Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?
A
Indian handicrafts were ruined.
Correct Answer
B
Machines were introduced in the Indian textile industry in large numbers.
C
Railway lines were laid in many parts of the country.
D
Heavy duties were imposed on the imports of British manufactures.
Explanation
Option (a) is correct because the Industrial Revolution in Britain led to the influx of cheap, machine-made textiles into India, causing the "de-industrialization" and ruin of traditional Indian handicrafts. Option (c) is a common distractor, but railway construction only began in the 1850s, which falls in the second half of the nineteenth century. The core concept tested is the colonial economic transformation of India into a captive market for British manufactured goods and a supplier of raw materials.
Modern Indian HistoryImpact of British Industrial Revolution on IndiaIndustrial RevolutionIndia19th centuryIndian handicraftstextile industryBritish manufacturesde-industrializationcolonial economy