The Age of Industrialisation

Overview

This chapter explains how factory production transformed economies and societies in Europe and how industrial change affected colonial India.

Mechanized production increased output but also created harsh working conditions for laborers.

Before factories, production was organized by merchants in rural households.

Cheap British machine-made goods hurt Indian handloom industries.

Cotton mills and steel plants grew, especially in Bombay and eastern India.

Nationalist movements encouraged Indians to use local goods and build domestic industries.

Factory workers faced long hours, low wages, and unsafe conditions, leading to early labor movements.

Despite factory growth, many artisans survived by specializing in fine goods and adapting designs.

Industrial RevolutionProto-industrializationFactoriesSwadeshiDeindustrialization

Bombay’s port and humid climate supported the growth of textile mills.

Recruiters connected factories with rural laborers, shaping industrial labor markets.