India had a vibrant trade in cotton and silk till the mid 18th century. By the 1750s this network controlled by Indian merchants was breaking down because:
(a) The European companies gradually gained power to trade by securing trade concessions from the local courts.
(b) Later, they successfully acquired monopoly rights to trade thus eliminating existing traders.
(c) The new ports which took the place of Surat and Hoogly were Bombay and Calcutta. This shift from old ports to new ones was an indicator of growing colonial power
