Tag: the nationalist movement in indo-china

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 French sought to strengthen their rule in Vietnam through control of  education. They tried to change the values, norms and perception of the people, to make them believe in superiority of French civilisation and the inferiority of the Vietnamese.

The term “Indochina” is used to denote a particular part of Southeast Asia, specifically the “Indochinese Peninsula”. Indo-China comprises the modern countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

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.