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Revision: History (India and the Contemporary World-II) >> The Age of Industrialisation Social Science English Medium Class 10 CBSE

Definition: Carding

Carding is the process in which fibres, such as cotton or wool, are prepared prior to spinning.

Key Points: Introduction to the Age of Industrialisation

Around 1900, machines and technology were seen as symbols of progress and the new century.
Images and magazines glorified modern inventions such as railways, factories, and machines.
The modern world was linked with rapid technological change and industrial growth.
The West was shown as modern and advanced, while the East was shown as traditional and old.
To understand real progress, historians study the history of industrialisation in Britain and India.

Key Points: Before the Industrial Revolution

Industrial production existed even before factories were established in Europe.
This early form of production is called proto-industrialisation.
Merchants supplied money to peasants and artisans to produce goods for international markets.
Production moved to the countryside because guilds controlled trade in towns.
Peasant families earned extra income by producing goods at home instead of in factories.

Key Points: The Coming Up of the Factory

The earliest factories in England were set up in the 1730s, but their number increased greatly in the late eighteenth century.
Cotton became the first major factory industry, and its production expanded rapidly.
New inventions improved spinning and weaving and increased output per worker.
Richard Arkwright introduced the cotton mill, bringing all stages of production under one roof.
Factories allowed better supervision, quality control, and regulation of labour.

Key Points: The Pace of Industrial Change

Cotton and metal industries grew fastest, with cotton leading until the 1840s and iron and steel growing later.
Traditional industries continued alongside factories and employed most workers.
Much production still took place in homes and small workshops, not only in factories.
Technological change was slow because machines were costly and unreliable.
Most workers in the mid-nineteenth century were traditional craft workers, not machine operators.

Key Points: Hand Labour and Steam Power

In Victorian Britain, labour was easily available, so wages were low.
Industrialists preferred hand labour because machines were expensive and required a large investment.
Seasonal industries hired workers only when demand was high.
Many goods needed skilled hand labour and could not be produced by machines.
Handmade products were valued by the upper classes, while machine-made goods were exported.

Key Points: Life of the Workers

Large numbers of workers migrated to cities in search of jobs during industrialisation.
Getting work often depended on personal connections like friends or relatives.
Many job-seekers remained unemployed and lived in shelters or on the streets.
Seasonal employment caused long periods of joblessness and insecurity.
Wages rose slowly, but rising prices reduced workers’ real income.
Fear of unemployment made workers oppose new machines like the Spinning Jenny.
After the 1840s, construction and transport work increased and provided more jobs.

Key Points: The Age of Indian Textiles

Before industrialisation, Indian cotton and silk textiles dominated global trade.
Indian textiles were exported through major ports like Surat, Masulipatam, and Hoogly.
Indian merchants and bankers controlled and financed the textile trade network.
By the mid-eighteenth century, European companies gained monopoly rights over trade.
Old ports declined while new colonial ports like Bombay and Calcutta grew.

Key Points: What Happened to Weavers?

After the 1760s, the East India Company expanded textile exports by controlling the trade.
The Company eliminated Indian traders and appointed gomasthas to supervise weavers.
Weavers were forced to take advances and sell cloth only to the Company at low prices.
Gomasthas often behaved harshly, and weavers lost freedom to bargain or choose buyers.
Many weavers migrated, revolted, or gave up weaving and turned to agricultural labour.

Key Points: Manchester Comes to India

Indian textile exports declined sharply in the nineteenth century due to British industrialisation.
The British government imposed import duties to protect Manchester textiles in Britain.
British cotton goods were heavily exported to India, flooding Indian markets.
Indian weavers lost both foreign and local markets because machine-made goods were cheaper.
By the 1850s, many weaving regions in India faced decline and poverty.
Shortage and high prices of raw cotton further harmed Indian weavers in the 1860s.
By the late nineteenth century, Indian factories added more competition for traditional weavers.

Key Points: The Early Entrepreneurs

The first cotton mill in Bombay was set up in 1854, followed by mills in other cities.
Indian industries were started by Indian merchants and traders.
Many entrepreneurs earned capital through trade with China.
Profits from trade were invested in industries by businessmen like Tata and Tagore.
European managing agencies controlled most industries before the First World War.

Key Points: Sources of Industrial Labour

The number of factory workers in India increased rapidly between 1901 and 1946.
Most factory workers came from nearby villages and districts.
Peasants and artisans migrated to cities due to a lack of work in villages.
Many workers moved seasonally between villages and cities for harvests and festivals.
As industries expanded, workers also travelled long distances to find jobs.
Jobbers controlled recruitment and helped workers settle in cities.
Factory workers formed only a small part of the total industrial workforce.

Key Points: The Peculiarities of Industrial Growth

In the late 19th century, Indian industries developed alongside European export-focused plantations.
Early Indian mills mainly produced cotton yarn and avoided competing with British goods.
The Swadeshi Movement (1906) boosted Indian industries by boycotting foreign cloth.
Cotton cloth production doubled between 1900–1912, while yarn exports to China declined.
During and after World War I (1914–1918), Indian industries expanded and strengthened in the home market.

Key Points: Small-scale Industries Predominate

Even after industrial growth, large factories employed only a small share of workers in India.
Most industrial workers were employed in small workshops and household industries.
Handloom cloth production increased and nearly tripled between 1900 and 1940.
Weavers adopted new technologies like the fly shuttle to improve productivity.
Despite expansion, artisans lived difficult lives and worked long hours.

Key Points: Market for Goods

Advertisements were used to create demand and shape consumer needs during industrialisation.
British manufacturers used labels to show quality and promote “Made in Manchester” cloth in India.
Images of Indian gods and historical figures were used to make foreign goods familiar and trustworthy.
Calendars became a popular advertising tool as they reached both literate and illiterate people.
Indian manufacturers used advertisements to promote swadeshi and encourage people to buy Indian goods.