Print Culture

Class X
Back Question and Answers
Q.1 Give reason for the following:

a. Woodblock print only came to Europe after 1295.

Solution: (a) Marco Polo, the Italian explorer, visited China and learnt the technology of
woodblock printing. When he returned to Italy in 1295, he brought this knowledge back with
him. Gradually this knowledge spread from Italy to other parts of Europe.
(b) In 1517, Martin Luther, the religious reformer, wrote ninety-five theses that criticised
the corrupt practices of the Catholic Church and pasted these on the church door in
Wittenberg. Very soon, thousands of copies of Luther’s theses were printed, spreading his
ideas among people. Martin Luther was deeply moved by realizing the power of printing,
which brought about the reformation movement and the eventual birth of Protestantism.
(c) Print and popular literature encouraged many distinctive interpretations of religious
faiths and ideas. In the 16th century, Manocchio, a roller in Italy, began to read books
available readily in his locality. He gave a new interpretation of the Bible and formulated a
view of God and creation that enraged the Roman Catholic Church. As a result, Manocchio
was hauled up twice and ultimately executed when the Roman Catholic Church began its
inquisition.
(d) Mahatma Gandhi said these words in 1922 during the Non-cooperation Movement
(1920-22). According to him, without the liberty of speech, the liberty of the press and
freedom of association, no nation can even survive. If the country was to get free from
foreign domination, then these liberties were quite important.
Q.2 Write short notes on what you know about:

a. The Gutenberg Press

Solution: (a) The Gutenberg Press was the first printing press of Europe. It was invented
by Johannes Gutenberg of Strasbourg. He grew up in a large agricultural estate and had
knowledge and experience in operating olive and wine presses. He invented the printing
press around the year 1448 with the Bible being the first book to be printed.
(b) Erasmus, the Latin scholar, was not happy with the printing of books because he was
afraid that this would lead to the circulation of books with rebellious ideas. He felt that
although a few books may give useful information, the majority of books may just be
irrelevant or illogical through which scandalous of irreligious ideas will spread, ultimately
leading to incitement of rebellion.
(c) The Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878 by the British government in India. This
act provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the
Vernacular Press. If a Vernacular Paper published any seditious material, the paper was
banned, and its printing machinery was seized and destroyed.
Q.3 What did the spread of print culture in the nineteenth century India mean to:

a. Women
b. The poor
c. Reformers

Solution: (a) Women: Women became as important as readers and writers. Reading
habits improved among them. With an increase in literacy, women took great interest in
reading and writing. Many journals started emphasizing the importance of women’s
education. Many magazines and books were especially published for women. The print
culture gave women some amount of freedom to read and develop their own views on
various issues, especially those related to women.
(b) The Poor: As the literacy rate improved in Europe as well as in India, printed material,
especially for entertainment, began to reach even the poor. In England ‘penny magazines’
were carried by peddlers and sold for a penny, so that even poor people could buy them.
Those who could not read could listen to the stories and folklore. These stories and folklore
could be read out to them by others. Books could be hired on a nominal fee from some book
owners. Even in India, very cheap small books were brought to the market in 19th century
Madras towns, which allowed poor people to have access to print culture.
(c) Reformers: Reformers used newspapers, journals and books to highlight the social
evils prevailing in the society. Raja Ram Mohan Roy published the ‘Sambad Kaumudi’ to
highlight the plight of widows. From the 1860s, many Bengali women writers like
Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences of women, about how women
were imprisoned at home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard domestic labour and were
treated unjustly by the menfolk they served.
Discuss
Q.1 Why did some people in the eighteenth century Europe think that culture
would bring enlightenment and end despotism?
Solution:

a. The spreading of new ideas after the coming of print culture, the ideas of scientists
and philosophers now became more accessible to the common people. Ancient and
medieval scientific texts were compiled and published.
b. Books as Medium of Progress By the eighteenth century, books became a medium of
spreading progress and enlightenment, which could change society and the world. It
was also believed that the books could liberate society from despotism and tyranny.
c. Writings of Scholars: The writings of thinkers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau,
Thomas Paine and Voltaire were also widely printed and could gain popularity. Thus
their ideas about science, rationality and reasoning found their way into popular
literature.
d. Scientific Discoveries: Maps and more accurate scientific diagrams were widely
printed when scientists like Issac Newton began to publish their discoveries. They
could influence a much wider circle of scientifically-minded readers.

Q.2 Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books? Choose
one example from Europe and one from India.
Solution: Some people, especially from the upper class fear the effect of easily available
printed books due to the spread of literacy among the common people. They feared that
they might lose their position or authorities. Some people thought that it might lead to the
spread of rebellions and irreligious thoughts.
Example:
(i) In Europe, the Roman Catholic Church tried to curb the printed books through the Index
of Prohibited Books.
(ii) In India, the Vernacular Press Act imposed restrictions on Indian press and various local
newspapers.
Q.3 What were the effects of the spread of print culture for poor people in
nineteenth-century India?
Solution: Public libraries were set up from the early twentieth century, expanding access to
books. These libraries were located mostly in cities and towns and at times in prosperous
villages. For rich local patrons, setting up a library was a way of acquiring prestige.
From the late nineteenth century, issues of caste discrimination were written about in many
printed tracts and essays.
Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha pioneer of ‘low caste’ protest movements, wrote about the
injustices of the caste system in his Gulamgiri (1871). In the twentieth century, B.R.
Ambedkar in Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker in Madras (better known as
Periyar) wrote powerfully on caste, and their writings were read by people all over India.
Local protest movements and sects also created a lot of popular journals and tracts,
criticising ancient scriptures and envisioning a new and just future.
At the very least, it made poor people aware of their rights and their place in society and
Print media showed the way in which they can improve their lot in life.
Q.4 Explain how the print culture assisted in the growth of nationalism in India.
Solution: Print culture assisted in the growth of nationalism in India in the following ways:

a. By the end of the 19th century, a large number of newspapers in Indian vernacular
languages were published, making it easier to circumvent the language barriers
among the various ethnic groups of Indians.
b. These newspapers published articles written by national leaders. Their ideas were
communicated to the masses through these newspapers.
c. The people of different communities and places were thus connected by print media.
Newspapers conveyed news from one place to another, creating a pan-Indian
identity.
d. The nationalist newspapers exposed the colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist
activities. As these were written in spoken languages of various regions, the common
man could easily understand the content.
e. For example, when Punjab revolutionaries were deported in 1907, Balagangadhar
Tilak wrote articles sympathizing with them. He was arrested which provoked protest
among the masses.

Thus it is clear that print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India.