Grade VIII (History notes)

Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory owners

Q1. What is Spinning Jenny? Who invented it?

A3. A Spinning Jenny is a machine by which a single worker could operate several
spindles on to which thread was spun. When the wheel was turned all the spindles
rotated.

*It was invented by John Kaye.

Q2. What made Britain as the foremost industrial nation in the 19th
century?

Mechanised production of cotton textiles made Britain the foremost industrial

nation in the 19th century.

Q3. Why was Britain known as “Workshop of the world’?

Mechanised production of cotton textiles made Britain the foremost industrial

nation in the 19th century and when its iron and steel industry started growing
from the 1850’s Britain came to be known as the workshop of the world.

Q4,Why was Calico Act implemented by British Government?

By the early 18th century worried by the popularity of Indian textiles ,wool and
silk makers in England began protesting against the import of Indian cotton
textiles.

So in 1720, the British government enacted a legislation banning the use of

printed cotton textiles –chintz in England. This act was known as Calico Act.

Q5. ‘Words tell us about the histories of the quality of different Indian textiles’
Give some relevant facts about it.

0r

How do the names of different textiles tell us about their histories?

A1.Muslin

i) European traders first encountered fine cotton cloth from India carried by Arab
merchants in Mosul in present-day Iraq. So they began referring to all finely
woven textiles as “muslin” – a word that acquired wide currency.

ii) Calico

When the Portuguese first came to India in search of spices they landed in
Calicut on the Kerala coast in south-west India. The cotton textiles which they
took back to Europe, along with the spices, came to be called “calico” (derived
from Calicut), and subsequently calico became the general name for all cotton
textiles.
iii)Chintz

a) It is derived from the Hindi word chhint, a cloth with small and colourful
flowery designs. b)From the 1680s there started a craze for printed Indian
cotton textiles in England and Europe mainly for their exquisite floral designs,
fine texture and relative cheapness.

c) Rich people of England including the Queen herself wore clothes of Indian
fabric.

iv)Bandanna

The term derived from the word “bandhna” (Hindi for tying), and referred to a
variety of brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying.

Q6. Who were the weavers? Name some of the weaving communities.

A6.Weavers belonged to communities that specialised in weaving. Tanti weavers

of Bengal, Julahas or momin weavers of north India, sale and kaikollar and
devangs of south India.

Q7. What happened to the weavers and spinners who lost their livelihood?

A10.i) Many weavers became agricultural labourers.

ii)Some migrated to cities in search of work, and yet others went out of the country
to work in plantations in Africa and South America.

iii)Some of these handloom weavers also found work in the new cotton mills that
were established in Bombay (now Mumbai), Ahmedabad, Sholapur, Nagpur and
Kanpur.

Q8. What problems did the Indian textile industry face in the early years
of its development?

A7. In the first few decades of its existence, the textile factory industry in India
faced many problems:

i) Indian textiles Industry found it difficult to compete with the cheap textiles
imported from Britain.

ii) In most countries, governments supported industrialisation by imposing heavy

duties on imports eliminating competition and protected infant industries. The
colonial government in India usually refused such protection to local industries.

Q9.Write any 3 reasons for the decline of Indian textiles.

1.Indian textiles had to compete with British textiles in European and American
markets.

2.Exporting textiles to England also became increasingly difficult since very high
duties were imposed on Indian textiles imported into Britain.
3. English and European companies stopped buying Indian goods and their agents
no longer gave out advances to weavers to secure supplies.

Q10. “Handloom weaving did not completely die in India”, despite the
decline of Indian textiles. Explain.

A9. Handloom weaving did not completely die in India. This was because

i) Some types of cloths could not be supplied by machines. like machines could
not produce saris with intricate borders or cloths with traditional woven patterns.

ii) Cloths with traditional patterns had a wide demand not only amongst the rich
but also amongst the middle classes.

iii)Nor did the textile manufacturers in Britain produce the very coarse cloths used
by the poor people in India.

Q11. Why Bombay has grown as an important port for the export of raw
cotton from India?

Bombay has grown as an important port for the export of raw cotton from India
as it was close to the vast black soil tract of western India where cotton was
grown.

Q12.How did English try to compete with the Indian textile Industry?or

What steps were taken by the English to compete with the Indian textile
industry?

A4.i) By the early eighteenth century, worried by the popularity of Indian textiles,
wool and silk makers in England began protesting against the import of Indian
cotton textiles.

ii)The British government enacted a legislation banning the use of printed cotton
textiles – chintz – in England. This Act was known as the Calico Act.
iii) Unable to compete with Indian textiles, English producers wanted a secure
market within the country by preventing the entry of Indian textiles.
iv) Indian designs were now imitated and printed in England on white muslin or
plain unbleached Indian cloth.
Q13. What is smelting?

A11. The process of obtaining a metal from rock (or soil)by heating it to a very
high temperature, or of melting objects made of metal to make something new

Q14. Why was the sword of Tipu Sultan so special? Explain its features.

A12.i) The sword had an incredibly hard and sharp edge that could easily rip
through the opponent’s armour.
ii)This quality of the sword came from a special type of high carbon steel called
Wootz which was produced all over south India.

iii) Quotations from the Koran with messages about victories in war were written
in gold on the steel handle of a sword.

Q15. What helped TISCO expand steel production during the First World
War?

A13.i) In the First World War broke out, steel produced in Britain had to meet the
demands of war in Europe. So imports of British steel into India declined
dramatically and the Indian Railways turned to TISCO for supply of rails.

ii)As the war dragged on for several years, TISCO had to produce shells and
carriage wheels for the war.

iii)By 1919 the colonial government was buying 90 per cent of the steel
manufactured by TISCO. Over time TISCO became the biggest steel industry
within the British Empire.

Q16. Why did the iron smelting industry decline in the 19th century?

A8. I) One reason was the new forest laws that prevented people from entering
the reserved forests, the iron smelters could not find wood for charcoal.

ii) The iron smelters had to pay a very high tax to the forest department for every
furnace they used. This reduced their income.
iii) The late nineteenth century iron and steel was being imported from Britain.
Ironsmiths in India began using the imported iron to manufacture utensils and
implements. This lowered the demand for iron produced by local smelters.

iv) In the late nineteenth century a series of famines devastated the dry tracts of
India. Many of the Agaria iron smelters stopped work, deserted their villages and
migrated, looking for some other
work to survive the hard times.

Q17.Why did the swords and Armour making industry disappear in India?

i.The swords and Armour making industry died with the conquest of India by the
British.
Ii. The imports of Iron and Steel from England displaced the iron and steel
produced by the craftspeople in India.