The Age of Industrialisation

औद्योगीकरण का युग

📋 Chapter at a Glance

📚 Related Chapters (History)

← Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in Europe

← Chapter 2: Nationalism in India

← Chapter 3: The Making of a Global World

→ Chapter 5: Print Culture and Modern World (Coming Soon)

📑 Table of Contents

Figure 1: The transformation from Cottage Industry to Factory System

📘 Key Concept: What is Industrialisation?

Industrialisation refers to the process by which economies shifted from agricultural and handicraft-based production to machine-based manufacturing. It involved new technologies, new forms of energy (steam power), new ways of organising work (factories), and new social relationships between workers and owners.

📘 Definition: Proto-Industrialisation

Proto-industrialisation refers to the phase of industrialisation before factories came up. In this system, merchants gave raw materials to peasants who produced goods at home using family labour. The finished products were collected by merchants and sold in international markets.

Figure 2: The Putting-Out System - How merchants coordinated cottage production

💡 Who was Richard Arkwright?

Richard Arkwright was a pioneer of the factory system in England. He invented the Water Frame (a spinning machine powered by water) and set up the first successful cotton mill in 1781. His factories brought all production processes under one roof and one management.

Figure 3: Simplified diagram of a Steam Engine

⚠️ Exam Important: Pace of Change

Key Statistics to Remember:

• Cotton and Metal industries led the way, but others remained traditional

• By 1840, only cotton and iron production was mechanised

• By 1850, less than 10% of workers were in factories

• Traditional industries (food, pottery, construction) employed more workers

💡 Example: Hand-Made vs Machine-Made

In Victorian Britain, upper classes preferred things produced by hand because hand-made goods were seen as better finished, individually tailored, and unique. For example, hand-made shoes, lace, and intricate embroidery were highly valued. Machine-made goods were associated with the poor.

Figure 4: Conditions of factory workers in 19th century Britain

📘 The Spinning Jenny Riots (1764)

When the Spinning Jenny was introduced, women workers attacked it because it threatened their livelihood. The new machine could do the work of many spinners, leading to unemployment. This shows that workers often resisted technological change that threatened their jobs.

Figure 5: Major textile production centres in pre-colonial India

💡 Did You Know? Muslin - The Legendary Fabric

Dhaka muslin was so fine and transparent that it was called "malmal" (meaning soft as a flower). A piece 20 meters long could be folded to fit inside a matchbox! European nobles paid enormous sums for this fabric. The British destroyed this industry to promote their machine-made cloth.

⚠️ Exam Important: Why Indian Textiles Declined

1. Export market collapsed: Cotton textiles exports fell from £1.3 million (1800) to just £100,000 (1850s)

2. Local market flooded: British machine-made goods were cheaper and flooded Indian markets

3. Raw cotton exported: India became an exporter of raw cotton and importer of finished cloth

4. High import duties in Britain: Indian cloth was taxed heavily when entering Britain

5. Weavers impoverished: Millions of skilled weavers lost their livelihood

Figure 6: Sharp decline in Indian cotton textile exports (1800-1850s)

🌟 How Indian Entrepreneurs Built Capital

Indian businessmen accumulated capital from trade (especially opium trade with China), working as agents for European firms, and money lending. When Indian cotton demand rose due to American Civil War (1861-65), many invested in cotton mills.

📘 Who was a Jobber?

A Jobber was an old and trusted worker who was employed by industrialists to recruit new workers from his village. The jobber got people from his village, ensured them jobs, helped with housing and loans. In return, workers were loyal to the jobber and often had to pay him commission.

⚠️ Exam Important: Phases of Growth

1. World War I (1914-1918):

• British mills busy with war supplies

• Indian mills got chance to expand

• Indian factories supplied army needs

2. Swadeshi Movement (1905 onwards):

• Boycott of foreign goods boosted Indian industry

• Nationalist leaders promoted "Made in India"

🎯 Last Minute Revision Points

✅ Proto-industrialisation: Production before factories; merchants coordinated cottage production

✅ 1730s: First factories in England

✅ 1764: Spinning Jenny (Hargreaves)

✅ 1769: Water Frame (Arkwright), Steam Engine (Watt)

✅ 1781: First Cotton Mill (Arkwright)

✅ 1785: Power Loom (Cartwright)

✅ By 1850: Less than 10% workers in factories

✅ Famous Indian Textiles: Dhaka Muslin, Chintz, Jamdani

✅ Gomastha: Company agent who supervised weavers

✅ 1854: First Cotton Mill in Bombay (India)

✅ 1855: First Jute Mill in Bengal

✅ 1907: TISCO founded by Jamsetji Tata

✅ Jobber: Worker who recruited labour from villages

✅ Indian entrepreneurs: Parsis (Tata, Petit), Marwaris (Birla)

✅ Swadeshi (1905): Boosted Indian industry

🧠 Memory Tricks

Inventions (JWEC - 1764-1785):

📌 Jenny (1764) → Water Frame (1769) → Engine (1769) → Cartwright's Loom (1785)

First Mills in India (54-55):

📌 1854 = Cotton (Bombay), 1855 = Jute (Bengal)

Indian Entrepreneurs (PTB):

📌 Parsis (Tata, Petit) + Tagore + Birla

TISCO = 1907:

📌 "1+9+0+7 = 17 = India's first iron/steel"

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