Indian Indentured Labor in South Africa

Indian Indentured Workers in South Africa

• 19th-century British colonial rule in India led to economic hardship for many Indians.
• In 1860, the first group of Indian indentured laborers was brought to Natal due to the growing demand for labor in the sugar industry.
• British colonialists in South Africa faced a labor shortage due to local African populations resisting harsh working conditions.
• Sugar plantations needed cheap, reliable labor, leading the British to view India as a good source.
• Workers signed contracts for five years, working under strict conditions for low wages but were allowed to renew, return to India, or become free settlers after.
• Many chose to stay and establish communities, contributing to South African society.
• Working conditions included long hours (12-14 hours a day) in hot, humid conditions.
• Poor wages barely provided enough for survival and cramped, unsanitary conditions led to diseases like malaria and dysentery.
• Plantation owners commonly used physical abuse, and harsh punishments for disobedience.
• "Passenger Indians" were free migrants who paid their own way to South Africa.
• Many became traders, shopkeepers, and businessmen, establishing economic networks.
• Today, the Indian community in South Africa is one of the largest outside India and influences business, politics, and culture.
• Descendants played a major role in anti-apartheid struggles including Mahatma Gandhi, who first developed his ideas of nonviolent resistance in South Africa.

Industrial Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution (1750-1850) involved major technological, economic, and social changes.
• Traditional economies were transformed from agricultural to industrial.
• The transatlantic slave trade made Britain wealthy, allowing investments in industry and plantations provided sugar, cotton, and tobacco for British factories.
• Coal powered steam engines, and iron was used to build machines and railways.
• These resources made Britain the first country to industrialize.
• The Enclosure Movement allowed large landowners to take common land, forcing small farmers into cities & crop rotation and new tools increased food production.
• The steam engine (James Watt) allowed machines to work faster and the spinning jenny (James Hargreaves) revolutionized textile production.
• Machines worked faster and produced more goods than hand labor, and reduced the need for skilled workers reducing labor costs.
• Urbanization caused people to move from villages to cities to find jobs in factories.
• Harsh working conditions included low wages, long hours, and unsafe environments where children as young as five worked.

De Beers and the Diamond Industry

• The De Beers diamond company was established by Cecil John Rhodes and Barney Barnato in the late 19th century during the diamond rush in South Africa.
• Cecil Rhodes started by renting water pumps to miners before buying diamond claims.
• Barney Barnato, a competitor, also gained control of mines in Kimberley.
• Ernest Oppenheimer later took over De Beers and created a global diamond monopoly.
• Rhodes and Barnato merged their mines into De Beers Consolidated Mines (1888).
• They controlled diamond supply to keep prices high, and the Anglo American Corporation expanded control over diamonds worldwide.
• Diamonds were rare and durable, making them a symbol of wealth, and marketing campaigns increased their demand.
• River diggings extracted diamonds from riverbeds and dry diggings mined from underground deposits as in Kimberley.
• Britain annexed Griqualand West, where diamonds were found, to secure economic dominance.

Worker Protests and Government Responses

• Agricultural workers protested against mechanization, fearing job losses, known as Swing Rioters (1830s).
• They burned haystacks and destroyed farm machinery in England and were harshly punished by the government.
• Textile workers in England protested against factory machines, known as Luddites (1811-1816).
• They smashed looms and machines in factories, and leaders were arrested and executed to stop the movement.
• Robert Owen believed in fair wages, education, and good working conditions building factories with schools and housing for workers.
• The Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (1834) was a large-scale labor union in Britain that aimed to protect workers' rights, wages, and conditions and was banned by the government.

Britain's Global Power (Late 19th Century)

• Britain's industrial success led to the colonization of Africa and Asia.
• Raw materials (cotton, rubber, and diamonds) were taken from colonies to fuel industry.
• Britain controlled trade through its strong navy and global empire.
• Local industries collapsed under British competition due economic exploitation and forced labor made locals work in mines and plantations.
• British education and laws were imposed causing cultural changes.

Comparisons & Connections

• Indentured Workers & Industrial Workers: shared low wages, long hours, and harsh conditions; indentured workers were contracted, industrial workers were often free but exploited.
• Luddites & Swing Rioters: protested against machines replacing jobs; Luddites were urban factory workers, Swing Rioters were rural farm workers.
• De Beers & Industrial Capitalism: depended on cheap labour and monopoly control; De Beers focused on diamond mining, factories focused on textiles, iron, and coal.
• Britain's Empire & Industrial Revolution: colonies supplied raw materials; the Industrial Revolution helped Britain become the world’s strongest power.

Key causes of the Industrial Revolution

• Transatlantic slave trade profits made Britain wealthy.
• Natural resources like coal and iron powered steam engines and built machines.
• New farming methods increased food production and enabled shift of labour.
• Inventions like steam engines and the spinning jenny transformed production.

Worker Protests and Government Actions:

• Swing Rioters and Luddites both feared job losses due to mechanization.
• The Luddites destroyed factory machines.
• Robert Owen provided better working conditions and education.
• Government harshly repressed worker protests and banned trade unions.
• British industrial success resulted in colonial expansion, which fueled the economy.