THE MAKING

OF GLOBAL
WORLD
 THE PRE-MODERN
WORLD
When we talk of ‘globalisation’ we often refer to
an economic system that has emerged since the
last 50 years or so. But as you will see in this
chapter, the making of the global world has a
long history – of trade, of migration, of people in
search of work, the movement of capital, and
much else. As we think about the dramatic and
visible signs of global interconnectedness in our
lives today, we need to understand the phases
through which this world in which we live has
emerged. All through history, human societies
have become steadily more interlinked.

The Pre-modern
 THE PRE-MODERN
WORLD
From ancient times, travellers, traders, priests
and pilgrims travelled vast distances for
knowledge, opportunity and spiritual fulfilment,
or to escape persecution. They carried goods,
money, values, skills, ideas, inventions, and even
germs and diseases. As early as 3000 BCE an
active coastal trade linked the Indus valley
civilisations with present-day West Asia. For more
than a millennia, cowries (the Hindi cowdi or
seashells, used as a form of currency) from the
Maldives found their way to China and East
Africa. The long-distance spread of disease-
carrying germs may be traced as far back as the
seventh century. By the thirteenth century it had
become an unmistakable link.
The Pre-modern
Fig. 1 – Image of a ship on
a memorial stone, Goa
Museum, tenth century
CE. From the ninth
century, images of ships
appear regularly in
memorial stones found in
the western coast,
indicating the significance
of oceanic trade.
 SILK ROUTES LINK THE
WORLD

01 The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-

modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of
the world. The name ‘silk routes’ points to the
importance of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along
this route.
Historians have identified several silk routes, over land and
02 by sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia, and linking
Asia with Europe and northern Africa.

They are known to have existed since before the Christian Era
03 and thrived almost till the fifteenth century. But Chinese
pottery also travelled the same route, as did textiles and
spices from India and Southeast Asia. In return, precious
metals – gold and silver – flowed from Europe to Asia.
 SILK ROUTES LINK THE
WORLD

Trade and cultural exchange always went hand in hand.

04 Early Christian missionaries almost certainly travelled
this route to Asia, as did early Muslim preachers a few
centuries later.

05 Much before all this, Buddhism emerged from eastern India

and spread in several directions through intersecting
points on the silk routes.

Silk
route
Fig. 2 – Silk route trade as
depicted in a Chinese cave
painting, eighth century, Cave
217, Mogao Grottoes, Gansu,
China.
 Food Travels: Spaghetti and
Potato

Food offers many examples of long-distance cultural

exchange. Traders and travellers introduced new crops
to the lands they travelled. Even ‘ready’ foodstuff in
distant parts of the world might share common origins.
Take spaghetti and noodles. It is believed that noodles
travelled west from China to become spaghetti. Or,
perhaps Arab traders took pasta to fifth-century Sicily,
an island now in Italy. Similar foods were also known in
India and Japan, so the truth about their origins may
never be known. Yet such guesswork suggests the
possibilities of long-distance cultural contact even in the
pre-modern world.
 Food Travels: Spaghetti and
Potato

Many of our common foods such as potatoes,

soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies,
sweet potatoes, and so on were not known to our
ancestors until about five centuries ago. These
foods were only introduced in Europe and Asia
after Christopher Columbus accidentally
discovered the vast continent that would later
become known as the Americas
 Food Travels: Spaghetti and
Potato

(Here we will use ‘America’ to describe North

America, South America and the Caribbean.) In
fact, many of our common foods came from
America’s original inhabitants – the American
Indians. Sometimes the new crops could make
the difference between life and death. Europe’s
poor began to eat better and live longer with the
introduction of the humble potato. Ireland’s
poorest peasants became so dependent on
potatoes that when disease destroyed the potato
crop in the mid-1840s, hundreds of thousands
died of starvation.
Fig. 3 – Merchants from
Venice and the Orient
exchanging goods, from
Marco Polo, Book of
Marvels, fifteenth century
Fig. 4 – The Irish Potato Famine,
Illustrated London News, 1849.
Hungry children digging for
potatoes in a field that has
already been harvested, hoping to
discover some leftovers. During
the Great Irish Potato Famine
(1845 to 1849), around 1,000,000
people died of starvation in
Ireland, and double the number
emigrated in search of work.
 Conquest, Disease and
Trade

The pre-modern world shrank greatly in the sixteenth century

after European sailors found a sea route to Asia and also
successfully crossed the western ocean to America. For
centuries before, the Indian Ocean had known a bustling trade,
with goods, people, knowledge, customs, etc. crisscrossing its
waters. The Indian subcontinent was central to these flows and
a crucial point in their networks. The entry of the Europeans
helped expand or redirect some of these flows towards Europe.
 Conquest, Disease and
Trade

Before its ‘discovery’, America had been cut off from

regular contact with the rest of the world for millions of
years. But from the sixteenth century, its vast lands and
abundant crops and minerals began to transform trade
and lives everywhere.
 Conquest, Disease and
Trade

Precious metals, particularly silver, from mines located in

present-day Peru and Mexico also enhanced Europe’s
wealth and financed its trade with Asia. Legends spread in
seventeenth-century Europe about South America’s fabled
wealth. Many expeditions set off in search of El Dorado,
the fabled city of gold.
 Conquest, Disease and
Trade

The Portuguese and Spanish conquest and colonisation of

America was decisively under way by the mid-sixteenth century.
European conquest was not just a result of superior firepower.
In fact, the most powerful weapon of the Spanish conquerors
was not a conventional military weapon at all. It was the germs
such as those of smallpox that they carried on their person.
Guns could be bought or captured and turned against the
invaders. But not diseases such as smallpox to which the
conquerors were mostly immune.
 Conquest, Disease and
Trade

Until the nineteenth century, poverty and hunger were

common in Europe. Cities were crowded and deadly
diseases were widespread. Religious conflicts were
common, and religious dissenters were persecuted.
Thousands therefore fled Europe for America. Here, by
the eighteenth century, plantations worked by slaves
captured in Africa were growing cotton and sugar for
European markets.
 Conquest, Disease and
Trade

Until well into the eighteenth century, China and India were
among the world’s richest countries. They were also pre-
eminent in Asian trade. However, from the fifteenth century,
China is said to have restricted overseas contacts and retreated
into isolation. China’s reduced role and the rising importance of
the Americas gradually moved the centre of world trade
westwards. Europe now emerged as the centre of world trade.
Fig. 5 – Slaves for sale, New
Orleans, Illustrated London
News, 1851. A prospective
buyer carefully inspecting
slaves lined up before the
auction. You can see two
children along with four
women and seven men in top
hats and suit waiting to be
sold. To attract buyers, slaves
were often dressed in their
best clothes.
 Some
Important
Questions
Q: Around 3000 BCE an active coastal
trade linked the which of the following
civilisations?
(a) Indus valley
(b) Egyptian valley
(c) China valley
(d) Puga valley
The name 'silk routes' points to the
importance of Westbound from which of
the following countries silk cargoes along
this route?
(a) Indian
(b) American
(c)Chinese
(d) Portuguese
Q1 : Explain the term Globalisation in the Pre –
modern world ?
Ans. Globalisation we often refer to an
economic system that has emerged since last
50 years. I. The making of the global world has
a long History – of trade of migration of people
in search of work . The movement of capital.
II. Visible signs of global interconnections in
our lives today. We need to understand the
phases through which this world in which we
live has emerged.
Q2: “ All through history , human societies
have become steadily more interlinked
Explain ?
Ans.
I. They carried goods, money, values, skills,
ideas, invention, and even germs and
diseases

II. As early as 3000BCE on active Costal

trade linked with Indus valley civilisation
with present day west Asia.
Q3:What does silk route refer to ?
Ans:
I. The silk route are a good example of urban
pre – modern trade and cultural lives B/W
distant parts of the world.
II. Historians have identified several silk
routes. Overland and by sea Knitting
together vast regions of asia , and linking
Asia with Europe and northern Africa. III.
Chinese pottery also traveled the same
route. As did textiles and spices from India
and southern Asia.
Q4: Trade and cultural exchange went hand
in hand? justify the statement ?
Ans:
I. Early Christian missionaries almost
certainly traveled this route to asia as did
early Muslim preachers a few centuries later.

II. Much before all this Buddhism emerged

from eastern India and spread in several
direction through intersecting points on the
silk routes .
Q5:Food offers many examples of long distance
cultural exchange ? Explain.
Ans.
I. Traders and travellers introduced new crop to
the lands they travelled.
II. Even ready food stuff in distant parts of the
world might share common origins.
III. Take spaghetti and noodles it is belived that
noodles travelled west from china to become
spaghetti .
IV. Arab traders took pasta to fifth century sicily
as is land now in Italy .
Q6: Explain the Irish potato Famine ?
Ans.
I. Sometimes the new crops could make the
difference B/w life and death.
II. Europe’s poor began to eat better and
live longer with the introduction of the
humble potato. III. Irelands poorest peasant
become so dependent on potato then when
disease destroyed the potato crops in mid
1840’s hundreds of thousands died of
starvation.
Q7: Mention in brief why me pre – modern world
shrank greatly in me 16th century after European
sailors found a sea route to a sea route to Asia ?
Ans.
I. For centuries before , the Indian ocean had known a
bustling trade, with goods, people, knowledge,
customs etc Criss crossing its waters.
II. The Indian subcontinent was central to these flows
and a crucial point in their networks.
III. The entry of the European helped expand or
redirect some of these flows toward Europe. IV.
Before its discovery America had been cut off from
regular contact with the world far million of years.
Q8: Explain how small pox act as a
weapon during pre – modern world ?
Ans.
I. It was the germs such as those of
smallpox that they carried on their
person.
II. Because of their long isolation
America original in Habitants had no
immunity against these diseases that
came from Europe
III. It killed and decimated whole
 THE MAKING
OF GLOBAL
WORLD