BOOK-8

HISTORY
Chapter 1 : How, When and Where
A. 1. In 1600 2. In 1757 3. By the early nineteenth century
4. Historians try and divide history into different periods to capture the characteristics of a particular
time. This helps to focus on the central features of a time. This also shows how we see the
significance of the change from one period to the next.
Historians have divided the Indian history into ancient, medieval, modern, colonial. The modern
period was associated with the growth of science, reason, democracy, and equality. A society where
these features of modern society did not exist was termed as Medieval. Under the British rule,
people did not have equality, freedom nor was there any economic growth. Hence, many historians
refer to this period as colonial.
5. James Mill thought that all Asian societies were at a lower level of civilisation than Europe.
According to his telling of history, before the British came to India, Hindu and Muslim despots ruled
the country. Religious intolerance, caste taboos and superstitious practices dominated social life.
6. The British developed the sense of nationalism in the Indians in the following ways:
(i) They ended the monarchy in India and provincialised the country.
(ii) They introduced the system of federalism in India.
(iii) The exploitation of the British created unity among the Indian.
(iv) The War of Independence, 1857.
All these factors generated a sense of nationalism among the Indians.
7. i. Biographies and autobiographies
ii. Newspapers, periodicals and magazines
B.
1. Colonialism, as a historical phenomenon, refers to foreign domination which implies that the
colonised area is regulated in a manner known as 'unequal exchange'. Colonised societies are
intended to serve the interests of the ruling country. Thus, by colonialism, we mean a system of
political and social relations between two countries—of which one is the ruler and the other is its
colony.
After 1858, India became officially a British colony as British crown took control of India from East
India Company. The British crown put a Secretary of State for India in change of India. Indian Council
who had only advisory powers aided him. India was divided into three administrative zones (Bengal,
Madras and Bombay). A number of administrative and legal changes were introduced. In 1861
Indian Councils Act, High Courts Act and Penal code were passed. British continued to expand the
railways and telegraphic network and in 1868 new Ambala – Delhi railway line was started.
A combination of administrative failures and natural factors resulted in large number of famines in
India that killed millions of people. During this time, India was forced to produce cash crop, which
were to be sold by the British. India was also forced to accept British goods that destroyed cottage
industries. Many peasants had to borrow money to pay the extremely high taxes imposed on them.
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2. Deindustrialisation refers to the process of social and economic change caused by the removal or
reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially heavy industry or
manufacturing industry. It is the opposite of industrialisation.
During the reign of the Mughal Empire, India was the largest economy on Earth, accounting for
roughly one-quarter of the world economy. It had strong agriculture and industry, and was the
world's largest cotton textile manufacturer (particularly Bengal). But in the latter half of the 18th
century, India underwent political turmoil and Europeans (mainly British) got an opportunity to
become political masters. During their rule, British mercantilism targeted weakening of the craft
guilds, pricing and quota caps, and banning production of many products and commodities in India.
India's de-industrialization contributed to Britain's Industrial Revolution, with India no longer being
a competitor in the global textile industry, as well as India itself becoming a large market for British
textiles. Britain eventually replaced India as the world's largest cotton textile manufacturer in the
19th century.
3. The Industrial Revolution was a period of major industrialization and innovation that took place
during the late 1700s and early 1800s. The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain and quickly
spread throughout the world.
The Industrial Revolution began in England in the late 18th century, and spread during the 19th
century to Belgium, Germany, Northern France, the United States, and Japan. Almost all areas of the
world felt the effects of the Industrial Revolution because it divided the world into "have" and "have
not" countries, with many of the latter being controlled by the former. England's lead in the
Industrial Revolution translated into economic prowess and political power that allowed
colonization of other lands, eventually building a worldwide British Empire.
4. We continue to associate history with a string of dates because the events occur in a chronological
order and that helps to study the cause and effect relationship.
5. Official records of the British administration serve as an important source of history of this period.
The British rulers believed that every instruction, plan, policy, decision, agreement, investigation
should be clearly written up. This was necessary for proper study and debate about an issue. Hence,
they carefully preserved all official records and created several archives for the purpose.
C. 1. nineteenth century 2. memos, archives 3. census operations 4. Pather Panchali
5. political, economic, social, cultural
D. 1. (iv) 2. (i) 3. (ii) 4. (i) 5. (iii)
Chapter 2 : From Trade to Territory
A.
1. This is because Indian raw materials were:
i. Present in abundance
ii. Present at the right quality
iii. Available at a cheap price
They wanted to buy cheap raw materials from India and sell them at high rates in another country.
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