03. The Making of a Global World H

The Pre-modern World

Globalization is the free movement of goods, services and people across the world .

The making of the global world has a long history  of trade, of migration, of people in search of work, the movement of capital. 

As early as 3000 BCE an active coastal trade linked the Indus valley civilisations with present-day West Asia. 

For more than a millennia, cowries of Maldives reached China and East Africa.

Cowries/Cowdi - Seashells, used as a form of Currency

1. Silk Routes 

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’points to the importance of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route. 

Historians have identified several silk routes, over land and by sea, interlacing wider regions of Asia and connecting Asia with Europe and Northern Africa. 

Silk Routes facilitated trade and cultural exchange between the East and the West. 

The Buddhist Preachers, Christian missionaries and Muslim preachers travelled along these routes.

Chinese pottery, textiles and spices also reached other parts of the world from India and South East Asia through the Silk Rute. In return, precious metals (gold and silver) flowed from Europe to Asia.

2. Food Travels : Spaghetti and Potato : 

Food offers many examples of long-distance cultural exchange.

Traders or travellers introduced new crops to the place they visited. 

Many historians believe that noodles ravelled from China to west and became spaghetti. It is also believed that Arab traders took pasta to Sicily (an island  in Italy) in  fifth-century

Five centuries ago, Indians were not aware of potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies and sweet potatoes. 

These foods were introduced to Europe and Asia only after Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.

Many of our common foods came from America’s original inhabitants (the American Indians)

Europe’s poor began to eat better and live longer with the introduction of the humble potato. 

The poor peasants of Ireland became so dependent on potatoes that when disease destroyed the potato crop in the mid-1840s, hundreds of thousands died of starvation.

3. Conquest, Disease and Trade : 

European sailors found a sea route to Asia and successfully crossed the western ocean to America, in the 16th century . 

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

In Peru and Mexico precious metals especially silver were found which increased Europe’s wealth and financed trade with Asia. 

Many expeditions set off in search of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. 

Portuguese and Spanish conquered and coloniezd America by the mid-sixteenth century.

The weapon used by European was germs of smallpox smallpox. They used Biological Warfare. America’s original inhabitants had no immunity against these diseases that came from Europe. So smallpox proved a deadly killer.

In nineteenth century, poverty and hunger were common in Europe. Cities were crowded and deadly diseases were spread. Religious conflicts were common, and religious dissenters were persecuted. Therefore thousands fled Europe for America.

Until eighteenth century, plantations worked by slaves captured in Africa were growing cotton and sugar for European markets.

1. Which disease travelled from Europe to America and was responsible for mass deaths of the original inhabitants of America?

   Smallpox
2. What was the currency used for more than a millennia in the ancient trade?

    cowries (the Hindi cowdi or seashells)
3. Which goods from the American continent enhanced Europe’s wealth and financed its trade with Asia after its discovery in the 16th century?

   Precious metals, particularly silver
4. Until well into the eighteenth century, which two countries were among the world’s richest countries?

   China and India
5. Who worked in American plantations during the 18th century?

   Slaves captured from Africa.
6. Which foods were introduced in Europe and Asia after Christopher Columbus discovered America?

   potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies, sweet potatoes
7. Who said that smallpox signalled God’s blessing for the colonists: ‘… the natives … were neere (near) all dead of small Poxe (pox), so as the Lord hathe (had) cleared our title to what we possess”.

   John Winthorp, the first governor of the Massachusetts.
8. Who discovered America? 

   Christopher Columbus.
9. Who was a Dissenter ?

   One who refuses to accept established beliefs and practices.
10. What exchange did Europe return to Asia in the form of trade?

    gold and silver – flowed from Europe to Asia
11. What is El Dorado ?

    El Dorado was deemed to be the fabled city of gold. 
12. Who traveled on the Silk Roads in the pre-modern world?

    (i) Christian missionaries (ii) Traders 

    (iii) Muslim preachers      (iv) Buddhist Preachers
13. Which common foods were introduced to our ancestors after Columbus discovered America ? 

    Potatoes, soya, maize, tomatoes, chillies, groundnuts and sweet potatoes were introduced in Europe and Asia after the discovery of America by Columbus.
14.  What kind of silk routes have been identified by historians ? 

    Historians have identified several silk routes, over land and by sea, interlacing wider regions of Asia and connecting Asia with Europe and Northern Africa. 
15. What were ‘Silk Routes’ ? 

    The silk routes were the  vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world. 
16. What kind of cultural exchanges were made through ‘Silk Route’ ?

    Silk  route was used by Christian Missionaries, Muslim and Buddhist preacher. Therefore this route transferred different ideology to different region.
17. How did dependency on potatoes kill the poorest peasants of Ireland ? 

    The poor peasants of Ireland became so dependent on potatoes that when disease destroyed the potato crop in the mid-1840s, hundreds of thousands died of starvation.
18. How did food like ‘Noodles’ travel to various parts of the world and got adopted by different names ? 

    The food like ‘Noodles’ travelled west from China to become Spaghetti and Pasta in Italy. It is also believed that Arab traders took pasta to fifth century Sicily, an island in Italy. 
19. Why did Europeans flee to America in the 19th century? Give three reasons. 

    In 19th century, 

    (i) Poverty and hunger were common in Europe. 

    (ii) Cities were crowded and deadly diseases were wide spread. 

    (iii) Religious conflicts were common, and religious dissenters were persecuted.
20. “Trade and cultural exchange always went hand in hand.” Explain the statement in the light of Silk Route. 
    The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world.  

    The silk route was used by the Chinese traders to export silk to other countries.

    These routes were also used to spread religions.  Buddhism come out from Eastern India and spread in several directions through  the silk routes. 

    Early Christian missionaries travelled this route to Asia and Muslim preachers also spread across the world through this route.

    Chinese pottery, textiles and spices also reached other parts of the world from India and South East Asia through the Silk Rute. In return, precious metals (gold and silver) flowed from Europe to Asia.
21. Mention any two advantages of the Silk route in the premodern trade.
    (i) The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world. 
    (ii) Silk Routes facilitated trade and cultural exchange between the East and the West. 
    (iii) The Christian missionaries and Muslim preachers travelled along these routes.
    (iv) Buddhism spread in several directions through intersecting points on the silk route.