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Book No. – 19 (Sociology)
Book Name – Social Background of Indian Nationalism (A.R. Desai)
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1. Pre-British Village Artisan Industries
2. Causes of their Decline
3. Their Decline, an Uneven Process
4. Surviving Village Artisans, their Changed Status
5. Abortive Attempts at their Reconstruction
6. Decline of Village Industries, its Consequences
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Decline of Village Artisan Industries
Chapter – 6
Table of Contents
Pre-British Village Artisan Industries
- Village artisan industries were the industrial part of the balanced, self-sufficient village economy in pre-British India, fulfilling almost all industrial needs.
- They were the industrial pillar of the economic autarchy of the village, alongside self-sufficient village agriculture.
- Division of labour had not advanced, with most artisans being part-time cultivators, working on land assigned by the village. Similarly, cultivators and their families often engaged in industrial activities like spinning.
- Artisans, except perhaps the weaver, had the status of servants of the village community, receiving land and a portion of the annual agricultural produce, rather than acting as free producers in an exchange system.
- Within the artisan industry, there was limited division of labour and minimal specialization, keeping the artisan’s technical skill at a low level.
- External competition was absent as the village functioned as an independent economic unit, leading to a lack of incentive for artisans to improve technique and skill.
- The absence of competition and incentives also prevented the growth of localization of industry in India.
Causes of their Decline
- The influx of cheap British and non-British machine-made goods into India was the primary cause of the decline of village artisan industry.
- The introduction of railways and later buses made it easier for goods to reach the villages.
- Railways and steamships allowed European power manufacturers to offer better terms to Indian farmers than the local village craftsmen could provide.
- The self-sufficing local economy was displaced by international specialization and trade, disadvantaging the Indian craftsmen.
- The steady growth of modern industries in India during the second half of the nineteenth century and beyond further accelerated this decline.