Question

What problems were faced by Indian weavers due to British industrialization?

Answer 1

Hint: In the earlier times, Indian weavers enjoyed fair prices for their work, a good competition among the buyers, and a great demand for their products. Soon, the East India Company was able to secure monopoly rights and systematically destroyed the Indian Weavers by exploiting them, even at the levels of the local market. From the early 19th century, British traders began exporting a great deal of their cheap, machine made goods to India. This soon led to the decline of Indian weaving industry.

Complete answer:
Initially, the consolidation of East India Company power after the 1760s did not lead to a decline in Indian textile export. British cotton industries had not yet expanded and Indian fine textiles were greatly demanded in Europe. Therefore, the company was keen on expanding textile exports from India.
The Indian weavers were getting a fair price, and even higher, for their products as the French, Dutch, Portuguese and the local traders competed in the market to secure woven cloth.
By the turn of the nineteenth century, as British Industrialization took place, Indian weavers faced two problems- the collapse of their export market and the shrinking of their local markets which were flooded with cheap, imported British goods.

The supply of raw materials declined rapidly as raw cotton was being exported to England. When the American Civil War broke out, and the cotton supplies were cut off from the United States, Britain turned to India for cotton supplies. Thus, the raw materials’ cost shot up, and Indian weavers were forced to purchase them at higher prices, rendering many on the path of poverty.
Gomasthas, who were appointed by the government to supervise weavers, collect supplies and examine the quality of cloth constantly clashed with the Indian weavers on the account of delays, and severely punished them.
The system of advances completely ruined the weavers as they eagerly took them from the British. When they failed to meet the demand, the weavers lost a portion of their land or cloth they produced.

Note:Even in England, the prospect of new technology made workers hostile. This was because the proportion of unemployment sometimes went upto between 35 and 75 percent. For example, women attacking the Spinning Jenny.