NCERT MAKING OF GLOBAL WORLD

Department of Social Science

HISTORY(X)

Chapter 03

MAKING OF GLOBAL WORLD

NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS

Q.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.

Ans. Asia: Caravans carried items such as precious stones and metals, gold, ivory, and glass to

China until around the fifth century C.E. From China, the Parthians and other merchants carried

Silk, furs, ceramics, jade, bronze objects, lacquer and iron. Silk was mostly demanded in Rome.

America: In the sixteenth century, precious metals like silver from the mines of Peru and

Mexico were taken to Europe. This in turn financed European trade with Asia.

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

Colonisation of the Americas.

Ans. A virus called small pox, which was brought from Europe to the America, decimated much of

the native communities around the mid-sixteenth century. The original inhabitants had no

Immunity against such diseases and they were unable to resist the coloniser’s superior

Weapons.

Q.3. What happened when British government decided to abolish the Corn Laws?

Ans. The immediate effect of the British government’s decision to abolish the Corn Laws was the

Inflow of cheaper agricultural crops from America and Australia. 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.

Q.4. Describe in a few words how Rinderpest affected Africa.

Ans. Rinderpest was a cattle epidemic that came to Africa with the infected the meat imported from

British Asia to feed the Italian soldiers invading Eritrea in East Africa. It killed more than 90

per cent of the livestock’s in Africa, making them dependent on Europeans for food and turned

them subservient.

Q.5. How did the death of men of working age in Europe during the World War affect

Europe?

Ans. Most of the victims of world war belonged to young generations of working men. As a result,

it reduced the workforce in Europe, thereby reducing household income. The role of women

Increased and led to demand for more equality of status. It made the feminist movement

Stronger. Women started working alongside men in every field. Women and youngsters became

More independent and free with long-term effects.

Q.6. How did the Great Depression affect agriculture in India?

Ans. The impact of the Great Depression in India was felt especially in the agricultural sector. It

Was evident that Indian economy was closely becoming integrated to global economy. India

was a British colony and exported agricultural goods and imported manufactured goods. The

fall in agricultural price led to reduction of farmers’ income and agricultural export. The

Government did not decrease their tax and so, many farmers and landlords became more

Indebted to moneylenders and corrupt officials. It led to a great rural unrest in India.

Q.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.

Ans. Economy of the nineteenth century are identified into three types or flows by the economist.

They are based on the international exchange of goods and capital. They are:

(i) Trade flow of goods, e.g. cloth or wheat, in which goods are exchanged at long and short

Distances. Indians traded with the rest of the world as early as the Indus Valley

Civilisation. For example, Indus people had trade relations with Mesopotamia.

(ii) Labour flow, e.g. the migration of people for employment, in which industrial countries

Actively create conditions favourable for employment and services. Many Indian labourers

Worked in plantations at South America and other colonies.

(iii) Movement of capital for short-term or long-term investment. In this, movement of

Resources from one country to another takes place through loans or business investments.

The British transferred a lot of capital from India to England before independence.

All three are closely associated and affected the lives of people in the nineteenth century.

Q.8. Give two examples from history to show the impact of technology on food availability.

Ans. The nineteenth century witnessed a high rate of growth in industrial and agricultural products.

(i) The technological development was accelerated by the industrial growth and increasing

World trade. Colonies also provided the resources and markets which sustained the

Industrial growth. Thus, railways were needed to link agricultural regions to the ports from

Where the goods were transported, thereby increasing food availability to more

Destinations.

(ii) Shipbuilding also became an important industry and countries competed to control trade

Routes on seas. Technology helped in the larger social, political and economic factors. For

Example, steamships and railways helped in carrying large volume of trading materials

Between long and inaccessible distance.

Q.9. Explain the causes of the Great Depression.

Ans. The Great Depression was caused by several factors:

(i) Prosperity in the USA during the 1920s created a cycle of higher employment and

Incomes. It led to rise in consumption and demands. More investment and more

Employment created tendencies of speculations which led to the Great Depression of 1929

upto the mid-1930s.

(ii) 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.

(iii) Failure of the banks. 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 dollar. It was worsened by British

Change in policy to value pound at the pre-war value.

Q.10. 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?

Ans. The IMF and the World Bank or the Bretton Woods twins served in the reconstruction of these

Nations. In the process, large corporations of powerful nations like the USA often managed to

Secure economic and other extra-territorial rights over weaker nations.

The economic advances made by the West and Japan in the 1950s and 1960s did not benefit

most of the developing countries.

As a reaction to the activities of the Bretton Woods twins, they organised themselves into a

Group known as the Group of 77 or G-77 in order to demand a new international economic

order (NIEO). The NIEO stood for a system that would give these nations real control over

Their natural resources, more development assistance, fairer prices for raw materials, and better

Access for manufactured goods in their markets.

Q.11. Discuss why the MNCs in recent years have tried to relocate production to Asian countries.

Ans. US business expanded worldwide through the MNCs. In recent years, they have tried to

Relocate production to Asian countries for the following reasons:

(i) Partly to locate their manufacturing operations and become domestic producers to avoid

High tariff rates imposed by different countries.

(ii) It is also because Asian countries are attractive destinations for investment, trying to

Capture world markets with its large population and globalisation.

(iii) The economic transformation of countries like India, China and Brazil also stimulated

world trade and capital flows.

Q.12. How was the USA able to recover from the post–World War Economic crisis?

Ans. The USA was able to recover from the post-war crisis at a great speed. Its economy resumed

its strong growth in the early 1920s. An important factor was the introduction of mass

Production. Henry Ford, owner of the Ford Company, was the first man to start using a new

System of production, known as the assembly line production. Others included large foreign

Investment and war-time loan as well as agricultural exports.

Q.13. Describe how the Great Depression spread from USA to other countries of the world.

Ans. American crisis affected other countries in Europe and elsewhere by virtue of their being

Dependent on her overseas capital investment and loans. Then, their own internal weaknesses

Made the conditions worse. Many factors were responsible including lack of confidence and

Panic among the investors. Britain also decided to return to the gold standard ratio of US dollar

4.86 to 1 pound sterling which was the pre-World War I level.

Q.14. What is Group-77? Why did Group 77 countries demand a New International Economic

Order? Explain.

Ans. The IMF and the World Bank or the Bretton Woods twins served in the reconstruction of these

Nations. In the process, large corporations of powerful nations like the USA often managed to

Secure economic and other extra-territorial rights over weaker nations.

The economic advances made by the West and Japan in the 1950s and 1960s did not benefit

Most of the developing countries.

As a reaction to the activities of the Bretton Woods twins, they organised themselves into a

Group known as the Group of 77 or G-77 in order to demand a new international economic

Order (NIEO). The NIEO stood for a system that would give these nations real control over

their natural resources, more development assistance, fairer prices for raw materials, better

Access for manufactured goods in their markets.

Q.15. What were the main reasons for the attraction of Europeans to Africa?

Ans. (i) The Europeans were attracted to Africa due to its vast resources of land and minerals.

(ii) Europeans came to Africa to establish plantation and mines to produce crops and minerals

for export to Europe.

(iii) The Europeans conquered African and carved up the continent among themselves and

Became colonial powers.

Q.16. what was the impact of technology on food availability? Explain with the help of

Examples.

Ans. Technological advances like faster railways, lighter wagons and larger ships helped more food,

More cheaply and quickly from faraway farms to final markets. The trade in meat is an

Example. Refrigerated ships carried frozen meats from America, Australia to Europe at a lower

cost and reduced the price of meat in Europe. The poor in Europe could now eat meat. Better

Living conditions were promoted.

Q.17. What was Rinderpest? How did Rinderpest change the economy of the African society?

Ans. In Africa, in the 1880s a fast-spreading disease of cattle plague or rinderpest had a terrible

Impact on economy of African society. It was carried by infected cattle imported from British

Asia to feed the Italian soldiers stationed in East Africa. It killed 90 per cent of the cattle of

Africa. The loss of cattle destroyed African livelihoods. Planters, mine owners and colonial

Governments now monopolised remaining cattle resources. Africans were forced into the labour market. Control over the scarce resource of cattle enabled European colonisers to

Conquer and subdue Africa

Q.18. Write down important causes and effects of the Second World War.

Ans. The Second World War started in 1939 and continued up to 1945. The two warring camps

were :

(i) The Allies consisting of Britain, France, Russia and the USA.

(ii) The Axis powers consisting of Germany, Japan and Italy.

Causes :

Many factors caused the Second World War. The Great Depression of 1929, failure of the

League of Nations, rise of dictatorship in Germany and Italy under the Nazis and

Mussolini respectively were some of the important causes.

Effects :

(i) About 3 per cent of the world’s population perished.

(ii) Two crucial developments shaped the post-war scenario. They were:

(a) The emergence of USA and the USSR as superpowers.

At least 6 Million people died, millions more were injured. Most of the deaths took

Place outside the battlefields. More civilians than fighting soldiers died. Vast parts

of Europe and Asia were devastated and several cities destroyed by aerial

Bombings. It caused enormous economic devastation and social disruption.

Reconstruction was long and difficult.

(b) The establishment of international organisations like the UNO and others to maintain

Peace and stability.

Q.19. Discuss some important features of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Ans. Role: The IMF was to deal with external surpluses and deficits of its member nations. The

World Bank was an international bank for reconstruction and development aimed to finance

the post-war reconstruction.

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

Features:

(i) The western powers and especially the USA controlled the decision-making provisions

such as the right to veto.

(ii) The international monetary system was to link national currencies and monetary system.

(iii) The Bretton Woods system was based on a fixed exchange rate whereby national

Currencies were pegged to the American dollar at a fixed rate. The dollar was anchored

to gold at a fixed price of $35 per ounce of gold.

Q.20. Why was the Nineteenth Century Indenture described as a ‘New System of Slavery’?

Ans. In the 19th 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 five

Years of work. Recruitment was done by agents engaged by employers. Many migrants agreed

to take up work, hoping to escape poverty or oppression in their home villages. Agents gave

Them false information about final destinations, modes of travel or nature of the work and

Living and working conditions. Often the migrants were not even told that they would have to

Make a long sea voyage. Sometimes agents even forcibly abducted less willing migrants.

On arrival at the plantations, labourers found conditions to be very different from what they

Were told. Living and working conditions were harsh, they had few legal rights. It was indeed a new system of slavery which was condemned by Indian nationalist leaders in 1900 as abusive

and cruel. Finally Indentured Labour was abolished in 1921.