Solved Exercise for Precis writing “A Rational View of Industrialization” for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

We all agree that the growth of industries will increase our material wealth and that our needs in terms of food, clothing and housing will be adequately provided. But man has other needs too-the need for human relationship, love and sympathy, the need for a sense of dignity and worth, and the need for a sense of security. These are also basic human needs, and if they are not satisfied, there will be individual discontent and social conflict. Industrialization has not helped to satisfy these needs. In fact, it has made matters worse. Let us look at the change in the nature of work itself. The independent work of the artisan has now changed into the work of the assembly line. A complete unit of work has been split into fragments of work, each worker now doing only one part of the work. This becomes a dull routine, and it denies the worker the joy and satisfaction of making some complete article. A weaver in the non-industrialized community, for example, weaved cloth with patterns and designs that required a high degree of skill and expression of artistic ability. As a worker in the mill, he is no longer a weaver, the loom has become the weaver and the weaver has become the loom attendant. His work may have become simpler, easier. But this itself has made him lose his sense of importance and dignity which he carried into his whole life as a human being. By being limited to only one stage in production and to a dull, monotonous routine, any worker not only suffers from lack of interest in the factory, but also from a poor sense of his own worth in society.

There has been also a change in the pattern of social relationships in the worker’s life. The cottage weaver had a set of relationships with the people working with him, who were generally members of his own family. They acted as his helpers when necessary. The weaver was not only the head of the productive unit but also the head of the family. In industrial society, however, the worker is no longer the head of the productive unit nor of the group of workers. He has become a mere part of a machine, with nobody paying any special attention to his needs or wants. Also, the cottage weaver, while at work, was in a position to talk to his co-workers, that is, his family members, whenever he felt inclined. In the mill, the din and noise of machinery is so great and the worker’s attention is so constantly needed that it is no longer possible for him to have much social relationship with his neighbours. In fact, he works in an isolated social atmosphere. The strain of the speed of machinery also affects the worker’s life. In the past, a worker’s pace of work depended on his skill or mood. Now the speed of the loom leaves no choice for the worker to be fast or slow. For workers who largely come from villages, where they enjoyed a lot of freedom, the strain of fast machinery is naturally great. So they are often so tired and exhausted after work that they cannot attend to the tasks of family and community life.

Men’s work is not simply something that brings in money for support of the family; it is an activity that gives meaning to his life. So the modern machine weaver may have overcome his economic hardships, but he has not become a contented member of society. This does not mean that we should go back to the system of handloom economy, in the present times, that system cannot fulfill our material wants. And without material well-being we cannot have the sense of worth, dignity and security. Industrialization is not in itself an evil. It has brought many benefits. But we must try to remove its defects, especially in relation to the worker.

(648 words)

Precis

Title:- A Rational View of Industrialization

The consensus of opinion is in favour of industrialization as a means of promoting material wealth and prosperity. Industrialization however, not only failed to fulfill the basic human needs, human relationship, love and sympathy, and the need for a sense of dignity and security but has on the other hand brought in its wake individual discontent and social conflict. In the present set up of production the independent work of the former artisan has degenerated into a dull monotonous routine depriving him of all sense of his worth in society. The pattern of social relationships in the worker’s life has also undergone a change for the worse.  The worker is no longer the head of a productive unit nor of the group of fellow workers but has become a mere part of a machine, working in an isolated social atmosphere. He feels tired and exhausted after work as the strain of fast machinery is overwhelming. The remedy, lies not in reverting to the system of handloom economy as it cannot fulfill our material wants in modern times. We have only to remove the defects of industrialization especially in relation to the worker.

(196 words)