Page 60 - Sst Class - X

5. Print Culture and the Modern World
5. Print Culture and the Modern World

Memory Points
Memory Points
Print Culture and the World

• The earliest print technology was developed in China, Japan, and Korea.
• First printed books were made by rubbing paper.

• Buddhist missionaries from China introduced wood-block printing in Japan.
• Print culture and paper reached Europe in the 11th century via silk route.

• By the early 15th century, woodblocks were widely accepted to print textiles, playing cards, and
religious texts.
• Johannes Gutenberg developed the first printing press in the 1430s. The first book printed by his
press was the Bible.

• The common people got access to books, leading to the reform of the masses from listeners to the
development of a reading mania.

• The print culture intrigued religious debates. Several scholars thought that print brought a new
intellectual atmosphere and helped in spreading new revolutionary ideas.
• In England, penny chapbooks were carried by pedlars known as Chapman. They were affordable for
poor people.

• The sacred authority of the Church and the absolute power of the State were questioned and
discussed by the public, enlightening the path of the French Revolution.
Print culture and India

• The first printing press in India was introduced by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century.
• Catholic books were the first printed books.

• The print culture led to intense debates around religious issues, the caste system, and traditional
norms and practices, leading to the demands for social reforms.
• In North India, ulemas used lithographic presses and published Persian and Urdu translations of Holy
Scriptures and religious tracts.

• New forms of literature including novels, short stories, and autobiographies reinforced the emphasis
on human lives and social issues.
• Very cheap and small books made the books accessible to poor people. Public libraries were set up
in the early 20th century.

• The colonial rule was deeply anxious about the spread of nationalist ideologies. It led to the laws
for censorship. The Calcutta Supreme Court passed regulations to control press freedom and British
supporting papers were encouraged by the colonial government.
• In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed modelled on the Irish Press laws. It provided government
the rights to censor reports and editorials.

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