Chapter 5 - Print Culture and the Modern World
Vidyakul Chapter 5 of History of CBSE Class 10 chronicles the development of printing, from its origins in East Asia to its expansion into Europe and India. It also explains how social life and culture have changed with the impact of the spread of technology and the advent of printing. Vidyakul CBSE Class 10 History Notes on Chapter 5 Print Culture and the Modern World have been written by highly qualified experts in the field. These CBSE Class 10 Social Studies Notes help students prepare effectively for the exam. CBSE Class 10 History Notes for Chapter 5 covers all the key concepts in an interactive way so that students can easily understand each topic and remember it for a longer period of time.
First printed book
China, Japan and Korea developed the first printing technology, a manual printing system. Books in China have been printed on tissue paper since 594 AD, with both sides of the book folded and stitched together. China has long been a major producer of printed materials. China started civil service exams and textbooks were printed in huge numbers. Printing was no longer limited to scholarly bureaucrats. Merchants used seals to gather trade information. Reading became a leisure activity, and wealthy women began publishing their own poems and plays. This new reading culture has attracted new technology. In the late 19th century, Western printing techniques and mechanical presses were imported.
Printing in Japan
The art of hand printing was introduced from China to Japan by Buddhist missionaries around 768-770 AD. The Diamond Sutra is the oldest book in Japan, printed in 868 AD, and consists of six chapters of text and woodblock prints. The printing of visuals has led to some interesting publishing practices. In the late 19th century, there were collections of paintings depicting elegant urban culture, and libraries and bookstores were filled with books about women, musical instruments, and all kinds of printed materials.
Printing Comes to Europe
Marco Polo returned to Europe after exploring China and brought his knowledge of woodblock printing with him, and the technique soon spread to other parts of Europe. Gradually, the demand for books began to increase, so bookstores began to export books to many countries. However, the production of handwritten manuscripts could not meet the ever-growing demand for books. Europe began extensive use of woodcuts to print textiles, playing cards, and religious images with simple, concise texts. Johannes Gutenberg developed the first known printing press in the 1430s.
Gutenberg and the press
Gutenberg was an expert in the art of stone grinding, and he used this knowledge to apply existing techniques to develop innovations. The first book printed under the new system was the Bible. The traditional art of making books by hand has not been completely replaced by the introduction of new technologies. Books printed for the wealthy left blank space on the printed pages for decoration. During the 100 years between 1450 and 1550, printing presses were installed in most of Europe. The transition from manual to machine printing has revolutionized printing.
The Printing Revolution and Its Impact
The printing revolution was not only a new way of producing books, but it also changed people's lives and changed attitudes toward information and knowledge, as well as institutions and authority.
The new reading public
The printing revolution has caused book prices to drop. Books designed for a growing readership have flooded the market. Created a new reading culture. Previously, only the elite could read the books and the common people could listen to the recitation of the sutras. Before the printing revolution, books were expensive. However, the transition was not easy as only people who could read could read books. Print shops began printing popular ballads and folktales, along with pictures, for non-literate people. Oral culture was printed and typefaces were handed down orally.
Religious Controversy and Fear of the Media
The media has opened up a new world of debate and debate. Printed books were not welcomed by everyone, and many feared the effect that greater circulation of books would have on people's minds. I was afraid of spreading rebellious, irreligious ideas. In 1517, Reformer Martin Luther wrote 95 theses criticizing many of the practices and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The printed copies of his textbooks led to a schism within the church and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
Printing and Dissent
In the 16th century, Menocchio began reading the books available in his area.
Readers
Literacy rates rose in much of Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. Schools and literacy spread in European countries, which made people want to publish more books. Other forms of reading, based primarily on entertainment, are beginning to reach the general readership. Books are of different sizes and have different purposes and interests. From the beginning of the 18th century, regular press developed, combining relevant information with entertainment. Journals and newspapers carried information related to wars, trade and developments in other places. Issac Newton discoveries were published which influenced scientifically-minded readers.
‘Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world!’
Books were considered as a means of spreading progress and enlightenment by the mid-eighteenth century. According to Louise-Sebastien Mercier, a novelist in eighteenth-century France said that ‘The printing press is the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion is the force that will sweep despotism away.’ Convinced of the power of print in bringing enlightenment and destroying the basis of despotism, Mercier proclaimed: ‘Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world! Tremble before the virtual writer!’
Print Culture and the French Revolution
Historians argued that print culture created the conditions for the French Revolution. Three types of arguments were put forward. The press popularized the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers. Their writings contain critical commentary on tradition, superstition, and despotism. The writings of Voltaire and Rousseau were widely read. And people saw the world with new eyes, eyes that were inquiring, critical, and rational. The printing has created a new culture of dialogue and debate.
19th century
The 19th century added large numbers of new readers among children, women, and workers to mass literacy in Europe.
Children, Women, Workers
Primary education became compulsory from the end of the 19th century. In 1857, a children's printing house dedicated to children's literature was established in France. The Grimm brothers from Germany collected traditional folktales. Rural folktales took on new forms. Women have become important as readers and writers. Magazines written specifically for women and manuals teaching proper behavior and household chores have been published. In the 19th century, library lending in England became an instrument for the education of white-collar workers, artisans, and the petty bourgeoisie.
Additional innovations
At the end of the 18th century printing presses began to be made of metal. The 19th century saw many innovations in printing technology. In the same century, Richard M. improved the machine-driven cylinder press, especially used for newspaper printing. Offset printing was developed that can print 6 colors simultaneously. By the 20th century, electric presses had speeded up printing operations, and a series of other advances followed:
- Improved
- Paper Feed Method
- Improved Plate Quality
- Implemented Automatic Paper Drum and Photoelectric Color Matching Control
India and the world of printing
{Manuscripts before the printing era}
India is a country with a rich tradition of ancient manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and various local languages. These handwritten manuscripts were copied onto palm fronds or handmade paper. Manuscript production continued even after the introduction of printing. It is considered very expensive and fragile. In Bengal, students only learned to write, so many people could read without reading.
Printing arrives in India
The first printing press arrived in Goa with Portuguese missionaries in the middle of the 16th century. Catholic priests printed the first Tamil book in Cochin in 1579 and the first in Malayalam in 1713. Although the British East India Company began importing printing presses in the late 17th century, British press arrived in India rather late. The weekly Bengal Gazette was edited by James Augustus Hickey. Hickey ran advertisements and also posted a lot of gossip about the executives of India's top companies. At the end of the 18th century, numerous newspapers and magazines were published.
Religious Reformation and Public Deliberation
Religious issues became more acute from the beginning of the 19th century. People began to criticize existing practices and agitate for reform, while others opposed the reformers' claims. Printed pamphlets and newspapers disseminated new ideas and determined the nature of debate. New ideas emerged on issues such as widow sacrifice, monotheism, the Brahmin priesthood, and idolatry, and heated debates between social and religious reformers and Hindu orthodoxy. In 1821 Rammohun Roy published Sambad Kaumudi. In 1822, two Persian newspapers published Jam-i-Jahan Nama and Shamsul Akhbar. In the same year, the Gujarati newspaper Bombay Samachar was founded. Founded in 1867, Theobandi Seminary has published thousands of parts explaining to Muslim readers how to behave in daily life and the meaning of Islamic doctrine.
The press encouraged the reading of religious texts among Hindus, especially in the local language. Religious texts reached a very wide range of people, sparking discussions, debates and disputes within and between different religions. Newspapers carried news from one place to another, forming a pan-Indian identity.
A New Form of Publishing
As more and more people become interested in reading, a new type of writing is introduced. In Europe, a literary company, the novel, was developed to meet the needs of those who assimilated Indian forms and styles. New literary forms such as poetry, short stories, and essays on social and political topics entered the world of reading. A new visual culture took shape towards the end of the 19th century. Inexpensive calendars were available at bazaars that even the poor could buy to decorate the walls of their homes or workplaces. These prints began to shape popular ideas about modernity and tradition, religion and politics, society and culture. By the 1870s, cartoons and cartoons appeared in magazines and newspapers commenting on social and political issues.
Women and the Media
Women's reading has increased significantly in middle-class families. A school for women opened in the city. Magazines also began to publish women's articles and explain why women should be educated. However, conservative Hindus believed that a girl who could read would become a widow, and Muslims feared that educated women would be corrupted by reading Urdu novels. Social reforms and novels aroused great interest in women's lives and emotions. In the early 20th century, magazines written and edited by women were very popular. In Bengal, the entire Batala region of central Calcutta was dedicated to popular book printing. By the end of the 19th century, many of these books were abundantly illustrated in woodcuts and color lithographs. Vendors carried Bathala's publications from door to door, allowing women to read at leisure.
Printing and the Poor
cheap books bought at the market. Public libraries are mainly created in cities. In the late 19th century, caste discrimination began to appear in many printed articles and essays.
Factory workers lacked the education to write much about their experiences. In 1938 Kashibaba wrote and published Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938 to show the link between caste and class exploitation. In the 1930s, cotton mill workers in Bangalore set up a library for self-education.
Printing and Censorship
Censorship was not a problem for the East India Company. The Calcutta Supreme Court passed certain rules to control freedom of speech, and in 1835 Viceroy Bentinck agreed to amend the Press Act. Thomas Macaulay made new rules restoring their former liberties. Freedom of speech changed after the 1857 uprising. In 1878, the People's Press Act, modeled after the Irish Press Act, was passed, giving the government broad powers to censor the reporting and editorials of the local press. The government began monitoring local newspapers. The number of nationalist newspapers increased across India. In 1907 the Punjabi revolutionaries were expelled, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak wrote with great sympathy about them in his Kesari, for which he was imprisoned in 1908.
Frequently asked Questions on CBSE Class 10
What is ‘The Print Revolution’?
The Printing Revolution occurred when the spread of the printing press facilitated the wide circulation of information and ideas, acting as an ‘agent of change’ through the societies that it reached.
When was the ‘French Revolution’?
The ‘French Revolution’ took place from1789 to 1799.
What is ‘Censorship’?
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information.
