Print Culture and the Modern World Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 5 CBSE Notes - 2025-26

More than 5,500 years ago, people started writing. However, it took time and effort to write manually or inscribe on materials like stone, leather, etc. So for a long time, ideas and knowledge were spread orally among the masses. 

It was only after the invention of printing that ideas started to travel faster. Books, newspapers, historical documents, autobiographies, scientific documents, etc., contributed tremendously to the world's progress. 

Your NCERT Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 5 talks about how printing technology came into being and how the print culture shaped society, ideas, and knowledge.

Printing In China:

• Although the Sumerian civilizations used some primary forms of printing, China is considered the birthplace of printing. Woodblock printing first originated in this country. 

• In China, woodblock printing started from 594 AD onwards. And when the Tang Dynasty came to power in 618 AD, the emperors immensely helped in the progress of woodblock printing.

Printing In Japan:

• In Japan, the Chinese missionaries propagated the art of printing to spread Buddhism. This is how hand printing technology came to Japan from 768 AD onwards. 

• Diamond Sutra is regarded as the earliest known printed Japanese book. This book is regarded as the world’s oldest printed book. It was dated May 11, 868 AD. 

Printing In Europe: 

• As you have read previously, China supplied Silk materials to Europe. The route through which the traders of China met buyers of the West and vice versa is known as the Silk Route. 

• It is through this same route the Chinese paper traveled to Europe. Before this, in Europe, Vellum or animal skin was used to write on. But it was expensive and catered only to the aristocrats. 

• In 1925, painting was brought back to Italy by Marco Polo's knowledge but the cost of painting decreased as woodblock printing spread in Italy.

Gutenberg:

The invention of woodblock could only help printing in a limited way. As the demand increased, the woodblock printing proved incapable of handling too much load. This is where Johannes Gutenberg came into the scene in the 15th century. 

Gutenberg, who grew up in an agricultural estate, saw how the grapes and olives were pressed to extract the liquids. He became a goldsmith and used to create lead moulds to produce trinkets of his desired shape.

Gutenberg drew inspiration from the above two works and made the world’s first printing press. He - 

• Used moulds to make metals resembling the alphabet. 

• Used a press similar to olive press to press the paper against the inked metal types.

There are reasons why Gutenberg’s printing press is known as a revolutionary invention: 

• The woodblocks were not moveable, and hence printing with them was inefficient. 

• It took too much time to make the wooden block itself. Thirdly, the wooden blocks were not so durable. Gutenberg used metal as opposed to wooden blocks. These metal-made alphabets were moveable, so one can use the same set of alphabets to print various sentences. 

• Gutenberg’s printing press brought about the print revolution. Later in the 16th century, 200 million copies of printed books were in circulation.

The Print Revolution: 

There was no internet, smartphones, or laptops in the 16th century. Books became the medium for spreading ideas and knowledge. 

• More books came into the market when the cost of the books was reduced.

• A new reading public emerged who had to rely on oral methods earlier to get new ideas and knowledge. 

• To make the books popular even to illiterate people, the printers heavily relied on illustrations that would attract these people. Then these books were read aloud so that the illiterate people could know what was written in the book.

• The Religious Implications the book talks about how the Church was against printing any and every idea under the sun. But let us go a little back in time - 

• Vejas Liulevicius informs us that Gutenberg was a clever businessman. He approached the Roman Catholic Church to show how his printing press can propagate the teachings and instructions of the Church. So, in the beginning, the printing press and the Church were friends. 

• It was only after the death of Gutenberg that the printing press started to be used by the Protestants like Martin Luther. 

• The Roman Catholic Church later concluded that low-cost printed books would spread anti-Christian ideas and undermine the authority of the Church.

Religious Debates and the Fear of Print

Print revolutionised the spread of ideas, enabling widespread debate and discussion. It allowed dissenting voices to reach a broad audience and persuade people to rethink and act. However, this also sparked fears about the uncontrolled spread of rebellious and irreligious thoughts, which could undermine established authorities and the value of traditional literature.

In early modern Europe, this impact was evident in religion. In 1517, Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, challenging the Catholic Church, were printed and rapidly circulated, igniting the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s translation of the New Testament sold thousands of copies quickly, highlighting print's crucial role in disseminating new ideas and transforming intellectual life.

Print and Dissent

Print and popular religious literature encouraged a wide range of personal interpretations of faith, even among less-educated working-class people. In the sixteenth century, an Italian miller named Menocchio began reading the books available in his area. He reinterpreted the teachings of the Bible and developed his view of God and Creation, which angered the Roman Catholic Church. As the Church launched an inquisition to suppress heretical ideas, Menocchio was arrested twice and eventually executed. Concerned by the impact of widespread reading and questioning of faith, the Roman Church imposed strict regulations on publishers and booksellers and started maintaining an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558.

The Reading Mania

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, literacy rates significantly increased across Europe, largely due to churches establishing schools in villages, which helped educate peasants and artisans. By the late eighteenth century, literacy had reached 60 to 80 percent in some regions. This rise in literacy created a strong demand for books, leading to a surge in book production and the emergence of new forms of popular literature aimed at different audiences.

Booksellers employed peddlers to sell small, affordable books in villages, such as almanacks, ballads, and folktales. In England, these were known as penny chapbooks, while in France, similar low-cost books were called “Bibliotheque Bleue.” Additionally, romances and historical stories became popular among readers. The periodical press also began to flourish, offering a mix of current affairs and entertainment.

The spread of print made scientific and philosophical ideas more accessible, allowing the discoveries of scientists like Isaac Newton and the writings of thinkers like Thomas Paine, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau to reach a broader audience. These works contributed to the popularisation of ideas about social science, reason, and rationality among the general public.

‘Tremble, therefore, Tyrants of the world!’

By the mid-eighteenth century, many believed that books were key to spreading progress and enlightenment. People thought books could transform society by ending despotism and ushering in an era of reason. Louis-Sebastien Mercier, an eighteenth-century French novelist, saw the printing press as a powerful force for progress and public opinion. In his novels, characters are changed through reading, becoming enlightened and challenging tyranny. Mercier famously warned despots to fear the power of the written word.

Print Culture and the French Revolution

Historians argue that print culture played a role in creating conditions for the French Revolution, based on three main points:

1. Enlightenment Ideas: Print popularised Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire and Rousseau, who challenged traditional authority and promoted reason and rationality. Their writings questioned the Church and the state's power, undermining the established social order.

2. Public Debate: Print fostered a new culture of dialogue and debate, encouraging people to re-evaluate values and norms. This environment led to the emergence of revolutionary ideas.

3. Criticism of Monarchy: By the 1780s, literature began mocking the monarchy and highlighting its disconnect from the suffering of common people. This contributed to growing anti-monarchy sentiments.

While print helped spread ideas, readers encountered diverse viewpoints and selectively embraced or rejected different perspectives, thus opening up new ways of thinking without directly shaping their beliefs.

The Nineteenth Century

In the nineteenth century, mass literacy in Europe expanded significantly, increasing the number of readers among children, women, and workers.

Children, Women, and Workers

With compulsory primary education starting in the late nineteenth century, children became a key audience for publishers, leading to the rise of dedicated children’s presses. In France, a press established in 1857 focused on children’s literature, including both new works and classic fairy tales. The Grimm Brothers in Germany also collected and edited folk tales for children, altering their content to suit new standards. Women emerged as significant readers and writers, with penny magazines and manuals tailored for them. Prominent female novelists like Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters helped shape a new image of women as strong, determined individuals. By the nineteenth century, lending libraries, established earlier, played a crucial role in educating workers and supporting self-education and self-expression among the working class.

Further Innovations

By the late eighteenth century, metal printing presses had been introduced. In the nineteenth century, Richard M. Hoe perfected a power-driven cylindrical press that could print 8,000 sheets per hour, which was ideal for newspapers. Later, the offset press, capable of printing up to six colours simultaneously, was developed. The early twentieth century saw advancements like electrically operated presses, improved paper feeding, and better quality plates. These innovations transformed printed texts. Publishers adapted by serialising novels in periodicals and introducing cheap editions and book jackets during the 1920s and 1930s to boost sales during economic downturns.

India and the World of Print

Let’s look at when printing started in India and how people wrote down ideas and information before printing was invented.

Manuscripts Before the Age of Print

India had a long tradition of manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, and various vernacular languages, produced on palm leaves or handmade paper. These manuscripts were often beautifully illustrated and bound in wooden covers or sewn to preserve them. Despite their aesthetic value, manuscripts were costly, fragile, and not easy to read due to varying script styles. Consequently, they were not commonly used in daily life. In pre-colonial Bengal, although there was a network of village schools, students frequently learned to write from dictation rather than reading texts themselves. Many became literate without engaging with written material.

Print Comes to India

The printing press arrived in India with Portuguese missionaries in the mid-sixteenth century, who printed tracts in Konkani and Kanara. By 1579, Catholic priests had printed Tamil books, and by 1713, Malayalam texts. Dutch missionaries also printed Tamil texts in the early 18th century.

The English press started late in India. James Augustus Hickey launched the Bengal Gazette in 1780, marking the beginning of English-language printing. His publication, critical of the colonial government, led to persecution by Governor-General Warren Hastings. By the end of the 18th century, various newspapers emerged, including Indian newspapers like the Bengal Gazette, published by Gangadhar Bhattacharya.

Religious Reform and Public Debates

From the early nineteenth century, religious debates intensified in colonial India, with various groups using print media to share and challenge beliefs. Reformers and traditionalists argued over practices like widow immolation and idolatry, spreading their views through newspapers and tracts in everyday languages.

In Bengal, reformist Rammohun Roy's Sambad Kaumudi faced opposition from traditionalist publications like the Samachar Chandrika. Muslim leaders, concerned about colonial influence, used lithographic presses to publish religious texts and newspapers. Hindu reformists also promoted religious texts in vernacular languages, making them widely accessible. Print media not only fueled debates but also connected communities across India, fostering a sense of pan-Indian identity.

New Forms of Publication

The rise of printing created a demand for literature that reflected people's lives, emotions, and experiences. Novels, which developed in Europe, quickly adapted to Indian tastes, offering new perspectives on human life. Other literary forms, like short stories and essays on social and political issues, also became popular, focusing on personal experiences and societal norms.

By the late nineteenth century, a new visual culture emerged with the spread of printing presses. Artists like Raja Ravi Varma produced mass-circulated images, and affordable prints became popular among the public. Caricatures and cartoons began appearing in journals, offering social and political commentary, sometimes mocking Westernized Indians or critiquing imperial rule.

Women and Print

The portrayal of women's lives in literature led to a rise in women's reading, particularly in middle-class homes. While some families supported female education by teaching women at home or sending them to schools, others resisted, fearing negative consequences. Despite this, women like Rashsundari Debi secretly learned to read and later published influential works.

As interest in women’s issues grew, more women wrote about their struggles with domestic labour and social injustice. Journals for women became popular, discussing education, widowhood, and societal roles. In Punjab and Bengal, cheap, illustrated books and folk literature spread, providing both educational content and entertainment for women in their leisure time.

Print and the Poor People

In nineteenth-century Madras, cheap small books were sold at crossroads, making them accessible to the poor. By the early twentieth century, public libraries were established in cities, towns, and wealthy villages, often funded by local patrons for prestige. Caste issues became prominent in print, with Jyotiba Phule’s "Gulamgiri" (1871) and writings by B.R. Ambedkar and Periyar spreading awareness across India.

Despite their challenges, some factory workers wrote about their experiences. Kashibaba, a Kanpur millworker, published "Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal" in 1938, linking caste and class exploitation. Sudarshan Chakra, another millworker, wrote poems later compiled in "Sacchi Kavitayen." By the 1930s, Bangalore millworkers set up libraries, supported by social reformers promoting literacy and nationalism.

Print and Censorship

Before 1798, the East India Company showed little concern for censorship in India, focusing instead on controlling Englishmen who criticised Company rule, fearing these critiques could challenge their trade monopoly in England. By the 1820s, press regulations were introduced, promoting newspapers that praised British rule. In 1835, Governor-General Bentinck revised press laws, restoring freedoms under Thomas Macaulay's guidance.

After the 1857 revolt, the colonial government’s stance hardened, leading to the Vernacular Press Act of 1878, which allowed strict control and censorship of the vernacular press. Despite repression, nationalist newspapers grew, challenging colonial rule and inspiring protests. Notably, Balgangadhar Tilak’s support for Punjab revolutionaries in his newspaper Kesari led to his imprisonment in 1908, sparking widespread protests across India.

Conclusion 

The Revision Notes for Class 10 History Chapter 5 - "Print Culture and the Modern World" offer a comprehensive and easy-to-understand overview of how print culture played a crucial role in shaping modern society. These notes cover important topics such as the invention of the printing press, the spread of books, and the profound impact of print on education, politics, and social change. By studying these notes, students will gain a deeper understanding of how the printed word influenced the development of human civilization, from the spread of new ideas to the rise of literacy. These notes are an essential tool for exam preparation, helping students to understand key concepts and succeed in their studies.

5 Important Topics of Class 10 Chapter 5 you shouldn’t Miss!

Importance of Chapter 5 Print Culture And The Modern World Notes

• Understanding the evolution of print culture helps students grasp how information spreads and influences societies.

• Learning about the impact of print on different social and political movements highlights how ideas can drive change.

• The chapter shows how print technology transformed communication and education, making knowledge more accessible.

• It provides insight into how printed materials shaped cultural and intellectual developments across the world.

• Revising this chapter helps students connect historical events and ideas with modern practices in publishing and media.

Tips for Learning the Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 5 Print Culture and The Modern World Notes

• Memorise key printing technologies, like the movable type press, and their effects on print culture.

• Create a timeline of major events in printing to see its development over time.

• Learn about influential figures such as Johannes Gutenberg and Martin Luther, and their impact on print culture and the Reformation.

• Study illustrations of early printing presses and materials to understand technological progress.

• Link the spread of print culture to significant events like the Enlightenment and the French Revolution to see its influence.

• Break down the chapter into sections and summarise each to grasp the main ideas and developments.

Related Study Materials for Class 10 History Chapter 5 Print Culture and the Modern World

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Revision Notes Links for Class 10 History

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