Which among the following was the initial impact of British industrialisation in India?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → De-industrialisation
Option (1) De-industrialisation — Correct. The same British industrialisation that built up Britain’s industry led to deindustrialisation in some sectors in India. Cheap Manchester cloth undercut Indian cotton and silk, so these traditional exports declined.
Option (2) Urbanisation — Incorrect. At first many Indian towns declined: old centres such as Surat, Masulipatnam, Thanjavur and Dhaka lost importance. New colonial cities like Bombay and Madras grew, but the first impact was the decline of old urban centres, not general urbanisation.
Option (3) Re-industrialisation — Incorrect. Re-industrialisation means building industry up again after a decline. The initial impact was the opposite: decline.
Option (4) Peri-urbanisation — Incorrect. Peri-urbanisation means the growth of the fringes round a city; the first effect of British industry on India was a decline, not any kind of urban growth.
Note: The concept in Option (4), ‘peri-urbanisation’, is not in NCERT (2025-26); it has been explained here for the benefit of the students.
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.…” |