The Great Reversal*
As I read Ford is to axe 850 jobs in the UKÂ even as Ford India plans to add 1,000 more employees, I was reminded of two posts that I wrote some time back…
From The Myth of a Benevolent “Rajâ€Â
Few would doubt that Indo-British trade may have been unfair – but it may be noteworthy to see how unfair. In the early 1800s imports of Indian cotton and silk goods faced duties of 70-80%. British imports faced duties of 2-4%! As a result, British imports of cotton manufactures into India increased by a factor of 50, and Indian exports dropped to one-fourth! A similiar trend was noted in silk goods, woollens, iron, pottery, glassware and paper. As a result, millions of ruined artisans and craftsmen, spinners, weavers, potters, smelters and smiths were rendered jobless and had to become landless agricultural workers
From Loot – in search of East India Co. (excerpts)Â
Between 1814 and 1835…the population of Dacca shrunk from 150,000 to 20,000. Even the Governor-General, William Bentinck, was forced to report that ‘the misery hardly finds parallel in the history of commerce. The bones of the cotton-weavers are bleaching the plains of India.’
For more, please read “Deindustrialization in 18th and 19th century India: Mughal decline, climate shocks and British industrial ascent” by David Clingingsmith and Jeffrey G. Williamson
* Title Courtesy: The Great Reverse – Part I from which:
There are those who argue that history is cyclical, while others prefer to conceptualize it as an ebb and flow. As the economies of China and India continue their dizzying growth, it seems that history is preparing to repeat itself. Economist Clyde Prestowitz, in the first of a three-part series, coins the term “The Great Reverse” in reference to the projected Asian-leaning shift in the global balance of power. In his exposition of three discreet waves of globalization, Prestowitz details the developments that facilitated the rise, fall, and rise, once again, of the East’s global influence.
Related Posts:
Loot – in search of East India Co. (excerpts)Â
Economic Exploitation and the Drain of Wealth during British “Raj”Â
The Myth of a Benevolent “Rajâ€Â
This is a very valuable and englightening post for atleast me who missed some of the previous posts you have referred here.
I recently saw someones comment for a post. There the commentor was questioning the british role on the reduction in India’s % contribution to world industrial production and mentioned that it could be due to increase in production in European region. I wish this post had come before that so that gentleman could’ve been enlightened as well.
Shantanu,
One interesting article on the raj I read was
http://chennaikaran.blogspot.com/2008/02/had-british-not-been-in-india.html
The book “the logic of life” is written by the Tim Harford, an English man. When I read something like this, I am immediately reminded of the even more confusing theory “survival of the fittest”. I guess in this race to be the fittest, Europe inevitably arrived at “industrial revolution” and thus started the process of degrading the environment. Today we are all paying the price of what was named as “industrial revolution”. Can we call this supremacy or should we call this irresponsibility on the part of others living being who have equal right on the planet??
On the contrary our ancestors knew the cost of playing with nature and thus adopted the route of technology with no harm to universe…turmeric instead of soap, ayurveda instead of chemicals etc and today the same people who started the avalanche are asking us to take steps to protect the environment!!!
Very good post! I have the same points as Vivek.
Many things Indian has abandon, West(world) has accepted and is preaching us what to do and what to not. Importance of Yoga, herbal teas, spices, vegetables, Pranayam, is coming back. Many such things which has been the subject of mockery and believed as an occult is also gaining popularity.
One recent example: We abandon use of steel, copper, earthern ware and iron and were switched to plastic, ceramic and glass ware which proved heavy on the landfills and costly recycling process. Now the world is asking to abandon plastic container and switch to steel or stonewares. Students at my kid’s school are being encouraged for using steel or stoneware lunch boxes. So its kind of reversal heading to India. Long Live India!