Cotton and the British Empire
Sixty Years, Ninefold Growth
Britain's cotton exports grew from about £5.4 million in 1800 to £46.8 million by 1860. Cotton textiles became Britain's single largest export category, and securing the raw-cotton supply became a matter of imperial policy, not just commerce.
From Manufacturer to Raw-Material Supplier
India is the clearest example of what empire did to this trade. Before industrialization, Indian cotton cloth — especially fine muslin — was itself a prized global export, competing directly with anything Europe made. Under British rule, colonial tariffs and cheap mill-made imports reversed that relationship: India was pushed from a manufacturer of finished cloth into a supplier of raw cotton and a captive market for Manchester's goods.
A Supply Web That Spanned Continents
Britain drew raw cotton mainly from the American South, with the West Indies and British India as secondary sources — and India's role grew sharply when the U.S. Civil War (1861–1865) cut off American supply, triggering the "Cotton Famine" that idled Lancashire mills and forced Britain to lean harder on colonial cotton.
