The nineteenth century (1815-1914) - Concepts - Chapter 3 Class 10 History - The Making of a Global World - History

The Nineteenth Century (1815-1914)

• The world changed drastically during the nineteenth century.
• Economic, social, political, cultural, and technological factors transform societies and develop external relations.
• Economists categorized three types of movements or flows within the context of global economic change.
• The flow of trade - Movement of goods across the globe.
• The flow of labor -  Movement of people in search of employment.
• The flow of capital - Short-term and long-term investments over long distances.
• The types of movements help to understand the world economy better.

A World Economy takes shape 

• In the late 18th century demands for food , and grains increased in Britain because of population growth.
• Due to the rapid growth of industrialization and urbanization, demand for agricultural products increases and leading to inflation.
• Government restricted the i mport of crops under Corn-laws.
• After the abolition of Corn Law , food was imported into Britain more cheaply.
• Agricultural land was left uncultivated and people migrate to other regions.
• In the mid-nineteenth century, faster industrial growth in Britain resulted in more food imports and higher income.
• Railways were introduced to connect the agricultural areas to the ports.
• All the activities needed capital and labour.
• Capital and financial aid flowed from London .
• 50 million people migrated from Europe to America and Australia
• By 1890, the global agriculture economy had been modified accompanied by labor movement patterns, capital flows, and technology.
• British Indian Government built a network of irrigation canals to convert arid land to fertile agricultural land.

Role of Technology

• Colonization enhanced the new investments and improvements in t ransportation.
• The development of new technology such as r efrigerated ships helps in the transportation of perishable goods over long distances.
• Animals were slaughtered for food in America , Australia, and New Zealand and then transported to Europe as frozen meat.

Late nineteenth-century Colonialism

• Trade and markets flourished in the late 19th century.
• Through numerous severe economic, social, and ecological transformations brought about by European conquest, cultures were integrated into the global economy .
• Africa become colonized by the European powers.
• Britain and France significantly expanded their oversea territories .
• Belgium and Germany became colonial powers.
• The US became the colonial power by conquering some colonies of Spain .

Rinderpest, or the Cattle Plague 

• Africa in the 1890s faced the fast-spreading disease called cattle plague or rinderpest.
• Rinderpest had a terrifying impact on the people and the country’s economy .
• Rinderpest was carried by infected cattle imported from British Asia.
• The loss of cattle destroyed African livelihoods
• In the late 19th century, Europeans were attracted to Africa due to its vast resources of land and minerals.
• Europeans came to  Africa to produce crops and minerals.
• Colonial Government took the advantage of the epidemic situation and force Africans i nto the labor market.
• European colonizers control the scarce resource of cattle and conquer Africa.

  Indentured Labour Migration from India

• Indentured labor - A bonded labor under a contract to work for an employer for a specific amount of time.
• Indians and Chinese laborers work in plantations, mines, and in road and railways construction projects across the world.
• In India, Indentured labors were hired under contract.
• Most of them come from  Uttar Pradesh , Biha r, and other states of Central India and Tamil Nadu.
• Cottage industries declined, an increase in land rents, and land was cleared for mines and plantations resulting in debt and forced to migrate for work.
• The prime destinations of Indian indentured migrants were Caribbean Island, Mauritius, Fiji, Ceylon, and Malaya 
• Indentured was described as a new system of slavery.
• The working conditions of workers were harsh and they have to follow strict legal norms .
• From the 1990s Indian leaders oppose the system of indentured labour.
• This system was abolished in 1921.

Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad

• Earlier groups of bankers and traders financed the export of agriculture in Central and Southeast Asia.
• They used their own funds or borrowed from European banks .
• Indian traders followed European colonizers into Africa.
• From 1860s, Hyderabadi Sindhi traders established emporia (Showrooms) across the world.

Indian Trade, Colonialism and the Global System 

• Fine cotton produced in India was exported to Europe .
• Tariffs were imposed on cloth imports into Britain.
• The inflow of fine Indian cotton began to decline.
• Indian textile faces stiff competition in other international markets.
• Export of manufacture declined rapidly whereby export of raw materials increased equally fast.
• Indigo is also an important export item .
• Britain grew opium in India and exported it to China. 
• The value of  British exports to  India was higher than the value of British imports from India.
• Britain had a trade surplus with India.