Q. Which of the following was/were among the causes for ruination of artisans and craftsmen during the colonial period:

1. One way free trade with Britain
2. Export of raw materials from India
3. Disappearance of Indian rulers and their courts
4. Arrival of new technologies and modern industries from Britain

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Answer: Only 1, 2, and 3
Notes: The Charter Act of 1813 abolished all sorts of import duties and threw open the Indian market to the machine made, bulk produced, cheap British goods. Indian handicrafts could not compete with it. On the other hand, British market was protected by the high tarrif walls. Thus, it was a one way free trade. So, 1st option is correct. The new economic reality demanded that raw materials should be exported from India to feed the British machines that produced finished goods. India was now transformed into an importer of British cotton goods and an exported of raw cotton. Unavailability of raw material at a cheaper rate added to the ruin of handicraft. So, 2nd option is correct. The gradual disappearance of Indian rulers and their courts who were the main customers of town handicrafts also gave a big blow to these industries. For instance, the production of military weapons depended entirely on the Indian states, whereas the British purchased all their military and other government stores in Britain. New ruling class of British officials patronised their own home products exclusively. So, 3rd option is correct. British intentionally did not import new technologies for that would have made Indian economy self-sufficient in the long run. It was cheaper to import finished goods like cotton goods than intermediate goods like yarn. Setting up new industry with imported technology was prohibitively costly. Thus, no significant technology was brought to India. Even during the railway construction, only low skilled technologies were imported. Thus, 4th option is not correct.