NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 4 The Age of Industrialisation
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 4 covers Proto-Industrialisation, Hand Labour & Steam Power, Industrialisation in the Colonies, Early Entrepreneurs, Peculiarities of Industrial Growth, and Market for Goods.
Overview of Topics & Subtopics (Click to Jump)
1. Before the Industrial Revolution (Proto-Industrialisation)
Short Note:
• Proto-Industrialisation: The phase of industrialization before factories were set up in Britain and Europe, based on decentralized network of rural craft production.
• Merchant-Peasant Link: Merchants supplied money advances to rural artisans to produce cloth, overcoming town guild restrictions.
• First Factories: Emerged in Britain in the 1730s, primarily centered around cotton production (richly expanded by Richard Arkwright's cotton mill).
2. Hand Labour and Steam Power
Short Note:
• Abundance of Human Labour: Industrialists preferred hand labor due to cheap seasonal wages and requirement of intricate hand designs that machines could not replicate.
• Spinning Jenny: Invented by James Hargreaves in 1764; increased spinning speed but was fiercely attacked by hand spinners who feared job loss.
• Steam Power Acceptance: Adoption was slow because steam engines (refined by James Watt) were expensive to buy and maintain, often breaking down.
3. Industrialisation in India & Colonial Control
Short Note:
• Age of Indian Textiles: Indian silk and fine cotton dominated international trade via Surat and Hooghly ports before British supremacy.
• Role of Gomasthas: Paid agents appointed by the East India Company to supervise weavers, collect supplies, and examine quality, cutting off weavers' direct links with local merchants.
• Decline of Weavers: Import of cheap British machine-made cotton goods destroyed Indian handloom markets and led to shortage of raw cotton for Indian weavers.
4. Early Entrepreneurs and Market for Goods
Short Note:
• Indian Capitalists: Dwarkanath Tagore, Dinshaw Petit, Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata, and Seth Hukumchand built industrial empires through export trade with China and Britain.
• Advertisements & Labels: British manufacturers placed images of Indian Gods/Goddesses (Krishna, Saraswati) and historical figures on labels ("Made in Manchester") to create domestic familiarity and trust.
Intext & Conceptual Questions
2. World trade was expanding, and demand for manufactured goods rose beyond city limits.
3. Peasants in countryside had shrinking land holdings and needed extra income sources.
2. Gomasthas were outsiders with no social link to villages, who behaved arrogantly and marched with sepoys.
3. They frequently beat weavers for delays in supply and prevented weavers from selling to other buyers.
Textbook Chapter End Exercise Questions
1. The Spinning Jenny accelerated the spinning process and allowed one single worker to turn a number of wheels and spin several threads at once.
2. Women workers depended on hand-spinning for their livelihood.
3. Fear of unemployment and displacement made them hostile toward the introduction of new machines, causing frequent physical attacks on the Spinning Jenny.
1. British mills became busy producing war goods to meet army needs, causing British imports into India to decline drastically.
2. Indian factories were called upon to supply war requirements such as jute bags, uniforms, tents, boots, and saddles.
3. New factories were established, multiple shifts were run, and existing workers worked longer hours, boosting industrial production in India.
1. Product Labels: Manchester manufacturers used cloth labels with words "Made in Manchester" to assure buyers of high quality.
2. Images of Deities: Labels featured pictures of Indian gods and goddesses (like Vishnu, Krishna, Lakshmi) to give divine approval to imported products.
3. Calendars & Posters: Calendars were distributed widely in homes and shops, making advertisement visible all year round.
Read More & Chapter Resources
These short notes are designed for quick revision. Read the main points once, then use the related material below to practise the same chapter. Revising a concept and checking it with questions can make your preparation more focused.