The age of industrialisation - class-VIII

At the end of the nineteenth century, less than 20 percent of the total workforce in Europe was employed in technologically advanced industrial sectors. 

Before the age of machine industries, silk and cotton goods from India dominated the international market in textiles. Coarser cottons were produced in many countries, but the finer varieties often came from India.

Dinshaw Petit and Jamsetji Tata were pioneers of the textile and steel industries in India, establishing their major industrial bases in Bombay (now Mumbai).

Jamshedji Tata founded the Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) in Jamshedpur, which became the first major steel plant in India.

As the British colonial power expanded, Calcutta became the primary administrative and commercial hub, surpassing the earlier importance of Hoogly.

The company was founded in 1864 and is
based in Kanpur, India. Elgin Mills Company Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of
British India Corp. Ltd.

London came to know as finishing center for textile industries because, a merchant clothier in England purchased wool from a wool stalper, and  carried it to the spinners, the yarn that was taken in subsequent stages of production to weavers, fullers and then to dyers. The finishing was done in London before the export merchant sold the cloth in the international market.

• By the turn of the 19th-century, weavers faced a new set of problems. As the cotton industry developed in England, Indian cotton weavers faced two problems - their export market collapsed and local market shrank being flooded with British goods. Indian handmade goods could not compete with fine machine-made goods of England.
• By 1860, they faced a new problem. They could not get sufficient supply of raw cotton which was sent to England for their industries after American world war. The prices of raw cotton shot up and Indian weavers were forced to buy raw cotton at exorbitant prices. In most cases, they were unable to pay.

The company was founded in 1864 and is based in Kanpur, India. Elgin Mills Company Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of British India Corp. Ltd.

The Industrial Revolution in England began in the 1730s with the establishment of the earliest factories. This period marked the transition from cottage industries to centralized production.

The upper classes in Victorian Britain preferred things produced by hand because-

• Handmade products came to symbolise, refinement and class.
• They were better finished.
• Individually produced and carefully designed.
• Mainly the upper class- aristocrats and bourgeoise preferred the things produced by hand.

Cotton was the first symbol of the new era in England. Its production boomed in the late nineteenth century. In 1760 Britain was importing 2.5 million pounds of raw cotton to feed its cotton industry. By 1787 this import soared to 22 million pounds. This increase was linked to a number of changes within the process of production.

Seth Hukumchand established cotton mills (Hukam Chand Mill and Raj Kumar Mill at Indore), and a large Jute Mill and Iron Mill at Calcutta, He was a pioneer in 'Swadeshi Industry'. He was the first Indian businessman to set up a Jute Mill.

The first jute mill in India was established in Rishra, near Calcutta, in 1855. This marked the beginning of the modern jute industry in the region.

The jute industry was the second most important industry in India. This was concentrated around Calcutta. The predominance of jute industry in Bengal was maintained due to the monopoly of raw jute production in Bengal.

This phase of industrial development in Britain is strongly associated with new machinery and technologies. These made it possible to produce goods on a massive scale compared to handicraft and handloom industries.

The English East India Company appointed Gomasthas for:

•  
  To eliminate the existence of traders and brokers and establish a direct control over the weavers.
•  
  To eliminate weavers from dealing with other buyers by means of
  advances and control. In this manner, weavers who took loans and fees in
  advance were obligated to the British.

England is known as the birthplace of industrial revolution which later spread to other parts of Europe.

Following the First World War, specifically around 1917, the colonial government began imposing higher taxes on foreign goods to protect domestic industries.

The government imposed a 3.5 percent tax on cloth imported into India from Britain to provide some protection to the local textile industry.

Henry Ford adopted the concept of an assembly line to produce automobiles. He realised that the ‘assembly line’ method would allow a faster and cheaper way of producing vehicles. 

The phase of industrial development is strongly associated with new machinery and technologies. These made it possible to produce goods on a massive scale compared to handicraft and handloom industries.

The first cotton textile mills in India were set up in the 1850s. The first mill was established in Mumbai in 1854.

The first cotton textile mill in India was established in Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1854.

European Managing Agencies were the primary entities responsible for mobilizing capital and managing large-scale industrial ventures in colonial India.

Indian industrialists were primarily in control of the textile industry, as it required less initial capital compared to heavy industries like iron and steel.

Industrial development requires skilled workers at all levels to operate machinery and manage complex production processes efficiently.

The Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) set up its first major steel plant in Jamshedpur in 1907.

Due to the scarcity of trained Indian scientists and engineers during the colonial period, industries had to rely on foreign experts for technical guidance.

During World War I, British imports declined significantly, allowing Indian mills to capture the domestic market and expand production to meet the demand.

Machine-based industries in India began to be established in the 1850s, coinciding with the setting up of the first cotton and jute mills.

Cotton piece goods production in India saw a significant increase, doubling between 1900 and 1912 due to rising demand and limited foreign competition.

New technology was expensive and merchants and industrialists were cautious about using it. The machines often broke down and repair was costly. They were not as effective as their inventors and manufacturers claimed.