Go Back To Class 11th Economics Page
Question 5: What was the two-fold motive behind the systematic de-industrialisation effected by the British in pre-independent India?
Answer:
The British systematically de-industrialised India with two main objectives:
-
To make India a supplier of raw materials:
India was reduced to the status of a raw material exporting country, supplying cotton, jute, indigo and other primary products to British industries. This ensured a steady and cheap supply of inputs for Britain’s rapidly expanding industrial sector -
To turn India into a market for British manufactured goods:
By destroying India’s traditional handicraft industries, the British created a huge market for finished goods produced in Britain. Indian consumers were forced to depend on imported British products, which helped Britain maximise its industrial profits
Together, these motives led to the decline of indigenous industries, large-scale unemployment, and the long-term industrial backwardness of the Indian economy under colonial rule.
Lets dive in more to learn about following terms:-
Industrialisation
Industrialisation means the process in which a country starts making more goods in factories and industries instead of producing things by hand at home.
In simple words:
-
People move from traditional work (like farming or handcrafts)
-
Machines and factories are used
-
Large-scale production increases
-
More jobs are created in industries
Example:
When cloth is made in textile mills using machines instead of handlooms at home — that’s industrialisation.
Deindustrialisation
Deindustrialisation means the decline or destruction of industries in a country.
In simple words:
-
Factories close or weaken
-
Traditional industries collapse
-
People lose industrial jobs
-
Production shifts back to raw materials or agriculture
Example:
When British factory-made cloth flooded Indian markets and Indian handloom weavers lost their livelihoods — that was deindustrialisation.
In one line difference (very useful for exams):
-
Industrialisation → Growth of industries and factory production
-
Deindustrialisation → Decline of industries and loss of manufacturing