Book Description

The Economic Changes In The Selected Districts Of One Of The Premier Princely States, The Baroda State And British District In Gujarat-Broach And Surat During The British Colonial Period Has Provided An Eloquent Testimony Of The Transition From The Colonial Agrarian Economy To Mercantile And Urban Development. The Economic Transition Of Western Europe And Particularly England, As It Entered The Second Phase Of The Industrial Revolution Intensified The Need For Raw Materials And Food Products. The American Civil War And The Opening Of The Suez Canal Were The Two Powerful Levers Of Change. The American Civil War Enables Indian Cotton To Have A Permanent Foothold In The European Market. This Gave A Tremendous Boost To Cotton Cultivation In India And Improved The Prospects Of Cultivators Of These Districts. This Led To An Unprecedented Rise In Cotton Price In The Country And Brought In A Substantial Expansion In Cotton Acreage. Meanwhile, The Construction And Extension Of Railways Brought Enormous Benefits To The Farmers, Middlemen, Merchants And Dealers In Agricultural Produce. The Consequence Of Infrastructural Development Was The Emergence Of Market Economy. The Major Change Was The Commercialisation Of An Agrarian Economy. Newer Credit Agencies And Monetization Of The Economy Began To Dominate The Economic Scene. With The Growth Of Trade And Commerce Came The Growth Of New Class Of Professionals Connected With It. Occupational Changes Became More Mobile. Contents Part I- Aspects Of Agrarian Economy And Social Change; Chapter 1: Agrarian Structure And Baroda State Policy, 1860:1881: An Overview Of The State; Chapter 2: Agrarian Economy In Transition: Case Studies Of The Baroda And Kadi Prants Of The State, 1860-1884; Chapter 3: Agrarian Prospects And Social Change: Case Study Of Waghers Of Kathiawar, 1850-1900; Chapter 4: Economic Imperatives And Modernization: The Baroda State, 1850-1900; Chapter 5: The American Civil War And Colonial Economy: Case Study Of Select Districts Of The Baroda State, 1860-1900; Chapter 6: The Nature Of Change In British Gujarat: Case Study Of Chorasi District, Surat Collectorate, 1850-1900; Chapter 7: Agrarian Policy And Anti-Imperialism In British Gujarat: Case Study Of Chikhli District, Surat Collectorate, 1850-1900; Part Ii- Aspects Of Urban Economy And Social Change; Chapter 8: Urbanisation: The Case Of Baroda, 1850-1900; Chapter 9: Urbanisation: The Case Of Surat, 1850-1900; Chapter 10: Urbanisation: The Case Of Broach, 1850-1900; Chapter 11: A Review Of Urbanisation In Western India: Select Urban Centres, 1850-1900.