NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in Europe
In 1848, Frédéric Sorrieu, a French artist – 4 prints on democratic and socialist republics
1st
print – people of Europe & America in long train – homage to Statue
of Liberty (torch of enlightenment in one hand and Charter of Rights of
man in another) with remains of symbols of absolutist (no restraints on
power exercised) institutions
Utopian (ideal society
unlikely to actually exist) vision – people of world are grouped as
nations, identified by flag and national costume
Leading the procession are USA & Switzerland (already nation states)
followed by France (revolutionary tricolor), Germany (black, red and
golden flag). Till the time Sorrieu created the image Germans were not
united nation and carried liberal hopes in 1848 for unification.
Followed by Germans were peoples of Austria, the Kingdom of the Two
Sicilies, Lombardy, Poland, England, Ireland, Hungary and Russia.
Nationalism brought change in political and mental world of Europe –
led to emergence of nation-state rather than multi-national dynastic
empire. Under nation state – sense for common identity and shared history developed & was result of struggle, action of leaders and common people
Renan in “What is Nation?” - A nation is the culmination of a long past
of endeavors, sacrifice and devotion. A heroic past, great men, glory
that is the social capital upon which one bases a national idea. Its existence is a daily plebiscite (direct vote to accept or reject proposal)
French Revolution
1st expression of nationalism in 1789
Transfer from monarchy to body of French citizens – people constitute the nation and shape the destiny
The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen)
emphasized the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights
New French tricolor flag to replace former royal standard
Estates General was elected and renamed as National Assembly
Centralized administrative system with uniform laws for citizens within territory
Abolish internal custom duties and dues
Formulate uniform system of weights and measures
French became a common language and regional dialects were discouraged
Aim to liberate people of Europe from despotism
Establishment of Jacobin clubs – French army moved into Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy in 1970s
Developments under Napoleon – Civil Code of 1804 (Napoleonic Code) did
away with privileges based on birth, established equality and secured
right to property. He abolished feudal system and freed peasants from
serfdom. He removed guild restriction and improved transportation.
Initially French armies were welcomed in Brussels, Mainz, Milan and
Warsaw, Holland and Switzerland as harbinger of liberty but later turned
hostile as there was increased taxation, censorship and forced
conscription.
Image of Europe After Congress of Vienna, 1815
Image of Europe after Congress of Vienna, 1815
Europe after Congress of Vienna, 1815
Making of Nationalism in Europe
Developments:
1797 – Napoleonic Wars begin
1814-1815 – Fall of Napoleon
1821 – Greek struggle for independence
1848 – Revolutions in Europe – demand for nation states by Italians, Germans, Magyars, Poles, Czechs
1859-1870 – Unification of Italy
1866-1871 – Unification of Germany
1905- Slav nationalism gather force in Habsburg & Ottoman
Habsburg Empire (Austria-Hungary) - many different regions and peoples. It includes:
Alpine regions – Tyrol, Austria and the Sudetenland
Bohemia - German-speaking
Italian-speaking provinces of Lombardy and Venetia
Hungary – half population spoke Magyar & others regional dialects
Polish speaking people in Galicia
Peasants
- Bohemians and Slovaks to the north, Slovenes in Carniola, Croats to
the south, and Roumans to the east in Transylvania
Dominant class
on this continent – Landed aristocracy united by common way of life,
owned estates & town houses, spoke French for diplomacy, connected
by marriage ties but was small in number
Peasantry was majority
West Europe – farming by tenants and small owners
East & Central Europe – vast estates cultivate by serfs
West & central Europe – growth of industrial production, emergence of commercial class
2nd half of 18th century – industrialization in England & in 19th century in French and German states
Liberal
Nationalism – liberalism (Latin – liber means free) means freedom for
individual and equality of all before law. It stood as end of autocracy
and clerical privileges & stressed inviolability of private property
Universal
suffrage – France – initially only property owned man had right to
vote. Under Jacobins, right was given to all adult males. Under
Napoleon, righted were limited and reduced for women. Later opposition
movements began.
Liberalism stood for freedom of market and
abolition of state imposed restrictions on movement of goods and
capitals under economic sphere. Demand for emerging middle class
increased.
Under Napoleon – confederation of 39 states with own
currency, weights and measures. Merchant had to pass numerous custom
barriers and pay custom duties on all. Elle (measurement
for cloth) – In Frankfurt was 54.7 cm of cloth, in Mainz it was 55.1 cm,
in Nuremberg it was 65.6 cm, in Freiburg it was 53.5 cm.
In 1834, a customs union or zollverein
was formed at the initiative of Prussia and joined by most of the
German states. The union abolished tariff barriers and reduced the
number of currencies from more than 30 to 2. Idea was to bind
economically, protect external interest and stimulate internal
productivity.
Conservatism After 1815
Conservatism is a philosophy that stresses on tradition, customs and prefers gradual change
They believed modernization can strengthen traditional institutions like monarchy making state more effective
Modern army, efficient bureaucracy, dynamic economy, abolition of
feudalism and serfdom could strengthen autocratic monarchies of Europe
In 1815, Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria who collectively defeated
Napoleon met at Vienna under Congress hosted by Austrian Chancellor
Duke Metternich to draw Treaty of Vienna. Idea was to undo
changes that happened under Napoleonic wars. Kept a check on expansion
of French territory with Netherlands including Belgium in north &
Genoa in south, Prussia on west & Austria controlled north Italy.
Prussia given part of Saxony & Russia given part of Poland.
Confederation of 39 states of German was untouched. Sole objective was
to restore monarchies overthrown by Napoleon.
This
regime was autocratic, did not tolerate criticism & curbed
activities that questioned legitimacy of autocratic government.
Censorship laws were imposed to control what has been said in
newspapers.
The Revolutionaries
Secret societies sprang up to train revolutionaries and spread ideas,
oppose monarchy after Vienna congress and fight for liberty and freedom.
Giuseppe Mazzini, Italian: born in Genoa in 1807
& became member of Carbonari secret society. Was exiled in 1831 for
revolution in Liguria. Formed 2 societies as Young Italy in Marseilles
& Young Europe in Berne (1833). He explained God has intended
nations to be natural units of mankind. So Italy must be forged with
single unified republic. Metternich described him as ‘the most dangerous
enemy of our social order’.
Age of Revolutions: 1830-1848
Revolutionaries were educated middle class elite, professors, school teachers, clerks and commercial middle classes.
France upheaval in 1830 – Bourbon kings restored to power were overthrown by liberal Louis Phillippe
Metternich said ‘When France sneezes, the rest of Europe catches cold.’
July Revolution sparked uprising in Brussels that led to Belgium breaking away from UK of Netherlands.
Greek war of independence – Greece was part of Ottoman Empire since 15th
century & struggle began in 1821. Nationalist in Greece got support
from Greece living in exile. Lord Byron organized funds and later went
to fight in the war, where he died of fever in 1824. Treaty of
Constantinople of 1832 recognized Greece as an independent nation.
Imagination & National Feeling
Nationalism came across by idea of culture (poetry, story and music) along with wars and territorial expansion.
Romanticism – criticized glorification of reason and science &
focused on emotions, intuition and mystical feelings. Idea was to share
collective heritage, common cultural past and basis of nation.
French painter Delacroix – incident where 20,000 Greeks were said to have been killed by Turks on the island of Chios.
Johann Gottfried Herder, German – discover German culture among common
man (das volk) – by folk songs and dances spirit of nation (volksgeist)
was popularized
Collection of vernacular language and folklore to carry message to illiterate audiences
Poland was partitioned by Great Powers (Russia, Britain & Austria)
and feelings kept alive by music and language. Polish language was
forced out and Russian became the common language. Members of the clergy
in Poland began to use language as a weapon of national resistance.
Polish was used for Church gatherings & seen as symbol of struggle
against Russian dominance.
Karol Kurpinski
celebrated the national struggle through his operas and music, turning
folk dances like the polonaise and mazurka into nationalist symbols
Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm who published 1st
tales in 1812 & later published 33 volume dictionary of German
language. French domination was considered a threat to German culture
and their folktales were useful in building nationalistic feelings.
Hunger, Hardship & Popular Revolt
1830s – years of economic hardships in Europe
1st half of 19th century – increase in population in Europe
Population migration to urban areas and increasing slums
Stiff competition from cheap machine made imports
Peasants struggled under burden of feudal dues and obligations where aristocracy was in power
Rise of food prices and years of bad harvest aggravated the issue
1848 – Widespread food shortage, unemployment in Paris & Louis
Phillippe was forced to flee. National assembly proclaimed a republic
and granted suffrage to all men above 21 years and guaranteed right to
work.
1845 – weavers in Silesia led revolt against
contractors who supplied them raw material and gave orders for finished
product but drastically reduced payments.
1848: Revolution of Liberals
Brought abdication of monarch and republic based on universal male suffrage
Germany, Italy, Poland, the Austro-Hungarian Empire – men and women of
the liberal middle classes combined their demands for constitutionalism
with national unification – constitution, freedom of press and freedom
of association
In Germany, German National Assembly was formed on 18th
May, 1848 with 831 elected representatives. They drafted a constitution
for German nations to be headed by monarchy. Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King
of Prussia, rejected it and joined other monarchs to oppose the elected
assembly. Parliament was dominated by middle class who resisted
workers’ demands. Assembly was disbanded and troops were called in.
Women formed political associations, founded newspapers and took part
in political meetings but were denied suffrage rights. In Frankfurt
parliament in the Church of St Paul, women were admitted only as
observers to stand in the visitors’ gallery
Louise
Otto-Peters (1819-95) was a political activist who founded a women’s
journal and subsequently a feminist political association (awareness of
women rights and interests)
Monarchs realized that
the cycles of revolution and repression could only be ended by granting
concessions to the liberal-nationalist revolutionaries. After 1848, the
autocratic monarchies of Central and Eastern Europe began to introduce
the changes that had already taken place in Western Europe before 1815.
Thus serfdom and bonded labor were abolished both in Habsburg dominions and in Russia. Habsburg rulers granted more autonomy to the Hungarians in 1867.
Making of Germany & Italy
Liberal initiative to nation-building in Germany was repressed by monarchy and military & supported by the large landowners (called Junkers) of Prussia.
Prussia took leadership for national unification with Otto von Bismarck as the architect. 3 wars over 7 years with Austria, Denmark and France ended in Prussian victory & unification.
In January 1871, the Prussian king, William I, was proclaimed German Emperor in a ceremony in Hall of Mirrors, at Versailles
New state emphasized modernization of currency, banking, legal and judicial systems in Germany
Image of Unification of Germany (1866-71)
Image of Unification of Germany (1866-71)
Italy Unified
Italy had scattered dynasties and Habsburg Empire. In mid-19th century – it was divided in 7 states of which Sardinia-Piedmont was ruled by Italian princely house.
North was under Austrian Habsburgs, the centre was ruled by the Pope
and the southern regions were under the domination of Bourbon kings of
Spain
Giuseppe Mazzini – unitary Italian Republic and
formed Young Italy. Failure of uprisings in 1831 & 1848 meant
Sardinia was now under King Victor Emmanuel II to unify Italy states for
war. Unified Italy gave possibility for economic development and
political dominance
Image of Italian States Before Unification, 1858
Image of Italian States before unification, 1858
Chief Minister Cavour – led unification was neither revolutionary nor
democrat. He spoke French better than Italian. In alliance with France
in 1859, Sardinia defeated Austria. Garibaldi in 1860 marched to South
Italy and Kingdom of Two Sicilies and removed Spanish rulers.
In 1861 Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of united Italy. Much of
Italy was illiterate and unaware of liberal-nationalist ideology.
Supporter of Garibaldi had never heard about Italia and thought “La
Talia” was wife of Emmanuel.
Garibaldi was sailor.
Joined Young Italy movement in 1834 with Mazzini. He lived in exile till
1848 in South America. In 1860, Garibaldi led the Expedition of the
Thousand to South Italy. Volunteers joined and were known as Red Shirts.
In 1867, Garibaldi led an army of volunteers to Rome to fight the last
obstacle to the unification of Italy, the Papal States where a French
garrison was stationed. In 1870, French withdrew forces from Rome and
Papal States joined to Italy.
Case of Britain
Nation state formation was not sudden but a long drawn out process. Prior to 18th century there were ethnic groups like English, Welsh, Scot or Irish with their own culture and traditions. As it grew in wealth and power, influence extended to other nations.
English parliament seized power from the monarchy in 1688
Act of Union (1707) between England and Scotland resulted in the formation of ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain’ - England was able to impose its influence on Scotland
British parliament was dominated by English members and Scotland’s
culture was suppressed. Catholics from Scotland suffered repression.
Scottish Highlanders were forbidden to speak their Gaelic language or
wear their national dress, and large numbers were forcibly driven out of
their homeland.
Ireland was divided between
Catholics and Protestants. English helped Protestants to establish power
over Catholic nation. Catholics were suppressed. After failed revolt
led by Wolfe Tone and his United Irishmen (1798), Ireland was forcibly incorporated into UK in 1801.
Symbols of the New Britain: British flag (Union Jack), the national
anthem (God Save Our Noble King), the English language were actively
promoted
Visualizing the Nation
Nations were portrayed as females. Female figure became an allegory
(abstract idea expressed through person or things) of the nation.
French used female allegory to portray liberty (red cap or broken
chains), justice (blindfolded woman carrying a pair of weighing scales)
and republic ideas.
In France she was christened Marianne,
a popular Christian name, which underlined the idea of a people’s
nation. Her characteristics were drawn from those of Liberty &
Republic – the red cap, the tricolor, the cockade. Statues erected in
public, also marks on coins and stamps were made.
Germania became the allegory of the German nation. Germania wears a crown of oak leaves, as German oak stands for heroism.
Image of Attribute and Significance
Image of Attribute And Significance
Nationalism and Imperialism
By last quarter of 19th century, nationalists groups became intolerant and raged war
Most serious happened in Balkan after 1871
Balkans - geographical and ethnic variation included Romania,
Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro - people called as Slavs. Majority
of Balkans was under Ottoman Empire. Spread of romantic nationalism
& disintegration of Ottoman Empire made this region very explosive.
Balkans placed claims of independence on nationality and used history to prove it.
Intense rivalry among European powers over trade and colonies as well
as naval and military & was seen in Balkans. Russia, Germany,
England, Austro-Hungary were trying to control Balkan and led to 1st WW. This nationalism and imperialism led Europe to disaster in 1914.
Nations colonized by Europe began to oppose imperial domination.
Anti-imperialist movements were nationalist and inspired by collective national unity.
European ideas of nationalism were nowhere replicated, for people
everywhere developed their own specific variety of nationalism. But idea
that societies should be organized into ‘nation-states’ came to be
accepted as natural and universal.
NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 2: The Nationalist Movement in Indo-China
Vietnam gained formal independence in 1945. Took another 3 decades for formal Republic of Vietnam to be formed
Indo-China included Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Many people lived in this area under shadow of China.
Indo-China Included Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
Image of Indo-China included Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Many people lived in this area under shadow of China
North & central Vietnam maintained Chinese government and culture.
It was linked to maritime silk route that brought ideas, goods and
people.
Connected to hinterland where non-Vietnamese people like Khmer Cambodians lived
French controlled military and economic domination & reshaped
culture. Nationalism emerged as fight against French. Landed in Vietnam
in 1858 & established a strong grip by mid-1880s.
After Franco-Chinese war, French assumed control over Tonkin and Anaam
& French Indo-China was formed in 1887. French sought to consolidate
and people in Vietnam reflected on the suffering.
Francis Garnier, French explored Mekong & established colony in
Tonkin in north. He attacked Hanoi, capital of Tonkin but was killed.
French considered colonies necessary to supply natural resources and
essential goods. They thought it was mission of advanced countries to
bring benefits of civilization to backward people.
Canals were built to increase cultivation, increase rice production and
allow exports to international market. By 1931, it was 3rd largest exporter of rice in world.
Trans Indo-China rail network was made to connect south and north
Vietnam and China & finally completed with link with Yunan in 1910.
Second line linked Vietnam to Siam via Phnom Penh (capital of Cambodia)
Paul Bernard – writer & policy maker believed that economies of
colonies needs to be developed. Idea to acquire colony was to make
profit. It living standards improved, people will buy more goods and led
to market for French business. Vietnam witnessed high population, low
agricultural productivity and extensive indebtedness amongst peasants.
To reduce poverty and increase agricultural productivity reforms are
required as Japan did in 1890s. Industrialization is required to create
more jobs.
Plantation crops included rice and rubber
owned by French & small Vietnamese elite. These used indentured
labor (worked as contract with no specific rights but employer had
immense power). French were against industrialization.
Dilemma of Colonial Education
French believed that Europe had developed the most advanced civilization.
French wanted to educated local laborers but feared it they educated
them, they will question the colonial domination. French citizen in
Vietnam (colons) feared that the jobs would be lost, so they opposed
policy that gave Vietnamese full access to French education.
Elite Vietnamese used Chinese as a language. To consolidate their power, French had to counter Chinese influence.
Emphasis on need for French as language of instruction – this would
create Asiatic France tied to European France. This would create respect
for sentiments and ideas for French
Others suggested
Vietnamese to be taught in lower classes and French in higher classes.
Few who learnt French must be awarded and given French citizenship.
Only Vietnamese elite could enroll in schools and could pass school leaving examination (around 2/3rd students failed in final exam). In 1925 out of 17 million population only 400 passed.
Textbooks glorified French and Vietnamese were represented as primitive and backward with manual labour.
Tonkin Free School was started in 1907 to provide a Western style
education included science, hygiene and French (these classes were held
in the evening and had to be paid for separately) and adoption of short
haircut (traditionally Vietnamese have long hair)
Vietnamese teachers in lower grades modified the text and criticized what was stated
Vietnamese girl was asked to sit on back seat and give the seat to French – opened up protests & conflict
By 1920s students formed political parties (like Party of Young Annan) & published journals like Annanese Student.
Schools became center for political and cultural battles. French tried
to change values and norms but Vietnamese intellectuals felt they were
losing on territory and identity. Battle against French colonial
education became part of battle against colonialism and independence
Timeline
1820: Nguyen Anh becomes emperor symbolizing the unification of the country under the Nguyen dynasty.
1867: Cochinchina (the South) becomes a French colony.
1887: Creation of the Indo-china Union, including Cochinchina, Annam, Tonkin, Cambodia and later, Laos.
1930: Ho Chi Minh forms the Vietnamese Communist Party.
1945: Vietminh start a general popular insurrection. Bao Dai abdicates.
Ho Chi Minh declares independence in Hanoi (September 2).
1954: The French army is defeated at Dien Bien Phu.
1961: Kennedy decides to increase US military aid to South Vietnam.
1974: Paris Peace Treaty.
1975 (April 30): NLF troops enter Saigon.
1976: The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is proclaimed.
Hygiene, Disease & Resistance
Hanoi was rebuilt under French
1903 – plague affected Hanoi. French part was clean and beautiful with
wide avenues and well laid sewer system while native quarter did not
have any modern facilities with overflowing water in streets. Large
sewers in modern part of city were breeding grounds for rats. Sewers
acted as transport system and rats entered homes of French as well.
Rat hunt started in 1902. French hired Vietnamese workers and paid them for each rat they caught.
Those who worked in sewer found that if they collected together they
could negotiate better and collective bargaining started. Bounty was
paid for the tail, so they just clipped the tail and released the rats
to repeat the process. People also began raising rats to earn bounty.
Bounty program was scrapped.
Religion and Anti-Colonialism
Vietnam’s religious beliefs were a mixture of Buddhism, Confucianism
(good conduct, practical wisdom and proper social relationships) and
local practices. Christianity, introduced by French missionaries, was
intolerant of this easygoing attitude.
From 18th
century – many religious movements were hostile to Western presence.
Early movement against French control and spread of Christianity was Scholars Revolt in 1868 (against Catholicism and French power)
Uprising in Ngu An and Ha Tien provinces where many Catholics were killed
From 17th to mid 18th century – 3 lakh people were converted by Catholic missionaries.
The elites in Vietnam were educated in Chinese and Confucianism.
Hao Hao movement in 1939 in Mekong delta – It drew on religious ideas popular in anti-French uprisings of the 19th
century. Its founder was Huynh Phu So who performed miracles and helped
the poor. His criticism against useless expenditure had a wide appeal.
He also opposed the sale of child brides, gambling and the use of
alcohol and opium. French tried to suppress him, called him Mad Bronze
& sent him to mental asylum. But doctors who were to prove him
insane became his followers & French doctors also declared him sane.
Authorities exiled him to Laos and followers to concentration camps.
Vision of Modernization
Different viewpoints –
Vietnamese tradition must be strengthened to resist domination of west
Vietnam must learn from west while opposing foreign domination
Resistance to French domination was led by Confucian Phan Boi Chau
– formed Revolutionary Society (Duy Tan Hoi) in 1903, with Prince Cuong
De as the head. He met Chinese reformer Liang Qichao in Yokohama in
1905 & influenced by him wrote “The History of the Loss of Vietnam” –
became widely read bestseller in Vietnam and China – had 2 themes (loss
of sovereignty & severing of ties with China) Phan Chu Trinh - intensely hostile to the monarchy and opposed to the idea of resisting the French, aimed to establish democratic republic
– he did not want a wholesale rejection of Western civilization &
accepted ideas of liberty. Demanded French to set up legal and
educational institutions and develop agriculture and industries. Go East Movement –
In 1907-08, 300 Vietnamese students went to Japan to acquire modern
education with idea to drive away French from Vietnam, overthrow puppet
rule & establish Nguyen dynasty – they looked for foreign arm and
help. Japan’s victory over Russia in 1907 proved the military
capabilities. Vietnamese students established Restoration Society in
Tokyo but after 1908, Japanese Ministry of Interior clamped them down.
1911-
Under Sun Yat Sen monarchy in China was overthrown & republic was
established. Vietnamese students organised the Association for
Restoration of Vietnam (Viet-Nam Quan Phuc Hoi). Objective changed from
constitutional monarchy to democratic republic.
Communist Movement & Vietnamese Nationalism
During Great Depression 1930s – price of rubber and rice fell leading
to rural debt, unemployment and rural uprisings in Nghe An and Ha Tinh
provinces (poorest with old radical traditions and were called as
electric fuses – when system was under pressure, they were the first to
blow)
In February 1930, Ho Chi Minh brought together
competing nationalist groups to establish Vietnamese Communist (Vietnam
Cong San Dang) Party, later renamed Indo-Chinese Communist Party. Minh
was inspired by militant demonstrations of European communist parties.
In 1940 Japan occupied Vietnam, as part of its imperial drive to control SE Asia.
League for the Independence of Vietnam (Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh)
known as Vietminh was formed & it fought the Japanese occupation and
recaptured Hanoi in September 1945. Democratic Republic of Vietnam was
formed and Ho Chi Minh became Chairman.
New Republic
French tried to gain control by using Bao Dai as puppet emperor.
Vietminh were forced to retreat. 8 years after, French were defeated in
1954 at Dien Bien Phu.
Supreme French Commander of
French armies, General Henry Navarre had declared confidently in 1953
that they would soon be victorious. But on 7 May 1954, Vietminh
annihilated and captured more than 16,000 soldiers of the French
Expeditionary Corps.
In peace negotiations after
French defeat, Vietnamese were persuaded to accept division & split
of north and south took place. Ho Chi Minh was in power in north & Bao Dai in south. It turned Vietnam into a battle field. Bao Dai was overthrown by Ngo Dinh Diem
(repressive & authoritarian – those who opposed were called
communist and killed). Diem retained ordinance 10, French law that
permitted Christianity & was opposed by National Liberation Front
(NLF)
NLF fought for unification of nation. US
watched for alliance and was worried over unification and communist
gaining so sent troops
US entered war and from 1965
to 1972 over 3 million US personnel served in Vietnam. Despite good
medical supplies, US casualties were high. US troops arrived with heavy
weapons and backed bombers B52s. Chemical weapons like Napalm (organic
compound to thicken gasoline for firebombs), Agent Orange and
phosphorous bombs destroyed villages. Form US, many of those sent to
fight didn’t belong to elite but were minorities & children of
working class. US media criticized war.
Films like
Green Brets by John Wayne motivated men to die for war. Francis Ford
Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979) reflected the moral confusion that the
war had caused in the US.
Minh - Minh became an
active member of Commintern, meeting Lenin and other leaders. In May
1941, after 30 years abroad in Europe, Thailand and China, Minh returned
to Vietnam & took name Ho Chi Minh (He Who Enlightens) in 1943. He
became president of Vietnam Democratic Republic & died in 1969
Minh would lead to domino effect (communist government established in other countries in the area).
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Trail is footpath and roads used to transport men and material from
north to south, improved from late 1950s. From 1967, 20,000 North
Vietnamese troops came south each month. It had support bases and
hospitals all the way. Supplies carried by porters who carried 25 kg on
back & 70 kg on bicycles.
Most of it was in Laos and Cambodia with branches in Vietnam but this was quickly rebuilt despite destruction by US.
Map of Laos and Cambodia with Branches
Map of Laos and Cambodia with branches
Nation & Its Heroes
Women enjoyed equality mainly in lower classes but had limited freedom to determine future.
In the 1930s, novel by Nhat Linh caused a scandal because it showed a
woman leaving a forced marriage and marrying someone of her choice,
someone who was involved in nationalist politics. This rebellion against
social conventions marked the arrival of the new woman in Vietnamese
society.
1913 – Phan Boi Chau wrote play based on
lives of Trung Sisters who fought Chinese domination. Sisters were
idealized and glorified
Trieu Au – orphaned in
childhood, left home, went to jungle and organized a large army &
resisted Chinese rule. When her army was crushed, she drowned herself
and became a sacred figure.
Women were portrayed
brave and dedicated. Nguyen Thi Xuan shot jet with 20 bullets. Women
were represented as workers as well. As casualties increased in war,
women were urged to join the struggle. Women joined resistance movement –
nursed wounds, constructed underground tunnels & fought enemy.
Women were seen in agricultural cooperatives, factories and production units.
US – Vietnam War called as 1st Television war as battle scenes were shown on daily basis.
The scholar Noam Chomsky called the war ‘the greatest threat to peace,
to national self-determination, and to international cooperation’.
Peace settlement was signed in Paris in January 1974. This ended
conflict with the US but fighting between Saigon regime and NLF
continued. NLF occupied the presidential palace in Saigon on 30 April
1975 and unified Vietnam.
NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 3: Nationalism in India
Understanding who they were, their identity, and belongingness
New symbols, icons, songs and ideas, redefining boundaries
Nationalism is connected to anti-colonialism & shared bonds between different groups
Congress under Mahatma Gandhi tried to forge groups within one movement – but conflicts arose
1st
WW – economic and political situation, huge defence expenditure, war
loans, increased taxes, custom duties and income tax, doubling of prices
In villages – failed crops, forced recruitment in army & influenza
epidemics. 12-13 million people perished due to famines and epidemics
Gandhi returned to India in Jan 1915 from South Africa (workers from
Newcastle to Transvaal against racist laws) – started satyagraha (power
of truth and search for truth) & dharma of non-violence could unite
all Indians
1916 – Champaran, Bihar against oppressive plantation
1917 – Kheda, Gujarat – crop failure and plague – relaxation on revenue collection
1918 – Organize Ahmedabad textile mill workers
Rowlatt Act
Rowlatt Act (1919) – Nationwide protest against it. Passed by Imperial
Legislative Council despite united opposition. It gave the government
enormous powers to repress political activities, and allowed detention
of political prisoners without trial for two years.
Gandhi called for hartal on 6th
April, rallies organized, local leaders were picked from Amritsar and
Gandhi was barred from entering Delhi. Martial law imposed and General
Dyer took the command. Jallianwalla Bagh incident took place – some
against oppressive government policy and others to attend Baisakhi fair
Dyer wanted to create a moral effect in mind of satyagarhis for feeling of terror
Humiliation of people: satyagrahis were forced to rub their noses on
the ground, crawl on the streets, and do salaam (salute) to all sahibs;
people were flogged and villages (around Gujranwala in Punjab, now in
Pakistan) were bombed.
Movement was called off. It was mainly based in cities and towns
Khilafat Issue –
1st
WW witnessed defeat of Ottoman Empire – harsh treaty on Khalifa
(Ottoman emperor). To defend Khalifa, Khilafat Committee formed in March
1919 – Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali discussed issue with Gandhi
Calcutta Session of Congress in Sept 1920 – start non-cooperation with
Khalifat. Gandhi’s book Hind Swaraj explained British rule survived in
India only because of cooperation of Indians
Surrender of titles, boycott of civil services, army, police, court, legislative council, schools and foreign goods
Congress session at Nagpur in December 1920, a compromise was worked out and the Non-Cooperation program was adopted.
Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in Jan. 1921 – call of Swaraj
Council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras, where
the Justice Party (party of non-Brahmans), felt that entering the
council was one way of gaining some power
Foreign
goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed. Import of foreign cloth
halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping from Rs. 102 crore to
Rs. 57 crore.
Khadi was more expensive than mill
produced cloth and poor could not afford to buy. Establish Indian
institutions but these were slow to come so people started joining back
work in government courts
Countryside developments –
Awadh (Baba Ramchandra – sanyasi who earlier had been to Fiji as
indentured labourer) – against talukdars and landlords who were
demanding high rents, begar (forced laborer without payment) – demand
for reduction of revenue, abolition of beggar and social boycott of
oppressive landlords
Nai –dobhi bandhs were organized by panchayat. Oudh Kisan Sabha was formed with JL Nehru and Baba Ramchandra – 300 branches were set up around region
Effort of Congress was to integrate Awadh peasant struggle into wider
struggle - houses of talukdars and merchants were attacked, bazaars were
looted, and grain hoards were taken over. Local leaders told peasants
that no taxes were to paid and land to be redistributed
Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh –
militant guerilla movement started in 1920s – against colonial govt.
that closed large forest area, prevented people from entering forest and
collecting fuelwood – felt that their traditional rights were denied –
led by Alluri Sitaram Raju (make astrological predictions, heal
people and could survive bullet shot). He was an incarnation of God –
persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking. Raju was captured
and executed in 1924 but became a folk hero.
Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859,
plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without
permission, and in fact they were rarely given such permission – workers
started to leave considering Gandhi Raj has come and everyone would be
given the land in their own villages.
Gandhi raised slogan “Swatantra Bharat” – emotionally relating to all India agitation
After Chauri Chaura incident in Gorakhpur – Gandhi called off Non Cooperation movement
Feb 1922 – Non Cooperation movement was withdrawn as it was turning
violent & some leaders wanted to participate in elections to
provincial councils set up by Government of India Act, 1919 – need to
oppose British Council
CR Das & Motilal Nehru formed Swaraj Party – to argue for return to council politics
JL Nehru & SC Bose – pressed for radical mass agitation and full independence
Factors affecting Indian Politics late 1920s
Effect of worldwide economic depression, agricultural prices fell from
1926 & collapsed after 1930. Peasants found hard to sell harvest and
pay revenue
Tory government in Britain constituted
Statutory Commission under Sir John Simon – functioning of
constitutional system & no single Indian in the commission – in 1928
was greeted with “Go Back Simon”
Irwin in 1929 announced dominion status for India and Round Table conference to discuss constitution.
Radicals became assertive and liberals lost influence
In
Dec 1929 – Lahore Congress formalized demand for “Purna Swaraj” or full
independence & declared 26 Jan 1930 as Independence Day
Salt March & Civil Disobedience Movement
1928 – Hindustan Socialist Republican Army was founded with Bhagat Singh, Jatin Das and Ajay Ghosh as the leaders.
1929 - Bhagat Singh and Batukeswar Dutta threw a bomb in the
Legislative Assembly & also attempt to blow the train in which Irwin
was travelling – idea was “Inquilab Zindabad”
31 Jan
1930 – Letter to Irwin with 11 demands – bringing all classes under
united campaign – demand to abolish salt tax (monopoly over salt
production by Britisher was most oppressive face of British rule)
If demands are not fulfilled, Congress would launch
Civil Disobedience Movement
Salt March – with 78 volunteers for 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi – 24 days and walked 10 miles a day
Not only refuse cooperation but also break laws – started manufacturing
salt, peasants refused to pay revenue and chaukidari taxes, officials
resigned & forest people violated forest laws (going to reserved
forest to collect wood and graze cattle)
Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a devout disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, was arrested in April 1930 in Peshwar – huge demonstrations
Gandhi was arrested and industrial workers in Sholapur were attacked – around 1 lakh people were arrested
Movement called off and Gandhi entered Irwin pact on March 1931 & Gandhi consented to participate in 2nd Round Table Conference in London (returned disappointed) & government agreed to release political prisoners
Back in India, Ghaffar Khan and JL Nehru were in jail, congress
declared illegal and measures were imposed to prevent demonstrations.
Civil disobedience movement was re-launched but lost its momentum by
1934
Patidars in Gujarat & Jats in UP – were
active; rich peasants; producers of commercial crops; cash income
disappeared & found it impossible to pay government revenue demand.
Refusal of government to reduce revenue demand led to resentment. Fight
was struggle against high revenue. Movement called off in 1931 with
revision of revenue rates and was restarted in 1932 but many refused to
participate
Peasants joined radical movements led by Socialist and Communists
In 1st
WW – Indian merchants & industrialists made great profits and got
powerful – demanded protection against import of foreign goods &
rupee- sterling foreign exchange ratio would discourage imports - they
formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920 and the
Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in
1927 led by Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G. D. Birla – gave financial
assistance and refused to buy and sell imported goods – they were
apprehensive of militant activities and worried about prolonged
disruption of business
Strikes of railway workers in 1930 and dockworkers in 1932. In 1930 – Chottanagpur tin workers wore Gandhi caps and protested.
Large scale women participation was seen – protest march, manufactured
salt, picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Women were from high
caste families in urban area & in rural from rich peasant households
Gandhi – duty to women to look after home, be good mother and good wives
Congress was reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority
Limits of Civil Disobedience
Untouchables or Dalits or oppressed were not moved by abstract ideas of swaraj
Congress had ignored the dalits, for fear of offending sanatanis, the conservative high-caste Hindus
Gandhi believed that swaraj would not come for 100 years if
untouchability was not eliminated – called them harijans (son of god).
He himself cleaned toilets to dignify role of bhangi & persuaded
upper caste to change their heart and give up “sin of untouchability”
Demand rose for separate electorate & reserved seats in educational institutions for untouchables
Dalit participation in Civil Disobedience movement was limited in Maharashtra and Nagpur (as organization was very strong)
BR Ambedkar – organized dalits into Depressed Classes Association in 1930 – clashed with Gandhi at 2nd Round Table Conference for a separate electorate for dalits.
Gandhi believed separate electorate would slowdown the growth. Ambedkar
accepted Gandhi’s position and led to Poona Pact of Sept. 1932 - It
gave Depressed Classes reserved seats in provincial and central
legislative council but they were to be voted in general elections
Muslims felt alienated and from mid-1920s Congress came to be openly
associated with Hindus like Hindu Mahasabha – led to worsened relations
between Hindus and Muslims – provoked communal riots
Muslim League and Congress tried to renegotiate an alliance and in 1927
it appeared that such unity could be forged – differences were over
representation in future assemblies that were to be elected
Jinnah (leader of Muslim League) - willing to give up the demand for
separate electorates, if Muslims were assured reserved seats in the
Central Assembly and representation in proportion to population in the
Muslim-dominated provinces (Bengal and Punjab).
Hope to resolve issue disappeared when MR Jayakar of Hindu Mahasabha opposed to compromise
Many expressed concern about minority status of Muslims in India
Spread of Nationalism
By history, fiction, folklore. Songs, popular prints and symbols
Nation symbolized as figure or image – identity of India as Bharat Mata (image 1st by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay – he later wrote Vande Mataram & novel Anandmath)
Abindranath Tagore painted Bharatmata as calm, composed, divine and spiritual
Folk tales talked about traditional culture that had been corrupted and damaged by outside forces
In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a massive four-volume collection of Tamil folk tales, The Folklore of Southern India.
During Swadeshi movement in Bengal, a tricolour flag (red, green and
yellow) was designed. It had eight lotuses representing eight provinces
of British India, and a crescent moon, representing Hindus and Muslims.
By 1921, Gandhi had designed the Swaraj flag. It was again a tricolor
(red, green and white) and had a spinning wheel in the centre,
representing the Gandhian ideal of self-help.
Reinterpretation of history – British believed Indians as backward and
primitive and incapable of doing something. Indian talked about the
glorious past – developments in science, math, religion, culture, craft
and trade
Bring together Indians for a common ground for struggle to channelize people’s grievances into organized movementNCERT Class 10 History Chapter 4: The Making of a Global World
History of trade, migration, work & capital movement
Travelers, traders and priests carried goods, money, value, skills, idea and innovation along with diseases (spread from 7th century)
3000 BCE – active trade linked Indus valley with West Asia. Cowries
(seashells as currency) from Maldives to China and East Africa
Silk Route
West bound Chinese silk cargo – knitting regions of Asia, linking to Europe and North Africa
Chinese pottery travelled same route as textiles and species from India & SE Asia
In return – gold and silver flowed from Europe to Asia
Christion missionaries travelled this route to Asia & Buddhism also spread from here to several directions
Image of Silk Route
Image of Silk Route
Food
Noodles travelled from west to China & became spaghetti
Arab traders took pasta to 5th century Sicily
Foods like potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chilies, sweet
potatoes were not known to our ancestors five centuries ago – introduced
after Columbus accidently discovered Americas (many common food came
from America)
Ireland’s poorest peasants, dependent on potatoes that with famine of mid-1840s many died of starvation (10 lakh people died)
Conquest, Disease and Trade
Pre-modern world shrank in 16th
century after European sailors found sea route to Asia & reached
America (before this America was cut off from rest of the world)
India subcontinent was central to flow and crucial point in networks
Silver from Peru & Mexico enhanced Europe’s wealth
17th century Europe – South America’s wealth – search to El Dorado (fabled city of gold)
Portuguese and Spanish conquest and colonization of America – under by mid-16th
century – conquest not by firepower but by germs of smallpox (due to
long isolation, America’s inhabitants had no immunity against European
germs) & it proved to be a deadly killer. Once introduced it spread
into continent even before Europeans reached and paved way for conquest
In Europe - Poverty and hunger was common, crowded cities and
widespread diseases with religious conflicts and dissenters (those who
refuse to accept) & many fled to America. Plantations worked by
slaves captured in Africa were growing cotton & sugar for European
markets
Till 18th century – China and India were world’s richest countries & were preeminent in Asian trade
From 15th
century – China restricted overseas contacts and retreated into
isolation. China’s reduced role and rising importance of America moved
center of world trade westwards & Europe became center of world
trade
19th Century (1815-1914)
3 trade – flow of trade, labor and movement of capital for short term
and long term investments – affected people more deeply (labor migration
was restricted than goods and capital flows)
Traditionally self-sufficiency in food was liked but in 19th century – for Britain it meant lower living standards and social conflicts
Population increased – led to increase in demand and rise in food
prices, restriction on import of corn by government (Corn Laws).
Industrialists forced abolition of Corn Laws as they were unhappy with
high food prices
Now, food import became cheaper that
local manufacturing – leading to vast uncultivated land and men and
women out of work. They flocked to cities and migrated overseas
As food prices declined, consumption rose. After mid 19th
century – faster industrial growth with higher incomes and more food
imports. In Eastern Europe, Russia, America and Australia – lands were
cleared and food production expanded to meet British demand
Railways required to link agriculture to ports, built new harbors,
expand old ones, build homes and settlement that required capital (from
financial centers like London) and labor (migration – 50 million people
emigrated from Europe to America & Australia in 19th century)
Food started to come from long distances, not grown by peasants tilling
the own land but from workers who came to farm from a forest. Role of
transportation increased
In West Punjab – irrigation
canals were built to transform semiarid areas into fertile belt that
could grow wheat and cotton for export. Canal colonies (area irrigated
by new canals) – settled by peasants from other parts of Punjab
This happened also for cotton in British textile mills or rubber
Between 1820 and 1914 world trade is estimated to have multiplied 25 to
40 times. Nearly 60% of this trade comprised ‘primary products’ –
agricultural products such as wheat and cotton, and minerals such as
coal.
Role of Technology
Inventions – railways, steamships and telegraph – new investment &
improved transport (fast railways, lighter wagons and larger ships)
Trade in meat – till 1870s animals were shipped live from America to
Europe & then slaughtered – took lot of space, many lost weight, ill
health and died or became unfit to eat & hence was expensive
luxury. Refrigerated ships enabled transport of perishable foods over
long distances (now animals were slaughtered at the starting point in
America, Australia or New Zealand and then transported as frozen meat) –
it reduced shipping cost and meat prices in Europe & people (even
poor) could add meat along with bread and potatoes
Cattle were traded at fairs, brought by farmers for sale. One of the oldest livestock markets in London was at Smithfield.
Late 19th Century – Colonialism
Trade flourished and market expanded – it meant loss of freedom and livelihoods.
European conquests produced many painful economic, social and ecological changes
In 1885 - big European powers met in Berlin to complete the carving up
of Africa between them (mainly Britain and France); new colonial powers
were Belgium and Germany. US became colonial power in 1890s by taking
colonies earlier held by Spain
Stanley (journalist
and explorer sent by New York Herald to found missionary Livingston)
went with arms, mobilized local hunters, warriors and laborers to help
him, fought with local tribes, investigated African terrains, and mapped
different regions
Map of Colonial Africa at the End of the Nineteenth Century
Map of colonial Africa at the end of the nineteenth century
Rinderpest (Cattle Plague)
In 1890s – rinderpest affected people – is example of European imperial impact on colonized societies
Historically, Africa had abundant land & small population and
people worked for wage. If African had land and livestock – there was no
reason to work for wages
Late 19th
century – Europeans were attracted to Africa due to vast land and
mineral resources with hope to establish plantation and mines to produce
crops (but there was shortage of labor willing to work for wages)
Employers tried many methods like heavy taxes that could only be paid
by working for wages on plantation; changes in inheritance law so that
only 1 member could inherit land and push others into labor market;
confine mineworkers to compounds and not allow them to move freely
Rinderpest in 1880s – from infected cattle imported from British Asia
to feed Italian soldiers invading Eriteria in East Africa. It moved like
forest fire and reached Africa’s Atlantic coast in 1892 & Cape 5
years later and killed 90% cattle
Planters, mine
owners and colonial governments now successfully monopolized what scarce
cattle resources remained, to strengthen their power and to force
Africans into the labor market
Indentured Labor Migration from India
Indentured labor (bonded laborer under contract to work for an employer
for a specific amount of time, to pay off his passage to a new country
or home)
Faster economic growth with great misery – mixed with higher income and poverty and technological advances
19th
century – Indian and Chinese labor in plantation, mines and
construction sites. Indentured labor where promised return travel to
India after they worked 5 years on employer’s plantation. They came
mainly from east UP, Bihar, Central India and dry regions of Tamil Nadu
In Mid-19th
century – regions of India mentioned above experienced cottage
industries decline, increased land rent and clearing land for mines and
plantation – these affected lives of poor as they failed to pay rent,
became indebted and were forced to migrate mainly to Caribbean islands
(mainly Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam), Mauritius and Fiji. Tamils went
to closer Ceylon & Malaya. Some to tea plantations in Assam.
Recruitment was done by agent who got commission. Agents gave false
information about final destination and tempted migrants by false
information.
19th century indenture were
new system of slavery – harsh living conditions with few legal rights –
workers found their way as some escaped to wilds & others followed
collective self-expression
In Trinidad, annual
Muharram procession was transformed into riotous carnival called ‘Hosay’
(for Imam Hussain) in which workers of all races and religions joined.
Protest religion of Rastafarianism (made famous by the Jamaican reggae
star Bob Marley) is also said to reflect social and cultural links with
Indian migrants to the Caribbean.
‘Chutney music’,
popular in Trinidad and Guyana, is another creative contemporary
expression of the post-indenture experience – things from different
places got mixed, lose original characteristics and became new.
VS Naipaul (Nobel Prize winner), cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul and
Ramnaresh Sarwan were descendants of indentured laborers migrated from
India
Nationalists leaders started to oppose this
system and was abolished in 1921. Descendants of Indian indentured
workers as coolies remained uneasy minority in Caribbean. Novels of
Naipaul capture sense of loss and alienation.
Entrepreneurs
Shikaripuri Shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiars bankers and traders who
financed export agriculture in Central & SE Asia by own funds or
that borrowed from European banks by sophisticated system of transfer of
money over long distances
Hyderabadi Sindhi traders
from 1860s established flourishing emporia at busy ports worldwide,
selling local and imported curios to tourists
Trade & Global System
Initially fine cotton from India was exported to Europe but with
industrialization British cotton expanded. There was need to protect
local industries and restrict cotton imports & tariff imposed on
imported cloth from Britain.
Indian textile faced
stiffed competition in other international markets as well – cotton
declined from 30% in 1800 to 15% in 1815 & 3% in 1870s
Export of raw material increased from 5% to 37% between 1812 and 1871,
indigo was exported, opium shipments to China (India was single largest
exporter)
British goods flooded Indian markets; foodgrains and raw material export from India to Britain increased
Value of Britain exports were higher than Britain imports and Britain
had a trade surplus – this surplus was used to balance deficit in other
nations from where imports were higher – this is how multilateral
settlement works and it allows one country’s deficit with another
country to be settled by its surplus with a third country
Trade surplus helped pay - private remittances home by British
officials and traders, interest payments on India’s external debt, and
pensions of British officials in India
Trade Routes at the End of the Seventeenth Century
Map of trade routes that linked india to the world at the end of the seventeenth century
Inter-War Economy
1st WW was mainly fought in Europe but impacts felt across the world – lasted for over 4 years, started in 1914
War was Allies (Britain, France and Russia, later joined by the US)
versus Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey)
It involved world’s leading industrialist nations & was considered
first modern industrial war with use of machine guns, tanks, aircrafts
and chemical weapons – many soldiers were recruited – total 9 million
deaths and 20 million were injured – many of those were the men of
working age
Abled bodied workforce reduced with fewer numbers in family, household income declined after war
Industries were restructured to make war related goods
Britain borrowed large sums of money from US banks and public and US
transformed from international debtor to creditor while Britain was
under external debt
Britain was world’s leading
economy in the pre-war period but due to preoccupation in war,
industries developed in India and Japan. Britain found hard to recapture
the earlier position and compete with Japan internationally
After war, production contracted and unemployment increased – led to
job losses (in 1921 – one of every five worker was out of work)
Before war, Eastern Europe was supplier of wheat to world but was
disrupted during war and wheat production in Canada, America and
Australia expanded
After war, Eastern Europe revived but grain prices fell, rural income declined and farmers were into debt
Rise of Mass Production & Consumption
In US recovery was quicker with strong growth in 1920s was due to mass production
Henry Ford adapted the assembly line of a Chicago slaughterhouse to new
car plant in Detroit (faster and cheaper production) – workers were to
repeat single task mechanically and continuously & led to increased
output per worker. Cars came off at 3 minutes interval.
T-Model Ford was the world’s first mass-produced car
Initially workers could not take the stress at assembly line and so
they quit in large number but Ford doubled the wages and banned trade
unions to operate in his plants – he recovered cost of wages by speeding
assembly line and forcing them to work harder & was described as
“best cost cutting decision”
It spread in Europe with
lower cost and prices and more workers could now afford to purchase
durable consumer goods like cars (production-increased form 2 million in
1919 to 5 million in 1929)
Rise in purchase of
refrigerators, washing machines, radios, gramophone players, all through
a system of ‘hire purchase’ (i.e., on credit repaid in weekly or
monthly instalments)
Housing and consumer boom of the 1920s created the basis of prosperity in the US
In 1923, the US resumed exporting capital to the rest of the world and became the largest overseas lender
Great Depression
Began around 1929 and lasted till mid 1930s
Decline in production, employment, incomes and trade
Agricultural economies were worst affected, agricultural income
declined and farmers tried to expand production, this brought large
volume of produce to market which reduced prices further
In 1st
half of 1928 – overseas loans in US was $1 billion, year later it was
$0.25 billion – countries dependent on US loan faced acute crisis – this
led to failure of banks in Europe and collapse of currencies like
British pound and sterling
US doubled import duties which was again blow to world trade
US banks also slashed domestic lending and called back loans. Farms
could not sell their harvests, households were ruined, and businesses
collapsed – with falling income people were forced to give up home,
consumer durables and cars; unemployment soared and US banking system
collapsed & bankruptcy was declared by many banks - by 1933 over
4,000 banks had closed and between 1929 and 1932 about 110, 000
companies had collapsed
By 1935 – modest economic recovery started
India and Great Depression
India’s export and imports halved between 1928 and 1934 & wheat prices fell by 50%
Peasants, framers suffered more, agricultural prices fell, and colonial
government refused to reduce revenue demands – peasants producing for
world market were worst hit
Jute in Bengal – grew raw
jute in Bengal for exports as gunny bags; as gunny bags export
collapsed prices fell by 60% for raw jute – peasants who borrowed went
into greater debt – savings was used, land was mortgaged and jewelry was
sold
During this time, Indian export for gold
increased and economist Keynes believed that Indian gold export promoted
global economic recovery
Urban people in India with fixed income and salaries found themselves at better off position
2nd
WW – after 2 decades of WW I – between Axis powers (mainly Nazi
Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allies (Britain, France, the Soviet
Union and the US) for 6 years on land, sea and air – 60 million people
were killed (3% of world population) – many civilians died due to war
related causes - cities destroyed, economic devastation and social
disruption occurred
Two crucial influences shaped post-war reconstruction.
US’s emergence as the dominant economic, political and military power in the Western world.
Dominance of the Soviet Union - It had made huge sacrifices to defeat
Nazi Germany, and transformed itself from a backward agricultural
country into a world power
Lessons from inter-war period
Industrial society based on mass production cannot survive unless there
is mass consumption (which requires high and stable income and stable
employment)
Government must step in to minimize fluctuations in price, output and employment
Goal of full employment could only be achieved if governments had power to control flows of goods, capital and labor.
Idea
was to preserve economic stability and full employment – its framework
was agreed by United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference held in
July 1944 at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, USA
Bretton Woods Institutions
Bretton Woods Conference established IMF – to deal with external surplus and deficit of member nations
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (or World Bank as was known) was set up to finance postwar reconstruction
IMF & World Bank were called Bretton Woods Twins – both commenced
financial operations in 1947 – decisions controlled by western
industrial nations. US has an effective right of veto over key IMF and
World Bank decisions
The post-war international economic system is also often described as the Bretton Woods system
The international monetary system is the system linking national currencies and monetary system.
Bretton Woods system was based on fixed exchange rates. In this system,
national currencies, for example the Indian rupee, were pegged to the
dollar at a fixed exchange rate. The dollar itself was anchored to gold
at a fixed price of $35 per ounce of gold.
It led to
growth of trade and income for Western nations and Japan – trade grew by
8% between 1950 and 1970 and incomes at nearly 5% & unemployment
was less than 5%
Worldwide spread of technology and enterprise – investment in capital, import of industrial plant and equipment was done
When colonies of Asia and Africa liberated – poverty & lack of
resources. IMF & World Bank were meant to meet financial needs of
industrialized nations. As Europe and Japan rapidly rebuilt their
economies, they grew less dependent on the IMF and the World Bank. Thus
from the late 1950s the Bretton Woods institutions began to shift their
attention more towards developing countries
New
independent countries faced issues of coming out of poverty – even after
decolonization their economies were controlled by colonial powers.
Large corporations like US managed to exploit resources of developing
nations cheaply
Developing nations organized
themselves into group of 77 nations or G-77 for New International
Economic Order (NIEO) –system that would give them real control over
their natural resources, more development assistance, fairer prices for
raw materials, and better access for their manufactured goods in
developed countries’ markets
MNCs – companies that operate in many nations at a time – 1st
established in 1920s – spread worldwide in 1950s and 60s - high import
tariffs imposed by different governments forced MNCs to locate their
manufacturing operations and become ‘domestic producers’ in as many
countries as possible
End of Bretton Woods
From the 1960s the rising costs of its overseas involvements weakened the US’s finances and competitive strength
US dollar was no longer a principal currency – fixed exchange rate
system (government intervene to prevent movement) ended and floating
exchange rate (based on demand and supply of currency in international
market) started
Earlier, developing countries could
turn to international institutions for loans and development assistance.
But now they were forced to borrow from Western commercial banks and
private lending institutions. This led to periodic debt crises in the
developing world, and lower incomes and increased poverty, especially in
Africa and Latin America.
Unemployment started to rise from 1970s and rose till 1990s – MNCs started to shift production to low wage Asian nations
China – cutoff from post war economy since 1949; new economic policies
in China and collapse of Soviet Union & communism in East Europe
brought backfold into economy
Low wages in China made it destination for investment – stimulated world trade and capital flows
NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 5: The Age of Industrialization
Image of Dawn of the Century
Image of Dawn of the Century
Music publisher ET Paull’s book – “Dawn of the Century” – goddess like
figure bearing flag of new century on wheels with wings symbolizing
time. Behind her are signs of progress – railway, camera, machines etc.
2 Magicians in Inland Printers - Aladdin is shown as representing the
East and the past, the mechanic stands for the West and modernity
Image of Two Magicians
Image of Two Magicians
Industrialization focused on growth of factory and industrial workers as factory workers
Before factories there was proto-industrialization (merchants in 17th & 18th
century moved to countryside and persuaded peasants to produce for
international market) – with expansion of trade and new colonies –
demand for goods increased
This expansion was not
possible in towns as urban crafts and trade guilds were powerful –
associations trained craftspeople, regulated price and restricted new
entry so new merchants went to countryside
In
countryside – open fields were disappearing and commons were enclosed;
those who gathered firewood and hay were now looking for alternate
income; income from proto-industrialization supplemented agricultural
income
Merchants were based in towns but work was
done in countryside - Merchant clothier in England purchased wool from a
wool stapler, and carried it to the spinners; yarn (thread) that was
spun was taken in subsequent stages of production to weavers, fullers,
and then to dyers. The finishing was done in London (became finishing
center) before the export. Each merchant had around 20-25 workers at
each stage (in all around 100 across all stages)
Coming of Factories
Earliest factories in England in 1730s. In late 18th century – factories multiplied
Cotton production boomed in late 19th century - In 1760 Britain was importing 2.5 million pounds of raw cotton & by 1787 this import soared to 22 million pounds
Inventions increased efficiency at each stage - carding, twisting,
spinning, and rolling – enhanced output per worker with stronger yarn
Richard Arkwright created the cotton mill, now new machines came up in mills with management under one roof and careful supervision on quality and labor regulations
In early 19th
century – factories became integral part of English landscape with
concentration on new mills; production in bylanes and workshops
continued
Pace of Industrial Change
Most dynamic industries were cotton and metals. Cotton was leading
industrial sector till 1840s. Iron & steel demand increased with
expansion of railways from 1840s in Britain and 1860s in colonies. By
1873, Britain exported iron of Pound 77 billion which was double that of
cotton
New industries could not displace traditional industries – by end of 19th century – less than 20% in advanced industrial sectors. Textile was dynamic sector and majority produced in domestic units
Pace of change in the ‘traditional’ industries was not set by
steam-powered cotton or metal industries. Small innovations were basis
of growth in non-mechanized sectors
Technological
changes occurred slowly and did not spread dramatically, new technology
was expensive and people were cautious about using it; repairs were
costly
Steam engine: James Watt improved steam engine produced by Newcomen and patented the new engine in 1781. His industrialist friend Mathew Boulton manufactured the new model but for years he could find no buyers. In early 119th
century, there were no more than 321 steam engines all over England. Of
these, 80 were in cotton industries, nine in wool industries, and the
rest in mining, canal works and iron works. Steam engines were not used
in any of the other industries
Mid-19th century – workers were not machine operators but traditional craftsperson
Hand Labor and Steam Power
No shortage of labor and poor peasants moved from countryside for job search
With lots of labor, wages are low – so they did not want to introduce machines to get rid of labor
For some industries, labor was seasonal (gas work and breweries) – more labor in peak demand in cold months
Bookbinders and printers required extra labor during Christmas season; again ship repair in winters required labor
Machines were oriented to producing uniforms, standardized goods for a
mass market but the demand was for intricate designs and specific shapes
Mid-19th century – 500 varieties of hammers and 45 kinds of axes – required human intervention
In Victorian Britain, upper classes – aristocrats and bourgeoisie – preferred things produced by hand.
Handmade products came to symbolize refinement and class. They were
better finished, individually produced, and carefully designed. Machine
goods were for exports.
Where labor availability was issue, machines were preferred as in 19th century America
Life of Workers
Many went to cities for jobs
Jobs were easy if relatives or friends were there in factory
Those without social connections had to wait for weeks
Some stayed in Night Refuges that were set up by private individuals; others went to the Casual Wards maintained by the Poor Law authorities
Seasonality in work – prolonged period without work, many looked for odd jobs which were difficult to find in mid-19th century
Wages increased but that tell us little about welfare of workers. When
prices rose, real value of what workers earned fell during Napoleonic
wars. Income depended not on the wage rate alone but also period of
employment (number of days of work). At best time in mid-19th century – 10% population was poor but this increased to 35-75% during economic slump of 1830s
Spinning Jenny – Devised by James Hargreaves in 1764, this machine speeded up the spinning process and reduced labor demand – jobs were lost
Jobs came up in building activities – roads, rails, tunnels, drainage
and sewer lines. Workers in transportation doubled in 1840s and doubled
again in next 30 years
Industrialization in Colonies
Before machines, silk and cotton from India dominated world
India was known for finer cloth – taken by Armenian and Persian
merchants from Punjab to Afghanistan, Persia and Central Asia – carried
on camel back and sea trade
Surat on the Gujarat
coast connected India to the Gulf and Red Sea Ports; Masulipatam on the
Coromandel coast and Hoogly in Bengal had trade links with Southeast
Asian ports
Merchants and bankers were involved –
merchants linked port towns to inland regions (gave advances to weavers,
procured cloth and carried supplies) but these were disintegrating by
1750s
European companies gained power – received
concessions from local courts and monopoly rights to trade – led to
decline of old ports of Surat and Hoogly (credits decreased and local
bankers went bankrupt). Value of trade decreased from 16 million to 3
million in 1740s. New ports like Bombay and Calcutta grew – it was indicator of strengthening colonial powers
Trade was controlled by European companies and carried in European ships
Consolidation of East India Company power after 1760s did not initially
lead to decline in textile exports – was in great demand in Europe
French, Dutch and Portuguese competed for woven cloth – company officials complained of difficulties of supply and high prices
Once East India Company established political power it could assert monopoly right to trade – develop management to eliminate competition, control cost and ensure regular supply of cotton and silk
Company tried to eliminate the existing traders and brokers connected
with the cloth trade, and establish a more direct control over the
weaver. It appointed a paid servant called gomastha to supervise weavers
It prevented Company weavers from dealing with other buyers by system
of advances (weavers were given loans to purchase the raw material &
those who took loan had to hand over cloth to gomastha)
As loans flowed in and demand increased weavers took advances. Many had
small lands which they had to lease out for devote all their time to
weaving. Clashes started between weavers and gomasthas (were
outsiders with no long term social link with village – acted arrogantly,
marched with sepoys and punished weavers for delays). Weavers lost the
space to bargain and the price received from company was pretty low.
Weavers migrated from Carnatic and Bengal to establish in other areas.
Weavers & traders revolted and refused loans, closed workshops and
took as agricultural labor.
Manchester Comes to India
In 1772, Henry Patullo, a Company official, had ventured to say that
the demand for Indian textiles could never reduce, since no other nation
produced goods of the same quality.
But it declined in 1811-12 it was 33% which reduced to 3% in 1850-51
Cotton industries developed in Britain, industrial groups’ pressurized
government to put import duties on cotton textiles so that Manchester
goods could sell in Britain without competition and persuaded East India
Company to sell it in India.
By end of 18th century there was no import of cotton in India, rose to 31% by 1850 and 50% by 1870s in terms of value of imports
Challenges for cotton weavers in India – collapsed exports and
shrinking local market (low cost of machine made cloth from Britain). By
1860s weavers could not get supply of good quality cotton.
When American Civil War broke, cotton supplies from US were cut and
Britain looked to India. So exports increased again and prices of raw
cotton shot up & Indian weavers were starved of supplies at high
prices. Factories in India started producing and machine goods came in
which affected local weavers.
Factories Came Up
1854 – 1st cotton mill in Bombay – production started 2 years later
By 1862 – 4 mill started work with 94,000 spindles and 2,150 looms
1855- 1st jute mill in Bengal & again another in 1862
1860s – Elgin Mill started in Kanpur & then in Ahmedabad
1874 – 1st spinning and weaving mill of Madras began production
Entrepreneurs in India
British in India began exporting opium to China and took tea from China to England
In Bengal, Dwarkanath Tagore made his fortune in the China trade before
he turned to industrial investment, setting up six joint-stock
companies in the 1830s and 1840s – but sank in business crisis in 1840s
In Bombay, Parsis like Dinshaw Petit and Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata -
built huge industrial empires in India, accumulated their initial wealth
partly from exports to China, and partly from raw cotton shipments to
England
Seth Hukumchand - Marwari businessman who set up the first Indian jute mill in Calcutta in 1917, also traded with China
G.D. Birla – his father as well as grandfather
In 1912, J.N. Tata set up the first iron and steel works in India at
Jamshedpur. Iron and steel industries in India started much later than
textiles. In colonial India industrial machinery, railways and
locomotives were mostly imported.
Merchants from Madras traded with Burma & others with Middle East and East Africa
Indian merchants were barred from trading with Europe in manufactured goods, and had to export mostly raw materials and food grains – raw cotton, opium, wheat and indigo – required by the British
Till WW-I, European Managing Agencies (Bird Heiglers & Co., Andrew
Yule, and Jardine Skinner & Co.) in fact controlled a large sector
of Indian industries (mainly tea and coffee plantations, mining, jute
and indigo). These set up joint stock companies and managed them. In
most instances Indian financiers provided capital while European Agencies made all investment and business decisions
Entry of Workers
In 1901, there were 584,000 workers in Indian factories. By 1946 the number was over 2,436,000.
Those who found no work in villages came to cities in industries.
50% workers in Bombay industries came from Ratnagiri
Slowly workers travelled great distances for jobs to work in mills in Bombay and Calcutta
Number seeking work were always more than jobs available. Entry to mill was restricted and they employed jobber (old and trusted worker – became person with authority) to get new recruits
Factory workers increased over time but their proportion was small to total workforce
Early cotton mills in India produced coarse cotton yarn (thread) rather
than fabric. When yarn was imported it was only of the superior
variety. The yarn produced in Indian spinning mills was used by handloom
weavers in India or exported to China.
Nationalists
mobilized people to boycott foreign cloth. Industrial groups organized
themselves to protect collective interest, pressurize government to
increase tariff and grant concessions
After 1906, exports to China declined was they started their own mills. In India, it registered a shift from yarn to cloth
WW-I – British mills were busy in producing for war, imports from
Manchester declined and Indian mills saw a home market to supply. Indian
factories were called for war needs as well – bags, cloths, tents,
boots – new factories were set up with multiple shifts – more workers
and working hours leading to industrial boom
After
war, Manchester could never regain the value and compete with US, Japan
and Germany. Cotton production in Britain dropped drastically
Around 67% large industries in 1911 were located in Bengal and Bombay
Handicrafts expanded in 20th century between 1900 and 1940 – adopted new technology to improve production without pushing up costs
Weavers used looms with fly shuttle (device for weaving by ropes and pullies) – led to higher productivity per worker, higher production and reduced labor demand – mainly in Travancore, Madras, Mysore, Cochin & Bengal
Image of Location of Large Scale Industries in 1931
Image of Location of Large Scale Industries In 1931
Coarse cloth was bought by poor and finer cloth by well to do stable income group
Famines affected sale of Banarasi and Baluchari sarees
Woven border sarees and lungis and hankerchiefs of Madras could not replaced by mill
Market for Goods
Indian weavers resisted colonial control, demanded tariff protection, created their own space and extended market for produce
New consumers created by advertisements in newspapers, hoardings and TV.
“Made in Manchester” were the labels on cloth bundles from Manchester
Gripe Water calendar of 1928 by M.V. Dhurandhar - image of baby Krishna was most commonly used to popularize baby products
Labels showed words, texts and images (god, personages, emperors, nawabs) with illustrations
Manufacturers printed calendars to popularize there product – hung in tea shops and poor people’s home
If you care for the nation then buy products that Indians produce.
Advertisements became a vehicle of nationalist message of swadeshi.
With
city size, crime flourished and 20,000 criminals in 1870s – law and
order became a concern & made philanthropists (one who works for
social uplift) anxious
19th century -
Henry Mayhew wrote several volumes on London labor, and compiled long
lists of those who made a living from crime – but many listed as
criminals were infact poor stealing food. Tricksters and thieves crowded
London streets; authorities imposed penalties on crime and offered work
to deserving poor
Women lost job with technological
invasion and were forced to work within households. In 1861, 0.25
million women were domestic servants & started home based work like
tailoring, washing etc. Later women got employment during war time and
withdrew from domestic service
Children in low paid
work. Andrew Mearns, a clergyman who wrote “The Bitter Cry of Outcast
London” in 1880s, showed why crime was more profitable than laboring in
small underpaid factories
Only after passage of the
Compulsory Elementary Education Act in 1870 & factory acts beginning
from 1902, that children were kept out of industrial work.
Individual landowners put cheap, unsafe tenements (overcrowded apartment) for new arrivals
In 1887, Charles Booth, a Liverpool shipowner, conducted the first
social survey of lowskilled London workers in the East End of London - 1
million Londoners (1/5th of the population of London at the
time) were very poor and were expected to live only up to an average age
of 29 (average life expectancy of 55 among the gentry and the middle
class).
These people were more than likely to die in a
‘workhouse, hospital or lunatic asylum’. London needed rebuilding of at
least 400,000 rooms to house its poorest citizens.
Houses were overcrowded, badly ventilated and lacked sanitation, issues of fire hazards and fear of social disorder after Russian Revolution in 1917 – idea was to plan for worker’s mass housing schemes
Temperance movement (middle class led social reforms) developed to fight against evils of drinking and drunkenness on streets
Cleaning London – decongest localities, green open spaces, reduce
pollution, build apartment blocks, and introduce rent control in Britain
during WW-I to ease impact of severe housing shortage
Wealthy residents could afford holiday homes in countryside
Demands for new lungs for city – bridge between city and countryside by Green Belts around London
Ebenezer Howard developed idea of Garden City – space full of plants
and trees where people can live and work – would produce better citizens
Following Howard’s ideas Raymond Unwin and Barry Parker designed the
garden city of New Earswick. There were common garden spaces, beautiful
views, and great attention to detail
With suburb development issues of mass transport became necessary – London underground railway (1st
section in 1863 between Paddington and Farrington Street in London
& carried 10,000 passengers on that day; trains running every 10
minutes). By 1880 – it expanded to carry 40 million passengers every
year
Critics of underground railways – iron monsters;
broken streets for construction; smoking people created heat and
asphyxiation (suffocation); for 2 miles railways around 900 houses were
destroyed; led to displacement of poor between two World Wars
It was success as many could live outside and join for work. Chicago,
New York and Tokyo did not have the well-defined transit system
18th
century – family as unit of production, consumption and political
decision making – it was transformed by industrial life. Ties loosened
and marriage broke; upper and middle class women felt higher isolation;
so women must be pushed back to homes
City encouraged
individualism (independent action of individual) & freedom from
collective values of smaller rural communities. Public space became male
dominated and domestic was female dominated
Chartism
(a movement demanding the vote for all adult males) & 10-hour
movement (limiting hours of work in factories), mobilized large numbers
of men
Gradually women demand for right to vote and married women’s right to property started
New family became heart of new markets & problem of mass leisure on Sundays and common holidays came in
“London Season” – cultural event for wealthy Britishers with opera, theatre and music having 300-400 families in 18th century
Working class met in pubs to exchange news, drink and organize political action
19th
century – libraries, art galleries and musuems came up – for sense of
history and pride. Visitors to London museum increased from 15,000 a
year to 8.25 lakh in 1846 with free entry
Music halls and cinemas became mass entertainment centres
Over 1 million British people went to the seaside at Blackpool in 1883; by 1939 their numbers had gone up to 7 million.
Before the railway age, taverns
were places on coach routes where horse-drawn coaches halted, and tired
travelers had food and drink and rested for overnight stays. After
railways, taverns declined. Pubs came closer to railway stations.
In 1886 – riots with 10,000 crowd that marched from Deptford to London;
similar one occurred in 1887 which was suppressed by police and known
as Bloody Sunday of Nov 1887
1889 – thousands dockworkers went to strike and marched through city
Urbanization in India was slow in 19th century under colonial rule
Early 20th century – 11% Indians were in cities
Large proportion of urban dwellers were in 3 Presidency cities (Bombay,
Bengal and Madras) which were multi-functional with major ports,
warehouses, educational institutions.
Bombay – premier city - Population grew from 6.44 lakhs in 1872 to 15 lakhs in 1941
17th century – Bombay was group of 7 islands under Portuguese
In 1661 – control passed to British after marriage of Britain’s King Charles II to Portuguese princess.
East India Company shifted base from Surat to Bombay
Initially it was outlet of cotton textile from Gujarat
In late 19th century – port with raw material as cotton and opium – later an administrative center and finally industrial center
1819 – became capital of Bombay presidency after defeat of Maratha in Anglo-Maratha war & city expanded
1854 – 1st cotton textile mill was established. By 1921 – 85 cotton mills and 1.46 lakh workers. It was home to only 1/4th local residents and rest were outsiders
Women formed 23% mill workforce between 1919 and 1926 & later number dropped to 10% as h=jobs were taken by machines
Till 20th century – Bombay dominated maritime trade. Located at junction of two railways (encouraged higher migration)
1888-89 – Kutch famine drove people to Bombay
Flood of migrants created panic and plague epidemic spread in 1898 where 30,000 people were sent back in 1902
Bombay was crowded – (Londoners had average 155 square yards with 8
persons per house while Bombay had 9.5 square yards with 20 persons per
house)
Early 1800s – Bombay Fort area was divided
into native town (Indians lived) & European (white section) to north
of Fort and similar in south as well
Crisis for housing, water supply became acute in mid-1850s. textile mills increased pressure on housing
Parsis, Muslims and upper caste traders had spacious bungalows while 70% lived in chawls (multi-storeyed structures owned by private landlords – were divided into one room tenements with no private toilets) – 80% population resided in one room tenements in 1901
90% of millworkers were housed in Girangaon, a ‘mill village’ not more than 15 minutes’ walk from the mills.
Bombay’s first Municipal Commissioner, Arthur Crawford, was appointed in 1865.
People had to keep the windows of their rooms closed even in humid
weather due to the ‘close proximity of filthy gutters, privies, buffalo
stables etc.’
Due to small homes, streets were used for cooking, washing and sleeping. Liquor shops and akharas came up in empty spots.
Jobber in mill could be the local neighborhood leader to settle disputes, organize food supply and credit
Depressed classes were kept out of the chawls and lived in shelters of corrugated sheets, leaves, or bamboo poles.
Town planning in Bombay was due to fear of plague while in London it was due to social revolution
City of Bombay Improvement Trust was established in 1898 & focused on clearing poorer homes out of the city centre
By 1918, Trust schemes had deprived 64,000 people of their homes, but
only 14,000 were rehoused. In 1918, a Rent Act was passed to keep rents
reasonable
Bombay developed by reclamation projects –
earliest project began in 1784 - Bombay governor William Hornby
approved building of the great sea wall, which prevented the flooding of
low-lying areas of Bombay
In 1864, the Back Bay
Reclamation Company won the right to reclaim the western foreshore from
the tip of Malabar Hill to the end of Colaba. Reclamation often meant
the levelling of the hills around Bombay.
By 1870s – most private companies closed due to mounting cost & city expanded 22 square miles
Bombay Port Trust, which built a dry dock between 1914 and 1918 and
used the excavated earth to create the 22-acre Ballard Estate &
finally Marine Drive
Bombay as “mayapuri” or city of dreams
Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatwadekar shot a scene of a wrestling match in
Bombay’s Hanging Gardens and it became India’s first movie in 1896
Dadasaheb Phalke made Raja Harishchandra (1913)
By 1925, Bombay had become India’s film capital - money invested in
about 50 Indian films in 1947 was Rs. 756 million. By 1987, the film
industry employed 5.2 lakh people. Writers like Ismat Chughtai and
Saadat Hasan Manto came here
NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 7: Print Culture & Modern World
There was a time without print and print itself has a history. Technology began in East Asia and spread in Europe and India.
Before art of printing writing was done by hand
Earliest technology or hand printing developed in China, Japan and Korea
594 AD – books printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface of
woodblocks – both sides couldn’t be printed as was thin, Chinese
‘accordion book’ was folded and stitched at the side – craftsmen
performed calligraphy
Print in China
Major producer of printed material – huge bureaucratic system which
recruited personnel by civil service exams – textbooks for same were
printed under sponsorship of imperial state
16th century – candidates increased and so does the volume of print
17th
century – print culture diversified from scholar officials to merchants
and reading became leisure activity (fiction, poetry, autobiography and
romantic plays). Rich women also began to read.
Late 19th
century - Western printing techniques and mechanical presses were
imported, Shanghai became hub of new print culture catering to western
style schools & shift from hand printing to mechanical printing
Print in Japan
Handprinting in Japan by Buddhist missionaries from China in 768-770 AD
Oldest Japanese book, printed in AD 868, is Buddhist Diamond Sutra, containing six sheets of text and woodcut illustrations
Pictures printed on textiles, playing cards and paper money
Poets and prose writers published cheap and abundant books
Late 18th century – urban circle at Edo (Tokyo) – collection of paintings of urban culture, artists
Books on women, musical instruments, calculations, tea ceremony, flower
arrangements, proper etiquette, cooking and famous places
Kitagawa Utamaro – art form ukiyo
(‘pictures of the floating world’) or depiction of ordinary human
experiences - travelled to contemporary US and Europe and influenced
artists like Manet, Monet and Van Gogh.
Publishers like Tsutaya Juzaburo identified subjects and commissioned artists who drew the theme in outline.
Skilled woodblock carver pasted drawing on a woodblock and carved a
printing block to reproduce the painter’s lines. In the process, the
original drawing would be destroyed and only prints would survive.
Print to Europe
Silk and species flowed to Europe by Silk route & paper reached Europe by same route in 11th century
Paper made possible manuscripts written by scribes (skilled handwriters)
Marco Polo returned to Italy after being in China for many years & brought idea of woodblock printing
Italians started to make books with woodblocks & it spread to other nations in Europe
Luxury editions were handwritten on velum (parchment made from animal skin) for aristocratic and rich monastic libraries
As demand increased, booksellers exported books, book fairs were held
Scribes were now employed by booksellers (each having 50 scribes)
Copying was an expensive, laborious and time-consuming business.
Manuscripts were fragile, awkward to handle, and could not be carried
around & had limited circulation
Need for quicker
and cheaper text reproduction – new print technology – At Strasbourg,
Germany, Johann Gutenberg developed first-known printing press in 1430s
Gutenburg & Printing Press
Gutenberg was son of merchant who grew on agricultural estate seeing
olive and wine presses. He learnt polishing stones & acquired
expertise to create lead moulds for making trinkets
Olive press provided the model for the printing press, and moulds were
used for casting the metal types for the letters of the alphabet.
Image of Movable Type Printing Machine
Image of Movable type printing machine
Movable Type Printing Machine
By 1448, he perfected the system and 1st
book to be printed was Bible – 180 copies were printed in 3 years
(considered fast production at that time) - No two copies were the same.
Every page of each copy was different. Elites preferred it due to
differences (colored regions were left blank while text in black – color
was used to emphasis)
Printed books resembled
handwritten manuscripts as metal letters intimated handwritten designs –
borders were illuminated with foliage and illustrations were painted
For rich – space was left blank for decoration
B/w 1450 and 1550 – many printing press across Europe
2nd half of 15th century – 20 million copies in Europe which increased to 200 million by 16th century
Image of Printer's Workshop, Sixteenth Century
Image of Printer's Workshop, sixteenth century
Print Revolution & Impact
Development with new ways of producing books
Transformed lives and changed relationships
Spread knowledge and information
New reading public emerged – cost of books became less and people were
able to afford it – earlier it was meant only for elite group
Earlier common people only had oral culture – hear sacred texts, recite
ballads and folk tales or see a performance – books were expensive and
could not be produce in large numbers
Again rate of literacy was very low till 20th
century – those who could not read would enjoy listening to it so folk
tales were published with pictures and sung in village gatherings and
taverns in towns
Circulation of ideas emerged – those who disagreed with authorities could now print ideas
Some were apprehensive that wider circulation of printed books could open people’s mind and they could rebel
In 1517, religious reformer Martin Luther wrote Ninety Five Theses
criticizing many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic
Church – posted on church door in Wittenberg – it was immediately
reproduced and led to division within Church and beginning of Protestant Reformation. His translation of New Testament sold 5000 copies within few weeks and 2nd edition came in 3 months. He said “Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the greatest one”
16th
century – Menocchio, a miller in Italy could read books –reinterpreted
Bible and formulated a view of God and Creation that enraged the Roman
Catholic Church. When the Roman Church began its inquisition to repress
heretical (believes that don’t follow accepted teachings) ideas,
Menocchio was hauled up twice and ultimately executed.
Now Roman Church established several controls over publishers and booksellers to maintain Index of Prohibited Books from 1558
Reading Mania
17th and 18th century – literacy rate surged
Church started to set up schools in villages
By end of 18th century – literacy rate increased to 60-80%
Booksellers employed pedlars who roamed in villages selling books
Almanacs, calendars, folktales; chapbooks (pocket sized books) sold for penny in England;
In France, were “Biliotheque Bleue”, which were low-priced small books
printed on poor quality paper, and bound in cheap blue covers
Romances printed on 4 to 6 pages and histories which were stories of past
Early 18th century – periodical press developed – combine current affairs with entertainment; newspapers and journals
Scientists and philosophers became more accessible to common people – included scientific texts and diagrams
Newton started to publish the discoveries
Thinkers like Thomas Paine, Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau started
to print and read – idea about science, reason and rationality found way
in literature – world could be seen with new eyes of critical
understanding and reasoning
Conditions created in French revolution by Print Culture
Books meant for spreading progress and enlightenment – change and
liberate society from despotism and intellect could rule and bring in
public opinion
Popularized ideas of enlightenment
thinkers – argued for rule of reason and judgment to be done on
rationality; authority of Church was attacked
Created culture of dialogue and debate – reevaluation of norms, values and institutions – new ideas of social revolution
By 1780s literature mocked royal culture and criticized morality –
cartoons suggested that monarchy was absorbed in sensual pleasures and
common man suffered hardships
Spread of ideas –
reinterpretation of things in their own way – it did not shape the mind
but opened possibility to think differently
19th Century
Leap in mass literacy in Europe and increasing number of readers
Late 19th century – primary education became compulsory – children became important readers
Production of school textbooks became critical
Children’s press was set up in France in 1857 – new works, old fairy tales and folk tales
Grimm brothers complied folk tales and it was edited before publishing in 1812
Penny magazines were popular in women – as manuals teaching proper behavior and housekeeping
Women novelists - Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, George Elio –
defined new type of women as person with will, strength, determination
and power to think
Since 17th century – lending libraries were seen. In 19th century – it became instrument to educate workers, artisans and middle class
After working hours shortened from mid-19th century – workers found time for self-improvement and self-expression and started to write political tracts and autobiographies
Innovations
Late 18th century – press was made of metal
By the mid-19th
century - Richard M. Hoe of New York had perfected the power-driven
cylindrical press. This was capable of printing 8,000 sheets per hour
for printing newspapers
Late 19th century – offset print was developed – could print 6 colors at a time
20th century - electrically operated presses accelerated printing operations
Methods of feeding paper improved, the quality of plates became better,
automatic paper reels and photoelectric controls of the color register
were introduced
Mechanical improvements transformed appearances of printed texts
Publishers and printers developed strategies to sell their products
Nineteenth-century periodicals serialized important novels, which gave birth to a particular way of writing novels
In the 1920s in England, popular works were sold in cheap series, called the Shilling Series.
20th century innovation - Dust cover or book jacket
During Great depression decline in book purchases – and people bought cheap paperback editions
India and World of Print
India had rich handwritten manuscripts I Sanskrit, Arabian and Persian –
copied on palm leaves or handmade papers with beautiful illustrations
and wooden covers
18th century - Gita Govinda by Jayadev - palm-leaf handwritten manuscript in accordion format
14th century poet - Hafiz collected works are known as Diwan.
Highly expensive and fragile manuscripts were made – handled carefully
and could not be read as the scripts were written in different styles
In Schools (mainly Bengal) – extensive primary schools but children did not read texts, they only could write
Mid-16th century – 1st printing press in Goa with Portuguese missionaries
Jesuit preists learnt Konkani and printed tracts. By 1674, 50 books were printed in Konkani and Kanara languages
1st Tamil book printed in 1579 in Cochin & 1st Malayalam book came in 1713
By 1710, Dutch Protestant missionaries had printed 32 Tamil texts
Late 17th Century – English East India Company began to import press
From 1780, James Augustus Hickey began to edit the Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine
He published advertisements related to import and sale of slaves
End of 18th century – newspapers and journals appeared in print
Indians began to publish Indian newspapers - first to appear was the
weekly Bengal Gazette, brought out by Gangadhar Bhattacharya, who was
close to Rammohan Roy
Religious Reforms
Some against reforms while others were in favor of it
Wider public could lead to more public discussions & new ideas emerged
Time of controversy between religious reformers and orthodoxy like widow immolation, monotheism and idolatry
Ideas were printed in language of common man
Rammohan Roy published Sambad Kaumudi from 1821
Hindu orthodoxy commissioned the Samachar Chandrika to oppose his opinions of Raja Rammohan Roy
1822: Two Persian newspapers were published, Jam-i-Jahan Nama and Shamsul Akhbar
1822: Gujarati newspaper, Bombay Samachar started
In north India – Ulama (legal scholars of Islam) were worried about
collapse of Muslim dynasty – believed colonial rule could encourage
conversion – used cheap lithographic presses, published Persian and Urdu
translations of holy scriptures, and printed religious newspapers and
tracts
1867 – Deoband Seminary published thousands of
fatwas (legal pronouncement on Islamic law) – telling Muslim leaders
about conduct and meaning of Islamic doctrines
1st printed edition of Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas, a sixteenth-century text, came out from Calcutta in 1810.
Mid-19th century – cheap lithographic editions flooded market
From the 1880s, Naval Kishore Press at Lucknow and the Shri
Venkateshwar Press in Bombay published numerous religious texts in
vernaculars
Print connected communities and created pan-Indian identities
New Forms of Publication
Writings witnessed experience, emotions and relationships
Novel – a literary firm in Europe catered to this need
Other forms included lyrics, short stories, essays and political matters
Visual images for mass circulation – Raja Ravi Varma (painter) produced mass copies
Poor could buy cheap calendars to decorate houses
It shaped ideas on modernity and traditions
By 1870s - caricatures and cartoons were published in journals and
newspapers, commenting on social and political issues – ridiculed
educated Indians fascination for Western tastes
Women & Print
In mid-19th century – went to schools after separate schools for women
Also carried syllabus and reading material for home based learning/schooling
Mentality was not liberal - Conservative Hindus believed that a
literate girl would be widowed and Muslims feared that educated women
would be corrupted by reading Urdu romances
19th
century – In East Bengal Rashsundari Debi, young married girl in a very
orthodox household, learnt to read in the secrecy of her kitchen.
Later, she wrote her autobiography Amar Jiban which was published in
1876. It was the first full-length autobiography published in the
Bengali language.
1860s in Bengal - Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences of women
1880s – In Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote with
passionate anger about miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women,
especially widows
1870s – Serious beginning for Hindi printing – education, remarriage, national movement
Ram Chaddha published fast-selling Istri Dharm Vichar to teach women
how to be obedient wives. Khalsa Tract Society published cheap booklets
with a similar message.
Central Calcutta area Battala
– devoted to printing of popular books – cheap editions of religious
and literature texts – many were illustrated with woodcuts and colored
lithographs. Pedlars took Battala publications to homes, enabling women
to read
Print & Poor People
19th century – cheap small books in market sold at crossroads
Early 20th century – public libraries were set up expanding access to books (for rich, setting up library was way to acquire prestige)
Jyotiba Phule, Maratha pioneer of ‘low caste’ protest movements, wrote about injustices of the caste system in his Gulamgiri (1871)
In 20th
century, B.R. Ambedkar in Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker
(Periyar) in Madras wrote powerfully on caste and their writings were
read by people all over India
Kashibaba, a Kanpur millworker, wrote and published Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938 to show the links between caste and class exploitation
The poems of another Kanpur millworker, who wrote under the name of
Sudarshan Chakr between 1935 and 1955, were brought together and
published in a collection called Sacchi Kavitayan.
By 1930s, Bangalore cotton millworkers set up libraries to educate themselves, following the example of Bombay workers
Print & Censorship
Before 1798, colonial state under East India Company were not too concerned with censorship
Early measures to control printed matter were directed against
Englishmen in India who were critical of Company misrule and hated the
actions of particular Company officers. Company was worried that such
criticisms might be used by its critics in England to attack its trade
monopoly in India.
1820s – regulations to control press freedom was passed & company encouraged publications that would celebrate British rule
In 1835, faced with urgent petitions by editors of English and
vernacular newspapers, Governor-General Bentinck agreed to revise press
laws.
Thomas Macaulay (liberal colonial official) formulated new rules that restored the earlier freedoms
Vernacular press became nationalist, government brought stringent measures
1878 – Vernacular Press Act was passed modelled on Irish Press Laws –
provided with extensive rights to censor reports in vernacular press
& strict control by government
Nationalist
newspapers reported on colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist
activities – it led to renewed cycle of persecution and protests
When Punjab revolutionaries were deported in 1907, Balgangadhar Tilak wrote with great sympathy about them in his Kesari. This led to his imprisonment in 1908, provoking in turn widespread protests all over India.
Emile Zola
Germinal
1885
Life
of a young miner in France explores in harsh detail grim conditions of
miners’ lives. It ends on a note of despair: strike the hero leads
fails, his co-workers turn against him, and hopes are shattered.
Hardy
Mayor of Casterbridge
1886
About
Michael Henchard, a successful grain merchant, who becomes the mayor of
the farming town of Casterbridge. He is an independent-minded man who
follows his own style in conducting business. He can also be both
unpredictably generous and cruel with his employees. Consequently, he is
no match for his manager and rival Donald Farfrae (runs his business on
efficient managerial lines, is smooth and even-tempered). We can see
that Hardy mourns the loss of the more personalized world that is
disappearing, even as he is aware of its problems and the advantages of
the new order.
Novels used vernacular (language of common man) –
created shared world within diverse population – combined classical
language with language of streets.
R.L. Stevenson
Treasure Island
1883
Rudyard Kipling
Jungle Book
1894
Powerful, assertive, independent and daring – full of adventure - heroic and honorable
G.A. Henty
Drake’s Flag
1883
Historical
adventure novels for boys -excitement and adventure of conquering
strange lands. They were set in Mexico, Alexandria, Siberia and many
other countries. About young boys who witness grand historical events,
get involved in some military action and show what they called ‘English’
courage.
Two young Elizabethan adventurers face their apparently approaching death, but still remember to assert their Englishness
Helen Hunt Jackson
Ramona
1884
Sarah Chauncey Woolsey (pen name Susan Coolidge)
What Katy Did
1872
Love stories in USA
Daniel Defoe
Robinson Crusoe
1719
The
hero is an adventurer and slave trader. Shipwrecked on an island,
Crusoe treats colored people not as human beings equal to him, but as
inferior creatures. He rescues a ‘native’ and makes him his slave and
gives him the name “Friday” – this was unacceptable behavior as most
writers saw colonialism as natural
Baba Padmanji
Yamuna Paryatan
1857
The earliest novel in Marathi was which used a simple style of storytelling to speak about the plight of widows.
Lakshman Moreshwar Halbe
Muktamala
1861
It was not a realistic novel; it presented an imaginary ‘romance’ narrative with a moral purpose.
Naro Sadashiv Risbud
Manjughosha
1868
Used a highly ornamental style in his Marathi novel filled with amazing events
O. Chandu Menon
Indulekha
1889
A
subjudge from Malabar, tried to translate English novel called
Henrietta Temple written by Benjamin Disraeli into Malayalam – but
people in Kerala found their clothes, speaking etc. as boring. He wrote a
story in Malayalam in the ‘manner of English novel books’. This
delightful novel called Indulekha, was the first modern novel in
Malayalam.
Kandukuri Viresalingam(1848-1919)
Rajasekhara Caritamu
1878
From
Andhra Pradesh began translating Oliver Goldsmith’s Vicar of Wakefield
into Telugu. He abandoned this plan for similar reasons and instead
wrote an original Telugu novel called Rajasekhara Caritamu in 1878.
Srinivas Das
Pariksha-Guru (Master Examiner)
1882
First
proper modern novel was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi. His novel
cautioned young men of well-to-do families against the dangerous
influences of bad company and consequent loose morals – reflect inner
and outer world of emerging middle class – adopt colonized society and
preserve cultural identity
Teach right way to live – take new
agricultural technology, modernize trading practice, change use of
Indian languages & transmit Western Sciences and Indian wisdom – all
this must be achieved without sacrificing the traditional values of the
middle-class household
Devaki Nandan Khatri
Chandrakanta
A
romance with dazzling elements of fantasy – is believed to have
contributed immensely in popularizing the Hindi language & Nagari
script among the educated classes of those times.
Premchand
Sewasadan (The Abode of Service)
1916
Premchand
started in Urdu and then in Hindi – in art of kissa-goi
(story-telling). His novel lifted the Hindi novel from the realm of
fantasy, moralizing and simple entertainment to a serious reflection on
the lives of ordinary people and social issues – dealt with poor
conditions of women in society, child marriage and dowry
Rajanikanta Bardoloi
Manomati
1900
He
wrote the first major historical novel in Assam. It is set in the
Burmese invasion, stories of which the author had probably heard from
old soldiers who had fought in the 1819 campaign. It is a tale of two
lovers belonging to two hostile families who are separated by the war
and finally reunited.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Durgeshnandini
1865
He would host a jatra
in the courtyard where members of the family would be gathered. In
Bankim’s room, however, a group of literary friends would collect to
read, discuss and judge literary works. Bankim read out Durgeshnandini,
his first novel, to such a gathering of people who were stunned to
realize that the Bengali novel had achieved excellence so quickly.
Prose
style in novels, initially it was colloquial style and used meyeli
(language associated with women’s speech) – the style was replaced by
Bankim’s prose which was Sanskritized.
By 20th
century, power of telling stories in simple language made Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay (1876-1938) the most popular novelist in Bengal and
probably in the rest of India.
Rokeya Hossein (1880-1932)
Sultana’s Dream
1905
Was a reformer who, after she was widowed, started a girl’s school in Calcutta. She wrote a satiric
(criticism of society in witty manner) fantasy in English which shows a
topsy-turvy world in which women take the place of men. Her novel Padmarag also showed the need for women to reform their condition by their own actions
Gulavadi Venkata Rao
Indirabai
1899
The
heroine is given away in marriage at a very young age to an elderly
man. Her husband dies soon after, and she is forced to lead the life of a
widow. In spite of opposition from her family and society, Indirabai
succeeds in continuing her education
Central dilemma faced by
colonial subjects - how to be modern without rejecting tradition, how to
accept ideas coming from the West without losing one’s identity
Chandu Menon
Indulekh
A
love story. Nambuthiri, the foolish landlord who comes to marry
Indulekha, is the focus of much satire in the novel. The intelligent
heroine rejects him and chooses Madhavan, the educated and handsome
Nayar as her husband, and the young couple move to Madras, where
Madhavan joins the civil service.
Concerned the marriage
practices of upper-caste Hindus in Kerala, especially the Nambuthiri
Brahmins and the Nayars. Nambuthiris were also major landlords in Kerala
at that time; and a large section of the Nayars were their tenants.
Young generation of Nayars occupied property and wealth and argued
against Nambuthiri alliances with Nayar women.
Chandu Menon
portrayed Indulekha as a woman of breathtaking beauty, high intellectual
abilities, artistic talent, and with an education in English and
Sanskrit. Madhavan, the hero of the novel, was also presented in ideal
colours. He was a member of the newly English-educated class of Nayars
from the University of Madras. He was also a ‘first-rate Sanskrit
scholar’. He dressed in Western clothes. But, at the same time, he kept a
long tuft of hair, according to the Nayar custom.
Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice
19th
century Britain - give us a glimpse of the world of women in genteel
rural society – look for good marriages and find wealthy husbands –
“single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”
Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre
1847
Dealt with women who broke existing norms
Young
Jane is shown as independent and assertive. While girls of her time
were expected to be quiet and well behaved, Jane at the age of ten
protests against the hypocrisy of her elders with startling bluntness;
against her aunt and calls her deceitful
Ramashankar Ray
Saudamani
1877-78
A dramatist, began serializing the first Oriya novel, Saudamani but could not complete it.
Fakir Mohon Senapati (1843-1918)
Chaa Mana Atha Guntha
1902
Orissa
produced a major novelist. It translates as six acres and thirty-two
decimals of land. It announces a new kind of novel that will deal with
the question of land and its possession. It is the story of Ramchandra
Mangaraj, a landlord’s manager who cheats his idle and drunken master
and then eyes the plot of fertile land owned by Bhagia and Shariya, a
childless weaver couple.
Charles Dickens
Hard Times
1854
Against
industrialization in his novel describes Coketown, a fictitious
industrial town, as a grim place full of machinery, smoking chimneys,
rivers polluted purple and buildings that all looked the same. Workers
are known as ‘hands’, as if they had no identity other than as operators
of machines. Humans were reduced to simple instruments.
Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist
1838
Explained
terrible condition of urban life under capitalism - tale of a poor
orphan who lived in a world of petty criminals and beggars. Brought up
in a cruel workhouse, Oliver was finally adopted by a wealthy man and
lived happily ever after
Hannah Mullens
Karuna o Phulmonir Bibaran
1852
A Christian missionary, reputedly the first novel in Bengali, tells her readers that she wrote in secret.
Advaita Malla Burman’s (1914-51)
Titash Ekti Nadir Naam
1956
It
is an epic about Mallas, a community of fisherfolk who live off fishing
in river Titash. The novel is about three generations of the Mallas,
about their recurring tragedies and the story of Ananta, a child born of
parents who were tragically separated after their wedding night. He
leaves community to get educated in the city – as river dries the
community dies.
Potheri Kunjambu Saraswativijayam
1892
A
‘lower-caste’ writer from north Kerala mounted a strong attack on caste
oppression. This novel shows a young man from an ‘untouchable’ caste,
leaving his village to escape the cruelty of his Brahmin landlord. He
converts to Christianity and gets education. Explains education of
upliftment of lower castes.
Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer (1908-94)
Was
one of the early Muslim writers to gain wide renown as a novelist in
Malayalam. He didn’t had much formal education and most works were based
on rich personal experience. He took part in Salt Satyagarha and he
wrote short novels and stories. Brought in his writings – poverty,
insanity and life in prisons.
Bhudeb Mukhopadhyay (1827-94)
Anguriya Binimoy
1857
Was
the first historical novel written in Bengal. Its hero Shivaji engages
in many battles against a clever and treacherous Aurangzeb. Man Singh
persuades Shivaji to make peace with Aurangzeb. Realizing that Aurangzeb
intended to confine him as a house prisoner, Shivaji escapes and
returns to battle. What gives him courage and tenacity is his belief
that he is a nationalist fighting for the freedom of Hindus.
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1912-99),
Chemmeen (Shrimp)
1956
It
is set in fishing community in Kerala, and characters speak a variety
of Malayalam used by fisherfolk in the region. The film Chemmeen,
directed by Ramu Kariat, was made in 1965.
Bankim
Anandamath
1882
It
is a novel about a secret Hindu militia that fights Muslims to
establish a Hindu kingdom. It was a novel that inspired many kinds of
freedom fighters.
Premchand
Rangbhoomi (The Arena)
It
has characters that create a community based on democratic values.
Central character, Surdas, is a visually impaired beggar from a
so-called ‘untouchable’ caste. The very act of choosing such a person as
the ‘hero’ of a novel is significant. It makes the lives of the most
oppressed section of society as worthy of literary reflection.
His
novels are filled with all kinds of powerful characters drawn from all
levels of society. He rejected nostalgic obsession with history. His
novels look towards the future without forgetting the importance of the
past.
Premchand
Godan (gift of Cow)
1936
It
is his best known work. It is an epic of the Indian peasantry. Novel
tells the moving story of Hori and his wife Dhania, a peasant couple.
Landlords, moneylenders, priests and colonial bureaucrats – all those
who hold power in society – form a network of oppression, rob their land
and make them into landless laborers. Yet Hori and Dhania retain their
dignity to the end.
Rabindranath Tagore
Ghare Baire
1916
It
were historical and later based on domestic relationships and focused
on women and nationalism. Concerns are featured in his Ghare Baire
(1916) translated in 1919 as The Home and the World. The story is about
Bimala, wife of Nikhilesh, a liberal landlord who believes that he can
save his country by patiently bettering the lives of its poor and
marginal sections. But Bimala is attracted to Sandip, her husband’s
friend and a firebrand extremist. Sandip is so completely dedicated to
throwing out the British that he does not mind if the poor ‘low’ castes
suffer and Muslims are made to feel like outsiders. By becoming a part
of Sandip’s group, Bimala gets a sense of self-worth and self-esteem.
Bimala may be admired by the young males of the group but she cannot
influence their decisions. Indeed, she is used by Sandip to acquire
funds for the movement. Tagore’s novels make us rethink both man-woman
relationships and nationalism.
Summary for NCERT Class 10 History Summary for NCERT Class 10 History
Image of World Map
Image of world map
Chapter 1: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe
Concept of Nation State - common identity and shared history developed & was result of struggle, action of leaders and common people
French Revolution
1st expression of nationalism in 1789
Transfer from monarchy to body of French citizens – people constitute the nation and shape the destiny
The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen)
emphasized the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights
New French tricolor flag to replace former royal standard
Estates General was elected and renamed as National Assembly
Centralized administrative system with uniform laws for citizens within territory
Abolish internal custom duties and dues
Formulate uniform system of weights and measures
French became a common language and regional dialects were discouraged
Aim to liberate people of Europe from despotism
Establishment of Jacobin clubs – French army moved into Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy in 1970s
Developments under Napoleon – Civil Code of 1804
(Napoleonic Code) did away with privileges based on birth, established
equality and secured right to property. He abolished feudal system and
freed peasants from serfdom. He removed guild restriction and improved
transportation.
Image of Europe
Image of Europe
Unification of Germany – Bismarck – constitution, freedom of press and freedom of association
Unification of Italy – Mazzini, later Garibaldi
Mazzini formed Young Italy in Marseilles & Young Europe in Berne (1833).
Developments in Balkan state – ethnic diversity
Habsburg Empire (Austria-Hungary) - many different regions and peoples. It includes:
Alpine regions – Tyrol, Austria and the Sudetenland
Bohemia - German-speaking
Italian-speaking provinces of Lombardy and Venetia
Hungary – half population spoke Magyar & others regional dialects
Polish speaking people in Galicia
Liberal Nationalism – liberalism (Latin – liber means free) means freedom for individual and equality of all before law.
It stood as end of autocracy and clerical privileges & stressed inviolability of private property Universal suffrage
– France – initially only property owned man had right to vote. Under
Jacobins, right was given to all adult males. Under Napoleon, righted
were limited and reduced for women. Later opposition movements began.
In 1834, a customs union or zollverein
was formed at the initiative of Prussia and joined by most of the
German states. The union abolished tariff barriers and reduced the
number of currencies from more than 30 to 2. I Conservatism after 1815 - Conservatism is a philosophy that stresses on tradition, customs and prefers gradual change
They believed modernization can strengthen traditional institutions like monarchy making state more effective
Modern army, efficient bureaucracy, dynamic economy, abolition of
feudalism and serfdom could strengthen autocratic monarchies of Europe
In 1815, Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria who collectively defeated
Napoleon met at Vienna under Congress hosted by Austrian Chancellor
Duke Metternich to draw Treaty of Vienna. Idea was to undo changes that happened under Napoleonic wars & keep check on expansion of French territory
Age of Revolutions: 1830-1848
Revolutionaries were educated middle class elite, professors, school teachers, clerks and commercial middle classes.
France upheaval in 1830 – Bourbon kings restored to power were overthrown by liberal Louis Phillippe
Metternich said ‘When France sneezes, the rest of Europe catches cold.’
July Revolution sparked uprising in Brussels that led to Belgium breaking away from UK of Netherlands.
Greek war of independence –Treaty of Constantinople of 1832 recognized Greece as an independent nation.
Imagination & National Feeling
Nationalism came across by idea of culture (poetry, story and music) along with wars and territorial expansion.
Romanticism – criticized glorification of reason and science &
focused on emotions, intuition and mystical feelings. Idea was to share
collective heritage, common cultural past and basis of nation.
Paintings
Johann Gottfried Herder, German – discover German culture among common
man (das volk) – by folk songs and dances spirit of nation (volksgeist)
was popularized
Collection of vernacular language and folklore to carry message to illiterate audiences
Operas and music
Folk tales
Hunger, Hardship & Popular Revolt
1830s – years of economic hardships in Europe
1848: Revolution of Liberals
Brought abdication of monarch and republic based on universal male suffrage
Germany, Italy, Poland, the Austro-Hungarian Empire – men and women of
the liberal middle classes combined their demands for constitutionalism
with national unification – constitution, freedom of press and freedom
of association
In Germany, German National Assembly was formed on 18th
May, 1848 with 831 elected representatives. They drafted a constitution
for German nations to be headed by monarchy. Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King
of Prussia, rejected it and joined other monarchs to oppose the elected
assembly.
Women formed political associations, founded newspapers and took part in political meetings but were denied suffrage rights.
Louise Otto-Peters (1819-95) was a political activist who founded a
women’s journal and subsequently a feminist political association
(awareness of women rights and interests)
Serfdom and bonded labor were abolished both in Habsburg dominions and in Russia. Habsburg rulers granted more autonomy to the Hungarians in 1867.
Making of Germany & Italy
Liberal initiative to nation-building in Germany was repressed by monarchy and military & supported by the large landowners (called Junkers) of Prussia.
Prussia took leadership for national unification with Otto von Bismarck as the architect. 3 wars over 7 years with Austria, Denmark and France ended in Prussian victory & unification.
In January 1871, the Prussian king, William I, was proclaimed German Emperor in a ceremony in Hall of Mirrors, at Versailles
New state emphasized modernization of currency, banking, legal and judicial systems in Germany
Italy Unified
Italy had scattered dynasties and Habsburg Empire. In mid-19th century – it was divided in 7 states of which Sardinia-Piedmont was ruled by Italian princely house.
Garibaldi was sailor. In 1860, Garibaldi led the Expedition of the
Thousand to South Italy. Volunteers joined and were known as Red Shirts.
In 1867, Garibaldi led an army of volunteers to Rome to fight the last
obstacle to the unification of Italy, the Papal States where a French
garrison was stationed. I
Case of Britain
Nation state formation was not sudden but a long drawn out process. Prior to 18th century there were ethnic groups like English, Welsh, Scot or Irish with their own culture and traditions. As it grew in wealth and power, influence extended to other nations.
English parliament seized power from the monarchy in 1688
Act of Union (1707) between England and Scotland resulted in the formation of ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain’ - England was able to impose its influence on Scotland
British parliament was dominated by English members and Scotland’s
culture was suppressed. Catholics from Scotland suffered repression.
Scottish Highlanders were forbidden to speak their Gaelic language or
wear their national dress, and large numbers were forcibly driven out of
their homeland.
Ireland was divided between
Catholics and Protestants. English helped Protestants to establish power
over Catholic nation. Catholics were suppressed. After failed revolt
led by Wolfe Tone and his United Irishmen (1798), Ireland was forcibly incorporated into UK in 1801.
Symbols of the New Britain: British flag (Union Jack), the national
anthem (God Save Our Noble King), the English language were actively
promoted
Nations were portrayed as females. Female
figure became an allegory (abstract idea expressed through person or
things) of the nation.
In France she was christened Marianne.
Germania became the allegory of the German nation.
Balkans - geographical and ethnic variation included Romania,
Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro - people called as Slavs. Majority
of Balkans was under Ottoman Empire. Spread of romantic nationalism
& disintegration of Ottoman Empire made this region very explosive.
Chapter 2: The Nationalist Movement in Indo-China
Indo-China included Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Map of Indo-China
Map of Indo-China
After Franco-Chinese war, French assumed control over Tonkin and Anaam & French Indo-China was formed in 1887.
French considered colonies necessary to supply natural resources and essential goods.
Canals were built to increase cultivation
Trans Indo-China rail network was made to connect south and north Vietnam and China
Plantation crops included rice and rubber owned by French & small Vietnamese elite.
Education & Dilemma – To privileged few
Tonkin Free School was started in 1907 to provide a Western style
education included science, hygiene and French (these classes were held
in the evening and had to be paid for separately) and adoption of short
haircut (traditionally Vietnamese have long hair)
By 1920s students formed political parties (like Party of Young Annan) & published journals like Annanese Student.
Schools became center for political and cultural battles.
Students inspired by happenings in Japan during revolt with Russia
1930: Ho Chi Minh forms the Vietnamese Communist Party.
Ho Chi Minh in North & Bao Dai in South Vietnam
Plague affected Hanoi - Bounty program was scrapped.
From 18th
century – many religious movements were hostile to Western presence.
Early movement against French control and spread of Christianity was Scholars Revolt in 1868 (against Catholicism and French power)
Hao Hao movement in 1939 in Mekong delta – It drew on religious ideas popular in anti-French uprisings of the 19th century. Its founder was Huynh Phu – mental asylum
Resistance to French domination was led by Confucian Phan Boi Chau – formed Revolutionary Society (Duy Tan Hoi) in 1903, with Prince Cuong De as the head.
Phan Chu Trinh - intensely hostile to the monarchy and opposed to the idea of resisting the French, aimed to establish democratic republic
Go East Movement - drive away French from Vietnam, overthrow puppet rule & establish Nguyen dynasty
Bao Dai was overthrown by Ngo Dinh Diem
(repressive & authoritarian – those who opposed were called
communist and killed). Diem retained ordinance 10, French law that
permitted Christianity & was opposed by National Liberation Front
(NLF)
NLF fought for unification of nation. US
watched for alliance and was worried over unification and communist
gaining so sent troops
Dominion status of nation – US worried
Minh became an active member of Commintern
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Women were portrayed brave and dedicated.
Chapter 3: Nationalism in India
Gandhi’s return from South Africa
1916 – Champaran, Bihar against oppressive plantation
1917 – Kheda, Gujarat – crop failure and plague – relaxation on revenue collection
1918 – Organize Ahmedabad textile mill workers
Rowlatt Act (1919) – Nationwide protest against it. Passed by Imperial
Legislative Council despite united opposition. It gave the government
enormous powers to repress political activities, and allowed detention
of political prisoners without trial for two years.
Jallianwalla Bagh Incidence
Khilafat issue - harsh treaty on Khalifa (Ottoman emperor).
Surrender of titles, boycott of civil services, army, police, court, legislative council, schools and foreign goods
Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in Jan. 1921 – call of Swaraj
Khadi concept
Awadh (Baba Ramchandra – sanyasi who earlier had been to Fiji as
indentured labourer) – against talukdars and landlords who were
demanding high rents, begar (forced laborer without payment)
Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh – militant guerilla movement started in 1920s - led by Alluri Sitaram Raju
Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission
After Chauri Chaura incident in Gorakhpur – Gandhi called off Non Cooperation movement
CR Das & Motilal Nehru formed Swaraj Party – to argue for return to council politics
Factors affecting Indian Politics late 1920s
Effect of worldwide economic depression, agricultural prices fell from
1926 & collapsed after 1930. Peasants found hard to sell harvest and
pay revenue
Tory government in Britain constituted
Statutory Commission under Sir John Simon – functioning of
constitutional system & no single Indian in the commission – in 1928
was greeted with “Go Back Simon”
1929 -
Bhagat Singh and Batukeswar Dutta threw a bomb in the Legislative
Assembly & also attempt to blow the train in which Irwin was
travelling – idea was “Inquilab Zindabad”
31 Jan 1930
– Letter to Irwin with 11 demands – bringing all classes under united
campaign – demand to abolish salt tax (monopoly over salt production by
Britisher was most oppressive face of British rule)
If demands are not fulfilled, Congress would launch
Civil Disobedience Movement
Salt March – with 78 volunteers for 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi – 24 days and walked 10 miles a day
Not only refuse cooperation but also break laws
Movement called off and Gandhi entered Irwin pact on March 1931
Untouchables or Dalits or oppressed were not moved by abstract ideas of swaraj
BR Ambedkar – organized dalits into Depressed Classes Association in 1930 – clashed with Gandhi at 2nd Round Table Conference for a separate electorate for dalits.
Muslims felt alienated and from mid-1920s Congress came to be openly
associated with Hindus like Hindu Mahasabha – led to worsened relations
between Hindus and Muslims – provoked communal riots
Muslim League and Congress tried to renegotiate an alliance and in 1927
it appeared that such unity could be forged – differences were over
representation in future assemblies that were to be elected
Jinnah (leader of Muslim League) - willing to give up the demand for
separate electorates, if Muslims were assured reserved seats in the
Central Assembly and representation in proportion to population in the
Muslim-dominated provinces (Bengal and Punjab).
Hope to resolve issue disappeared when MR Jayakar of Hindu Mahasabha opposed to compromise
Nationalism
Nation symbolized as figure or image – identity of India as Bharat Mata (image 1st by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay – he later wrote Vande Mataram & novel Anandmath)
During Swadeshi movement in Bengal, a tricolour flag (red, green and yellow) was designed.
By 1921, Gandhi had designed the Swaraj flag.
Reinterpretation of history
Idea was to resolve difference and ensure demand of one group did not alienate another
Chapter 4: The Making of a Global World
Silk route – silk, goods, cargo, pottery, print and paper, gold and silver, later religion and ideologies
Food
Noodles travelled from west to China & became spaghetti
Arab traders took pasta to 5th century Sicily
Foods like potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chilies, sweet
potatoes were not known to our ancestors five centuries ago – introduced
after Columbus accidently discovered Americas
Portuguese and Spanish conquest and colonization of America – under by mid-16th century – conquest not by firepower but by germs of smallpox
From 15th century – China restricted overseas contacts and retreated into isolation. China’s
reduced role and rising importance of America moved center of world
trade westwards & Europe became center of world trade
3 trade – flow of trade, labor and movement of capital for short term
and long term investments – affected people more deeply (labor migration
was restricted than goods and capital flows)
Canal colonies (area irrigated by new canals) – settled by peasants from other parts of Punjab
Between 1820 and 1914 world trade is estimated to have multiplied 25 to 40 times
Trade in meat – till 1870s animals were shipped live from America to Europe & then slaughtered –
Colonialism
Rinderpest (cattle plague) spread
Indentured labor (bonded laborer under contract to work for an employer
for a specific amount of time, to pay off his passage to a new country
or home)
Protest religion of Rastafarianism (made
famous by the Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley) is also said to reflect
social and cultural links with Indian migrants to the Caribbean.
‘Chutney music’, popular in Trinidad and Guyana, is another creative contemporary expression of the post-indenture experience
Entrepreneurs
There was need to protect local industries and restrict cotton imports & tariff imposed on imported cloth from Britain.
Inter-War Economy
1st WW was mainly fought in Europe but impacts felt across the world – lasted for over 4 years, started in 1914
War was Allies (Britain, France and Russia, later joined by the US)
versus Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey)
US transformed from international debtor to creditor while Britain was under external debt
In US recovery was quicker with strong growth in 1920s was due to mass production
Ford - “best cost cutting decision”
Great Depression – 1930s - by 1933 over 4,000 banks had closed and between 1929 and 1932 about 110, 000 companies had collapsed
India’s export and imports halved between 1928 and 1934 & wheat prices fell by 50%
2nd
WW – after 2 decades of WW I – between Axis powers (mainly Nazi
Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allies (Britain, France, the Soviet
Union and the US) for 6 years on land, sea and air – 60 million people
were killed (3% of world population) – many civilians died due to war
related causes - cities destroyed, economic devastation and social
disruption occurred
Two crucial influences shaped post-war reconstruction.
US’s emergence as the dominant economic, political and military power in the Western world.
Dominance of the Soviet Union - It had made huge sacrifices to defeat
Nazi Germany, and transformed itself from a backward agricultural
country into a world power
Lessons from Inter-War Period
Industrial society based on mass production cannot survive unless there
is mass consumption (which requires high and stable income and stable
employment)
Government must step in to minimize fluctuations in price, output and employment
Goal of full employment could only be achieved if governments had power to control flows of goods, capital and labor.
Bretton Woods Conference established IMF – to deal with external surplus and deficit of member nations
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (or World Bank as was known) was set up to finance postwar reconstruction
IMF & World Bank were called Bretton Woods Twins
Developing nations organized themselves into group of 77 nations or G-77 for New International Economic Order (NIEO)
Fixed and floating exchange rates
Rise of MNCs - spread
Chapter 5: The Age of Industrialization
Before factories there was proto-industrialization
Richard Arkwright created the cotton mill
Most dynamic industries were cotton and metals. Cotton was leading
industrial sector till 1840s. Iron & steel demand increased with
expansion of railways from 1840s in Britain and 1860s in colonies. By
1873, Britain exported iron of Pound 77 billion which was double that of
cotton
New industries could not displace traditional industries – by end of 19th century – less than 20% in advanced industrial sectors. Textile was dynamic sector and majority produced in domestic units
Pace of change in the ‘traditional’ industries was not set by
steam-powered cotton or metal industries. Small innovations were basis
of growth in non-mechanized sectors
Steam engine: James Watt improved steam engine produced by Newcomen
In Victorian Britain, upper classes – aristocrats and bourgeoisie – preferred things produced by hand.
Life of Workers - Some stayed in Night Refuges that were set up by private individuals; others went to the Casual Wards maintained by the Poor Law authorities
Seasonality in work
Surat on the Gujarat coast connected India to the Gulf and Red Sea
Ports; Masulipatam on the Coromandel coast and Hoogly in Bengal had
trade links with Southeast Asian ports
New ports like Bombay and Calcutta grew – it was indicator of strengthening colonial powers
Once East India Company established political power it could assert monopoly right to trade – develop management to eliminate competition, control cost and ensure regular supply of cotton and silk
It appointed a paid servant called gomastha to supervise weavers
By end of 18th century there was no import of cotton in India, rose to 31% by 1850 and 50% by 1870s in terms of value of imports
In Bengal, Dwarkanath Tagore made his fortune in the China
In Bombay, Parsis like Dinshaw Petit and Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata
Indian merchants were barred from trading with Europe in manufactured goods, and had to export mostly raw materials and food grains – raw cotton, opium, wheat and indigo – required by the British
Number seeking work were always more than jobs available. Entry to mill was restricted and they employed jobber (old and trusted worker – became person with authority) to get new recruits
After 1906, exports to China declined was they started their own mills. In India, it registered a shift from yarn to cloth
Weavers used looms with fly shuttle (device for weaving by ropes and pullies) – led to higher productivity per worker, higher production and reduced labor demand – mainly in Travancore, Madras, Mysore, Cochin & Bengal
Indian
weavers resisted colonial control, demanded tariff protection, created
their own space and extended market for produce – swadeshi goods
Chapter 6: Work, Life and Leisure
In 1880, Durgacharan Ray wrote a novel, Debganer Martye Aagaman (The Gods Visit Earth)
Cities like Nippur and Mohenjodaro were larger in scale than other settlements
Cites were often the centres of political power, administrative
network, trade and industry, religious institutions, and intellectual
activity
London – In 1750, 1 of 9 people of England
and Wales lived in London. Colossal city with 6.75 lakh population which
shot up to 4 million in 1880
Crime Grew
Women lost job with technology
Children in low paid work
Only
after passage of the Compulsory Elementary Education Act in 1870 &
factory acts beginning from 1902, that children were kept out of
industrial work.
Temperance movement (middle class led social reforms) developed to fight against evils of drinking and drunkenness on streets
Town planning in London – Social revolution
Demands for new lungs for city – bridge between city and countryside by Green Belts around London
Ebenezer Howard developed idea of Garden City
Following Howard’s ideas Raymond Unwin and Barry Parker designed the garden city of New Earswick.
City encouraged individualism (independent action of individual) & freedom from collective values of smaller rural communities. Public space became male dominated and domestic was female dominated
Music halls & cinemas
Libraries, art galleries and museums
Sea beaches
Taverns – night stay – place to exchange ideas and news
Haussmanisation of Paris under Napoleon III
India
Early 20th century – 11% Indians were in cities
Large proportion of urban dwellers were in 3 Presidency cities (Bombay, Bengal and Madras) which were multi-functional with major ports, warehouses, educational institutions.
Till 20th century – Bombay dominated maritime trade. Located at junction of two railways (encouraged higher migration)
1888-89 – Kutch famine drove people to Bombay
Flood of migrants created panic and plague epidemic spread in 1898 where 30,000 people were sent back in 1902
Bombay was crowded
Parsis, Muslims and upper caste traders had spacious bungalows while 70% lived in chawls
Town planning in Bombay was due to fear of plague
Rent Act was passed to keep rents reasonable
Bombay developed by reclamation projects
Bombay as “mayapuri” or city of dreams
Natural features were flattened for demand of housing
Refuse and waste product polluted air and water and noise pollution became an issue
Use of coal in homes created serious problems
Kolkata - Smoke Abatement Acts of 1847 and 1853, as they were called, did not always work to clear the air
High Amount of Ash in Indian Coal Was a Problem
Singapore planning - Under Lee Kuan Yew it became independent nation in
1965 – housing and development program on every inch of land - void decks’ or empty floors were provided in all buildings for community activities & reduced crime
Chapter 7: Print Culture and the Modern World
Print culture started in China
Started with civil service exams in China
Spread to common people
Rise of industrialization and individualism
Handprinting in Japan by Buddhist missionaries from China in 768-770 AD
Kitagawa Utamaro – art form ukiyo (‘pictures of the floating world’) or depiction of ordinary human experiences
Paper made possible manuscripts written by scribes (skilled handwriters)
Luxury editions were handwritten on velum (parchment made from animal skin) for aristocratic and rich monastic libraries
Gutenburg & Printing Press
Gutenberg was son of merchant who grew on agricultural estate seeing olive and wine presses
Movement from oral to written culture
Circulation of Ideas
In 1517, religious reformer Martin Luther wrote Ninety Five Theses
criticizing many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic
Church – posted on church door in Wittenberg – it was immediately
reproduced and led to division within Church and beginning of Protestant Reformation.
16th
century – Menocchio, a miller in Italy could read books –reinterpreted
Bible and formulated a view of God and Creation that enraged the Roman
Catholic Church.
Almanacs, calendars, folktales; chapbooks (pocket sized books) sold for penny in England;
In France, were “Biliotheque Bleue”, which were low-priced small books
printed on poor quality paper, and bound in cheap blue covers
Conditions created in French revolution by Print Culture
Books meant for spreading progress and enlightenment – change and
liberate society from despotism and intellect could rule and bring in
public opinion
Popularized ideas of enlightenment
thinkers – argued for rule of reason and judgment to be done on
rationality; authority of Church was attacked
Created culture of dialogue and debate – reevaluation of norms, values and institutions – new ideas of social revolution
By 1780s literature mocked royal culture and criticized morality –
cartoons suggested that monarchy was absorbed in sensual pleasures and
common man suffered hardships
Spread of ideas –
reinterpretation of things in their own way – it did not shape the mind
but opened possibility to think differently
Women novelists - Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, George Elio –
defined new type of women as person with will, strength, determination
and power to think
Late 19th century – offset print was developed – could print 6 colors at a time
20th century - electrically operated presses accelerated printing operations
Methods of feeding paper improved, the quality of plates became better,
automatic paper reels and photoelectric controls of the color register
were introduced
18th century - Gita Govinda by Jayadev - palm-leaf handwritten manuscript in accordion format
14th century poet - Hafiz collected works are known as Diwan.
By 1710, Dutch Protestant missionaries had printed 32 Tamil texts
Late 17th Century – English East India Company began to import press
From 1780, James Augustus Hickey began to edit the Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine
Rammohan Roy published Sambad Kaumudi from 1821
Hindu orthodoxy commissioned the Samachar Chandrika to oppose his opinions of Raja Rammohan Roy
1822: Two Persian newspapers were published, Jam-i-Jahan Nama and Shamsul Akhbar
1822: Gujarati newspaper, Bombay Samachar started
In north India – Ulama (legal scholars of Islam) were worried about collapse of Muslim dynasty
1867 – Deoband Seminary published thousands of fatwas
From the 1880s, Naval Kishore Press at Lucknow and the Shri
Venkateshwar Press in Bombay published numerous religious texts in
vernaculars
19th century – In East Bengal Rashsundari Debi – Amar Jiban
1860s in Bengal - Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences of women
1880s – In Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote with
passionate anger about miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women,
especially widows
1870s – Serious beginning for Hindi printing – education, remarriage, national movement
Ram Chaddha published fast-selling Istri Dharm Vichar to teach women how to be obedient wives.
Central Calcutta area Battala
Jyotiba Phule, Maratha pioneer of ‘low caste’ protest movements, wrote about injustices of the caste system in his Gulamgiri (1871)
In 20th century, B.R. Ambedkar in Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar) in Madras
Kashibaba, a Kanpur millworker, wrote and published Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938
The poems of another Kanpur millworker, who wrote under the name of
Sudarshan Chakr between 1935 and 1955, were brought together and
published in a collection called Sacchi Kavitayan.
Thomas Macaulay (liberal colonial official) formulated new rules that restored the earlier freedoms
Vernacular press became nationalist, government brought stringent measures
1878 – Vernacular Press Act was passed modelled on Irish Press Laws
When Punjab revolutionaries were deported in 1907, Balgangadhar Tilak wrote with great sympathy about them in his Kesari. This led to his imprisonment in 1908, provoking in turn widespread protests all over India.
Chapter 8: Novels, Society and History
Novels created flexibility in writing forms
Walter Scott – collected popular Scottish ballads which he used in his
historical novels about the wars between Scottish clans.
Epistolary novel (series of letters) used the private and personal form of letters to tell its story.
1740 –started circulating libraries
Why novels were popular?
Novels were absorbing, believable and real
Could transport you to another person’s world of thought
Looked at life as it was experienced by characters of novel
Pleasure and joy of reading and discussing stories
Rural areas – people collected and one would hear them aloud
George Eliot (1819-1880) was the pen-name of Mary Ann Evans - very
popular novelist, she believed that novels gave women a special
opportunity to express themselves freely.
Bharatendu Harishchandra – pioneer of Hindi Literature encouraged writers and creators to translate novels from other languages
Colonial administrators found ‘vernacular’ novels a valuable source of information on native life and customs
Expressed dressing, religious worship, beliefs and practices
Criticize defects in the society and suggest remedies for the same
Helps to establish relation with the past
Created collective belonging based on one’s language
The way characters spoke in a novel began to indicate their region, class or caste
Table of Author, Novel and DateTable of Author, Novel And Date
Author
Novel
Date
Emile Zola
Germinal
1885
Life
of a young miner in France explores in harsh detail grim conditions of
miners’ lives. It ends on a note of despair: strike the hero leads
fails, his co-workers turn against him, and hopes are shattered.
Hardy
Mayor of Casterbridge
1886
About
Michael Henchard, a successful grain merchant, who becomes the mayor of
the farming town of Casterbridge. He is an independent-minded man who
follows his own style in conducting business. He can also be both
unpredictably generous and cruel with his employees. Consequently, he is
no match for his manager and rival Donald Farfrae (runs his business on
efficient managerial lines, is smooth and even-tempered). We can see
that Hardy mourns the loss of the more personalized world that is
disappearing, even as he is aware of its problems and the advantages of
the new order.
Novels used vernacular (language of common man) –
created shared world within diverse population – combined classical
language with language of streets.
R.L. Stevenson
Treasure Island
1883
Rudyard Kipling
Jungle Book
1894
Powerful, assertive, independent and daring – full of adventure - heroic and honorable
G.A. Henty
Drake’s Flag
1883
Historical
adventure novels for boys -excitement and adventure of conquering
strange lands. They were set in Mexico, Alexandria, Siberia and many
other countries. About young boys who witness grand historical events,
get involved in some military action and show what they called ‘English’
courage.
Two young Elizabethan adventurers face their apparently approaching death, but still remember to assert their Englishness
Helen Hunt Jackson
Ramona
1884
Sarah Chauncey Woolsey (pen name Susan Coolidge)
What Katy Did
1872
Love stories in USA
Daniel Defoe
Robinson Crusoe
1719
The
hero is an adventurer and slave trader. Shipwrecked on an island,
Crusoe treats colored people not as human beings equal to him, but as
inferior creatures. He rescues a ‘native’ and makes him his slave and
gives him the name “Friday” – this was unacceptable behavior as most
writers saw colonialism as natural
Baba Padmanji
Yamuna Paryatan
1857
The earliest novel in Marathi was which used a simple style of storytelling to speak about the plight of widows.
Lakshman Moreshwar Halbe
Muktamala
1861
It was not a realistic novel; it presented an imaginary ‘romance’ narrative with a moral purpose.
Naro Sadashiv Risbud
Manjughosha
1868
Used a highly ornamental style in his Marathi novel filled with amazing events
O. Chandu Menon
Indulekha
1889
A
subjudge from Malabar, tried to translate English novel called
Henrietta Temple written by Benjamin Disraeli into Malayalam – but
people in Kerala found their clothes, speaking etc. as boring. He wrote a
story in Malayalam in the ‘manner of English novel books’. This
delightful novel called Indulekha, was the first modern novel in
Malayalam.
Kandukuri Viresalingam(1848-1919)
Rajasekhara Caritamu
1878
From
Andhra Pradesh began translating Oliver Goldsmith’s Vicar of Wakefield
into Telugu. He abandoned this plan for similar reasons and instead
wrote an original Telugu novel called Rajasekhara Caritamu in 1878.
Srinivas Das
Pariksha-Guru (Master Examiner)
1882
First
proper modern novel was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi. His novel
cautioned young men of well-to-do families against the dangerous
influences of bad company and consequent loose morals – reflect inner
and outer world of emerging middle class – adopt colonized society and
preserve cultural identity
Teach right way to live – take new
agricultural technology, modernize trading practice, change use of
Indian languages & transmit Western Sciences and Indian wisdom – all
this must be achieved without sacrificing the traditional values of the
middle-class household
Devaki Nandan Khatri
Chandrakanta
A
romance with dazzling elements of fantasy – is believed to have
contributed immensely in popularizing the Hindi language & Nagari
script among the educated classes of those times.
Premchand
Sewasadan (The Abode of Service)
1916
Premchand
started in Urdu and then in Hindi – in art of kissa-goi
(story-telling). His novel lifted the Hindi novel from the realm of
fantasy, moralizing and simple entertainment to a serious reflection on
the lives of ordinary people and social issues – dealt with poor
conditions of women in society, child marriage and dowry
Rajanikanta Bardoloi
Manomati
1900
He
wrote the first major historical novel in Assam. It is set in the
Burmese invasion, stories of which the author had probably heard from
old soldiers who had fought in the 1819 campaign. It is a tale of two
lovers belonging to two hostile families who are separated by the war
and finally reunited.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Durgeshnandini
1865
He would host a jatra
in the courtyard where members of the family would be gathered. In
Bankim’s room, however, a group of literary friends would collect to
read, discuss and judge literary works. Bankim read out Durgeshnandini,
his first novel, to such a gathering of people who were stunned to
realize that the Bengali novel had achieved excellence so quickly.
Prose
style in novels, initially it was colloquial style and used meyeli
(language associated with women’s speech) – the style was replaced by
Bankim’s prose which was Sanskritized.
By 20th
century, power of telling stories in simple language made Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay (1876-1938) the most popular novelist in Bengal and
probably in the rest of India.
Rokeya Hossein (1880-1932)
Sultana’s Dream
1905
Was a reformer who, after she was widowed, started a girl’s school in Calcutta. She wrote a satiric
(criticism of society in witty manner) fantasy in English which shows a
topsy-turvy world in which women take the place of men. Her novel Padmarag also showed the need for women to reform their condition by their own actions
Gulavadi Venkata Rao
Indirabai
1899
The
heroine is given away in marriage at a very young age to an elderly
man. Her husband dies soon after, and she is forced to lead the life of a
widow. In spite of opposition from her family and society, Indirabai
succeeds in continuing her education
Central dilemma faced by
colonial subjects - how to be modern without rejecting tradition, how to
accept ideas coming from the West without losing one’s identity
Chandu Menon
Indulekh
A
love story. Nambuthiri, the foolish landlord who comes to marry
Indulekha, is the focus of much satire in the novel. The intelligent
heroine rejects him and chooses Madhavan, the educated and handsome
Nayar as her husband, and the young couple move to Madras, where
Madhavan joins the civil service.
Concerned the marriage
practices of upper-caste Hindus in Kerala, especially the Nambuthiri
Brahmins and the Nayars. Nambuthiris were also major landlords in Kerala
at that time; and a large section of the Nayars were their tenants.
Young generation of Nayars occupied property and wealth and argued
against Nambuthiri alliances with Nayar women.
Chandu Menon
portrayed Indulekha as a woman of breathtaking beauty, high intellectual
abilities, artistic talent, and with an education in English and
Sanskrit. Madhavan, the hero of the novel, was also presented in ideal
colours. He was a member of the newly English-educated class of Nayars
from the University of Madras. He was also a ‘first-rate Sanskrit
scholar’. He dressed in Western clothes. But, at the same time, he kept a
long tuft of hair, according to the Nayar custom.
Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice
19th
century Britain - give us a glimpse of the world of women in genteel
rural society – look for good marriages and find wealthy husbands –
“single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”
Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre
1847
Dealt with women who broke existing norms
Young
Jane is shown as independent and assertive. While girls of her time
were expected to be quiet and well behaved, Jane at the age of ten
protests against the hypocrisy of her elders with startling bluntness;
against her aunt and calls her deceitful
Ramashankar Ray
Saudamani
1877-78
A dramatist, began serializing the first Oriya novel, Saudamani but could not complete it.
Fakir Mohon Senapati (1843-1918)
Chaa Mana Atha Guntha
1902
Orissa
produced a major novelist. It translates as six acres and thirty-two
decimals of land. It announces a new kind of novel that will deal with
the question of land and its possession. It is the story of Ramchandra
Mangaraj, a landlord’s manager who cheats his idle and drunken master
and then eyes the plot of fertile land owned by Bhagia and Shariya, a
childless weaver couple.
Charles Dickens
Hard Times
1854
Against
industrialization in his novel describes Coketown, a fictitious
industrial town, as a grim place full of machinery, smoking chimneys,
rivers polluted purple and buildings that all looked the same. Workers
are known as ‘hands’, as if they had no identity other than as operators
of machines. Humans were reduced to simple instruments.
Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist
1838
Explained
terrible condition of urban life under capitalism - tale of a poor
orphan who lived in a world of petty criminals and beggars. Brought up
in a cruel workhouse, Oliver was finally adopted by a wealthy man and
lived happily ever after
Hannah Mullens
Karuna o Phulmonir Bibaran
1852
A Christian missionary, reputedly the first novel in Bengali, tells her readers that she wrote in secret.
Advaita Malla Burman’s (1914-51)
Titash Ekti Nadir Naam
1956
It
is an epic about Mallas, a community of fisherfolk who live off fishing
in river Titash. The novel is about three generations of the Mallas,
about their recurring tragedies and the story of Ananta, a child born of
parents who were tragically separated after their wedding night. He
leaves community to get educated in the city – as river dries the
community dies.
Potheri Kunjambu
Saraswativijayam
1892
A
‘lower-caste’ writer from north Kerala mounted a strong attack on caste
oppression. This novel shows a young man from an ‘untouchable’ caste,
leaving his village to escape the cruelty of his Brahmin landlord. He
converts to Christianity and gets education. Explains education of
upliftment of lower castes.
Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer (1908-94)
Was
one of the early Muslim writers to gain wide renown as a novelist in
Malayalam. He didn’t had much formal education and most works were based
on rich personal experience. He took part in Salt Satyagarha and he
wrote short novels and stories. Brought in his writings – poverty,
insanity and life in prisons.
Bhudeb Mukhopadhyay (1827-94)
Anguriya Binimoy
1857
Was
the first historical novel written in Bengal. Its hero Shivaji engages
in many battles against a clever and treacherous Aurangzeb. Man Singh
persuades Shivaji to make peace with Aurangzeb. Realizing that Aurangzeb
intended to confine him as a house prisoner, Shivaji escapes and
returns to battle. What gives him courage and tenacity is his belief
that he is a nationalist fighting for the freedom of Hindus.
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1912-99),
Chemmeen (Shrimp)
1956
It
is set in fishing community in Kerala, and characters speak a variety
of Malayalam used by fisherfolk in the region. The film Chemmeen,
directed by Ramu Kariat, was made in 1965.
Bankim
Anandamath
1882
It
is a novel about a secret Hindu militia that fights Muslims to
establish a Hindu kingdom. It was a novel that inspired many kinds of
freedom fighters.
Premchand
Rangbhoomi (The Arena)
It
has characters that create a community based on democratic values.
Central character, Surdas, is a visually impaired beggar from a
so-called ‘untouchable’ caste. The very act of choosing such a person as
the ‘hero’ of a novel is significant. It makes the lives of the most
oppressed section of society as worthy of literary reflection.
His
novels are filled with all kinds of powerful characters drawn from all
levels of society. He rejected nostalgic obsession with history. His
novels look towards the future without forgetting the importance of the
past.
Premchand
Godan (gift of Cow)
1936
It
is his best known work. It is an epic of the Indian peasantry. Novel
tells the moving story of Hori and his wife Dhania, a peasant couple.
Landlords, moneylenders, priests and colonial bureaucrats – all those
who hold power in society – form a network of oppression, rob their land
and make them into landless laborers. Yet Hori and Dhania retain their
dignity to the end.
Rabindranath Tagore
Ghare Baire
1916
It
were historical and later based on domestic relationships and focused
on women and nationalism. Concerns are featured in his Ghare Baire
(1916) translated in 1919 as The Home and the World. The story is about
Bimala, wife of Nikhilesh, a liberal landlord who believes that he can
save his country by patiently bettering the lives of its poor and
marginal sections. But Bimala is attracted to Sandip, her husband’s
friend and a firebrand extremist. Sandip is so completely dedicated to
throwing out the British that he does not mind if the poor ‘low’ castes
suffer and Muslims are made to feel like outsiders. By becoming a part
of Sandip’s group, Bimala gets a sense of self-worth and self-esteem.
Bimala may be admired by the young males of the group but she cannot
influence their decisions. Indeed, she is used by Sandip to acquire
funds for the movement. Tagore’s novels make us rethink both man-woman
relationships and nationalism
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