The Making of Global World Class 10 Notes: This chapter explores how the world has become interconnected over centuries.
It traces the complex processes through which economies, societies, and cultures linked globally. Understanding this historical context helps comprehend modern globalisation. These notes highlight key events and changes, crucial for students preparing for examinations on "the making of global world class 10 notes."
Get concise and informative The Making of Global World Notes for Class 10 notes , covering globalization, Industrial Revolution, trade, and economic changes, perfect for quick revision and exam preparation.
Globalization refers to an economic system with free movement of goods, technology, ideas, and people globally. Around 3000 BCE, coastal trade linked Indus Valley civilizations with West Asia. Cowries (seashells) served as currency.
Silk Routes exemplify vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links. Named for Chinese silk cargoes, these routes crisscrossed Asia, linking it with Europe and North Africa by land and sea.
Noodles traveled from China to become spaghetti in the West. Arab traders took pasta to 5th-century Sicily. Foods like potatoes, soya, maize, and tomatoes were introduced to Europe and Asia after Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.
Precious metals from Peru and Mexico's mines boosted European trade with Asia. Many expeditions searched for El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. Spanish conquerors used smallpox germs to aid their conquest of America.
The world changed deeply during this period. Economists identify three key flows in international economic exchanges:
Trade: Mostly goods like cloth or wheat.
Labour: Migration of people for employment.
Capital: Long-distance investments.
These flows were closely interwoven, affecting people's lives profoundly.
In 19th-century Britain, population growth increased food grain demand. Under pressure, the government restricted corn imports with 'Corn Laws'. Industrialists and urban dwellers forced the abolition of these laws due to high food prices. Imported food became cheaper. This stimulated global food production. Millions migrated from Europe to America and Australia.
Railways, steamships, and the telegraph transformed the 19th-century world. Refrigerated ships allowed transport of perishable foods. Animals were slaughtered at the source (America, Australia, New Zealand) and transported as frozen meat to Europe, reducing costs and prices.
Trade flourished and markets expanded. European powers colonized Asia and Africa. Belgium, Germany, and later the US (from Spanish colonies) became new colonial powers. This expansion often meant loss of freedom and livelihoods for colonized populations.
Rinderpest, a fast-spreading cattle plague, hit Africa in the 1890s. It arrived with infected cattle imported from British Asia to feed Italian soldiers in East Africa. The plague killed 90% of African cattle, allowing colonial governments to strengthen power and force Africans into the labour market.
Indentured labourers were bonded under contract to work for an employer for a specific time, to pay off passage. In the 19th century, thousands of Indian and Chinese labourers moved to plantations, mines, and construction projects globally. Recruitment agents often provided false information. Labourers faced harsh living and working conditions. The system was abolished in 1921. This forms a key part of class 10th history chapter 3 notes.
Indian bankers like Nattukottai Chettiars financed agricultural exports to Central and Southeast Asia. Indian traders and moneylenders followed Europeans into Africa. Hyderabadi Sindhi traders ventured beyond European colonies. The Industrial Revolution shifted the trade balance. Britain gained a trade surplus with India, destroying Indian handicraft and agriculture.
Historically, fine Indian cottons were exported to Europe. With industrialization, British cotton manufacturing expanded. Tariffs were imposed on Indian cloth imports into Britain. Indian cotton textile exports declined from 30% around 1800 to below 3% by the 1870s.
The First World War (1914-18) impacted the entire world. It was a modern industrial war, using machine guns, tanks, and chemical weapons. Nine million died, 20 million were injured. The US transformed from an international debtor to a creditor.
Post-war economic recovery was difficult, especially for Britain. India and Japan developed industries during the war. The war boom ended, leading to production cuts and unemployment. The US recovered quicker. Henry Ford's 'assembly line' method spread, leading to mass production. This lowered costs and prices of engineered goods. A housing and consumer boom in the 1920s eventually led to the Great Depression of 1929. Markets crashed, banks failed, and companies collapsed.
India was also affected. Exports and imports declined, prices fell significantly. Bengal jute growers suffered most. Large-scale migration occurred from villages to towns.
The Second World War brought immense destruction, killing about 60 million people. Post-war reconstruction was shaped by two influences: the US's emergence as a dominant power and the dominance of the Soviet Union.
To ensure economic stability, the UN Monetary and Financial Conference at Bretton Woods established:
International Monetary Fund (IMF) for external surpluses and deficits.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) for post-war reconstruction.
These 'Bretton Woods twins' began operations in 1947. The system relied on a fixed exchange rate, pegging national currencies to the US dollar. Western industrial powers, mainly the US, controlled decision-making.
Between 1950 and 1970, world trade grew over 8% annually. Incomes grew by 5%, and unemployment remained low in most industrial countries. This period saw a global spread of technology and enterprise.
After WWII, many Asian and African nations gained independence. The Group of 77 (G-77), formed by developing countries, demanded a New International Economic Order (NIEO). This aimed to give them real control over national resources and markets. Multinational companies (MNCs) emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, operating across several countries. These historical developments are central to "the making of global world notes."
From the 1960s, US overseas involvements weakened its finances. The US dollar lost confidence as the world's principal currency, unable to maintain its value against gold. This led to the collapse of fixed exchange rates and the introduction of floating exchange rates. Unemployment rose in the industrial world from the mid-1970s. MNCs shifted production to low-wage Asian countries, like China, attracting foreign investment. This chapter, "class 10 history ch 3 notes," highlights these shifts.
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