"Trade and cultural exchange always went hand-in-hand". Explain the statement in the light of silk route.
OR
'The First World War turned out to be a boon in disguise for the Indian industries.' Justify the statement with suitable arguments.
OR
Explain the statement "Certain groups of weavers were in a better position than others to survive the competition with industries".
CBSE Class X Social Science LA (5 Marks)
Answers
(i) The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world.
(ii) The silk route was used by the Chinese traders to export silk to other countries.
(iii) These routes were used by traders to trade goods and exchange culture from one country to another.
(iv) Early Christian missionaries almost certainly travelled through this route to Asia, likewise the early Muslim preachers did few centuries later.
(v) These routes were also used to spread religions. Buddhism emerged from Eastern India and spread in several directions through interesting points on the silk routes.
OR
(i) The First World War created a dramatically new situations. Till then industrial production had been slow.
(ii) British mills were busy with war production and so their 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 would not able to capture its old position in the Indian market after the war. Cotton production collapsed and export of cotton cloth from Britain fell.
OR
(a) Certain groups of weavers were in a better position than others to survive the completion with mill industries. Amongst weavers some produced course cloth while others wove finer varieties.
(b) The demand for the finer varieties bought by the well-to-do was more stable. The rich could buy these even when the poor starved.
(c) Famines didn't affect the sale of Banarasi or Baluchari sarees.
(d) Moreover mills could not imitate specialized weavers.
(e) Saris with woven borders or the famous lungis and handkerchiefs of Madras, could not be easily displaced by mill production.
ᴛɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴡᴀʀ, ɪɴᴅᴜsᴛʀɪᴀʟ ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ ᴡᴀs sʟᴏᴡ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʀ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ɴᴇᴡ sɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙʀɪᴛɪsʜ ᴍɪʟʟs ʙᴜsʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴡᴀʀ ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʀᴍʏ, ᴍᴀɴᴄʜᴇsᴛᴇʀ ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛs ᴛᴏ ɪɴᴅɪᴀ ᴅᴇᴄʟɪɴᴇᴅ. sᴜᴅᴅᴇɴʟʏ, ɪɴᴅɪᴀɴ ᴍɪʟʟs ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ᴠᴀsᴛ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴋᴇᴛ sᴜᴘᴘʟʏ. ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʀ ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɴɢᴇᴅ, ɪɴᴅɪᴀɴ ғᴀᴄᴛᴏʀɪᴇs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛᴏ sᴜᴘᴘʟʏ ᴡᴀʀ ɴᴇᴇᴅs. ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʀ ʏᴇᴀʀs ɪɴᴅᴜsᴛʀɪᴀʟ ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ʙᴏᴏᴍᴇᴅ ɪɴ ɪɴᴅɪᴀ.
ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʀ, ᴍᴀɴᴄʜᴇsᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʀᴇᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪᴛ's ᴏʟᴅ ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴅɪᴀɴ ᴍᴀʀᴋᴇᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴄᴏɴᴏᴍʏ ᴏғ ʙʀɪᴛᴀɪɴ ᴄʀᴜᴍʙʟᴇᴅ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʀ. ᴄᴏᴛᴛᴏɴ ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴄᴏʟʟᴀᴘsᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴘᴏʀᴛs ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴛᴛᴏɴ ᴄʟᴏᴛʜ ғʀᴏᴍ ʙʀɪᴛᴀɪɴ ғᴇʟʟ ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ. ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏɴɪᴇs, ʟᴏᴄᴀʟ ɪɴᴅɪᴀɴ ɪɴᴅᴜsᴛʀɪᴀʟɪsᴛs ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴄᴏɴsᴏʟɪᴅᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴏɴ, sᴜʙsᴛɪᴛᴜᴛɪɴɢ ғᴏʀᴇɪɢɴ ᴍᴀɴᴜғᴀᴄᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀɪɴɢ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴋᴇᴛ.
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