Explore the history and transformations that gave rise to the modern world, including major revolutions, social change, and technological innovations.

The Pre-Modern World

• The Pre-modern World
  • Globalisation, often referred to as an economic system of the last 50 years, has roots in trade, migration, work, and the movement of capital from ancient times.
  • Human societies have steadily become more interconnected, with travellers, traders, priests, and pilgrims seeking knowledge, opportunities, spiritual fulfilment, or escaping persecution.
  • As early as 3000 BCE, coastal trade linked the Indus valley civilizations with present-day West Asia, while cowries from the Maldives found their way to China and East Africa for more than a millennium.
  • The spread of disease-carrying germs began as early as the seventh century, with evidence of their links becoming unmistakable by the thirteenth century.
• Silk Routes Link the World
  • The silk routes, significant for trade and cultural exchange, connected vast regions of Asia and linked Asia with Europe and northern Africa.
  • The name "silk routes" points to Chinese silk cargoes, but also included the transport of pottery, textiles, spices, and precious metals.
  • These routes thrived from before the Christian Era until the fifteenth century, fostering trade and the spread of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.
• Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato
  • Foods like spaghetti and noodles may have travelled from China to the West or to Sicily via Arab traders, highlighting long-distance cultural exchanges.
  • Common foods like potatoes, maize, tomatoes, and chillies were introduced to Europe and Asia only after Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.
  • In Europe, the introduction of potatoes improved the health and longevity of the poor. In Ireland, however, a potato crop failure led to a devastating famine in the 1840s.
• Conquest, Disease, and Trade
  • The sixteenth century saw the world shrink due to the discovery of sea routes to Asia and the Americas, which transformed trade and life everywhere.
  • The Portuguese and Spanish conquests in the Americas, aided by the spread of diseases like smallpox, significantly changed the course of history.
  • Precious metals, particularly silver from Peru and Mexico, enhanced Europe's wealth and trade with Asia.
  • The Spanish conquest was not only driven by superior weaponry but also by diseases that decimated America's indigenous population, allowing European settlers to take control.
• The Impact of European Conquest
  • Smallpox and other diseases played a decisive role in the European conquest of the Americas, killing native populations and clearing the way for colonization.
  • The introduction of new crops, minerals, and resources from the Americas transformed global trade and economies.
• Shifting Trade Dynamics
  • From the fifteenth century onwards, China and India, once the richest and pre-eminent in Asian trade, began to retreat into isolation, leading to a shift in the centre of world trade towards Europe.
  • The discovery and colonization of the Americas played a key role in expanding European power and wealth, while the global trade network moved westward.

  

Economic, Political, Social, Cultural, and Technological Factors

• • Flows in International Economic Exchanges
    • Flow of Trade: In the nineteenth century, trade in goods like cloth and wheat was vital for economies.
    • Flow of Labour: Migration of people seeking employment increased significantly.
    • Movement of Capital: Investment capital flowed over long distances for short-term and long-term returns.
• A World Economy Takes Shape
  • The changing pattern of food production in industrial Europe significantly altered economies.
  • In Britain, the abolition of the Corn Laws allowed for cheaper food imports, which led to changes in agriculture and population migration.
  • Population growth and urbanization in Britain increased demand for agricultural products, resulting in higher food prices.
  • After the Corn Laws were scrapped, food imports became more affordable than domestic production, leading to the migration of workers.
• Migration and its Impact
  • Mass Migration: Nearly 50 million people emigrated from Europe to America and Australia in the nineteenth century.
  • Global agricultural economies were shaped by railways, ports, and capital investment, facilitating long-distance trade.

  

• Technological Advancements
  • The role of railways, steamships, and the telegraph was critical in transforming the nineteenth-century world economy.
  • Refrigerated Ships revolutionized the meat trade, enabling transport of perishable goods over long distances and reducing costs.

Late Nineteenth-Century Colonialism

• • In the late nineteenth century, trade flourished, and markets expanded. However, this period had a darker side, as the expansion of trade often led to the loss of freedoms and livelihoods in many parts of the world.
  • European conquests resulted in significant economic, social, and ecological changes as colonised societies were integrated into the world economy.
• Smithfield Club Cattle Show
  • The Smithfield Club Cattle Show, depicted in the Illustrated London News, 1851, shows how cattle were traded at fairs. One of the oldest livestock markets in London was at Smithfield, and by the mid-nineteenth century, a huge poultry and meat market was established near the railway line connecting Smithfield to meat-supplying centres.
• Meat Export and Refrigeration
  • Meat export became possible after the invention of refrigerated ships, as shown in the Illustrated London News, 1878.
• European Colonization of Africa
  • In 1885, European powers met in Berlin to finalize the partition of Africa, drawing borders with little regard for existing ethnic and cultural divisions.
  • Britain and France made large additions to their overseas territories, while Belgium and Germany emerged as new colonial powers. The US also took control of some territories from Spain in the late 1890s.
• Sir Henry Morton Stanley's Exploration of Central Africa
  • Stanley, a journalist and explorer, was sent to find the missionary and explorer Livingston in Africa. His expeditions, which involved arms and local laborers, were directly linked to European imperial projects aimed at conquering and mapping Africa.
• Rinderpest (Cattle Plague) in Africa
  • Rinderpest, a deadly cattle disease, had a devastating impact on African societies in the 1890s, killing 90% of the cattle and reshaping the livelihoods of local people.
  • The loss of cattle disrupted traditional African livelihoods, forcing people into wage labor and benefiting European colonizers, who controlled scarce cattle resources.
• Indentured Labour Migration from India
  • Indentured labor migration from India to places like the Caribbean, Mauritius, Fiji, and Assam became a significant feature of the nineteenth century. Indian laborers were recruited to work on plantations and in mines.
  • Conditions were harsh, and many workers faced exploitation. However, workers developed forms of cultural expression that blended old and new traditions, such as the Hosay carnival and Rastafarianism.
• Impact of Indentured Labor Migration
  • Even after their contracts ended, many indentured workers stayed in their new homes or returned to India briefly before permanently settling in the Caribbean or other regions.
  • Today, descendants of these workers, like Nobel Prize-winning writer V.S. Naipaul and West Indies cricketers Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, are an important part of these communities.

Impact of first world war

• The Inter-war Economy
  • The First World War (1914-18) had a global impact, plunging the early 20th century into a crisis that took over three decades to overcome. This period saw economic and political instability, culminating in another catastrophic war.
• Wartime Transformations
  • The First World War was fought between two power blocs:
    • The Allies – Britain, France, Russia (later joined by the US).
    • The Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Turkey.
  • The war lasted over four years, much longer than originally anticipated.
  • It was the first modern industrial war, using machine guns, tanks, aircraft, and chemical weapons on a massive scale.
  • The war caused widespread destruction, with 9 million dead and 20 million injured, most of whom were men of working age, reducing Europe's able-bodied workforce and household incomes.
  • Industries were restructured to produce war-related goods, and entire societies were reorganized for the war effort, with women stepping into roles previously held by men.
  • Production of armaments increased rapidly to meet wartime demands.

  

  • The war transformed the US from an international debtor to a creditor, with US citizens owning more overseas assets than foreign governments owned in the US.
• Post-war Recovery
  • Post-war recovery was difficult, particularly for Britain, which had been the world's leading economy before the war.
  • Britain faced a prolonged crisis as industries in India and Japan had developed during the war, making it harder for Britain to recapture its earlier dominance.
  • Britain was burdened with large debts to the US, and after the war, production contracted, leading to unemployment. By 1921, one in five British workers was unemployed.

  

  • Agricultural economies were also in crisis, particularly wheat producers. The war had disrupted wheat supply in Eastern Europe, but once production revived, grain prices fell, leading to a decline in rural incomes.
• Rise of Mass Production and Consumption
  • The US recovery was quicker. After a brief period of economic trouble, the US economy resumed strong growth in the early 1920s.
  • A major feature of the 1920s was mass production, pioneered by Henry Ford in the car industry.
  • Ford's assembly line method allowed for faster and cheaper car production, with cars being produced at a rate of three minutes per unit.

  

  • Ford also doubled workers' wages to $5 a day to cope with high turnover due to the stress of assembly line work.
  • Fordist industrial practices spread to Europe, lowering production costs and allowing more people to afford consumer goods like cars, refrigerators, and radios.
  • The rise in consumer goods demand was fueled by the boom in house construction and home ownership, financed through loans and credit systems like 'hire purchase.'
  • The 1920s housing and consumer boom created a cycle of rising employment, income, and consumption, which drove further prosperity.
  • In 1923, the US resumed exporting capital, becoming the largest overseas lender, which boosted European recovery and world trade.
  • However, this prosperity proved unsustainable, and by 1929, the world was plunged into a depression of unprecedented scale.

The Great Depression

• The Great Depression
  • The Great Depression began around 1929 and lasted until the mid-1930s, impacting most parts of the world with catastrophic declines in production, employment, incomes, and trade.
  • The depression varied across countries, but agricultural regions were the worst affected due to the significant and prolonged fall in agricultural prices compared to industrial goods.
• Causes of the Great Depression
  • Agricultural Overproduction: Overproduction of agricultural goods led to falling prices, which farmers tried to counter by increasing production, worsening the price slump. As a result, farm produce rotted due to lack of buyers.
  • US Loans and Foreign Investment: In the mid-1920s, many countries financed investments through loans from the US. However, when trouble began, US overseas lenders pulled back, leading to an acute crisis in countries dependent on these loans.
  • Bank Failures and Currency Collapse: The withdrawal of US loans caused bank failures in Europe, a collapse of currencies like the British pound sterling, and intensified the agricultural slump in Latin America and other regions.

  

  • Protectionist Measures: The US raised import duties during the depression, severely impacting world trade, which added to the economic crisis globally.
• Impact on the United States
  • Economic Collapse: The US was the hardest hit industrial country. Falling prices, slashed domestic lending, and loan recalls led to businesses collapsing, homes being lost, and a widespread economic downturn.
  • Bank Failures: Thousands of banks went bankrupt due to the inability to recover investments and repay depositors. By 1933, over 4,000 banks had closed, and between 1929 and 1932, around 110,000 companies collapsed.
• Social and Political Impact
  • Unemployment surged, leading many people to travel long distances in search of work. The consumer prosperity of the 1920s vanished, and many households lost their homes and possessions.
  • The Great Depression led to significant social and political changes, with lasting effects on people's lives, international relations, and political ideologies.
• Recovery
  • By 1935, a modest recovery began in most industrial countries, though the broader societal, political, and international impacts of the Great Depression remained much longer-lasting.

India and Great Depression

• India and the Great Depression
  • The Great Depression highlighted the integration of the global economy, as its effects quickly spread worldwide, impacting economies and societies everywhere, including India.
• Impact on Indian Trade
  • India's exports and imports were immediately affected. Exports and imports both nearly halved between 1928 and 1934. As international prices crashed, prices in India also plummeted, with wheat prices falling by 50% during this period.
  • Peasants and farmers were the worst affected, as agricultural prices dropped sharply while the colonial government refused to reduce revenue demands. This led to significant economic hardship, particularly for those producing for the world market.
• Impact on Jute Producers
  • Jute producers in Bengal, who grew raw jute for export in the form of gunny bags, suffered the most. The collapse of gunny bag exports caused the price of raw jute to fall by over 60%, putting jute farmers deeper into debt.
  • Many jute producers had borrowed money in the hope of better times or higher incomes, but instead found themselves unable to repay loans, leading to further impoverishment.
• Rural India and Indebtedness
  • Across India, peasants’ indebtedness worsened as they exhausted their savings, mortgaged lands, and sold jewellery and precious metals to survive. India became an exporter of precious metals, particularly gold, during this time.
  • Economist John Maynard Keynes noted that India's gold exports helped global recovery, particularly Britain's, but offered little relief to the suffering Indian peasants.
• Urban India During the Depression
  • The depression was less grim for urban India. Falling prices benefited those with fixed incomes, such as landowners and salaried employees, who found their purchasing power improved.
  • Industrial investment grew due to the government's tariff protection of industries, spurred on by nationalist pressure.
• Social Unrest and Civil Disobedience
  • As rural India faced increased unrest due to economic hardships, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1931, at the height of the depression, further intensifying political activities in the country.

Rebuilding a World Economy: The Post-war Era

• • The Second World War broke out just two decades after the First World War, involving the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Japan, and Italy) and the Allies (Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the US).
  • The war lasted for six years and was fought on many fronts: land, sea, and air. It caused immense death and destruction, with an estimated 60 million people killed, about 3% of the world’s population in 1939, many of them civilians.
  • The war’s economic devastation and social disruption were catastrophic, with vast parts of Europe and Asia being devastated and many cities destroyed by aerial bombardment and artillery attacks.

  



• Post-War Reconstruction Influences
  • Two crucial influences shaped the post-war reconstruction:
    • The US emerged as the dominant economic, political, and military power in the Western world, influencing global economic recovery.
    • The Soviet Union, having made huge sacrifices to defeat Nazi Germany, transformed itself into a world power, even during the years when the capitalist world was trapped in the Great Depression.

Post-war Settlement and the Bretton Woods Institutions

• • Economists and politicians drew two key lessons from the inter-war economic experiences:
  • Lesson 1: A mass production society cannot be sustained without mass consumption, which requires high and stable incomes. Stable incomes need steady, full employment, and governments must intervene to maintain this stability.
  • Lesson 2: Full employment can only be achieved if governments can control the flows of goods, capital, and labour across borders.
  • The post-war international economic system aimed to preserve economic stability and full employment, which was agreed upon at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference (Bretton Woods, July 1944).
  • The conference established two crucial institutions:
    • International Monetary Fund (IMF) - To handle external surpluses and deficits.
    • World Bank - To finance post-war reconstruction.
  • The Bretton Woods system was based on fixed exchange rates, where national currencies were pegged to the dollar, which was in turn tied to gold.
• The Early Post-war Years
  • The Bretton Woods system led to an era of unprecedented economic growth for Western nations and Japan. Between 1950 and 1970:
    • World trade grew at over 8% annually.
    • Incomes increased by nearly 5%.
    • Unemployment rates remained low, averaging less than 5% in most industrial countries.
  • Developing countries rushed to catch up, investing heavily in modern industrial technology.
• Decolonisation and Independence
  • Post-war, most colonies in Asia and Africa gained independence, but they faced severe challenges:
    • Poverty and lack of resources.
    • Economies hampered by long colonial rule.
  • The IMF and World Bank, designed to aid industrial countries, shifted focus towards developing nations in the late 1950s.
  • Despite their newfound independence, many developing countries faced exploitation from multinational corporations (MNCs) and former colonial powers.
  • The Group of 77 (G-77) emerged, demanding a new international economic order (NIEO) with control over natural resources, fairer prices for raw materials, and better market access for their goods.
• The Rise of Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
  • MNCs are large companies operating in several countries. They expanded significantly in the 1950s and 1960s.
  • The spread of MNCs was influenced by high import tariffs and the need to localize production in multiple countries.
• End of Bretton Woods and the Beginning of Globalisation
  • From the 1960s, the US faced rising overseas costs, leading to the collapse of the fixed exchange rate system and the introduction of floating exchange rates.
  • By the mid-1970s, developing countries shifted from relying on international institutions to borrowing from Western commercial banks.
  • This shift led to debt crises and growing poverty, particularly in Africa and Latin America.
  • China, after being isolated post-1949, integrated into the global economy with new policies in the 1980s.
  • Low-wage economies, particularly in China, became attractive investment destinations for MNCs seeking to capitalize on low production costs.
  • As a result, global trade and capital flows skyrocketed, and countries like India, China, and Brazil experienced rapid economic transformation.