How was wwi a blessing in disguise for the Indian industrialist
Answers
(i) The First World War created a dramatically new situation.Till then industrial production had been slow. (ii) British mills were busy with war production to meet the needs of the army. Manchester imports into India declined. (iii) Indian mills now had a vast home market for supply. (iv) As the war prolonged, Indian factories were called upon to supply war needs, jute bags, cloth for army uniforms, tents, leather boots, horse and mule saddlers and many other items. (v) Many workers were employed as new factories were set up and old ones ran in multiple-shifts. (vi) Over the war years, industrial production boomed. Manchester was unable to capture its old position in the Indian market after the war. Cotton production collapsed and export of cotton cloth from Britain fell dramatically.