Decline of Indigo Cultivation
Question
Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of
Options
peasant resistance to the oppressive conduct of planters
its unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions
national leaders' opposition to the cultivation of indigo
Government control over the planters
Explanation
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the invention and mass production of synthetic dyes (like synthetic indigo developed in Germany) made natural indigo cultivation highly unprofitable in the global market. While peasant resistance (like the Indigo Revolt of 1859) occurred earlier, the permanent structural decline was driven by technological obsolescence. > One-line conceptual takeaway: Synthetic chemical inventions in Europe rendered natural commercial crops like Indian indigo economically unviable globally. Answer: (b).
Question details
Year
2020
Paper
GS Paper 1
Question
Q33
Subject
History
Sub-topic
Modern India (general)
Type
Factual single
Difficulty
Easy
Nature
Static
Source hint
NCERT Modern India / Bipan Chandra
Same sub-topic — other years
Modern India (general) has appeared in multiple papers:
See all questions on Modern India (general)
Browse every tagged question across all years