Textile industry held a pre-dominant position in the economic history of India. The industrial revolution had an over-whelming impact on domestic industries leading to far-reaching repercussions in the economic sphere. B.R Tomlinson in his work, Economy of Modern India, 1860-1970 points out that at the beginning of the English rule the Indian handicraft and textile industries used to supply about a quarter of all manufactured goods produced in the world. The domestic industries contributed to the majority of chief export items of the European trade. With the start of the Industrial revolution in the west, India’s status as the chief supplier of textiles to the world relegated to the background. India became the dumping ground of raw materials for the rising English Industries. At the same time the country was a potential market for the influx of British manufactures. There is a considerable quantitative data from south, Central and Eastern India hinting at the general decline in textile production. The English industrialization had a subversive effect on spinning and home spun commodities. The Lancashire produced fine quality yarn had somehow wrecked the possibilities of yarn spinning in India. Tirthankar Roy points out that cotton textile is the most important example of craft threatened by steam-power technology, or of pre-modern industry threatened by industrializing Britain .
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Commercialization and foreign trade
Research Objective and Scope
The primary research objective is to analyze the economic transformation of the Indian textile industry under British colonial rule, specifically examining how artisanal production responded to the influx of machine-made goods and market competition. The study investigates whether the Indian textile industry collapsed due to unequal competition or if artisans successfully adapted through market segmentation and diversification.
- The impact of the Industrial Revolution on traditional Indian handicraft industries.
- Mechanisms of commercialization and the transition to foreign trade dependency.
- Strategies of adaptation among handloom weavers through segmentation and organizational changes.
- The regional development of "weaving places" and urban textile hubs in Western India.
- The scholarly debate regarding the "de-industrialization" thesis in Indian colonial history.
Excerpt from the Book
Commercialization and foreign trade
The British rule heralded a new epoch of commercialization and exposure to foreign trade. Subsequently, this had transformed Indian textiles in basic ways. Commercial hand-spinning of cotton became extinct due to competition from British rule and Indian machine spun-yarn. Roy mentions that the production of cotton cloth expanded by 30% between 1900 and 1939. Market shares were stable. New investments were made. New tools and processes like - flying shuttle, beam warping were appropriated on a large scale. In southern and western India, there was an endeavour to revamp textile mills along western lines which led to the growth of large urban textile towns. At the same time wage labour multiplied in place of family labour.
The main deficit, emphasised by the Indian Central Cotton Committee in 1921 that while other countries, particularly America and England had powerful organizations to safeguard the interests concerning growing, marketing and manufacturing of cotton. India lacked organization and co-operation amongst the trade, their grower and the manufacturer. The Committee reports that while the production of long staple cotton was only 13% of total production in the quinquennium 1922-27, it increased to 37% in the quinquennium 1942-47 just before the partition of India.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the dominance of the Indian textile industry in history and outlines the competitive pressures imposed by British industrialization and steam-power technology.
2. Commercialization and foreign trade: This chapter analyzes the structural shifts in the textile industry, detailing how handloom weavers responded to market changes and the development of specialized urban "weaving places" in Western India.
Keywords
Indian Textile Industry, British Rule, Handloom Weaving, Industrial Revolution, De-industrialization, Market Segmentation, Cotton Production, Artisanal Economy, Colonialism, Western India, Bombay Presidency, Economic History, Foreign Trade, Textile Mills, Fact-Finding Committee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper explores the economic history of the Indian textile industry during the British colonial period, focusing on the survival and adaptation strategies of artisanal weavers amidst the rise of industrialized competition.
What are the central themes discussed?
Central themes include the impact of foreign trade, the decline of hand-spinning, the commercialization of cotton, regional shifts in textile manufacturing, and the socio-economic status of weavers.
What is the primary research question?
The research asks if the Indian textile industry collapsed due to unequal competition and, crucially, how handloom weavers adapted to these market changes and survived.
Which methodology is utilized?
The work employs a historical and economic analysis, synthesizing scholarly debates (such as the "de-industrialization" thesis) with empirical data from reports like the Fact-Finding Committee and the Tariff Board Enquires.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body examines the transition to machine-spun yarn, the proliferation of weaving centers in urban hubs like Sholapur and Ahmedabad, and the changing roles of mercantile actors in the industry.
What are the key descriptive terms for this work?
Key terms include colonial economy, artisan agency, textile industrialization, segmented markets, and the evolution of the Indian cotton trade.
How did Indian handloom weavers survive the competition from Lancashire mills?
According to the text, weavers adapted through "segmentation" and "diversification," responding to changing consumption patterns and utilizing new tools like the flying shuttle to maintain their place in the market.
What was the significance of the "weaving places" in Western India?
These towns, such as Sholapur and Bhiwandi, became "mono-industrial" centers where artisanal production persisted and concentrated, playing a vital role in the regional economy despite colonial-era pressures.
What is the scholarly consensus regarding the Indian textile industry's history?
The author concludes that there is no consensus among scholars; while the industry faced immense tumult and degradation under British rule, artisanal production showed surprising resilience through organizational and economic shifts.
- Quote paper
- Anusua Chowdhury (Author), 2013, Commercialization of the textile industry under British Rule, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/265739
