Chapter-5 Print Culture and the Modern World

Explanation:

Italian traveler Marco Polo travelled to China and studied the art of woodblock printing. And He brought this information back with him when he left Italy in 1295. And This information gradually migrated from Italy to the rest of Europe

Explanation:

Martin Luther, a Christian reformer, authored 95 theses in 1517 that criticized the Catholic Church’s immoral practices and nailed them on the Wittenberg church door. The printing of thousands of copies of Luther’s theses quickly diffused his ideas throughout society. The force of printing, which sparked the reformation movement and eventually gave rise to Protestantism, profoundly touched Martin Luther.

Explanation:

Many different interpretations of religious faiths and ideas were encouraged by print and popular literature. Manocchio, an Italian roller, began reading books available in his neighbourhood in the 16th century. He proposed a new interpretation of the Bible and a view of God and creation that infuriated the Roman Catholic Church. As a result, when the Roman Catholic Church launched its inquisition, Manocchio was hauled up twice and eventually executed

Explanation:

During the Non-cooperation Movement in 1922, Mahatma Gandhi uttered these words (1920-22). No nation, he believes, can survive without free speech, free press, and free association. These liberties were critical if the country was to break free from foreign dominance.

Explanation:

Europe’s first printing press was the Gutenberg Press. Johannes Gutenberg of Strasbourg is credited with creating it. He had experience running olive and wine presses because he was raised on a sizable farm. Around the year 1448, he created the printing press, with the Bible being the first book printed on it.

Explanation:

Erasmus, the Latin scholar, was opposed to book printing because he feared it would lead to the circulation of books with rebellious ideas. He believed that while a few books may contain useful information, the vast majority of books may be irrelevant or illogical, spreading scandalous or irreligious ideas and ultimately inciting rebellion.

Explanation:

Erasmus, the Latin scholar, was opposed to book printing because he feared it would lead to the circulation of books with rebellious ideas. He believed that while a few books may contain useful information, the vast majority of books may be irrelevant or illogical, spreading scandalous or irreligious ideas and ultimately inciting rebellion.

The British government in India passed the Vernacular Press Act in 1878. This law gave the government broad authority to control articles and editorials in the popular press. A vernacular paper was outlawed and its printing equipment was seized and destroyed if it published any seditious material.

Explanation:

Women gained the same importance as readers and writers. Their reading habits improved. Women became more interested in reading and writing as literacy levels rose. Many journals began emphasising the importance of women’s education. Many women’s magazines and books were published. The print culture provided women with some freedom to read and form their own opinions on a variety of issues, particularly those concerning women.

 Explanation:

The Poor: As literacy rates increased in Europe and India, printed material, particularly for entertainment, began to reach even the poor. In England, peddlers sold ‘penny magazines’ for a penny, allowing even the poor to purchase them. Those who were unable to read could listen to stories and folklore. Others could read these stories and folklore to them. Some book sellers may rent out books for a small fee. Even in India, in 19th-century Madras towns, very cheap small books were brought to the market, allowing poor people access to print culture.

Explanation:

 Reformers: Reformers used books, journals, and newspapers to draw attention to the social ills that were pervasive in society. The “Sambad Kaumudi” was written by Raja Ram Mohan Roy to draw attention to the condition of widows. Many Bengali women writers, including Kailash bashini Debi, began focusing on the experiences of women in their works in the 1860s. These books describe how women were imprisoned at home, kept in the dark, made to perform difficult domestic tasks, and subjected to unfair treatment by the men who were supposed to be their masters.

• The diffusion of new ideas following the advent of print culture made the views of scientists and philosophers more approachable to the general public. Scientific writings from the past and now have been collected and published.

• By the eighteenth century, books had evolved into a tool for spreading knowledge and enlightenment that had the power to alter society and the course of human history. It was also thought that the books could free society from tyranny and dictatorship.

• Scholarly writings: The works of thinkers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine, and Voltaire were widely printed and popular. As a result, their ideas about science, rationality, and reasoning made their way into popular literature.

• Maps and more accurate scientific diagrams were widely printed when scientists like Isaac Newton began to publish their discoveries. They could have an impact on a much larger group of scientifically minded readers.

Explanation:

Some people, particularly those from the upper classes, were concerned about the impact of easily accessible printed books on the spread of literacy among the common people. They were afraid of losing their positions or authority. Some feared that it would spread rebellions and irreligious ideas.

Examples:

(1) In Europe, Using the Index of Forbidden Books, the Roman Catholic Church attempted to restrict printed publications in Europe. And 

(2) In India, The Vernacular Press Act in India placed limits on local publications and  the Indian press.

Explanation:

Early in the 20th century, public libraries were established, increasing access to books. These libraries were usually found in urban areas, though occasionally they were found in affluent communities as well. Setting up a library was a means for wealthy local patrons to gain notoriety. Caste discrimination issues started to appear in printed tracts and essays in the late nineteenth century. In his Gulamgiri, Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha pioneer of ‘low caste’ protest movements, wrote about the caste system’s injustices (1871). B.R. Ambedkar in Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker in Madras (better known as Periyar) wrote powerfully on caste in the twentieth century, and their writings were read all over India. Local protest movements and sects also produced a large number of popular journals and tracts criticizing ancient scriptures and imagining a more just future.

Explanation:

It was simpler to overcome linguistic barriers between the various Indian ethnic groups by the end of the 19th century because to the widespread publication of newspapers in Indian vernacular languages.

Articles authored by national leaders were published in these newspapers. Via these newspapers, the general public was exposed to their ideals.

(B) Nationalist newspapers exposed colonial misrule and promoted nationalist activities. The common man could easily understand the content because it was written in spoken languages from various regions.

When Punjab revolutionaries were deported in 1907, for example, Balagangadhar Tilak wrote articles sympathizing with them. He was arrested, which sparked public outrage.    

Finally, the print culture gives the rise in the nationalism of India.