). They demanded for a system wherein they could control their natural resources and have better access to the markets in developed countries for their manufactured goods.

Beginning of Globalization

Post 1960s, the US dollar failed to maintain its value in relation to gold and ceased to be the world’s principal currency. The fixed exchange rate system got abolished and a new floating exchange rate system was introduced.

Earlier, countries would borrow funds from international institutions. However, post-1970s, they were forced to borrow from Western commercial banks. This led to a debt crisis in Africa and Latin America. Unemployment was also very high between the 1970s and early 1990s. This was because companies had started moving their production operations to the low-wage Asian countries.

Since the revolution in 1949, China was cut-off from the post-war world economy. However, with new economic policies, China was soon back in the fold. Due to the low wages in China, it soon became a preferred destination for MNC investments.

Solved Questions for You

Q1. The First World War was fought between which two groups?

Ans. The First World War was fought between:

• Allies – Britain, France, and Russia (the US joined later)

Q2. What were the two major reasons behind the Great Depression of 1929?

Ans. Overproduction of agricultural products and withdrawal of international loans by the US were the two major reasons behind the Great Depression of 1929.

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The Making of a Global World

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Until the nineteenth century, poverty and hunger were common in ___________ and the modern city worldwide has developed only over the last 200___________.Fill in the blank

Poverty and hunger were common in Europe until the.. nineteen century because there were no..enough. work .or any trade because.mamy countries are suferring from diseases and being isolated.

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• The Making Of Global World
• The Nineteenth Century (1815 – 1914)
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The Making Of Global World of Class 10

The nineteenth century (1815 – 1914).

There took place three types of movements or flows within international economic exchange. These are as follows:

•  Flow of Trade: It refers largely to trade in goods; goods were exported from one nation and imported by another.

Examples: India used to export spices, tea, Rice and many other agricultural products to the rest of the world. During the nineteenth and the twentieth century’s, India emerged as a larger exporter of raw materials and importer of manufactured goods.

•  Flow of Labour: It refers to the migration of labour from one country to another. Industrial revolution in Europe and resultant economic activities led to a tremendous increase in demand for labour. This could not be met domestically. Therefore, people from labour-surplus countries were encouraged to migrate to labour-deficit countries.
•  Movement of Capital: Capital moves from one country or region to another for short-term or long-term investments over long distances.

Examples; European capital, specially British capital, moved in a big way to India for investment in railways, industries, etc.

All these flows represented that a world economy was gradually emerging. In a world-economy, different economies get integrated and come to depend upon each other for varied needs.

A WORLD ECONOMY TAKES SHAPE:

(i) Pattern of food production and consumption in industrial Europe changed. Traditionally, countries liked to be self-sufficient in food. But in nineteenth-century Britain, self-sufficiency in food meant lower living standards and social conflict.

(ii) Population growth from the late eighteenth century had increased the demand for food grains in Britain, pushing up food grain prices. Under pressure from landed groups, the government restricted the import of corn, the laws allowing the government to do this were commonly known as "Corn Laws". Unhappy with high food prices, industrialists and urban dwellers forced the abolition of the Corn Laws. After the Corn Laws were scrapped, import of food was cheaper than producing it in the country itself. It resulted in farmers leaving their land uncultivated, thousands of men and women thrown out of work flocked to the cities or migrated overseas.

(iii) From the mid nineteenth century, faster industrial growth in Britain also led to higher incomes, and therefore more food imports. Around the world-in Eastern Europe, Russia, America and Australia lands were cleared and food production expanded to meet the British demand.

(iv) Transportation has to be improved, people had to settle on the lands to bring them under cultivation. This meant building homes and settlements. All these activities in turn required capital and labour. Capital flowed from financial centers such as London.

(v) In mid-nineteenth century nearly 50 million people emigrated from Europe to America and Australia. All over the world some 150 million are estimated to have left their homes, crossed oceans and vast distances over land in search of a better future.

By 1890, a global agricultural economy had taken shape. Food no longer came from a nearby village or town, but from thousands of miles away. Was grown by a peasant working on a large farm, was transported by railway and ships from southern Europe, Asia Africa and the Caribbean. The British Indian government in Punjab built a network of irrigation canals to transform semi-desert wastes into fertile agricultural lands that could grow wheat and cotton for export. The Canal Colonies, as the areas irrigated by the new canals were called, were settled by peasants from other parts of Punjab. So rapidly did regional specialization in the production of commodities (cotton and rubber) develop that between 1820 and 1914 world trade is estimated to have multiplied 25 to 40 times. Nearly 60 percent of this trade comprised `primary products'- such as wheat and cotton, and minerals such as coal.

THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY:

The railways, steamships, the telegraph were important inventions without which we cannot imagine the transformed nineteenth-century world. Take the example of mobile phone and internet in modern world and try to imagine a world without these two important tools of communication. Refrigeration provided an effective and cheaper way to ensure availability of meat products to Europe.

LATE NINETEENTH-CENTURY COLONIALISM:

Trade flourished and markets expanded in the late nineteenth century. But this was not only a period of expanding trade and increased prosperity. It is important to realise that there was a darker side to this process. In many parts of the world, the expansion of trade and a closer relationship with the world economy also meant a loss of freedoms and livelihoods. Late nineteenth- century European conquests produced many painful economic, social and ecological changes through which the colonised societies were brought into the world economy.

Map of colonial Africa at the end of the nineteenth century

RINDERPEST OR THE CATTLE PLAGUE:

Africa had abundant land and a relatively small population. For centuries, land and livestock sustained African livelihoods and people rarely worked for a wage. In the late nineteenth century, Europeans were attracted to Africa due to these vast resources of land and minerals, hoping to establish plantations and mines to produce crops and minerals for export to Europe. But there was unexpected problems- a shortage of labour willing to work for wages. To recruit and retain labour, heavy taxes were imposed which could be paid only by working for wages on plantations and mines. Inheritance laws were changed so that peasants were displaced from land: only one member of a family was allowed to inherit land, as a result of which the others were pushed into the labour market.

Rinderpest arrived in Africa in the late 1880s. It was carried by infected cattle imported from British Asia to feed the Italian soldiers invading Eritrea in East Africa. Entering Africa in the east, rinderpest moved west `like forest fire', reaching Africa's Atlantic coast in 1892. It reached the Cape (Africa's southernmost tip) five years later. Along the way rinderpest killed 90 percent of the cattle. The loss of cattle destroyed African livelihoods. Control over scarce resource of cattle enabled European colonizers to conquer and subdue Africa.

INDENTURED LABOUR MIGRATION FROM INDIA:

In the nineteenth century, hundreds of thousands of Indian and Chinese labourers went to work on plantations, in mines, and in road and railway construction projects around the world. In India, indentured labourers were hired under contracts which promised return travel to India after they had worked five years on their employer’s plantation. Most Indian indentured workers came from the present-day regions of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, central India and the dry districts of Tamil Nadu. In the mid-nineteenth century these regions experienced many changes – cottage industries declined, land rents rose, lands were cleared for mines and plantations. All this affected the lives of the poor: they failed to pay their rents, became deeply indebted and were forced to migrate in search of work.

The main destinations of Indian indentured migrants were the Caribbean islands (mainly Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam), Mauritius and Fiji. Closer home, Tamil migrants went to Ceylon and Malaya. Indentured workers were also recruited for tea plantations in Assam.

Recruitment was done by agents engaged by employers and paid a small commission. Many migrants agreed to take up work hoping to escape poverty or oppression in their home villages. Agents also tempted the prospective migrants by providing false information about final destinations, modes of travel, the nature of the work, and living and working conditions. Often migrants were not even told that they were to embark on a long sea voyage. Sometimes agents even forcibly abducted less willing migrants.

Nineteenth-century indenture has been described as a ‘new system of slavery’. On arrival at the plantations, labourers found conditions to be different from what they had imagined. Living and working conditions were harsh, and there were few legal rights. But workers discovered their own ways of surviving. Many of them escaped into the wilds, though if caught they faced severe punishment. Others developed new forms of individual and collective self expression, blending different cultural forms, old and new. In Trinidad the annual Muharram procession was transformed into a riotous carnival called ‘Hosay’ (for Imam Hussain) in which workers of all races and religions joined. Similarly, the protest religion of Rastafarianism (made famous by the Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley) is also said to reflect social and cultural links with Indian migrants to the Caribbean. ‘Chutney music’, popular in Trinidad and Guyana, is another creative contemporary expression of the post-indenture experience.

These forms of cultural fusion are part of the making of the global world, where things from different places get mixed, lose their original characteristics and become something entirely new.

Most indentured workers stayed on after their contracts ended, or returned to their new homes after a short spell in India. Consequently, there are large communities of people of Indian descent in these countries.

From the 1900s India’s nationalist leaders began opposing the system of indentured labour migration as abusive and cruel. It was abolished in 1921. Yet for a number of decades afterwards, descendants of Indian indentured workers, often thought of as ‘coolies’, remained an uneasy minority in the Caribbean islands.

• Important Terms
• The Pre-Modern World
• Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad
• Indian Trade, Colonialism And The Global System
• The Inter – War Economy
• Post – War Recovery
• Causes Of The Great Depression
• Rebuilding A World Economy: The Post – War Era
• The Early Post – War Years
• Conquest, Disease And Trade

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