The Making of a Global World
Short Answer Questions
1. What were the silk routes mainly used for?
Answer: The silk routes were used for trade and cultural exchanges between Asia, Europe, and Africa.
2. Which food crop from America saved Europe’s poor from hunger?
Answer: The potato saved Europe’s poor from hunger.
3. What was the most powerful weapon of Spanish conquerors in America?
Answer: The most powerful weapon was the germs of diseases like smallpox.
4. What are the three types of international economic flows?
Answer: Trade, labour, and capital.
5. Why were the Corn Laws abolished in Britain?
Answer: The Corn Laws were abolished to allow cheap import of food grains.
6. Which invention made transport of meat cheaper in the 1870s?
Answer: Refrigerated ships made meat transport cheaper.
7. What was rinderpest?
Answer: Rinderpest was a cattle plague that destroyed African livestock.
8. From which regions of India did most indentured labourers come?
Answer: They mainly came from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, central India, and Tamil Nadu.
9. Which countries were the main destinations of Indian indentured labourers?
Answer: They went to the Caribbean, Mauritius, Fiji, Ceylon, and Malaya.
10. When was the indenture system abolished?
Answer: It was abolished in 1921.
11. What did Britain export from India to China to finance tea imports?
Answer: Britain exported opium to China.
12. Which countries were the Allies in the First World War?
Answer: Britain, France, Russia, and later the USA.
13. Who introduced mass production of cars in the USA?
Answer: Henry Ford introduced mass production of cars.
14. In which year did the Great Depression begin?
Answer: The Great Depression began in 1929.
15. What does G-77 stand for?
Answer: G-77 stands for the Group of 77 developing countries.
Long Answer Questions
1. Explain the role of food crops from America in Europe’s life.
Answer: Crops like potatoes, maize, and chillies came from America. The potato especially improved the diet of poor Europeans, helping them live longer. However, dependence on potatoes caused tragedy in Ireland during the famine of 1845–49.
2. How did the discovery of sea routes change world trade?
Answer: European sailors found new routes to Asia and America in the 16th century. This connected the Americas to Europe and Asia, increasing trade in crops, metals, and slaves. It shifted the world’s trade centre towards Europe.
3. What were the effects of the abolition of Corn Laws in Britain?
Answer: After the Corn Laws were scrapped, cheap food grains were imported. British farmers lost jobs and many migrated overseas. At the same time, food consumption in Britain increased.
4. How did technology transform the 19th-century world economy?
Answer: Inventions like railways, steamships, and telegraphs improved communication and trade. Refrigerated ships made it possible to transport perishable goods like meat. These changes reduced costs and connected distant markets.
5. What was the impact of rinderpest on Africa?
Answer: Rinderpest destroyed nearly 90% of African cattle in the 1890s. This ruined African livelihoods and forced people to work for European colonists. It helped Europeans gain more control over Africa.
6. Describe the conditions of indentured labourers.
Answer: Indentured labourers signed contracts promising work for five years. Many were tricked or forced by agents and faced harsh working conditions. Despite suffering, they created new cultural forms like Hosay and chutney music.
7. How did the First World War affect Europe?
Answer: The war caused heavy loss of life and destruction of industries. It reduced Europe’s economic dominance and left countries with huge debts. It also opened opportunities for countries like the USA and Japan.
8. Explain the main causes of the Great Depression.
Answer: Overproduction of agriculture lowered prices and incomes. The sudden withdrawal of US loans worsened the crisis worldwide. Falling demand led to unemployment, bank failures, and collapse of trade.
9. What lessons were learned after the inter-war economic crisis?
Answer: Economists realised that full employment and stable incomes needed government intervention. They also saw that international economic stability was essential. These lessons shaped the Bretton Woods system in 1944.
10. Why was G-77 formed by developing countries?
Answer: After independence, many countries remained poor and dependent. They felt that the IMF and World Bank favoured developed nations. G-77 demanded fair trade, control over resources, and better opportunities for development.
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