South Asian History: "History Crafts, Manufacturing, and Trade in the Indian Subcontinent"

Read this article. As you read, consider how matters of international trade disrupted local economies throughout the Indian Subcontinent.

This article discusses the various handcrafts that originated in the Indian Subcontinent and examines how they formed the basis of regional trade until the British East India Company established economic domination over the region in the late-17th and early-18th centuries. The British discouraged local textile and metal trades and instead encouraged the production of opium for trade with China. This disrupted regional economies and led to dramatic changes in patterns of wealth. As you read the article, consider how matters of international trade disrupted local economies throughout the Indian Subcontinent.