The Making of a Global World (Globalization) Class 10 Notes

GLOBALISATION

Introduction

• We often refer to globalisation as an economic system that has emerged over the last 50 years.
• However, the making of a global world has a long history of trade, migration, movement of people in search of work, flow of capital, and cultural exchange.
• From ancient times, travellers, traders, priests, and pilgrims travelled long distances for knowledge, opportunity, spiritual fulfilment, or to escape persecution.
• They carried goods, money, values, skills, ideas, inventions, and even germs and diseases.
• Example: For more than a millennium, cowries (cowdi) from the Maldives were used as currency and reached China and East Africa.
• Example: The long-distance spread of disease-carrying germs can be traced back to as early as the seventh century.

The Silk Routes and the World

• Historians have identified several Silk Routes, both over land and sea.
• These routes connected vast regions of Asia and linked Asia with Europe and North Africa.
• The name ‘Silk Routes’ highlights the importance of Chinese silk traded westwards.
• Chinese pottery, Indian textiles, and spices from Southeast Asia also travelled along these routes.
• In return, precious metals like gold and silver flowed from Europe to Asia.

Food Travels

• Food provides many examples of long-distance cultural exchange.
• Traders and travellers introduced new crops to the lands they visited.
• Example: It is believed that noodles travelled west from China and became spaghetti.
• Arab traders introduced pasta to fifth-century Sicily.
• Similar foods existed in India and Japan, making the exact origin unclear.
• Many common foods today came from the original inhabitants of the Americas.

Crops: Life and Death

• New crops sometimes made the difference between life and death.
• Example: The introduction of the potato improved diets and living standards in Europe.
• In Ireland, heavy dependence on potatoes led to famine when disease destroyed crops in the 1840s.
• Hundreds of thousands died of starvation.

Conquest, Disease, and Trade

• European sailors discovered sea routes to Asia and America.
• Long before this, the Indian Ocean had active trade networks.
• India played a central role in these exchanges.
• European entry redirected global trade flows towards Europe.
• European conquest was aided not just by weapons but by diseases like smallpox.
• Native Americans had no immunity, leading to large-scale deaths.
• Smallpox destroyed entire communities, paving the way for conquest.

Poverty and Hunger in Europe

• Poverty and hunger were widespread in Europe.
• Cities were overcrowded, diseases common, and religious persecution frequent.
• Many Europeans migrated to America.
• Plantations worked by African slaves produced cotton and sugar for European markets.
• Until the eighteenth century, China and India were among the world’s richest nations.
• Gradually, world trade shifted westwards, making Europe its centre.

The Nineteenth Century

• The nineteenth century brought profound global changes.
• Economists identified three major international flows:
  1. Trade in goods
  2. Migration of labour
  3. Movement of capital
• These flows were closely interconnected and deeply affected people’s lives.

The World Economy

• Britain shifted from food self-sufficiency to food imports.
• Population growth increased demand for food grains.
• Rising food prices led to the Corn Laws, restricting imports.
• Industrialists forced the abolition of the Corn Laws due to high prices.

The Corn Laws

• After the Corn Laws were abolished, cheaper imports flooded Britain.
• British agriculture suffered, and many farmers lost jobs.
• People migrated to cities or overseas.

Technology and Transport

• Railways, harbours, and ships expanded to support global trade.
• Refrigerated ships revolutionised meat trade.
• Meat became affordable for ordinary Europeans.

Colonialism

• Expansion of global trade often meant loss of freedom for colonised societies.
• European powers expanded colonies in Asia and Africa.
• The US also became a colonial power by the late nineteenth century.

Rinderpest: The Cattle Plague

• In the 1890s, rinderpest devastated African cattle.
• The disease was brought by infected cattle from British Asia.
• Nearly 90% of African cattle died, destroying livelihoods.

Indentured Labour Migration from India

• Indentured labourers worked under contracts for a fixed period.
• Indians migrated to plantations, mines, and construction sites worldwide.
• Major destinations included the Caribbean, Mauritius, Fiji, Ceylon, and Malaya.
• Many migrants were misled or forced by agents.
• The system was abolished in 1921 due to exploitation.

India and World Trade

• Indian bankers and traders financed agriculture in Southeast Asia.
• Indian cotton textiles were once globally famous.
• British industrialisation led to restrictions on Indian cotton.
• Britain maintained a trade surplus with India.

The Great Depression (1929–1935)

• The Great Depression caused global economic collapse.
• Agricultural regions suffered the most.
• Overproduction and falling prices worsened the crisis.
• Unemployment rose sharply worldwide.
• By 1935, partial recovery began, but effects lasted long.

India and the Great Depression

• Indian peasants were badly affected.
• Agricultural prices fell, but taxes remained high.
• India exported gold during this period.
• Urban middle-class benefited from falling prices.
• Industrial investment increased due to tariff protection.

Rebuilding the World Economy

• Post–World War II reconstruction was shaped by:
  • US dominance
  • Rise of the Soviet Union
• Governments intervened to ensure economic stability and employment.

Bretton Woods Institutions

• IMF was created to manage financial stability.
• World Bank financed reconstruction and development.
• Fixed exchange rates were introduced.
• Global trade and incomes grew rapidly from 1950–1970.

Decolonisation and Independence

• Many Asian and African countries gained independence.
• Former colonies faced poverty and underdevelopment.
• Developing nations formed the G-77 to demand a fair global order.

End of Bretton Woods and Beginning of Globalisation

• Rising US deficits weakened the dollar.
• Fixed exchange rates collapsed.
• Production shifted to low-wage Asian countries.
• Economic reforms in China and India reshaped the global economy.

Also See: Attempt the Question Paper on The Making of a Global World (Class 10th) 

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Exam Ready Question Answers

1. What is meant by the Pre-Modern World? Explain how globalization existed in it.

(3–5 marks)

The pre-modern world refers to the period before modern industrialisation when people were already connected through trade, travel, and cultural exchanges. Globalisation in the pre-modern world was a long-term process, not a recent phenomenon.

People interacted through:

• Trade of goods like silk, spices, and metals
• Migration of traders, missionaries, and travellers
• Movement of capital, such as gold and silver
• Spread of ideas, religions, and diseases

Evidence of globalization can be found as early as 3000 BCE, proving that the world was interconnected even before modern times.

2. How did trade and migration contribute to globalization in the pre-modern world?

(3 marks)

Trade and migration played a major role in pre-modern globalization:

• Traders exchanged goods like silk, spices, textiles, and metals across continents
• Migrants carried culture, language, and religious ideas to new regions
• Along with people and goods, diseases and germs also travelled

Thus, trade and migration created strong economic and cultural links between distant regions of the world.

3. What were the Silk Routes? Why were they important?

(5 marks)

The Silk Routes were a network of land and sea trade routes connecting Asia with Europe and North Africa.

Importance of the Silk Routes:

1. They facilitated trade of goods such as Chinese silk, pottery, Indian textiles, and spices
2. Precious metals like gold and silver flowed from Europe to Asia
3. They helped spread religions like Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam
4. They promoted cultural exchange between different regions
5. They strengthened economic and social connections across continents

Thus, the Silk Routes were a major link connecting the world in pre-modern times.

4. Explain how food travelled across the world in the pre-modern period.

(3 marks)

Food items travelled across regions through traders and travellers. Many foods that are common today were unknown earlier.

Examples:

• Spaghetti and noodles may share common origins due to long-distance trade
• Crops like potatoes, tomatoes, maize, chillies, and groundnuts were introduced to Europe and Asia only after the discovery of the Americas

This exchange of food items shows that cultures were interconnected even before modern globalization.

5. How did the introduction of new crops affect people’s lives? Give examples.

(5 marks)

The introduction of new crops had a deep impact on people’s lives:

• In Europe, crops like potatoes improved the diet of poor people
• People lived longer due to better nutrition
• In Ireland, poor peasants became heavily dependent on potatoes
• When potato disease destroyed crops in the 1840s, mass starvation occurred
• Hundreds of thousands died due to famine

Thus, new crops could become both a source of survival and disaster.

6. How did the discovery of America transform global trade?

(3–5 marks)

The discovery of America led to major changes in global trade:

• America had vast lands, rich minerals, and new crops
• Precious metals like silver from Peru and Mexico increased Europe’s wealth
• This wealth helped Europe finance its trade with Asia
• New crops from America were introduced to Europe and Asia

As a result, global trade expanded rapidly.

7. Why was European conquest of America successful?

(5 marks)

European conquest was not only due to superior weapons but also because of diseases.

Reasons:

1. Europeans carried diseases like smallpox
2. Native Americans had no immunity to these diseases
3. Entire communities were wiped out before Europeans reached them
4. This weakened resistance against Europeans
5. It acted as a form of biological warfare, making conquest easier

Thus, germs played a crucial role in European domination.

8. Explain the role of diseases in the pre-modern world.

(3 marks)

Diseases played a major role in shaping history:

• Disease-carrying germs travelled through trade and migration
• Long-distance spread of diseases can be traced back to the seventh century
• In America, diseases like smallpox killed large populations
• This affected societies, economies, and political control

Hence, diseases were an unintended but powerful part of globalization.

9. Why did many Europeans migrate to America in the 19th century?

(3 marks)

Many Europeans migrated to America due to:

• Widespread poverty and hunger
• Overcrowded cities
• Deadly diseases
• Religious conflicts and persecution

America offered better opportunities, land, and freedom, attracting thousands of migrants.

10. How were Europe, Africa, and America connected in the pre-modern world?

(5 marks)

Europe, Africa, and America were linked through:

• Trade of cotton and sugar grown in American plantations
• Use of African slave labour on plantations
• Export of raw materials to European markets
• Flow of wealth and goods across continents

This triangular connection strengthened global economic links.

Also See: Attempt the Question Paper on The Making of a Global World (Class 10th)