History

Q.20.Why the poor peasants and artisans began working for the merchants?

Or

How were new merchant groups in Europe able to spread their business in the countryside before the Industrial Revolution? Explain.

Ans.

1. In the countryside, the open field system was prevailing i.e., land was free and anyone could use it for production, so, the rich landlords started enclosing the open fields.
2. They had earlier depended on common lands for their survival, gathering the firewood, berries, vegetables, hay and straw. Now they had to look for alternative source of income.
3. As most of the land was acquired by the rich landlords, the poor had tiny plots of land which could not provide work for all the members of the household. So when merchants came around, and offered advances to produce goods for them, peasant households eagerly agreed.
4. By working for the merchants, the poor peasants and the artisans could continue to remain in the countryside, and cultivate their small plots. Income from proto-industrial production supplemented their shrinking income from cultivation. It also allowed them a fuller use of their family labour resource.

Q.21.Mention any four features of the proto-industrial system.

Ans.

1. It was a decentralized system of production. Merchants were based in towns, but the work was done mostly in the countryside.
2. It was s system which was controlled by the merchants, and the goods were produced by a vast number of producers working within their family farms.
3. Under this system, the work was done by involving the whole family.
4. The workers remained in the countryside, and continued to cultivate their small plots.

Q.22.Why were most of the producers reluctant to use the new technology? Explain by giving examples.

Ans.

1. New technologies and machines were expensive, so the producers and the industrialists were cautious about using them.
2. The machines often broke down and the repair was costly.
3. They were not as effective as their inventors and manufacturers claimed.
4. Poor peasants and migrants moved to cities in large numbers in search of jobs. So the supply of workers was more than the demand. Therefore, workers were available at low wages.
5. A range of products could be produced only with hand labour. Machines were oriented to producing uniforms, standardized goods for a mass market. But the demand in the market was often for the goods with intricate designs and specific shapes.

Q.23. “The process of industrialization brought with it miseries for the newly emerged class of industrial workers.” Explain.

Or

What was the impact of industrialization of the workers? Explain.

Ans.

1. More workers than the demand:-There was an abundance of workers in the market than the demand. This had an adverse impact of the lives of the workers. Due to the shortage of work, most of the workers failed to get jobs.

2. Seasonality of work:-After the busy season was over, the poor were on the streets again. Some returned to the countryside after the winter, when the demand for labour in the rural areas opened up in places.

3. Low real wages:-Though the wages increased somewhat in the early 19th century, but the increase was nullified(neutralized) by increase in prices. During the Napoleonic wars, the real wages fell significantly.

4. Poverty and unemployment:-At the best of times, till the mid 19th century, about 10 percent of the urban population were extremely poor. The unemployment rate was also very high.