Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of the...
Deindustrialisation of Indian traditional cottage and handicraft industry was a direct consequence of industrial revolution in England along with colonization of India. Thus, statement (a) is correct.
Machines were not introduced in Indian textile industry in large number in the first half of the 19th century. Rather the modern textile mills with imported machinery started taking baby steps in 1850s in Bombay, Ahmedabad and Calcutta. Only after the first world war that Indian industrialization started taking fast steps. Thus, statement (b) is not correct.
The first railway line in India was laid between Bombay and Thane in 1853. Railway expansion was relatively slow even till mid-1860. Only in the latter half of the 19th century that Railway expansion gathered space in India. Thus, statement (c) is not correct.
India acted as a captive market for British industrial goods. Rather, the colonial economic policy was of one-way free trade in which British manufacture was dumped at a very cheap rate in India. Thus, statement (d) is not correct.
Therefore, the correct answer is (a).
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Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of the...
Impact of Industrial Revolution on India in the first half of the nineteenth century
Indian handicrafts were ruined
- The Industrial Revolution in Europe led to the mass production of goods using machines, which were cheaper and faster than the traditional methods of production.
- As a result, British manufacturers flooded the Indian market with their cheap goods, which were produced using machines.
- This led to the decline of the Indian handicraft industry, which was based on traditional methods of production.
- The Indian weavers and artisans could not compete with the cheaper goods produced in Britain and were forced to either work for the British or leave their traditional occupation.
Conclusion
The impact of the Industrial Revolution on India in the first half of the nineteenth century was mainly negative, as it led to the decline of the Indian handicraft industry. The introduction of machines in the British textile industry led to the flooding of the Indian market with cheap goods, which had a devastating effect on the Indian weavers and artisans. This, in turn, led to the loss of traditional skills and the disruption of local economies.
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