CBSE 2023 · Region 2 · Set 1 · Q34

Read the given source and answer the questions that follow: Yet, till the First World War, industrial growth was slow. The war created a dramatically new situation. With British mills busy with war production to meet the needs of the army, Manchester imports into India declined. Suddenly, Indian mills had a vast home market to supply. As the war prolonged, Indian factories were called upon to supply war needs: jute bags, cloth for army uniforms, tents and leather boots, horse and mule saddles and a host of other items. New factories were set up and old ones ran multiple shifts. Many new workers were employed and everyone was made to work longer hours. Over the war years industrial production boomed. After the war, Manchester could never recapture its old position in the Indian market. Unable to modernise and compete with the US, Germany and Japan, the economy of Britain crumbled after the war. Cotton production collapsed and exports of cotton cloth from Britain fell dramatically. Within the colonies, local industrialists gradually consolidated their position, substituting foreign manufacturers and capturing the home market. ($\displaystyle 34.1$) Why did Manchester imports decline in India? ($\displaystyle 34.2$) Why could Manchester never recapture its old position in the Indian market after the First World War? ($\displaystyle 34.3$) Analyse any two benefits of the First World War to India. $\displaystyle 2 \times 1=2$