Industrialisation: Changing Economies and Societies

• This chapter explores the rise of industries, how industrialisation transformed economies and societies and its impact on India under British rule.

Key Themes

• Pre-Industrial World explores the economy before industries.
• Industrial Revolution in Europe explores the causes and how it changed the world.
• Industrialisation in India explores how British rule affected Indian industries.
• Workers and Society explores how industrialisation changed peoples lives.
• Global Connections explores how trade and colonialism shaped industrial growth.

Understanding the Basics

• Industrialisation involves shifting from manual production to machine-based manufacturing.
• Factories replaced hand-made goods, which increased production drastically.
• Industrialisation caused increased production and trade and therefore economic growth.
• Industrialisation caused people moved to cities for factory jobs and therefore urbanisation.
• Steam engines, spinning jenny, and railways revolutionised transport and production.

Before Industrialisation

• Most goods were made by artisans and craftsmen (weaving, pottery, metalwork).
• Production occurred in small workshops in villages and towns, not large factories.
• Production was often family-based with parents and children working together.
• Trade guilds controlled production quality and worker training.

Proto-Industrialisation

• A stage before full industrialisation, which was prominent in the 17th-18th Century.
• Merchants provided raw materials to rural households.
• Work was done at home, before the finished goods were sold in cities.
• British merchants hired Indian weavers to make textiles before setting up factories.

Industrial Revolution in Europe

• The industrial revolution occurred in the 18th-19th Century.
• The agricultural revolution in Britain caused more food to be produced which resulted in more workers for industries.
• Abundant coal and iron powered factories.
• British colonies provided raw materials and markets due to strong trade and colonies.
• The factory system replaced handicrafts, resulting in more goods and cheaper prices.
• Cities such as London, Manchester and Birmingham became industrial hubs.
• Workers suffered long hours and low wages, causing child labour and poor working conditions.

Industrialisation in India

• India was the world leader in textile production (Muslin, Calico, Chintz).
• Bengal, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu were famous textile production centres.
• Handwoven fabrics were in high demand in Europe at that point.
• The British imposed high taxes on Indian weavers which caused heavy taxes and restrictions.
• Cheap British textiles flooded Indian markets, causing machine-made goods to replace handicrafts
• Weavers were forced to work on British plantations.
• Railways transported British goods, but not Indian goods.
• Tata Iron & Steel (TISCO) was set up in 1907 which began Indian industrial growth.
• Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras became industrial hubs.
• Indians began producing for local markets, causing cotton mills and jute industries to grow.

Workers in Industrial India

• Workers worked 12-14 hours a day with low pay.
• Young children were forced to work in textile mills, causing child labour to be prominent
• No safety regulations caused workers to inhale toxic fumes, causing health hazards.
• Workers protested for better wages and formed strikes and unions.
• Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi encouraged self-reliance (Swadeshi Movement).

Global Impact of Industrialisation

• Railways and steamships made transportation faster which expanded trade.
• European countries colonised Asia & Africa to get raw materials, causing new imperialism
• Factory owners became rich, whilst workers remained poor, causing a rise of capitalism.
• Indians boycotted British goods and promoted Indian industries (Swadeshi Movement of 1905).
• Gandhi encouraged handmade textiles over British cloth through the Khadi Movement.
• Businessmen like GD Birla supported independence, and played a key role in nationalism.

Advanced Understanding

• Students often confuse Pre-Industrialisation with Proto-Industrialisation.
• Forgetting how British policies destroyed Indian industries is a common mistake.
• Ignoring the role of Indian industrialists in the freedom movement is a common mistake.
• British rule prevented India from developing its industries.
• India was forced to export raw materials instead of making finished goods.
• The Industrial Revolution improved production but worsened workers' conditions.
• The Industrial Revolution brought economic growth but increased social inequality.