The Age of Industrialization
Class 10 History • Chapter 04
1. Before the Industrial Revolution
Proto-industrialization
A phase of industrialization that existed before factories. Large scale production for
international market was carried out in homes/countryside. Merchants supplied wool/material to peasants
who spun/wove it.
Why countryside? In towns, urban guilds were powerful and restricted entry of new people. So
merchants moved to countryside.
2. Hand Labour and Steam Power
In Victorian Britain, there was no shortage of human labour. Industrialists preferred hand labour because:
- Seasonal demand (Gas works, Breweries) needed labour only for specific months.
- Machines were expensive and repair was costly.
- Range of products: Hand labour could produce intricate designs (500 varieties of hammers, 45 axes).
Machines produced uniform goods.
Life of Workers: Miserable. Seasonality of work meant long periods without unemployment.
Housing problem (Slums).
Devised by James Hargreaves. Speeded up spinning process. Women who survived on hand
spinning attacked these machines (Fear of unemployment).
3. Industrialization in the Colonies (India)
3.1 The Age of Indian Textiles
Before machine age, Indian cotton/silk dominated international market. Surat, Masulipatam, Hooghly were major
ports.
3.2 What Happened to Weavers?
- East India Company (EIC) eliminated existing traders/brokers and established direct control over
weavers.
- Gomastha: A paid servant appointed by EIC to supervise weavers, collect supplies, and
examine cloth quality.
- Weavers lost bargaining power. Clashes between weavers and Gomasthas.
- Manchester comes to India: Machine-made cotton from Britain flooded Indian markets. It
was cheap. Indian weavers could not compete.
4. Factories Come Up in India
- First Cotton Mill: Bombay (1854).
- First Jute Mill: Bengal (1855).
The Early Entrepreneurs
- Dwarkanath Tagore (Bengal): Invested in shipping, shipbuilding, mining, banking,
plantation, insurance. (Partnered with British).
- Dinshaw Petit and Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata (Bombay): Parsis. Built huge
industrial empires. Accumulated wealth from China trade.
- Seth Hukumchand (Marwari): Set up first Indian Jute Mill in Calcutta (1917). Traded
with China.
4.1 Where did Workers come from?
From neighboring districts. E.g., Ratnagiri workers came to Bombay mills.
The Jobber: An old trusted worker employed by industrialists to recruit new people. He
often demanded money/gifts for favors.
5. The Peculiarities of Industrial Growth
- European Managing Agencies dominated (Tea, Coffee, Mining, Indigo, Jute).
- Indian industrialists avoided competition with Manchester (produced coarse yarn initially).
- Swadeshi Movement: Boosted demand for Indian goods.
- First World War: The Turning Point. British mills busy with war production. Manchester
imports declined. Indian mills suddenly had a huge home market + war needs (Jute bags, uniforms).
Industrial production boomed.
6. Market for Goods
How were new consumers created? Advertisement.
- Newspaper/Magazines: Shaped minds.
- Labels: "Made in Manchester" label on cloth bundles (Sign of quality). Images of Indian
Gods (Krishna, Saraswati) used to make foreign goods look familiar.
- Calendars: Used by those who could not read. Hung in tea shops/homes.
- Message: "If you care for the country, buy products that Indians produce."
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: ADVERTISEMENT PRINTS]
Collage of old Indian advertisements:
1. Gripe Water calendar with Image of Baby Krishna.
2. Manchester label with image of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
3. Sunlight Soap calendar with Vishnu.
