Unit 7: Industrialization in Germany

The Industrial Revolution and industrialization represent a decisive turning-point in socio-economic conditions and form the beginning of a new epoch in spatial and economic development in Europe. The origins of this development lie in Great Britain. From the 1730s on, most of the inventions characterizing the epoch were made there, falling on a ground that had been prepared by the beginnings of economic liberalism. Particular high gains in productivity were achieved in the production of textiles. Of similar significance was the replacement of charcoal by coal and later by coke which revolutionized the production of iron and steel. Blast furnaces were moved from wooded regions to deposits of coal and ore, industrial landscapes came into being (Buchheim 1994: 45-59).

The steam-engine [1] was not the first, but probably the most important innovation of that time. By its invention energy became independent of the availability of wind, water [2], animals and manpower [3]. It could now be produced continuously and in sufficient quantity. The extension of the canal network [4] and the rise of the railway also contributed to a change in locational factors for commercial production. Larger manufactories and factories became possible and necessary for economical production. Factories gradually replaced manufactories and home-industries (Rürup 1992: 61-63; Rübberdt 1972: 39).

By the end of the Napoleonic Continental System at the latest, British industrial products became serious competitors to traditional trades on the Continent. In Central-Europe they were countered by modernization and specialization. Processing of British industrial products allowed traditional industries to profit from industrial progress. Nonetheless, British industrial manufacturing processes were increasingly imitated on the continent. Especially in France and Belgium this strategy was an early success (Buchheim 1994: 69-73).

Within the German Federation, machinery was put into use early, but could not become decisively established for a number of reasons: the country was fragmented into many small states [5] and there was no common market without customs-barriers. Other important factors were the absence of an efficient transportation system, the long-term consequences of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48), the continued existence of the static feudal system of states with its commercial restrictions. A certain antipathy of part of the nobility and a lack of available investment capital were other obstacles of industrialization (Rübberdt 1972: 69-72; Buchheim 1994: 99-101).

Within the area of the German Federation [6] industrialization set in with a delay of almost 100 years. Compared to Great Britain the process showed some remarkable differences. Many inventions had already been made and could be adopted. Thus, the import of techniques, designs and machinery shortened the process of industrialization considerably. Important preconditions for the industrialization were an increase in population and a number of reforms (Stein-Hardenberg reforms in Prussia). The creation of the German customs union [7] in 1834 meant a further stimulus. In the 1830s, the adoption of technological innovations increased (Rürup 1992: 62-64; Buchheim 1994: 69-73; 99-101).
 

The construction of the railways [8] was the major driving force of industrialization. It did not only offer direct employment, but also increased the demand for steel, coal and locomotives. In the beginning, this demand had to rely on imports, which soon were replaced by domestic suppliers. The growth of the iron and steel industry lead to the emergence of centres of heavy industries. This development was accompanied by the emergence of numerous smaller workshops, which often started as repair-shops and went over to the development and construction of machinery. They were the origins of the mechanical industries that started developing increasingly independent in the 1840s. The significance of the railway for the development of investment capital should not be underestimated either. Partly supported by government guarantees, they were usually financed as joint-stock undertakings. As a result, they contributed to the spread of this way of financing. Gains were often reinvested and lead to a further accumulation of capital (Rürüp 1992: 74-77; Buchheim 1994: 99-101).

The significance of the railway as a transportation system should not be forgotten. Unlike Britain the German states had no efficient transportation system. The construction of the railways was hence an important precondition for the spatial extension of industrialization. For a long time conflicting interests and rivalries between the small states hindered the connection of the different lines. It was not before the 1860s that they were linked in a network (Buchheim 1994: 99-101).

Factories and new industries emerged mainly in areas of traditional industries or near coal-mining and ore deposits. (Ruhr area (see 1.8 economic core regions and their characteristics [9]), Saar area, Upper Silesia). Factories often developed out of home industries. Industrial centres [10] developed in Brandenburg, The Rhineland, Westphalia, Saxony, and Upper Silesia. Many new jobs were created in these centres, which hence experienced a strong in-migration and rapid urbanization. Textile industries did not play the same role they had in Britain. Nevertheless, textiles remained the most important non-agricultural German export-article (Rürup 1992: 76-78; Buchheim 1994: 87).

In the mid 19th century and particularly after the German Reich was founded (in 1871), German industries reduced and finally matched the British lead. Electrical, chemical and machine industries developed increasingly independently. Particularly in the first two sectors inventions and new techniques put Germany in the leading position [11] (e.g. with chemical fertilizers, paint and pharmaceutical products). Britain became the most important export market for German industries (Buchheim 1994: 78-84; Kiesewetter 1989).

The industrialization had a lasting impact on the development of spatial and industrial structures. Its significance for the evolution from an agrarian to an industrial country [12] and the development of economic centres is shown in chapters 1.8 economic core regions and their characteristics [13] and industrial culture in Germany [14] or post-war development and structure of German economy [15].
 
 

Questions that may be asked: What were the preconditions for the industrialization in Germany?  Which factors were responsible for the belated set in of industrialization in Germany compared to Great Britain? Discuss the significance of each factor. Which spatial changes can be identified in the map with the beginning of industrialization? To what extend could the course of industrialization in Germany be classified as typical / atypical? Which common features / differences can be found in the role of the railway for the spatial development of Germany and Canada? Interactive Quiz

[1]   http://www.deutsches-museum.de/ausstell/dauer/kraft/e_kraft2.htm
[2]   http://www.deutsches-museum.de/ausstell/dauer/kraft/e_kraft1.htm
[3]   http://www.deutsches-museum.de/ausstell/dauer/kraft/e_kraft.htm
[4]   http://www.ipresent.co.uk/Ka2.html
[5]   http://www.dhm.de/lemo/objekte/karten/D1871/
[6]   http://www.dsg.ch/deub18151866.htm
[7]   http://www.dsg.ch/deuzollv.htm
[8]http://www.db.de/site/bahn/de/unternehmen/bahnwelt/dbmuseum/ausstellungen/anfaenge/anfaenge.html
[9]   http://www.uni-marburg.de/geographie/virtual/english/brd/module/m1/U8.htm
[10] http://www.gzg.fn.bw.schule.de/schulen/emigrate/dokument/german19/maps/karte1.htm
[11] http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/victalb/e6a.html
[12] http://www.uni-marburg.de/geographie/virtual/english/brd/module/m1/U7.htm
[13] http://www.uni-marburg.de/geographie/virtual/english/brd/module/m1/U8.htm
[14] http://www.uni-marburg.de/geographie/virtual/english/brd/module/m2/U9.htm
[15] http://www.uni-marburg.de/geographie/virtual/english/brd/module/m4/U1.htm

Bibliography

Links:

Theorien der Proto-Industrialisierung, Protoindustrialisierung in der Forschung, Rolle der Dampfmaschine, Industrialisierung und Migration, frühes 20. Jh., age of industry (links),
Neighbouring countries: Luxemburg (Englisch) and Österreich.