Question

Indicate how the supply of raw materials affected the nature of British industrialisation.

Answer 1

Before the beginning of industrialization, England imported bulk of cotton textile from India. For this import, England had to pay high amounts to India. The initiation of England's industrial era changed this equation forever. With the establishment of industries in England, it became capable to spin and weave its own cloth; however, it faced the problem of raw materials. To seek its own interest, England changed the terms of trade with its colonies. Its colonies such as India now became only raw material-producing countries for their colonizer. England would buy cotton from India at low cost, weave them into finished textile in factories back home and then export back the finished product to its colonies. This trading relation proved to be highly profitable for England as it successfully sustained the process of colonisation and also provided a channel for easy flow of raw material and ready market for its finished goods.