🏭 Class 10 History Chapter 4 – The Age of Industrialization

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In this post, we present detailed notes for Class 10 History Chapter 4 – The Age of Industrialization. This chapter explains how industrialization began in Europe, how it spread to other parts of the world, including India, and how it changed the lives of workers and the economy.

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🧭 Introduction

• Industrialization started in Britain in the late 18th century.

• It brought major changes in production, labor, and social structures.

• However, industrialization in India followed a different path than in Britain.

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🇬🇧 I. Before the Industrial Revolution

🧶 Proto-industrialisation:

• A phase before factories, where production was carried out by peasants and artisans at home.

• Merchants gave raw materials to rural families to produce goods.

• This system helped merchants avoid the control of guilds (trade associations).

📦 Features:

• Decentralized production

• Family-based work

• Large-scale international trade without factories

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🏭 II. The Coming Up of the Factory

• First factories came up in Britain in the 1730s.

• Early industries were focused on:

  • Cotton textiles

  • Iron and steel

💡 Why Factories?

• Machines were expensive and needed a central location.

• Supervision and quality control were easier.

• Saved time and increased production.

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⚙️ III. The Pace of Industrial Change

🔸 Which Industries Grew Fastest?

• Cotton and metallurgy were the first to grow.

• Later: Railways, shipbuilding, and machinery

🔸 New Technology:

• Example: Steam Engine (by James Watt)

• However, machines were expensive, and many producers still used hand labor.

👨‍🏭 Hand Labour vs. Machines:

• Hand-made goods were in high demand, especially luxury items.

• In cities like London, labor was cheap → less need to buy machines

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👥 IV. Life of Workers in England

👷‍♂️ Working Conditions:

• Long hours (10–16 hours/day)

• Poor and unsafe working conditions

• Workers lived in slums and earned low wages

📉 During Unemployment:

• Job seekers often had to wait months to find work

• Work was irregular and seasonal

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🇮🇳 V. Industrialization in India

🧵 Indian Textiles:

• India was famous for fine cotton like muslin and chintz

• Before British rule, India was a major exporter of textiles

💥 Decline of Indian Textiles:

• British imposed import duties on Indian textiles

• British textiles were allowed in India duty-free

• Indian weavers could not compete with cheap British machine-made goods

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🧶 VI. Early Entrepreneurs in India

• Indian traders like Dwarkanath Tagore, Jamsetjee Tata, and Dinshaw Petit started industries.

• Many entrepreneurs had links with colonial officials and British companies.

🏭 First Cotton Mill:

• Bombay Spinning and Weaving Mill was set up in 1854.

🏗️ First Jute Mill:

• Set up in 1855 in Bengal

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🚂 VII. Role of the Government and Railways

• Railways helped in the transportation of raw materials and goods.

• British built railways mainly for colonial benefit, not Indian development.

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📊 VIII. Growth of Factories after 1900

📈 Increase in Mills:

• Cotton mills increased rapidly after 1900.

• Indian goods started replacing foreign ones in the local market.

💪 Swadeshi Movement (1905):

• Promoted Indian goods

• Boycotted foreign goods

• Boosted local industries

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🧵 IX. Small-scale Industries and Handicrafts

• Despite factories, small workshops and handicrafts survived.

• Artisans continued to make brassware, carpets, metal goods, etc.

• Many families worked from home → domestic system of production

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🛠️ X. Market for Goods

🎨 Advertisements and Branding:

• Industrialists used:

  • Labels (“Made in Manchester”)

  • Calendars, posters, and painted images

  • Indian gods and goddesses to promote trust in foreign goods

🧲 Purpose of Ads:

• Create demand

• Attract buyers

• Build brand loyalty

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📝 Conclusion

• The Age of Industrialization was not just about machines and factories.

• It involved rural artisans, domestic production, and colonial control.

• In India, industries developed under colonial restrictions but still managed to grow through local entrepreneurship and public support.

• Indian industries played a key role in the freedom struggle through movements like Swadeshi.

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📘 Key Terms