claim the same]. Shipbuilding on Clydeside (the river Clyde through Glasgow and other points) began when the first small yards were opened in 1712 at the Scott family's shipyard at Greenock. After 1860 the Clydeside shipyards specialised in steamships made of iron (after 1870, made of steel), which rapidly replaced the wooden sailing ships of both the merchant fleets and the battle fleets of the world. It became the world's pre-eminent shipbuilding centre. Clydebuilt became an industry benchmark of quality, and the river's shipyards were given contracts for warships. Textile industry In the late 17th century, Scottish linen was a major export to England. In 1680, the linen industry employed about 12,000 people in the Glasgow area, and the industry was heavily promoted by the government. Thanks to a series of government acts and beneficial tax measures, by 1770, Glasgow had become the largest linen manufacturer in Britain. Tastes, however, were shifting towards ever more diaphanous fabrics, and Scottish manufacture could not compete in terms of quality. The climate was ideal for processing cotton, and Glasgow textile manufacturers turned their attentions to the production of fine cotton muslins, at which they came to excel, challenging the dominion of Indian muslins traded by the East India Company by the 1780s. Textiles, including plain, chequered and printed linens, and clothing items were among Scotland's main exports to the tobacco-producing colonies from the 1720s onwards; while the majority of these exports initially consisted in linen, by the close of the 18th century cotton had taken its place. From the 1750s, the fashion for silk gauze led to an industry being set up in Paisley, which was hugely successful. Silk gauze was worn by women of almost all social classes, and could not be washed without losing its lustre, so the market was immensely lucrative. By the 1780s, Paisley silk gauze was being exported to England, Ireland and Continental Europe. As the fashion changed, cotton and muslin took over. 20th century The First World War brought large war contracts to the shipbuilders, even as many of the most skilled workers went into the services. The city council was unique in the United Kingdom in appointing an official war artist, Frederick Farrell. The war saw the emergence of a radical movement called "Red Clydeside", led by militant trades unionists. There were also many strikes by the radical Shop Stewards' Movement, whose Clydesdale leader Willie Gallacher