1. The Decline of Indian Textile Exports (1772-1850) 📉🧵

• Initial High Demand for Indian Textiles (Pre-1772) 🌍✨

• Indian textiles had long been recognized for their high quality, with fine cotton and silk fabrics being highly sought after in international markets. 🇮🇳💎
• Merchants from various parts of the world, such as Armenia, Persia, and Central Asia, relied on Indian textiles for trade in regions like Afghanistan and Persia. 🌏🔗
• These textiles were not only produced in large quantities but were also known for their craftsmanship, quality, and vibrant designs, making them staples in international trade, especially in Europe and the Middle East. 🧵🎨

• The Statement by Henry Patullo (1772) 📜🗣️

• In 1772, Henry Patullo, an East India Company official, expressed confidence that the demand for Indian textiles would remain constant, suggesting that no other country could replicate the fine quality of Indian fabrics. 🤝🇮🇳
• His statement reflected the strength and dominance of Indian textile exports at the time, especially as the global market was still largely dependent on India for high-quality cotton textiles. 🧵🌍

• The Beginning of the Decline (Early 19th Century) 📉🔴

• Despite the earlier success of Indian textiles, by the beginning of the 19th century, the decline of Indian textile exports began to take shape. 🛑🧵
• In 1811-12, textiles still accounted for 33% of India’s total exports, reflecting the importance of the textile industry. However, by 1850-51, this percentage had drastically reduced to only 3%. 📊🔻
• This steep decline was caused by a combination of factors, most notably the rise of British cotton industries and the introduction of machine-made textiles. ⚙️🇬🇧

• Factors Contributing to the Decline 📉💔

• Changing Global Trade Dynamics 🌍⚖️
  • As Britain’s cotton industries grew, British-made goods began to dominate global markets, including India. These goods were produced in factories, enabling them to be sold at lower prices, which Indian handloom weavers struggled to compete with. 🏭💸
  • Additionally, the British-imposed policies and tariffs in India restricted the demand for Indian-made goods while promoting British exports, further eroding the dominance of Indian textiles. 📈❌
• Shifting Trade Routes 🚢🌏
  • The power dynamics in global trade shifted, with European countries like Britain securing control over important trade routes and ports, further diminishing the role of Indian merchants in the international trade network. 🌍🔒
  • The East India Company, which had initially supported Indian textile trade, gradually became more focused on consolidating political and economic control over India, leading to its eventual monopoly on exports. 🏛️🇮🇳

• Economic Consequences 💸📉

• As textile exports fell, the livelihoods of weavers and merchants who had relied on textile production suffered significantly. 😔🧵
• The closure of several trade routes, especially the old ports, led to the disruption of the textile supply chain, which further contributed to the decline. 🌊🚫
• With limited access to international markets, and as raw cotton production shifted to cater to British needs, Indian weavers faced rising costs and dwindling opportunities for profitable trade. 🧵💰❌

2. The Rise of British Cotton Industries and Its Impact on Indian Textiles 🇬🇧🧵

• Growth of Cotton Industries in England 🏭🌱

• The rise of the British cotton industries led to concerns among industrial groups in England regarding competition from imported textiles, especially from India. 🏭📉
• To protect the growing British industry, manufacturers pressured the British government to impose import duties on cotton textiles from other countries, including India. This allowed Manchester-made goods to sell in Britain without facing competition from Indian textiles. 💰⚖️

• Pressure on the East India Company 🇮🇳💼

• The growing influence of industrialists in England led to further pressure on the East India Company to promote British manufactured goods in the Indian market. 🏛️📈
• The East India Company, now firmly established in India, began selling British cotton goods in Indian markets, which led to an increased import of these textiles. 🇬🇧➡️🇮🇳
• By 1850, cotton piece-goods from Britain constituted a significant portion of India’s imports, comprising over 31% of the total import value, and by the 1870s, this figure rose to over 50%. 📊💹

• Decline in Indian Textile Exports 📉🧵

• As a result of the increasing competition from British-made goods, the demand for Indian textiles, both locally and in international markets, began to decrease. 🚫📉
• Indian cotton weavers now faced a dual crisis: the collapse of their export market due to the rise of British imports and a shrinking local market flooded with cheap British textiles. 💸📉
• The cheap prices of British cotton goods, produced by machines at lower costs, made it difficult for Indian handloom weavers to compete. 🏭💰❌

• Impact on Local Weaving Industries 🧵💔

• By the 1850s, reports from most weaving regions in India highlighted the severe decline of the handloom industry. 📉🧵
• Local weavers struggled to compete with the mechanized, machine-made cotton goods from Britain that were flooding the Indian market. 💡🌊
• The situation worsened with the coming of the 1860s, when weavers also faced a shortage of raw cotton. 🧵❌

3. The Impact of the American Civil War and Cotton Shortages on Indian Weavers 🇺🇸⚔️➡️🇮🇳🧵

• Cotton Shortage and Rising Prices 📈💥

• By the 1860s, Indian weavers faced a new challenge. The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 had significant consequences on global cotton supplies. ⚔️🌍
• The United States had been a major supplier of cotton to the British textile industry, but the war disrupted this supply. In response, Britain turned to India to meet its cotton demands. 🇺🇸❌➡️🇬🇧➡️🇮🇳
• As a result of this increased demand for raw cotton, the price of cotton in India shot up dramatically, making it more expensive for Indian weavers to obtain the raw material they needed for their craft. 💸📈

• Impact on Indian Weaving Industry 🧵💔

• Weavers in India, already struggling with the competition from British cotton goods, now found themselves starved of affordable cotton supplies. 🚫🧵
• The rising prices of raw cotton made weaving unprofitable, as weavers were forced to buy cotton at exorbitant prices to continue their production. 💰⚖️
• This situation placed an immense financial burden on the weavers, further exacerbating the struggles of the handloom industry in India. 💸💔

• Consequences for Weavers 💔🧵

• The soaring cotton prices coupled with the saturation of the market with cheap British imports made it increasingly difficult for Indian weavers to sustain their livelihoods. 📉💔
• Many weavers could no longer afford the raw materials needed to weave, and the industry, which had once been thriving, began to crumble under the weight of these multiple pressures. 🧵🔻
• The failure of the cotton market to support the needs of local weavers was a significant blow to the Indian handloom industry, which was already facing severe competition from machine-made textiles. 💥🧵

4. Case Studies of Weaving Decline (Patna and Koshtis) 🧵📉

1. Decline of Weaving Industry in Patna (Jahanabad and Behar) 🏙️🚫

• In 1825, reports from Patna highlighted a brisk trade in cloth manufacture in Jahanabad and Behar, both regions known for weaving fine textiles. 🧵🌍
• However, by the early 19th century, this trade came to an end. Specifically, Jahanabad saw a complete cessation of weaving activity, and Behar experienced a significant decline in the volume of cloth manufactured. 📉🧵
• The root cause was the competition with cheap and durable Manchester-made goods that flooded the local markets, making it impossible for the Indian handloom industries to compete with the low-cost, mass-produced fabrics from Britain. 💸🏭
• This shift in trade patterns and the collapse of the local industries reflected broader trends in the Indian economy during the 19th century, where local handicrafts and industries were increasingly displaced by industrial products from Britain. 🌍⚖️

2. Impact on the Koshtis (Weavers in the Central Provinces) 🧵👥

• The Koshtis, a community of weavers in the Central Provinces, faced a similar fate due to the influx of Manchester imports. They were among those unable to compete with the showy goods that Manchester produced in vast quantities at much cheaper prices. 💥🇬🇧
• In the Census Report of Central Provinces (1872), it was reported that the Koshtis had fallen upon hard times due to this competition. The weavers found their traditional methods of handloom weaving no longer viable against the industrial goods flooding the market. 📊💔
• As a result, many Koshtis, along with other weavers in similar circumstances, emigrated in large numbers to places like Berar, where they sought work as day laborers. 🌍👷‍♂️
• Their migration was driven by the collapse of their livelihood and the need to survive. As day laborers, they were able to earn wages, but this marked the end of their traditional weaving skills and way of life. 💸🔚

3. The Larger Context 🌍💔

• Both the Patna and Koshti case studies provide vivid examples of the larger trend of deindustrialization in India during British colonial rule. 🏭➡️❌
• The local weavers who once enjoyed thriving industries now had their livelihoods destroyed by a combination of factors, including the introduction of machine-made fabrics from Manchester, a colonial economy that prioritized the export of raw materials over the production of finished goods, and the aggressive policies of the East India Company. 📉💰🇮🇳
• These case studies demonstrate the human cost of colonialism—where traditional industries that had supported entire communities were systematically dismantled, pushing skilled artisans into poverty and forcing them to seek alternative sources of income in labor markets dominated by low wages. 💔🧵💼