NCERT Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 4 The Age of Industrialisation
NCERT Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 4 The Age of Industrialisation are provided here.
Write in Brief
Question 1: Explain the following:
(a) Women workers in Britain attacked the Spinning Jenny.
(b) In the seventeenth century merchants from towns in Europe began employing peasants and artisans within the villages.
(c) The port of Surat declined by the end of the eighteenth century.
(d) The East India Company appointed gomasthas to supervise weavers in India.
Answer: (a) Women workers in Britain attacked the Spinning Jenny because:
- It speeded up the spinning process and reduced labour demand. With the Spinning Jenny only one worker was enough to set a number of spindles in motion by turning one single wheel and could spin several threads at the same time.
- Women workers in Britain had survived on hand spinning.
- The new machine caused a valid fear of unemployment among women working in the woollen industry.
(b) In the seventeenth century, merchants from towns in Europe began employing peasants and artisans within the villages because production in urban areas could not be increased due to the presence of powerful trade guilds. These maintained control over production, regulated prices and competition, and restricted the entry of new people in the trade. Monopolisation was also a common tactic. In the countryside, there were no such rules, and impoverished peasants welcomed these merchants.
(c) The port of Surat declined by the end of the eighteenth century because
- The European companies gradually gained power in trade with India.
- They secured many concessions from local courts as well as the monopoly rights to trade.
- This led to a decline of the old ports of Surat and Hoogly from where local merchants had operated. Exports from these ports fell abruptly and local banks here went bankrupt.
(d) The East India Company appointed gomasthas to supervise weavers in India to establish a more direct control over the weavers, free of the existing traders and brokers in the cloth trade. The gomasthas were the paid servants who supervised the weavers, collected supplies and examined the quality of cloth. The gomasthas ensured that all management and control of the cloth industry came under the British. This helped in eliminating competition, controlling costs and ensuring regular supplies of cotton and silk products.
Question 2: Write True or False against each statement:
(a) At the end of the nineteenth century, 80 per cent of the total workforce in Europe was employed in the technologically advanced industrial sector.
Answer: False.
(b) The international market for fine textiles was dominated by India till the eighteenth century.
Answer: True.
(c) The American Civil War resulted in the reduction of cotton exports from India.
Answer: False.
(d) The introduction of the fly shuttle enabled handloom workers to improve their productivity
Answer: True.
Question 3: Explain what is meant by proto-industrialisation.
Answer: Proto-industrialisation is the phase of industrialisation that was not based on the factory system. Before the coming of factories, there was large-scale industrial production for an international market. This part of industrial history is known as proto-industrialisation.
Discuss
Question 1: Why did some industrialists in nineteenth-century Europe prefer hand labour over machines?
Answer: Some industrialists in nineteenth-century Europe preferred hand labour over machines because:
- Machines were expensive and their repair was also costly.
- They were not as effective as claimed by their inventors and manufacturers.
- As the poor peasants and migrants moved to cities in large numbers in search of jobs, the supply of workers was more than the demand due to which labour was available at low wages.
- In seasonal industries only seasonal labour was required.
- The market demanded goods with variety of designs, colours and specific shapes which could not be fulfilled by using machines. Intricate designs and shapes could be produced only with hand labour.
- In Victorian age, the aristocrats and other upper class people preferred articles made by hand only.
Question 2: How did the East India Company procure regular supplies of cotton and silk textiles from Indian weavers?
Answer: After establishing political power, the East India Company successfully procured regular supplies of cotton and silk textiles from Indian weavers via a series of actions. These actions were aimed at eliminating competition from other colonial powers, controlling costs and ensuring regular supplies of cotton and silk goods for Britain.
Firstly, it appointed gomasthas or paid servants to supervise weavers, collect supplies and examine textile quality.
Secondly, it disallowed Company weavers from dealing with other buyers. This was ascertained by a system of giving advances to the weavers for procuring raw materials. Those who took these loans could not sell their cloth to anyone but the gomasthas.
Question 3: Imagine that you have been asked to write an article for an encyclopaedia on Britain and the history of cotton. Write your piece using information from the entire chapter.
Answer: Britain and the History of Cotton
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, merchants would trade with rural people in textile production. A clothier would buy wool from a wool stapler, carry it to the spinners, and then, take the yarn to the weavers, fuller and dyers for further levels of production. London was the finishing centre for these goods. This phase in British manufacturing history is known as proto-industrialisation. In this phase, factories were not an essential part of industry. What was present instead was a network of commercial exchanges.
The first symbol of the new era of factories was cotton. Its production increased rapidly in the late nineteenth century. Imports of raw cotton sky-rocketed from 2.5 million pounds in 1760 to 22 million pounds in 1787. This happened because of the invention of the cotton mill and new machines, and better management under one roof. Till 1840, cotton was the leading sector in the first stage of industrialisation.
Most inventions in the textile production sector were met with disregard and hatred by the workers because machines implied less hand labour and lower employment needs. The Spinning Jenny was one such invention. Women in the woollen industry opposed and sought to destroy it because it was taking over their place in the labour market.
Before such technological advancements, Britain imported silk and cotton goods from India in vast numbers. Fine textiles from India were in high demand in England. When the East India Company attained political power, they exploited the weavers and textile industry in India to its full potential, often by force, for the benefit of Britain. Later, Manchester became the hub of cotton production. Subsequently, India was turned into the major buyer of British cotton goods.
During the First World War, British factories were too busy providing for war needs. Hence, demand for Indian textiles rose once again. The history of cotton in Britain is replete with such fluctuations of demand and supply.
Question 4: Why did industrial production in India increase during the First World War?
Answer: Industrial production in India increased during the First World War due to following reasons:
- British industries became busy in producing and supplying the war-essentials. Hence, they stopped exporting British goods or clothes for colonial markets like that in India.
- With the decline of imports suddenly, it was a good opportunity for Indian industries to produce enough goods to meet the demand of home market.
- As the war prolonged, Indian factories were called upon to supply war needs such as jute bags, cloth for the army uniforms, tents and leather boots, etc.
- To meet the increased demands of variety of products, new factories were set up and old ones were made to increased their production.
- Many new workers were employed. Thus, the First World War gave a boost to Indian industries.
NCERT Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 4 The Age of Industrialisation: Chapter Overview
In this chapter you learn about the following topics:
- Before the Industrial Revolution
- Hand Labour and Steam Power
- Industrialisation in the Colonies
- Factories Come Up
- The Peculiarities of Industrial Growth
- Market for Goods
NCERT Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 4 The Age of Industrialisation Extra Questions
Extra Questions for Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 5 The Age Of Industrialisation.
Question-1
How do Cloth Merchants function?
Solution:
A Cloth Merchant who sells cloth or clothes first invests money and buys wool from a wool stapler. He then takes the wool to the craftsmen in the villages and asks them to spin it into yarn. The yarn is given to the weavers, who are also in the villages. From the weavers it moves on to the fullers and then the dyers. The final finishing of the cloth or garment is done in the towns. The finished product is then sold in the International market, by the Merchants.
Question-2
What were the benefits enjoyed by the villagers in the proto- industrial system.
Solution:
As common agricultural land was disappearing, the villagers and poor peasants, who had earlier depended on common lands for their survival, had to look for alternative sources of income. The Merchants provided them with this alternative source of income.
By working for the merchants, the peasants could remain in the countryside and continue to cultivate their small plots. It allowed the villagers a complete use of their family labour resources, as all the members of the family could work for these merchants.
Question-3
Write a brief note on the cotton Industry
Solution:
New machinery was invented, in the cotton industry for carding, twisting and spinning, and rolling. These machines enhanced the output per worker, enabling each worker to produce more. Stronger threads were produced due to the modern machinery.
The Cotton mill was created by Richard Arkwright. Weaving of cloth which was done in the cottages by the villagers was now mass produced in these modern cotton mills. All the activities required for weaving cloth from raw cotton was now done under one roof- the cotton mill. This made supervision easier and production faster and quality finer. Soon factories became very popular.
Question-4
Discuss the plight of the Indian weavers with the advent of the East India company.
Solution:
The textile trade in India continued for some time even after the advent of the East India Company in the 1760s and 1770s.The scene changed when the East India Company established political power.
The East India Company asserted a monopoly right to trade. It developed a system of management and control that eliminated competition and controlled costs. The company through its authority was able to ensure regular supplies of cotton and silk goods.
The Company eliminated the existing traders and brokers in the cloth trade. It established direct control over the weavers. It appointed a paid servant called the gomastha to supervise weavers, collect supplies, and examine the quality of cloth. The Company prevented its weavers from dealing with other buyers by paying them advances.
The village weavers who used to cultivate their small pieces of land and weave during their leisure time now took to weaving as their full time job. All the members of the family were involved in weaving. Soon problems between the supervisors and the weavers set in. Outsiders were appointed as supervisors.
As the East India Company was the sole trader, the weavers had to be satisfied with whatever price the company gave, even if it was very low. Weavers along with the village traders revolted, opposing the Company and its officials.
Many weavers refused the loans offered by the Company, closed their workshops and went back to farming.
The 19th century brought more problems for the Indian weavers.
Question-5
Write a brief note on the East India company.
Solution:
The East India Company was also called “Company Bahadur” in India. It was granted an English Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intention of favouring trade privileges in India. The Royal Charter effectively gave the East India Company a 21 year monopoly on all trade in the East Indies. The Company transformed from a commercial trading venture to one that virtually ruled India as it acquired auxiliary governmental and military functions, until its dis Solution in 1858 following the the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Question-6
Write a brief note on the Spinning Jenny.
Solution:
The spinning jenny is a multi-spool spinning wheel. It was invented in 1764 by James Hargreaves, in the north west of England. The device dramatically reduced the amount of work needed to produce yarn, with a single worker being able to work eight or more spools at a time. The spinning jenny was so effective in increasing the efforts of a worker’s labor that Karl Marx cited it as the cause behind the elimination of slavery.
Question-7
What were the problems faced by the textile manufacturers in India in the late 1800s ?
Solution:
Exports declined and import of textiles increased. The Indian textile manufactures could neither sell their goods outside India nor could they sell their goods inside India.
Import of English textiles into India increased from 31 % to 50 %. As imported machine –made textiles was cheaper, the Indian weavers could not compete with it.
Raw cotton from India was exported to feed the Cotton mills of England and the Indian textile industry was without enough raw materials. Soon mechanised textile mill were also set up in India and the hand -weavers were virtually without any work.
Question-8
What was the Swadeshi movement?
Solution:
The Swadeshi movement was part of the Indian independence movement It was a successful economic strategy to remove the British Empire from power and improve economic conditions in India through the principles of self-sufficiency.
Strategies of the swadeshi movement involved boycotting British products and the revival of domestic-made products and production techniques. Swadeshi, as a strategy, was a key focus of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian Nation. He described the ‘swadeshi movement’ as the soul of self rule or independence.
Question-9
How do Cloth Merchants function?
Solution:
A Cloth Merchant who sells cloth or clothes first invests money and buys wool from a wool stapler. He then takes the wool to the craftsmen in the villages and asks them to spin it into yarn. The yarn is given to the weavers, who are also in the villages. From the weavers it moves on to the fullers and then the dyers. The final finishing of the cloth or garment is done in the towns. The finished product is then sold in the International market, by the Merchants.
Question-10
What were the benefits enjoyed by the villagers in the proto- industrial system?
Solution:
As common agricultural land was disappearing, the villagers and poor peasants, who had earlier depended on common lands for their survival, had to look for alternative sources of income. The Merchants provided them with this alternative source of income.
By working for the merchants, the peasants could remain in the countryside and continue to cultivate their small plots. It allowed the villagers a complete use of their family labour resources, as all the members of the family could work for these merchants.
Question-11
Write a brief note on the cotton Industry.
Solution:
New machinery was invented, in the cotton industry for carding, twisting and spinning, and rolling. These machines enhanced the output per worker, enabling each worker to produce more. Stronger threads were produced due to the modern machinery.
The Cotton mill was created by Richard Arkwright. Weaving of cloth which was done in the cottages by the villagers was now mass produced in these modern cotton mills. All the activities required for weaving cloth from raw cotton was now done under one roof- the cotton mill. This made supervision easier and production faster and quality finer. Soon factories became very popular.
Question-12
What were the problems faced by the textile manufacturers in India in the late 1800s ?
Solution:
Exports declined and import of textiles increased. The Indian textile manufactures could neither sell their goods outside India nor could they sell their goods inside India.
Import of English textiles into India increased from 31 % to 50 %. As imported machine –made textiles was cheaper, the Indian weavers could not compete with it.
Raw cotton from India was exported to feed the Cotton mills of England and the Indian textile industry was without enough raw materials. Soon mechanised textile mill were also set up in India and the hand -weavers were virtually without any work.
