Explain the following statement with reasons: The industrial revolution gave a momentum to colonialism.

Answer: Because industrialised countries needed raw materials and markets, which they got by acquiring colonies.

• The Industrial Revolution began in England in the 18th century and spread to other European countries. Machines produced goods on a huge scale.
• Factories needed a regular supply of cheap raw materials such as cotton, indigo, jute, rubber and minerals, which were available in Asia and Africa.
• The large production of goods needed new markets to sell them. Colonies became captive markets for finished goods.
• Surplus capital was invested in colonies in railways, plantations and mines, and colonies also supplied cheap labour.
• Hence European nations competed to capture lands in Asia and Africa, and colonialism grew rapidly.