De-industrialisation: alternative view

'De-industrialisation' is an argument that British India, which started with a large and well-developed manufacturing tradition, saw a decline in its traditional industry during the colonial period, and that the modern industry which grew in its place did not compensate for the loss in employment and income. This essay presents an alternative view, which suggests that traditional industry did not decline, that it changed in organisation and character, and that these changes shaped the future course of Indian industrialisation.