NCERT Solutions for Social History Class 10 Chapter 4

 Question 1:
Explain the following-
a) Women workers in Britain attacked the Spinning Jenny.
(b) In the seventeenth century, merchants from towns in Europe began employing peasants and artisans in the villages.
(c) The port of Surat declined by the end of the eighteenth century.
(d) The East India Company appointed gomasthas to supervise weavers in India.

Answer:
(a) The Spinning Jenny was opposed by British women workers because it sped up the spinning process and, as a result, reduced labor demand. Women in the woollen sector had a legitimate concern of losing their jobs as a result of the invention. They had been surviving on hand-spinning up until now, but the new machine put that in jeopardy.

(b) The guild of trade and commerce was responsible for the market, raw materials, personnel, and the manufacturing of commodities in the towns. Merchants who wished to enhance production by hiring more men faced difficulties as a result of the machine. As a result, they resorted to country peasants and artisans for help.
(c) Surat’s port fell by the end of the eighteenth century, owing to the increasing prominence of European firms in India’s trade. Local courts granted them several concessions, along with exclusive trading privileges. As a result, the traditional ports of Surat and Hooghly, from which local merchants had operated, began to dwindle. Exports stalled, and local banks went out of business.
(d) Gomasthas were recruited by the English East India Company to:
Abolish the existence of traders and brokers and create direct control over the weavers and

To prevent weavers from interacting with other customers through advances and control. Weavers who obtained loans and fees in advance were beholden to the British in this way.

Question 2:
Write “True” or “False” against each statement:
(a) By the end of the nineteenth century, the technologically advanced industrial sector employed 80 percent of the total workforce in Europe.
Answer: False
(b) The international market for fine textiles was dominated by India until the eighteenth century.
Answer: True
(c) The American Civil War resulted in the reduction of cotton exports from India.
Answer: False.
(d) The introduction of the fly shuttle enabled handloom workers to improve their productivity
Answer: True.

Question 3:
Explain what is meant by proto-industrialization.
Answer: The phase of industrialization before the factory system is known as proto-industrialization. There was large-scale industrial manufacturing for a worldwide market before the arrival of factories. Proto-industrialization is the term for this period of industrial history.

Discuss
Question 1:
Why did some industrialists in nineteenth-century Europe prefer hand labor over machines?
Answer: Hand labor was preferred by certain industrialists in nineteenth-century Europe over machinery because
• Machine-made clothing could not meet market expectations for a wide range of styles, colors, and types. Only human skills could create intricate designs and colors.
• During the Victorian era, nobles and other upper-class individuals favored solely handcrafted items.
• Machines were expensive, ineffectual, difficult to repair, and required large capital investments.
• At the time, labor was readily accessible at modest salaries.
• Only seasonal labor was necessary for seasonal businesses.

Question 2:
How did the East India Company procure regular supplies of cotton and silk textiles from Indian weavers?
Answer: The English East India Company employed a variety of methods to obtain silk and cotton from weavers, including the following:
• The appointment of paid supervisors is known as Gomasthas. They also gathered supplies and evaluated the weavers’ cloth quality.
• Through a system of advances and loans, company weavers are prevented from dealing with other purchasers.

Question 3:
Imagine that you have been asked to write an article for an encyclopedia on Britain and the history of cotton. Write your piece using information from the entire chapter.
Answer: Britain and the cotton history:
Merchants traded with rural people in the textile industry during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. A clothier would purchase wool from a stapler, transport it to the spinners, and then deliver the yarn to the weavers, fullers, and dyers for further processing. For these items, London served as the final destination. Proto-industrialization is the term for this period in British manufacturing history. Factories were not a necessary part of the industry at this time. Instead, a network of commercial exchanges was present.
Cotton was the original industrial symbol. In the late nineteenth century, its output grew at a tremendous pace. Raw cotton imports increased dramatically, from 2.5 million pounds in 1760 to 22 million pounds in 1787. Because of the advent of the cotton mill and new machines, as well as better management under one roof, these changes happened. In the early stages of the industry, cotton was the most important sector until 1840.
The employees reacted with disdain and contempt to most inventions in the textile industry since machines meant less manual labor and fewer jobs. One such creation was the Spinning Jenny. Woolen industry women were opposed to it and attempted to destroy it since it was displacing them in the labor market.
Britain used to import a lot of silk and cotton from India before technical improvements.
In England, fine Indian textiles were quite popular. When the East India Company gained political control, they used coercion to fully exploit India’s weavers and textile industry for Britain’s benefit. Manchester, thereafter, became the center of cotton production.
As a result, India became a significant customer of British cotton products.
British factories were too preoccupied with meeting the demands of the First World War to produce anything else. As a result, there was a surge in demand for Indian textiles.
Cotton’s history in the United Kingdom is littered with demand and supply changes.

Question 4:
Why did industrial production in India increase during the First World War?
Answer: During the First World War, India’s industrial output grew for the following reasons:
The rising demand for a wider range of products led to the establishment of new factories and the expansion of existing ones.

The hiring of a large number of new employees required everyone to work longer hours.
This presented an excellent opportunity for Indian businesses to fill the gaps in the Indian market with their goods. This objective was accomplished. As a result, India’s industrial production grew.
Britain’s industry became preoccupied with making and supplying war supplies.
As a result, they ceased exporting British goods or clothing to colonial markets such as India.
The British colonial authorities also requested jute bags, fabric or army uniforms, tents, leather boots, horse and mule saddles, and other combat necessities.