Chapter 3
The Making of a Global World
Write in brief
(চমুকৈ লিখক)
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.
( সপ্তদশ শতিকাৰ আগতে হোৱা বিভিন্ন প্ৰকাৰৰ গোলকীয় বিনিময়ৰ দুটা উদাহৰণ দিয়ক, এছিয়াৰ পৰা এটা আৰু আমেৰিকাৰ পৰা এটা উদাহৰণ বাছনি কৰক।)
Ans:
(a) Asia: The silk roads are a good example of pre-modern trade before the seventeenth century. Historians have identified several Silk Roads, overland and sea routes linking Asia with Europe and North Africa. . . . . These routes were used to trade Chinese pottery, textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia. In return, precious metals - gold and silver - came from Europe to Asia. Second, Christian missionaries and later Muslim preachers traveled along these routes. It may be mentioned here that in ancient times Buddhism also spread in various directions through intersecting points on the Silk Road.
(b) America: After the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, many of our common foods such as potatoes, soy, groundnuts, corn, carrots, and peppers came from the original inhabitants of the Americas, the American Indians. From the 16th century, America’s vast lands, abundant crops and minerals changed commerce and life everywhere. Precious metals such as silver from the mines of Peru and Mexico added to Europe’s wealth and financed its trade with Asia. Legends about the supposed treasures of South America spread in seventeenth-century Europe. Many expeditions began in search of the supposed city of gold, El Dorado. Thus, before the seventeenth century, there was worldwide exchange.
2. Explain how the global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonisation of the Americas.
(প্ৰাক-আধুনিক পৃথিৱীত বিশ্বব্যাপী ৰোগৰ স্থানান্তৰে আমেৰিকাৰ উপনিবেশ স্থাপনত কেনেদৰে সহায় কৰিছিল বৰ্ণনা কৰক।)
Ans:
(I) The Portuguese and Spanish had a strong firepower and troops.
(II) But in addition to these, they used germs and viruses to conquer parts of the United States.
(Third) Since America was isolated, the original inhabitants had no immunity against these terrible germs and viruses.
(III) Smallpox proved a deadly killer. Once introduced, it spread deep into the continent and killed several communities, and paved the way for conquest.
(IV) Compared to guns and firearms, these germs were more dangerous as guns can be brought or held, but these germs were no answer.
3. Write a note to explain the effects of the following:
a) The British government's decision to abolish the Corn Laws.
(নিম্নলিখিতবোৰৰ প্ৰভাৱবোৰ বৰ্ণনা কৰিবলৈ এটা টোকা লিখক:
ক) ব্ৰিটিছ চৰকাৰে কৰ্ণ আইন বাতিল কৰাৰ সিদ্ধান্ত)
Ans: The decision of the British government to repeal the Corn Act resulted in losses in the agricultural sector, but progress in the industrial sector. More cheap food began to be imported into the UK, and thousands of workers involved in farming became unemployed. Of course, consumption increases and the industrial sector grows, with more workers available in cities than in rural areas.
b) The coming of rinderpest to Africa.
(আফ্ৰিকালৈ ৰিণ্ডাৰপেষ্টৰ আগমন। )
Ans: Rinderpest came to Africa and countless Africans lost their livelihoods. Using this situation to their advantage, the colonizing states conquered and subjugated Africa by monopolizing scarce cattle resources to force Africans into the labor market.
c) The death of men of working-age in Europe because of the World War. d) The Great Depression on the Indian economy.
(বিশ্বযুদ্ধৰ বাবে ইউৰোপত কৰ্মৰত বয়সৰ পুৰুষৰ মৃত্যু। ঘ) ভাৰতীয় অৰ্থনীতিৰ ওপৰত মহাহতাশা।)
Ans: The deaths of working-age men in Europe as a result of the World Wars reduced the able-bodied workforce in Europe, leading to a gradual decline in household income and, consequently, families whose men were disabled or killed struggled to meet their living expenses.
(d) The Great Depression on the Indian economy.
Answer: The coming of rinderpest to Africa caused a loss of livelihood for countless Africans. Using this situation to their advantage, colonising nations conquered and subdued Africa by monopolising scarce cattle resources to force Africans into the labour market.
e) The decision of MNCs to relocate production to Asian countries. 4. Give two examples from history to show the impact of technology on food availability.
(এমএনচিৰ উৎপাদন এছিয়াৰ দেশসমূহলৈ স্থানান্তৰ কৰাৰ সিদ্ধান্ত। 4. খাদ্যৰ উপলব্ধতাৰ ওপৰত প্ৰযুক্তিৰ প্ৰভাৱ দেখুৱাবলৈ ইতিহাসৰ পৰা দুটা উদাহৰণ দিয়ক। )
Ans: The decision of MNCs to relocate production to Asian countries led to a stimulation of world trade and capital flows. This relocation was on account of low-cost structure and lower wages in Asian countries. It also benefitted the Asian nations because employment increased, and this resulted in quick economic transformation as well.
5. What is meant by the Bretton Woods Agreement?
(ব্ৰেটন উডছ চুক্তিৰ অৰ্থ কি? )
Ans: In July 1944, the Bretton Woods Agreement was finalized in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. It established the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for global economic stability and the preservation of full employment in the industrialized world. These institutions also dealt with the external surpluses and deficits of the member states, and provided finance for post-war reconstruction.
Discuss
6. Imagine that you are an indentured Indian labourer in the Caribbean. Drawing from the details in this chapter, write a letter to your family describing your life and feelings.
(কল্পনা কৰক যে আপুনি কেৰিবিয়ানত এজন বন্দী ভাৰতীয় শ্ৰমিক। এই অধ্যায়ৰ বিৱৰণৰ পৰা অংকন কৰি, আপোনাৰ জীৱন আৰু অনুভূতি বৰ্ণনা কৰি আপোনাৰ পৰিয়াললৈ এখন পত্ৰ লিখক।)
Ans: Here is a sample letter:
Dear family members,
I hope you all are doing well and are well there. This letter is about my life
here in the Caribbean where I am a captive worker.
When I came here, life seemed a lot harder and it was amazing
arrive. Of course, I hope to get out of it soon. Although there is life here
Full of struggle and hardship, I didn’t make all of these choices voluntarily. deal
They were made profitable only on the basis of false information and promises. I'm one of them
Don't make slaves here and a lot of money. however, i believe this will pass
Soon.
Your son,
Astrology
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.
(আন্তৰ্জাতিক অৰ্থনৈতিক বিনিময়ৰ ভিতৰত তিনি প্ৰকাৰৰ চলাচল বা প্ৰবাহ বৰ্ণনা কৰক। ভাৰত আৰু ভাৰতীয়সকলক অন্তৰ্ভুক্ত কৰা প্ৰতিটো প্ৰকাৰৰ প্ৰবাহৰ এটা উদাহৰণ বিচাৰক, আৰু ইয়াৰ এটা চমু বিৱৰণ লিখক)
Ans: Economists have identified three types of circulation or 'flow' within international economic exchange. All three flows influenced people’s lives and were closely intertwined. Interconnections can sometimes be broken – for example, labor migration was often more limited than capital flows or goods.
The first type of circulation or flow within international economic exchange
Trade in commodities (such as wheat or cloth) was mainly called the first first type of circulation or flow within international economic exchange in the nineteenth century.
The second type of circulation or flow within international economic exchange
The migration of people in search of employment was regarded as a second type of movement or flow within international economic exchange.
The third type of circulation or flow within international economic exchange
the third is the movement of capital for short-term or long-term investment over long distances.
TradeMovement – India
• India played a pivotal role in the world economy in the late nineteenth century, by helping Britain balance its trade deficit.
• Britain had a 'trade surplus' with India, as the value of British exports to India was considerably higher than the value of British imports from India.
• Historically, fine cotton produced in India was exported to Europe.
• Although construction exports fell rapidly, raw material exports rose equally rapidly.
• With the industrialization of British cotton manufacturers and their expansion, the flow of fine Indian cotton into Britain began to decline. Duties were imposed on cloth imports into Britain to discourage imports from India.
• Britain grew opium in India and exported it to China.
• Indigo was another important export that was used for dyeing cloth.
Long distance capital movement – India
• Indian merchants and Mahajans also followed the European colonizers to Africa
• Hyderabadi Sindhi traders advanced beyond European colonies
• Nattukottai Chettiar and Shikaripuri Shroff were among the many groups of bankers and merchants who financed agricultural exports in Southeast Asia and Central Asia.
• They either borrowed from European banks or used their own funds to provide funding.
• They developed indigenous forms of corporate organization and they had a sophisticated system for moving money over large distances.
Labor Flows – India
• In India, the captive workers were employed under contracts. They were promised that they would return to India after working on their employers' farms for five years.
• The major destinations of Indian captive migrants were Fiji, Mauritius, and the Caribbean Islands (mainly Suriname, Guyana, and Trinidad). Closer to home, Tamil migrants went to Ceylon and Malaya.
• Most Indian captive laborers came from Tamil Nadu, Central India, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and the present-day dry districts of Bihar.
• In these regions people were forced to migrate in search of work as they had become deeply indebted, and they had failed to pay their rents. The reasons behind this was lands were cleared for plantations and mines, land rents, rose and cottage industries had declined.
• In the nineteenth century, hundreds of thousands of Indian and Chinese labourers went to work in mines, plantations, in railway and road and construction projects around the world.
8. Explain the causes of the Great Depression.
( মহাহতাশাৰ কাৰণবোৰ বৰ্ণনা কৰক।)
Ans: What were the main causes of the Great Depression? Suggested causes of the Great Depression include: the stock market crash of 1929; the collapse of world trade as a result of the Smoot-Hawley tariffs; government policy; bank failures and panics; and the collapse of the money supply.
9. 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?
(জি-77 দেশ বুলি কোৱা হয় বৰ্ণনা কৰক। ব্ৰেটন উডছযমজ সন্তানৰ কাৰ্যকলাপৰ প্ৰতি প্ৰতিক্ৰিয়া হিচাপে জি-77 ক কেনেধৰণে দেখা যাব পাৰে?)
Ans: The G77 group was created at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It was formed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, also known as the Bretton Woods Twins, to meet the financial needs of industrialized countries, poverty, lack of resources, etc. as they could not grow as fast as developed countries was. As of 2019, the group has 134 member states.
The group of developing countries demanded a new International Economic Order (NIEO) to rein in natural resources exploited by developed countries.
They called for more support for the development of raw materials and reasonable prices.
They demanded better opportunities for their products in the markets of developed countries. Developing countries also focused on equal distribution of wealth between developed and developing nations as they did not get any benefit from the fast growing economy of western countries.
