(i) There many obstacles for the East India Company to buy regular supplies of cotton and silk textiles from Indian weavers.
(ii) They had competitors from the French, the Dutch and the Portuguese who also wanted to buy from Indian weavers.
(iii) So weavers bargained and tried to sell the products to the best buyer.
(iv) Once the East India Company established political power, it could maintain a monopoly right to trade.

Before the age of industrialisation silk and finer quality cotton goods of India dominated the international market in textiles. Armenian and Persian merchants along with Indian merchants were involved in trading of textiles. During the industrialisation the European countries gradually gained powers in trading. The history of cotton can be understood from the points given below
(i) The use of steam power played a very significant role in running cotton mills. Production of textiles increased in a very short time and with less manual labour. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were near about 321 steam engines in England and out of them 80 were use in cotton textile mills.
(ii) The East India Company appointed gomasthas, a paid servants of the company to supervise weavers, collect supplies and judge and inspect the quality of textiles. Gomasthas were the link between the East India Company and he weavers.
(iii) The Indian weavers could not compete and so by the beginning of the 19th century export of textile declined. And cheap and durable textiles from Manchester (England) started flooding Indian markets. Cotton weavers of India had to face two problems simultaneously, the export market collapsed and the local market shrank.
(iv) In the 1860s, weavers faced a new problem of insufficient supply of raw cotton from USA due to the American Civil War. The price of raw cotton increased rapidly due to the big demand of raw cotton export from India. Weavers found themselves unable to pay for it.
(v) After the First World War, Manchester could never capture again its old position in the Indian market. Britain could not match with the USA, Germany and Japan in reference of modernisation and competition. As a result, production of cotton collapsed and export of cotton textiles from England fell down badly.

The new gomasthas were outsides, with no long term social link with the village. So they acted arrogantly, marched into villages with the police and punished weavers for delay in supply. So, there were reports of dashed between weavers and gomasthas .

The french, Dutch, Portuguese as well as the local traders competed in the market to secure wove cloth. So the weaver and supply merchants could bargain and try selling the produce to the best buyers.

the upper class people preferred to use hand products in the Victorian period because:
(i) They symbolized refinement and class.
(ii) They were better finish.
(iii) They were individually produced and carefully designed.

During the war British mills were busy in war production to meet the needs of the army, Machester's imports into India declined.
(i) After the war Manchester could never recapture its old position in the Indian marker. Unable to modernise and compete with the United States. Germany and Japan the economy of Britain crumbled after the war. Cotton production collapsed, and exports of cotton cloth from Britain fell dramatically
(ii) Within the colonies, local industrialists gradually consolidated the position, substituting foreign manufactures and capturing the home market.

Getting jobs difficult, even mills multiplied and the demand for workers increased. The numbers seeking work more than the jobs available. Entry into the mills was also restricted. Industrialists usually employed a jobber to get new recruits. Very often, the jobber was an old and trusted worker. He got people from his village, ensured them jobs, helped them settle in the city and provided them money in times of crisis. The jobber, therefore became a person with some authority and power. He began demanding money and gifts for his favour, and began controlling the lives of the workers.

(i) Collapse of local and foreign market: Due to industrialisation in Britain, their export market collapsed. as British traders started exporting machine-made-clothes to India, so their local market shrank.
(ii) Shortage of raw material: As raw cotton was being exported to England, there was a shortage of raw materials.
When the American Civil War broke out and the cotton supplies from the United states were cut off. Britain turned to India. As raw cotton exports Iron and increased, the price of raw cotton shot up Weavers in India were starved of supplies and forced to buy raw cotton at higher prices.
(iii) Clashes with Gomasthas: Gomasthas were appointed by the government to supervise weaves to collect supplies and examine the quality of cloth. The Gomasthas acted arrogantly and punished weavers for delays in supply. So the weavers dashed with them.
(iv)System of advances: The Britishers started the system of advances to regularise the supply of cotton and cloth. The weavers eagerly took the advance, in a hope to cam more but they faded to do so they even started losing small plots of land which they had earlier cultivated

(i) Collapse of local and foreign market: Due to industrialisation in Britain, their export market collapsed. as British traders started exporting machine-made-clothes to India, so their local market shrank.
(ii) Shortage of raw material: As raw cotton was being exported to England, there was a shortage of raw materials.
When the American Civil War broke out and the cotton supplies from the United states were cut off. Britain turned to India. As raw cotton exports Iron and increased, the price of raw cotton shot up Weavers in India were starved of supplies and forced to buy raw cotton at higher prices.
(iii) Clashes with Gomasthas: Gomasthas were appointed by the government to supervise weaves to collect supplies and examine the quality of cloth. The Gomasthas acted arrogantly and punished weavers for delays in supply. So the weavers dashed with them.
(iv) System of advances: The Britishers started the system of advances to regularise the supply of cotton and cloth. The weavers eagerly took the advance, in a hope to cam more but they faded to do so.they even started losing small plots of land which they had earlier cultivated

(i) Collapse of local and foreign market: Due to industrialisation in Britain, their export market collapsed. as British traders started exporting machine-made-clothes to India, so their local market shrank.
(ii) Shortage of raw material: As raw cotton was being exported to England, there was a shortage of raw materials.
When the American Civil War broke out and the cotton supplies from the United states were cut off. Britain turned to India. As raw cotton exports Iron and increased, the price of raw cotton shot up Weavers in India were starved of supplies and forced to buy raw cotton at higher prices.
(iii) Clashes with Gomasthas: Gomasthas were appointed by the government to supervise weaves to collect supplies and examine the quality of cloth. The Gomasthas acted arrogantly and punished weavers for delays in supply. So the weavers dashed with them.
(iv) System of advances: The Britishers started the system of advances to regularise the supply of cotton and cloth. The weavers eagerly took the advance, in a hope to cam more but they faded to do so they even started losing small plots of land which they had earlier cultivated

(i) European trading companies gained power. First, they acquired trading concessions from local rulers, then monopolised right to trade.
(ii) This resulted in the decline of the old ports of surat and Hooghly
(iii) Exports from the old ports fell dramatically and local bankers slowly went bankrupt.
Impacts:
(a) weavers devoted entire time to weaving. They were forced to accept the prices fixed by the company
(b) There were reports of dashes between weavers and gomasthas. The new gomasthas were outsiders. They acted arrogantly, marched into villages with sepoys and peons, and punished weavers for delays in supply. The weavers lost the space to bargain for prices and sell to different buyers
(c) Weavers deserted villages and migrated, setting up looms in other villages where they had some family relations.

(i) The spare within which Indian merchants could function, became limited.
(ii) They were barred from Trading with Europe in manufactured goods.
(iii) They had to export mostly raw materials and food grains, raw cotton, opium, wheat and indigo required by the British.
(iv) They were gradually edged out of the shipping business.
(v) Till the First World War, European Managing Agencies controlled a large sector of Indian industries.

(i) The spare within which Indian merchants could function, became limited.
(ii) They were barred from Trading with Europe in manufactured goods.
(iii) They had to export mostly raw materials and food grains, raw cotton, opium, wheat and indigo required by the British.
(iv) They were gradually edged out of the shipping business.
(v) Till the First World War, European  Managing Agencies controlled a large sector of Indian industries.