What was the condition of Indian textile industry before coming up of European companies?How Indian textile Industry declined due to European companies by 1750s?
Answers
Answer:
Indian Textiles and the World Market
Around 1750, India was the world’s largest producer of cotton textiles.
From the 16th century European trading companies began buying Indian textiles for sale in Europe.
Words Tell Us Histories
Indian textile were famous in western market under different names such as mislim, calico, etc.
Printing cotton cloths were called chintz, cossaes or khassa and bandanna.
From the 1680s there started a craze for printed Indian cotton textiles in England and Europe mainly for their exquisite floral designs, fine texture and relative cheapness.
Other cloths that were Kasimbazar, Patna, Calcutta, Orissa, Charpoore.
Indian Textiles in European Markets
Wool and silk makers in England began protesting against the import of Indian cotton textiles.
In 1720, the British government enacted a legislation banning the use of printed cotton textiles – chintz – in England. This Act was known as the Calico Act.
Unable to compete with Indian textiles, English producers wanted a secure market within the country by preventing the entry of Indian textiles.
Competition with Indian textiles led to a search for technological innovation in England. In 1764, the spinning jenny was invented by John Kaye which increased the productivity of the traditional spindles.
The invention of the steam engine by Richard Arkwright in 1786 revolutionised cotton textile weaving. Cloth could now be woven in immense quantities and cheaply too.
Indian textile began to decline with the development of cotton industries in Britain and by the beginning of the 19th century, English made cotton textiles successfully ousted Indian goods from their traditional markets in Africa, America and Europe.
Indian weavers lost their employment.