DBQ Walkthrough: Cotton Industrialization in India & Japan

DBQ Practice for AP World History

Introduction to DBQ Practice

• The instructor introduces a practice Document-Based Question (DBQ) for AP World History students, emphasizing its importance as the last practice before the upcoming period 3 exam.

• Students are encouraged to seek help from the teacher, who expresses confidence in guiding them through the DBQ essay process.

Understanding the Prompt

• The prompt requires evaluating how industrialization of cotton goods in Japan and India developed similarly between 1880 and 1930, focusing on both similarities and differences.

• The instructor highlights that this evaluation involves determining whether developments were completely similar, completely different, or somewhere in between. This complexity is crucial for crafting a nuanced argument.

Analyzing Document Sources

• The first document presented is a chart showing production data of cotton yarn and cloth in India, indicating trends in handmade versus machine-made products during industrialization. Handspun yarn decreases while machine-spun yarn increases significantly.

• The instructor advises against sourcing charts due to their complexity but encourages students to extract useful information from them for answering the prompt effectively.

Insights from Japanese Textile Workers

• Document two features testimonies from women working in Japanese textile factories around 1900, detailing harsh working conditions including long hours and inadequate pay. This provides insight into labor experiences during industrialization in Japan.

• A poignant narrative reveals personal tragedies related to factory work, such as illness and death among workers' families, highlighting the human cost of industrial progress.

Perspectives from Industrialists

• Another source presents views from a Japanese industrialist discussing labor dynamics; it notes that factory workers often come from agricultural backgrounds where family subsistence relies on farming income while they earn low wages as unattached individuals within their families.

• This perspective emphasizes agriculture's ongoing significance despite urban migration for factory jobs, illustrating economic interdependencies during Japan's industrial growth phase.

Industrialization of Cotton Goods in India and Japan

The Argument of Wage Levels

• Discussion on whether it is surprising for a specific individual to justify wage levels in a particular way, prompting an exploration of the broader implications behind such arguments.

Decline of Handwoven Cloth Industry

• Reference to R. Kamal G., an Indian economist, highlighting the rapid decline of the handwoven cloth industry due to competition from machine manufacturers.

• Notable abandonment of looms by weavers, indicating significant shifts in local textile production and economic conditions.

Industrialization Insights

• Inquiry into similarities between India's industrialization process and that of Japan during this period, suggesting a comparative analysis.

• Examination of the tone used by economists when discussing these changes, raising questions about their perspectives and motivations.

Visual Documentation: Nibo Cotton Mill

• Analysis of a photograph from the Nibo Cotton Mill in Japan (1920s), showcasing women working alongside machines, prompting questions about what is being emphasized or omitted in this portrayal.

British Royal Commission Report on Labor Conditions

• Overview of findings from a 1935 report detailing poor living conditions for workers recruited from villages and low wages persisting over decades.

• Comparison with Japanese industrial practices raises questions about labor treatment and economic structures within both countries.

Comparative Analysis Through Photographs

• Description of another photograph depicting men operating machinery in Indian textile mills; prompts discussion on visual differences compared to Japanese counterparts.

Conclusion: Similarities and Differences in Industrialization

• Final thoughts on evaluating how cotton goods industrialization developed similarly or differently between India and Japan from the 1880s to 1930s.

• Encouragement for students to utilize outside information for contextual understanding while crafting their arguments regarding these historical developments.