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General Studies 2024 GS Paper I 15 marks 250 words Compulsory Evaluate

GS Paper I — Q13

How far was the Industrial Revolution in England responsible for the decline of handicrafts and cottage industries in India?…

How far was the Industrial Revolution in England responsible for the decline of handicrafts and cottage industries in India? (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

भारत में हस्तशिल्प और कुटीर उद्योगों के ह्रास के लिए इंग्लैंड की औद्योगिक क्रांति कहाँ तक उत्तरदायी थी? (उत्तर 250 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q13 of the 2024 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper I, as printed
The question as printed in the 2024 General Studies paper
Evaluate your answer to this question → See all 2024 General Studies questions

Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

The Industrial Revolution (IR) in Britain was the primary external catalyst for the decline of traditional Indian handicrafts and cottage industries, though its destructive impact was decisively mediated by colonial political economy.

Role of the Industrial Revolution and Colonial Policy The rise of mechanized production in Britain flooded Indian markets with cheap, mass-produced textiles, directly undercutting globally renowned handloom centers in Bengal, Dhaka, and Surat. This technological edge was weaponized through colonial tariff policies: Britain enforced a regime of one-way free trade, imposing prohibitive import duties on Indian finished goods entering Britain while allowing duty-free entry of British manufactures into India. Furthermore, the post-1850s expansion of railways penetrated the interior, integrating remote rural markets with British industrial interests, displacing local artisans, and reducing India to an exporter of raw cotton and an importer of finished goods.

Internal Factors and Resilience However, internal structural limitations also contributed to the collapse. The decline of princely states eroded traditional court patronage. The sector was further constrained by rigid caste-based production systems, capital scarcity among artisans, and a lack of technological modernization.

The decline was neither uniform nor absolute. Regional variations persisted: while coarse cotton weaving suffered extensively, specialized crafts like Moradabad brassware, Kashmiri carpets, and silk weaving survived through resilient caste patronage and niche export markets.

Verdict The Industrial Revolution in England was a necessary but not sufficient cause for the ruin of Indian cottage industries. Technological obsolescence alone did not dismantle the artisanal base; it was the coercive framework of the colonial state that weaponized industrial efficiency to de-industrialize India.

What "Evaluate" is asking you to do

Judge how well something has performed against the standard it set for itself — its stated aim, mandate or promise — and commit to a verdict. Name the yardstick before you judge; an unanchored judgement reads as opinion.

Structure that answers it

Name the yardstick — stated aim, mandate or benchmark → performance against it → shortfall against it → why the gap exists → verdict

Where marks are lost

Presenting both sides and then declining to decide, or delivering a verdict against a standard you never stated, which makes it look arbitrary.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS1 History/Economic History. examine: intro > how/why with reasoning > evidence > conclusion Full marks: Detailed analysis of economic mechanisms and specific trade policies.

Key points expected

  • Mechanism of cheap machine-made goods flooding Indian markets
  • Destruction of traditional textile and handicraft sectors
  • Transformation of India into a raw material supplier
  • Role of colonial trade policies and tariffs

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Assess the causal link between English industrialization and the deindustrialization of India. 15 marks · 250 words

    examine— intro → how/why with reasoning → evidence → conclusion

    Must cover

    • Mechanism of cheap machine-made goods flooding Indian markets
    • Destruction of traditional textile and handicraft sectors
    • Transformation of India into a raw material supplier
    • Role of colonial trade policies and tariffs

    Loses marks

    • Narrating general history without economic focus
    • Ignoring the 'how' of the decline
    • Attributing decline solely to social factors

    Earns more

    • Specific examples like Bengal muslin or Dhaka jamdani
    • Mention of 'deindustrialization' as a historical process
    • Reference to specific dates (e.g., 1813, 1854)

    Extra mark

    • Statistic on decline of Indian textile exports
    • Reference to specific British factory acts or trade acts

Practice this exact question

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