Cotton: Economic Impact – Early Modern Era
During the 16th century the Ottoman Empire had an enormous influence on the cotton textile business. Although not much information about the cotton industry was recorded prior to the 1770s, historians realize that cotton was one of the highest priorities for the Ottoman elite, influencing their economy greatly. Another country that was important in the cotton trade was India. Indian cotton traded in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, West Africa, and even the Americas. These trading routes were a very important link between the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans.
Before the 18th century, cotton was the Ottoman Empire’s most important product after grains
During the early 18th century cotton was a very small percent of Europe’s total textile industry. Linen and wool were the major products. However, by the middle of the 18th century, cotton became one of the most important and sought after textiles in the West. India’s cotton was widely traded everywhere around the world. This influenced India’s economy greatly. (Red lines are India trade routes for cotton, during the Early Modern Era)
Cotton was barely profitable in America before the 18th century. When cotton prices increased, slaves were employed on southern plantations to produce cotton and America became a major exporter of cotton, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars.
During the Industrial Revolution cotton became the world’s most important natural fiber. At first, cotton textile production was more of a home-based industry, which created family businesses. However, in the 1760’s many inventors started finding more mechanical ways of spinning and weaving cotton. This increased demand substantially. Several decades later many factories were created in Great Britain, which rendered the textile industry extremely profitable and required far less manpower to create fine, well-woven cotton textiles.
Cotton production and consumption increased exponentially during the 19th century and quickly became one of the most sought after textile.
In 1892 insects entered the United States from Mexico, which causeed the U.S.A 100 years of problems for the cotton industry. Boll weevils were considered as important as the Civil War by changing the South, forcing economic and social changes. The boll weevils are estimated to have cost the U.S.A $22 billion in damages. By the 1950s, the United States cotton industry was facing terrible economic problems, and the wiping out of the boll weevil was prioritized.
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By the twentieth century, employment in the cotton industry fell as machines became cheaper. United States was no longer the leading producer of cotton, and China became the dominant force in cotton production.
Griffin, Emma, A Short History of the British Industrial Revolution (Palgrave, 2010), pp. 86–104
http://www.engr.utk.edu/mse/Textiles/Cotton%20fibers_files/image014.jpg
Prasannan, Parthasarathi, Faroqhi Suraiya, and Riello Giorgio. “Early Modern Cotton.” Last modified April 10, 2005. Accessed October 27, 2013. http://www.lse.ac.uk/economicHistory/Research/GEHN/GEHNPDF/SessionforEHSConference.pdf.
“Modern World History .” Accessed October 27, 2013. http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cfford/342WorldHistoryModern.html.
“We Don’t Cotton to Boll Weevil ‘Round Here Anymore”. Agricultural Research Service. United States Department of Agriculture.
“The Cotton Chain – The Facts”. New Internationalist.
-Simon Komlos
Cotton 
