CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Revision Notes Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World 2026–27
The Making of a Global World explains how trade, migration, capital, technology and colonialism connected different regions over time. In the CBSE Class 10 History 2026–27 syllabus, this chapter traces globalisation from the pre-modern world to the post-war economy.
The Making of a Global World studies how human societies became connected through goods, people, money, ideas, crops, diseases and technology. The chapter shows that globalisation did not begin recently. It developed through older trade routes, migration, colonial expansion, industrial growth and international economic systems.
Use these CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Revision Notes Chapter 3 to revise the 2026–27 chapter in a clear sequence. Start with the pre-modern world, then move to the nineteenth-century economy, the inter-war crisis, the Great Depression and the Bretton Woods system.
Key Takeaways
- Globalisation: The chapter presents it as a long historical process shaped by trade, migration and capital.
- Three flows: Nineteenth-century exchanges involved goods, labour and capital.
- Rinderpest: The cattle plague killed most African cattle and helped colonial powers control labour.
- Bretton Woods: The IMF and World Bank were created to stabilise the post-war economy.
Struggling with The Making of a Global World timelines, Rinderpest, Great Depression and Bretton Woods concepts?
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The Making of a Global World Class 10 Notes: Chapter Overview
The Making of a Global World Class 10 Notes explain how different regions became economically and culturally linked. The chapter moves from ancient trade routes to modern global production.
| Section | Main Focus | Key Idea |
| Pre-modern world | Trade, travel, food and disease | Early links connected distant societies |
| Nineteenth century | Trade, labour and capital flows | Industrial Europe reshaped world economy |
| Colonialism | Africa, India and labour migration | Global links often involved exploitation |
| Inter-war economy | First World War and Depression | Economic links became unstable |
| Post-war world | Bretton Woods and globalisation | New institutions shaped world trade |
CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Revision Notes Chapter 3: Key Terms
These key terms appear across the chapter and help connect different events.
| Term | Meaning | Chapter Link |
| Globalisation | Growing interdependence between countries | Trade, migration and capital flows |
| Silk Routes | Land and sea routes connecting Asia, Europe and North Africa | Pre-modern trade |
| Corn Laws | British laws restricting corn imports | Nineteenth-century Britain |
| Rinderpest | A cattle disease that spread in Africa | Colonial control over labour |
| Indentured labour | Bonded labour under contract | Indian migration to plantations |
| Tariff | Tax on imports | British textile trade |
| Trade surplus | When exports are higher than imports | Britain’s trade with India |
| Bretton Woods twins | IMF and World Bank | Post-war economic system |
| MNCs | Companies operating in several countries | Modern global production |
The Pre-modern World in The Making of a Global World Class 10 Notes
The pre-modern world had many long-distance connections. Travellers, traders, priests and pilgrims carried goods, ideas, money, skills and diseases across regions.
Silk Routes Link the World
The Silk Routes were land and sea routes connecting Asia with Europe and northern Africa. The name comes from Chinese silk cargoes that moved westwards.
Chinese pottery, Indian textiles, Southeast Asian spices, gold and silver also moved through these routes. Trade and cultural exchange happened together.
Buddhism spread from eastern India through points on the Silk Routes. Christian missionaries and Muslim preachers also travelled along these routes.
| Goods or Ideas | Movement |
| Chinese silk | China to the West |
| Indian textiles and spices | India and Southeast Asia to other regions |
| Gold and silver | Europe to Asia |
| Buddhism | India to other parts of Asia |
| Christianity and Islam | Through trade and travel routes |
Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato
Food is an important example of cultural exchange. Traders and travellers carried crops to new lands.
Noodles may have travelled from China to become spaghetti. Arab traders may have taken pasta to Sicily.
Potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies and sweet potatoes came from the Americas. These foods were introduced in Europe and Asia after Columbus reached the Americas.
| Food Item | Historical Link |
| Noodles and spaghetti | Possible link between China, Italy and Arab traders |
| Potato | Came from the Americas |
| Maize and chillies | Came from the Americas |
| Sweet potato | Came from the Americas |
| Groundnuts and tomatoes | Spread through global contact |
The potato changed the lives of Europe’s poor. In Ireland, poor peasants became dependent on potatoes. When disease destroyed the potato crop in the 1840s, many died of starvation.
Conquest, Disease and Trade
The pre-modern world changed greatly in the sixteenth century. European sailors found a sea route to Asia and crossed the western ocean to America.
America’s vast lands, crops and minerals transformed trade. Silver from Peru and Mexico increased Europe’s wealth and financed trade with Asia.
Spanish conquerors carried smallpox germs to America. America’s original inhabitants had no immunity against this disease. Smallpox killed whole communities and helped European conquest.
| Event | Effect |
| Sea route to Asia | Expanded European trade |
| European arrival in America | Linked America with world trade |
| Silver from Peru and Mexico | Increased Europe’s wealth |
| Smallpox in America | Weakened original inhabitants |
| African slave plantations | Produced cotton and sugar for Europe |
Until the eighteenth century, China and India were among the world’s richest countries. China later reduced overseas contact, and the Americas became more important. This shifted the centre of world trade towards Europe.
Class 10 History Chapter 3 Notes on the Nineteenth-Century World Economy
The nineteenth century changed the world economy through industry, agriculture, migration and technology. Trade expanded, but colonial control also increased.
Three Flows in International Economic Exchanges
Economists identify three major flows in the nineteenth-century economy.
| Flow | Meaning | Example |
| Flow of trade | Movement of goods | Cloth and wheat |
| Flow of labour | Migration for work | Europeans moving to America and Australia |
| Flow of capital | Investment over long distances | Funds from London to other regions |
These flows were connected. Goods needed transport, transport needed capital, and farms or railways needed labour.
A World Economy Takes Shape
Britain’s food economy changed after the abolition of the Corn Laws. Once the Corn Laws were removed, food could be imported more cheaply.
British agriculture could not compete with cheaper imports. Many workers lost jobs and moved to cities or migrated overseas.
Food production expanded in Eastern Europe, Russia, America and Australia to meet British demand. Railways, harbours and settlements were built to support this trade.
| Cause | Effect |
| Population growth in Britain | Demand for food grains increased |
| Corn Laws abolished | Cheaper food imports entered Britain |
| British agriculture declined | Workers moved to cities or abroad |
| More food imports | Land cleared in other countries |
| Need for transport | Railways and harbours expanded |
Nearly 50 million people migrated from Europe to America and Australia in the nineteenth century. Across the world, about 150 million people moved in search of a better future.
Role of Technology in the Global Economy
Technology helped goods and people move faster. Railways, steamships and the telegraph became important tools of global connection.
Refrigerated ships changed the meat trade. Earlier, live animals were shipped from America to Europe and many died on the way.
With refrigerated ships, animals were slaughtered before transport. Frozen meat could be carried over long distances, reducing costs and prices in Europe.
| Technology | Role |
| Railways | Connected farms to ports |
| Steamships | Carried goods and people faster |
| Telegraph | Improved communication |
| Refrigerated ships | Transported meat across long distances |
Late Nineteenth-Century Colonialism
The late nineteenth century saw the expansion of trade and colonial control. European powers divided many regions and brought colonised societies into the world economy.
In 1885, European powers met in Berlin to complete the carving up of Africa. Britain, France, Belgium, Germany and other powers expanded their territories.
Colonialism caused loss of freedom and livelihoods. It changed land use, labour systems, resources and local economies.
Rinderpest, or the Cattle Plague
Rinderpest was a cattle disease that reached Africa in the late 1880s. It spread quickly across the continent.
Africa had abundant land and livestock. Many Africans did not need to work for wages because land and cattle supported their livelihoods.
European planters and mine owners wanted labour for plantations and mines. They imposed heavy taxes and changed inheritance laws to force Africans into wage work.
Rinderpest killed 90 per cent of the cattle. This destroyed African livelihoods and helped colonial powers control labour.
| Before Rinderpest | After Rinderpest |
| Africans had land and livestock | Cattle resources were destroyed |
| Wage work was less attractive | People were pushed into labour markets |
| Local livelihoods were stable | Colonial control increased |
| Cattle supported communities | Mine owners and planters gained power |
Indentured Labour Migration from India
Indentured labour migration from India shows the harsh side of nineteenth-century globalisation. Indian labourers worked under contracts on plantations, mines and construction projects.
Most Indian indentured workers came from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, central India and dry districts of Tamil Nadu. Poverty, debt, rising rents and decline of cottage industries pushed many people to migrate.
The main destinations were Trinidad, Guyana, Surinam, Mauritius and Fiji. Tamil migrants also went to Ceylon and Malaya.
Recruitment agents often gave false information about the destination, work and living conditions. Some migrants were not told that they had to travel by sea.
Nineteenth-century indenture was described as a new system of slavery. Workers faced harsh living conditions, hard labour and few legal rights.
| Feature | Details |
| Source regions | Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, central India, Tamil Nadu |
| Destinations | Caribbean islands, Mauritius, Fiji, Ceylon, Malaya |
| Work | Plantations, mines, road and railway construction |
| Contract promise | Return travel after five years |
| Reality | Harsh work, low rights and punishment |
Workers also created new cultural forms. Hosay in Trinidad, Chutney music and Rastafarianism show how cultures mixed in the post-indenture world.
Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad
Indian bankers and traders financed export agriculture in Central and Southeast Asia. Shikaripuri Shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiars were important groups.
They used their own funds and borrowed from European banks. They also developed systems to transfer money across long distances.
Hyderabadi Sindhi traders set up emporia at busy ports from the 1860s. They sold local and imported goods to tourists.
Indian Trade, Colonialism and the Global System
India had earlier exported fine cottons to Europe. With British industrialisation, British manufacturers wanted to protect their own textile industry.
Tariffs were imposed on cloth imports into Britain. Indian textiles faced competition in international markets.
The share of cotton textiles in Indian exports fell from about 30 per cent around 1800 to below 3 per cent by the 1870s. At the same time, raw cotton exports increased from 5 per cent in 1812 to 35 per cent in 1871.
| Change | Impact on India |
| British textile industry expanded | Indian cotton textile exports declined |
| Tariffs on Indian cloth | British industry gained protection |
| Raw cotton exports increased | India supplied raw materials |
| British goods entered India | Indian market was flooded |
| Britain had trade surplus with India | India helped Britain balance deficits |
Britain used its trade surplus with India to pay home charges. These included private remittances, interest payments and pensions of British officials.
The Inter-war Economy in CBSE Notes Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 3
The inter-war economy refers to the period between the First World War and the Second World War. It was marked by instability, unemployment, debt and the Great Depression.
First World War and Wartime Transformations
The First World War was fought from 1914 to 1918. It involved the Allies and the Central Powers.
It was the first modern industrial war. Machine guns, tanks, aircraft and chemical weapons were used on a large scale.
The war caused 9 million deaths and 20 million injuries. Most of those killed or injured were men of working age.
Women entered jobs that were earlier done by men. Industries were reorganised to produce war-related goods.
Britain borrowed large sums from US banks and the US public. The war changed the United States from an international debtor to an international creditor.
| Change During War | Effect |
| Use of modern weapons | Massive destruction |
| Men joined war fronts | Women entered industrial work |
| War industries expanded | Civilian industries changed |
| Britain borrowed from the US | US became a creditor |
| Working-age men died | Household incomes declined |
Post-war Recovery
Post-war recovery was difficult, especially for Britain. During the war, industries had developed in India and Japan.
After the war, Britain struggled to regain its earlier position in the Indian market. It also faced competition from Japan.
The war boom had increased production and employment. When the boom ended, production fell and unemployment rose.
In 1921, one in every five British workers was out of work. Agricultural economies also faced crisis because wheat production expanded during the war and prices fell after the war.
Rise of Mass Production and Consumption
The US economy recovered faster in the 1920s. Mass production became a major feature of American industry.
Henry Ford used the assembly line to produce cars faster and cheaper. The T-Model Ford became the world’s first mass-produced car.
The assembly line made workers repeat one task continuously. Ford doubled the daily wage to $5 in January 1914, but he also increased the pace of work.
Mass production reduced costs and prices. More workers could buy cars, refrigerators, washing machines and radios through hire purchase.
| Feature | Meaning |
| Assembly line | Workers repeated one task at high speed |
| T-Model Ford | First mass-produced car |
| Higher wages | Workers could buy more goods |
| Hire purchase | Goods bought on credit |
| Consumer boom | Demand for houses and durable goods increased |
The Great Depression
The Great Depression began around 1929 and affected production, employment, trade and income across the world.
One major cause was agricultural overproduction. Farmers produced more than markets could absorb, so prices fell.
Another cause was the withdrawal of US loans. Countries depending on US loans faced serious crisis.
US banks reduced lending and demanded loan repayments. Businesses collapsed, farms suffered and households lost homes and consumer goods.
By 1933, more than 4,000 banks had closed in the US. Between 1929 and 1932, about 110,000 companies collapsed.
| Cause | Consequence |
| Agricultural overproduction | Falling crop prices |
| Withdrawal of US loans | Crisis in dependent countries |
| Reduced bank lending | Businesses collapsed |
| Falling incomes | Households lost homes and goods |
| High unemployment | People searched for work |
India and the Great Depression
The Great Depression showed how closely India was linked with the global economy. A crisis in one part of the world quickly affected India.
India’s exports and imports nearly halved between 1928 and 1934. Wheat prices in India fell by 50 per cent during the same period.
Peasants and farmers suffered more than urban people. The colonial government refused to reduce revenue demands even when agricultural prices fell.
Jute producers in Bengal were hit badly. They had grown jute for the world market, but prices collapsed.
Rebuilding a World Economy in The Making of a Global World Notes
The post-war world was shaped by the effects of the Second World War. New institutions were created to prevent another economic collapse.
Second World War and Reconstruction
The Second World War was fought between the Axis powers and the Allies. It lasted six years and caused huge destruction.
At least 60 million people died directly or indirectly because of the war. Many more were injured.
The war damaged Europe and Asia badly. Cities were destroyed, and reconstruction became a major challenge.
Two powers became important after the war: the United States and the Soviet Union. The US emerged as the dominant economic, political and military power in the Western world.
Bretton Woods Institutions
Economists and politicians learnt two lessons from the inter-war period. First, mass production needed mass consumption. This required stable income and full employment.
Second, governments needed control over flows of goods, capital and labour. Markets alone could not guarantee stability.
In July 1944, the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference was held at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA.
The conference created the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, known as the World Bank.
| Institution | Main Role |
| IMF | Managed external surpluses and deficits |
| World Bank | Financed post-war reconstruction |
| Bretton Woods system | Supported economic stability |
| Fixed exchange rates | Linked currencies to the dollar |
| Dollar-gold link | Dollar fixed at $35 per ounce of gold |
The IMF and World Bank began financial operations in 1947. Decision-making in these institutions was controlled by Western industrial powers.
Decolonisation and Independence
After the Second World War, many colonies in Asia and Africa became independent. These countries faced poverty, lack of resources and weak economies.
The IMF and World Bank were first designed for industrial countries. They were not prepared for the development needs of former colonies.
Newly independent countries later formed the Group of 77, or G-77. They demanded a New International Economic Order.
The NIEO aimed to give developing countries control over natural resources, better development assistance, fair prices for raw materials and better access to developed markets.
End of Bretton Woods and the Beginning of Globalisation
From the 1960s, US overseas costs weakened its finances. The US dollar could not maintain confidence as the main world currency.
This led to the collapse of fixed exchange rates. Floating exchange rates were introduced.
From the mid-1970s, developing countries had to borrow from Western commercial banks and private lending institutions. This caused debt crises in many developing countries.
From the late 1970s, MNCs shifted production to low-wage Asian countries. China became an attractive destination because wages were low.
The relocation of production increased world trade and capital flows. Countries such as India, China and Brazil went through major economic changes.
Timeline from Class 10 History Chapter 3 The Making of a Global World
| Period / Year | Event | Importance |
| 3000 BCE | Indus Valley trade with West Asia | Early global links |
| Before Christian Era to 15th century | Silk Routes flourished | Connected Asia, Europe and North Africa |
| 1492 | Columbus reached the Americas | New crops and minerals entered world trade |
| Mid-16th century | Spanish and Portuguese colonisation of America | Disease and conquest reshaped societies |
| 1815-1914 | Nineteenth-century world economy | Trade, labour and capital flows expanded |
| 1885 | Berlin Conference | European powers divided Africa |
| Late 1880s | Rinderpest entered Africa | Destroyed cattle-based livelihoods |
| 1914-1918 | First World War | First modern industrial war |
| 1929 | Great Depression began | World economy entered crisis |
| 1944 | Bretton Woods Conference | IMF and World Bank were established |
| 1947 | IMF and World Bank began operations | Post-war economic system started |
| Late 1970s | MNCs shifted production to Asia | Modern global production expanded |
Useful Links for Class 10 Social Science History Revision Notes
| Section | Useful Links |
| Revision Notes | CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Revision Notes |
| History Notes | Class 10 History Chapter 1 Notes |
| History Notes | CBSE Class 10 History Chapter 2 Notes |
| Social Science Notes | CBSE Class 10 Social Science Revision Notes |
| NCERT Solutions | NCERT Solutions Class 10 Social Science India and the Contemporary World |
| NCERT Solutions | NCERT Solutions Class 10 Social Science |
| Sample Papers | CBSE Sample Papers for Class 10 Social Science |
| Previous Year Papers | CBSE Social Science Question Paper Class 10 |
Q.1 Explain the three types of movement or flows within international economic exchange.
Answer
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?
Answer
Group of 77 or G-77 was a loose coalition of developing countries, organised in the late 20th 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
Answer
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?
Answer
Capital was required for growing 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?
Answer
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.
Answer
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?
Answer
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?
Answer
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.
Answer
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?
Answer
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’?
Answer
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.
Answer
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 17th Century. The examples should be beneficial as well as harmful.
Answer
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.
Answer
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’.
Answer
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?
Answer
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.
Answer
Caribbean island, Mauritius and Fiji.
Q.18 Which city is called as the fabled city of gold?
Answer
El Dorado, is called as the fabled city of gold. In 17th century many expeditions were set off in search of El Dorado.
Q.19 Which region was called Canal Colonies?
Answer
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.
Answer
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.
Answer
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.
Answer
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.
Answer
Indentured labour is a form of labour widely used in plantations from the mid 19th 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?
Answer
Poverty and hunger, crowded cities, deadly diseases and religious persecutions were very common in Europe till 19th 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?
Answer
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?
Answer
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.
Answer
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?
Answer
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?
Answer
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?
Answer
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’?
Answer
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?
Answer
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’?
Answer
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.
CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Revision Notes
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
The chapter explains the long history of globalisation. It shows how trade, migration, capital, food, disease, colonialism and technology connected different parts of the world over time.
The three flows were trade, labour and capital. Trade meant movement of goods, labour meant migration for work, and capital meant short-term or long-term investment across long distances.
Rinderpest killed 90 per cent of African cattle. This destroyed local livelihoods and pushed Africans into wage labour, which helped European planters, mine owners and colonial governments increase control.
Indentured labour was called a new system of slavery because workers faced harsh conditions, false recruitment promises and few legal rights. Many were punished if they tried to escape plantation work.
The Bretton Woods institutions were the IMF and the World Bank. They were created in 1944 to support post-war economic stability, manage payments and finance reconstruction.