Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the…
Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?
Indian handicrafts were ruined.
Machines were introduced in the Indian textile industry in large numbers.
Railway lines were laid in many parts of the country.
Heavy duties were imposed on the imports of British manufactures.
Solution
British Industrial Revolution led to de-industrialization of India — flooding of cheap British factory goods ruined Indian traditional handicraft industries. Machines came to Indian textiles only from 1850s onwards, the first railway line was laid in 1853, and India was kept as a free-trade colony with low duties on British imports. Answer: (a).