The Age of Industrialisation- 3 Flashcards
what indian textiles dominated the markets and why?
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. Armenian and Persian merchants took the goods from
Punjab to Afghanistan, eastern Persia and Central Asia.
how was this fine cotton transported bfr colonisation
Bales of fine
textiles were carried on camel back via the north-west frontier, through
mountain passes and across deserts. A vibrant sea trade operated
through the main pre-colonial ports. Surat on the Gujarat coast
connected India to the Gulf and Red Sea Ports; Masulipatam on
the Coromandel coast and Hoogly in Bengal had trade links with
Southeast Asian ports.
who all were involved in the trade process in india? trace its steps?
A variety of Indian merchants and bankers were involved in this
network of export trade – financing production, carrying goods
and supplying exporters. Supply merchants linked the port towns to
the inland regions. They gave advances to weavers, procured the
woven cloth from weaving villages, and carried the supply to the
ports. At the port, the big shippers and export merchants had brokers
who negotiated the price and bought goods from the supply
merchants operating inland.
how did the spread of european companies mean disaster for indian trade?
The European companies gradually gained power – first securing a
variety of concessions from local courts, then the monopoly rights
to trade. This resulted in a decline of the old ports of Surat and
Hoogly through which local merchants had operated. Exports from
these ports fell dramatically, the credit that had financed the earlier
trade began drying up, and the local bankers slowly went bankrupt.
In the last years of the seventeenth century, the gross value of trade
that passed through Surat had been Rs 16 million. By the 1740s it
had slumped to Rs 3 million.
what were some indicators of growth of colonial power
While Surat and Hoogly decayed, Bombay and Calcutta grew. This
shift from the old ports to the new ones was an indicator of the
growth of colonial power. Trade through the new ports came to
be controlled by European companies, and was carried in European
ships. While many of the old trading houses collapsed, those that
wanted to survive had to now operate within a network shaped by
European trading companies.
did consolidation of power of eeic mean the decline of textile export?
The consolidation of East India Company power after the 1760s
did not initially lead to a decline in textile exports from India. British
cotton industries had not yet expanded and Indian fine textiles were
in great demand in Europe. So the company was keen on expanding
textile exports from India.
what were the problems faced by eeic as it tried to trade in india?
Before establishing political power in Bengal and Carnatic in the
1760s and 1770s, the East India Company had found it difficult to
ensure a regular supply of goods for export. The French, Dutch,
Portuguese as well as the local traders competed in the market
to secure woven cloth. So the weaver and supply merchants
could bargain and try selling the produce to the best buyer. In
their letters back to London, Company officials continuously
complained of difficulties of supply and the high prices
what were the problems faced by eeic as it tried to trade in india?
Before establishing political power in Bengal and Carnatic in the
1760s and 1770s, the East India Company had found it difficult to
ensure a regular supply of goods for export. The French, Dutch,
Portuguese as well as the local traders competed in the market
to secure woven cloth. So the weaver and supply merchants
could bargain and try selling the produce to the best buyer. In
their letters back to London, Company officials continuously
complained of difficulties of supply and the high prices
how could eic assert monopoly rights?
However, once the East India Company established political
power, it could assert a monopoly right to trade. It proceeded
to develop a system of management and control that would
eliminate competition, control costs, and ensure regular supplies
of cotton and silk goods. This it did through a series of steps.
what were the steps taken by eic to eliminate competition, control costs and ensure a regular supply of cotton and silk goods?
First: the Company tried to eliminate the existing traders and
brokers connected with the cloth trade, and establish a more
direct control over the weaver. It appointed a paid servant called
the gomastha to supervise weavers, collect supplies, and examine
the quality of cloth.
Second: it prevented Company weavers from dealing with other
buyers. One way of doing this was through the system of advances.
Once an order was placed, the weavers were given loans to purchase
the raw material for their production. Those who took loans had to
hand over the cloth they produced to the gomastha. They could not
take it to any other trader.
what happened as loans flowed in and demand for textiles increased?
As loans flowed in and the demand for fine textiles expanded,
weavers eagerly took the advances, hoping to earn more. Many
weavers had small plots of land which they had earlier cultivated
along with weaving, and the produce from this took care of their
family needs. Now they had to lease out the land and devote all their
time to weaving. Weaving, in fact, required the labour of the entire
family, with children and women all engaged in different stages of
the process.
did weavers and gomasthas get along well? why or hwy not
Soon, however, in many weaving villages there were reports of
clashes between weavers and gomasthas. Earlier supply merchants had
very often lived within the weaving villages, and had a close
relationship with the weavers, looking after their needs and helping
them in times of crisis. The new gomasthas were outsiders, with no
long-term social link with the village. They acted arrogantly, marched
into villages with sepoys and peons, and punished weavers for delays
in supply – often beating and flogging them.
how was the weavers conditions after growth ofeic
The weavers lost the
space to bargain for prices and sell to different buyers: the price they
received from the Company was miserably low and the loans they
had accepted tied them to the Company
what did the weavers do after facing bad contiiosn
In many places in Carnatic and Bengal, weavers deserted villages
and migrated, setting up looms in other villages where they had
some family relation. Elsewhere, weavers along with the village
traders revolted, opposing the Company and its officials. Over time
many weavers began refusing loans, closing down their workshops
and taking to agricultural labour.
who washnery patullo ? what did he say? was he right?
In 1772, Henry Patullo, a Company official, had ventured to
say that the demand for Indian textiles could never reduce, since
no other nation produced goods of the same quality. Yet by
the beginning of the nineteenth century we see the beginning of
a long decline of textile exports from India. In 1811-12
piece-goods accounted for 33 per cent of India’s exports; by
1850-51 it was no more than 3 per cent.
