Choose the incorrect statement for the impact of British industrialisation on Indian Society:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → It led to more people moving into urban areas in India
Option (1) It led to de-industrialisation — True. As manufacturing boomed in Britain, India’s traditional exports of cotton and silk manufactures declined in the face of Manchester competition, which meant deindustrialisation in some sectors.
Option (2) It led to decline of the old urban centres — True. Cities such as Surat and Masulipatnam declined further, and towns like Thanjavur, Dhaka and Murshidabad lost their courts and with them some of their artisans and court gentry.
Option (3) It led to growth of new social groups and social relationships — True. Industrialisation is not just about new machine-based production but also a story of the growth of new social groups in society and new social relationships, that is, of changes in the Indian social structure.
Option (4) It led to more people moving into urban areas in India — False. That was the British experience. Unlike Britain, where industrialisation led to more people moving into urban areas, in India the initial impact of the same British industrialisation led to more people moving into agriculture, as the Census of India Report shows.
NCERT (2025-26): “The Colonial Experience … In India the impact of the very same British industrialisation led to deindustrialisation in some sectors, and decline of old urban centres. Just as manufacturing boomed in Britain, traditional exports of cotton and silk manufactures from India declined in the face of Manchester competition. This period also saw the further decline of cities such as Surat and Masulipatnam while Bombay and Madras grew. When the British took over Indian states, towns like Thanjavur, Dhaka, and Murshidabad lost their courts and, therefore, some of their artisans and court gentry. From the end of the 19th century, with the installation of mechanised factory industries, some towns became much more heavily populated.” “…Unlike Britain where the impact of industrialisation led to more people moving into urban areas, in India the initial impact of the same British industrialisation led to more people moving into agriculture. The Census of India Report shows this clearly.” “…It also shows how industrialisation is not just about new machine based production but also a story of the growth of new social groups in society and new social relationships. In other words it is about changes in the Indian social structure.” |