The Age of Industrialization – MCQs with Answers and Explanations

Before the Industrial Revolution, merchants based in towns moved to villages with raw materials and got goods produced by peasants in their homes. This decentralised production linking countryside households to urban and international markets is called the proto-industrial system.

Urban guilds controlled entry of new producers, fixed wages and regulated methods of production. Merchants shifted to the countryside to escape these controls, freely expand output and employ more workers at lower wages.

Poor peasants could spin or weave in their homes when they were free from agricultural work. This gave them extra earnings without giving up farming, which was important in a time of low agricultural income and land shortage.

Enclosure reduced access to common pastures and land, cutting peasants’ agricultural income. To survive, they were ready to take up home-based work for merchants at low wages, which strengthened proto-industrial production.

Proto-industrialisation trained workers, built trade links and created demand for manufactured goods. These networks made it easier to shift to factory-based, machine production later, thus preparing the ground for the Industrial Revolution.

Machines were efficient for mass, uniform production but could not easily perform intricate, flexible work. Luxury goods, ornaments and finely finished items still needed skilled hand labour, so both systems coexisted.

Britain had a large reserve of poor workers ready to work for low wages. For many tasks, employing such labour cost less than investing in expensive machines, especially where demand was uncertain or seasonal.

Machines like the spinning jenny could do the work of many hand spinners at once. Workers feared unemployment and loss of income, so they resisted and sometimes attacked the new machines.

Heavy investment in machines made sense only if they ran regularly. Where orders came only during festivals, wars or special seasons, it was cheaper to hire or dismiss hand workers than keep machines idle.

Mechanisation spread slowly. Mass, standard goods were produced on machines, while fine, customised or small-batch products continued to be made by skilled hand workers. Both systems worked side by side.

The first modern cotton textile mill in India was established in Bombay in 1854. Bombay grew as a major industrial centre because of its port, access to raw cotton and trading links.

British policies encouraged the import of low-priced, machine-made textiles from Manchester into India. These flooded the market and displaced costlier, slower handloom cloth, badly affecting Indian weavers.

High import duties made Indian textiles expensive in Britain, leading to a sharp decline in exports. Meanwhile, British cloth entered India with low or no duties, giving Manchester a double advantage over Indian producers.

Many Indian cotton mills produced coarse yarn rather than fine cloth. A large part of this yarn was exported to China, where it was woven on handlooms, showing the continued link between mills and traditional weaving.

European managing agencies financed, owned and managed many large-scale industries such as jute mills and tea plantations. This control reflected the dominance of foreign capital and colonial interests in Indian industrialisation.

Early factory workers had to work for very long hours with few breaks, doing monotonous tasks. This harsh schedule, combined with strict discipline, made factory life extremely tiring and stressful.

Jobbers were powerful middlemen employed by industrialists. They brought workers from villages, helped them settle, and in return often demanded loyalty, gifts or favours, giving them great control over workers’ lives.

Factory production was driven by irregular, large orders from the colonial government or big traders. When orders dropped, factories reduced shifts or closed, leaving workers underemployed or jobless during slack periods.

Working together under similar conditions and facing common problems, labourers gradually saw themselves as workers first. This new identity helped them unite in strikes and associations to demand better conditions.

Rapid urbanisation led to cramped slums with little access to clean water, drainage or ventilation. Workers often lived in single rooms with many family members, making health and hygiene major concerns.

Sectors like cotton and jute expanded relatively quickly, while many other industries remained small or stagnant. Modern factories existed alongside numerous small workshops and handloom units, showing uneven growth.

With British factories focused on producing war materials, exports of Manchester cloth to India fell. Indian mills used this opportunity to increase production for both military and civilian markets.

After the war, British manufacturers wanted to regain lost overseas markets. Increased imports of Manchester goods again created tough competition for Indian mills, slowing down their growth.

Many small units used old machines or hand tools and focused on producing limited goods for nearby customers or working on orders from big factories. This allowed them to continue despite competition from large mills.

Machine-based mills were efficient at producing large quantities of coarse cloth. Skilled handloom weavers, however, continued to make fine, high-quality or specially designed fabrics that machines could not easily imitate.

In a crowded market, advertisements helped products stand out. Colourful labels, posters and calendars made brands easy to remember, encouraging repeat purchases and loyalty among buyers.

By using images of Indian gods, goddesses or cultural symbols, foreign companies tried to tap into local beliefs and emotions so that Indian consumers would accept and trust their imported goods more easily.

To encourage people to buy Indian goods, advertisements used patriotic symbols like Bharat Mata and national leaders. Buying Swadeshi products was presented as a contribution to the freedom struggle.

The Swadeshi movement aimed to weaken British economic control by refusing imported goods and strengthening Indian industry and trade through the promotion of locally made products.

Advertisers used gods, goddesses and national icons to appeal to people’s beliefs and patriotic feelings. This shows that buying and selling are not just economic acts but are deeply shaped by cultural and political ideas.