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| BASF Factory (1881) |
She
emerged as the most industrialized country by the end of the 19th century.
Germany surpassed the home of the industrial revolution – Great Britain. From a
once divided nation, its strength and potential became full and unleashed.
Naturally
speaking, Germany had the natural resources required to start an industrial
revolution. Large coal reserves located in the areas of Saar, Ruhr, Upper
Silesia, and Saxony. Iron deposited sited in the areas of Erzgebirge, Harz
Mountains, and Upper Silesia again.
But
Germany had challenges after the Napoleonic War ended in 1815. Only the major
ports of Bremen and Hamburg had clear and secure access to the North Sea. But
even so, it did not had any clear access to the vibrant trade routes in the
Atlantic. In addition, many medievalist economic institution remained in place,
hampering the growth of agriculture and industries. Feudalism returned and
continued, leading to the continuation of serfdom of many people and their
obligation to provide a share of their harvest and labor to their landlords.
Moreover, guild controlled much of the industries and because with their
licensure policies, the establishing of factories became difficult and limited.
In trade perspective, local German textile industry faced competition when the
allies lifted the Continental System that blocked the entry of cheap British
textile. A depression also followed in 1817 when agricultural production
dropped significantly.
But
the most significant challenge towards Germany’s industrial revolution was its
political set up. Germany before 1871 was made of numerous German States with
Prussia being biggest. And so trade was difficult and circulation of raw
materials to factories was also hard. Only with the unification of Germany that
she truly became an industrial powerhouse.
Among
the German states, Prussia emerged as the most economically powerful country in
1815. Prussia controlled major manufacturing towns, coalfields, and trade
routes. The Prussian government showed great enthusiasm towards economic progress,
which became vital to its status as a great power. In 1818, Prussia moved
immediately to counter the problems arising from the post-Napoleonic era.
Prussia imposed a new tariff system. Many hailed the Prussian Tariff of 1818 as
a progressive and a great incentive for industrial growth. It removed duties to
raw material but imposed tariffs on imported manufactured goods and overseas
colonial goods. It also removed the tolls or customs region system, allowing
free trade among provinces, resulting to an easier and wider distribution and
transportation of goods and services. In order to cure the depression that
started in 1817 and control its war debts, the government borrowed from the
Rothschild in 1818 and 1822. Eventually, the growth of Prussia as an industrial
country progressed under the control of some of its officials. Finance Minister
Adolf von Motz, who served from 1825 to 1830, launched reforms such as changes
in the tax system and selling crown lands. Furthermore, he also stimulated the
economy by improving infrastructure through public works. Christian Peter
Wilhelm Beuth also served Prussia well. As the head of the Department of Trade
and Industry from 1830 to 1845, he organized a technical commission that
monitored industrial development. He also established the Berlin Technical
Institute that led research in science and technology. The state played an
active role to the recovery and industrial growth of Prussia.
On
the other hand, other German states became active as well. Many of the German States
supported industries and promoted a self-reliant economy. They provided
incentives and subsidies. But the Zollverein proved to be the greatest factor
for the economic development of many German States.
The
Zollverein grew from the Prussian Tariff of 1818 to a full pledge customs union
that became a catalyst for German unification. The Tariff of 1818 became the
basis of Prussia and signed commercial treaties with neighboring German states
in order to form of customs union. For more than a decades, many German states
thought whether to join or to form their own customs union. However, by 1834,
Prussia formally created the Zollverein. Zollverein customs union provided new
opportunities for industries. It opened a wider market and new sources of raw
materials. Without the Zollverein an industrialized and unified Germany would
not had been created.
Besides
the Zollverein, financial institutions and cartels helped the industrial growth
of Prussia and the rest of German States. Banks provided capital and investments
to new companies. They also helped for new companies in selling stocks of
shares in order to form capital. Cartels on the other hand provided protection
and stability. In other countries, like Great Britain and the United States,
they negatively view cartels for their anti-competitive and unfair business
practices. But in Germany, they saw cartels as providers of stability for
growth for small industries. It spared them from sometimes unprofitable and
self-destructing price wars. It also provided protection in cases of price
fluctuations and entry of foreign competition. With these contributors,
development in many industries followed.
Textile
became the first to experience mechanization. The first spinning machine in
Germany was built in Chemnitz in 1782. From then point on, Chemnitz continued
to build machines that made it into an engineering center. In 1784, the first
textile factory, built in Ratingen, Dusseldorf, copied the factory system in
Cromford that Richard Arkwright developed. British skills also contributed to
the development of German textile industry. Cockerill Brothers, British descent
industrialist, built mills in Brandenburg. English craftsmen also built power
looms for the Maschinen Wollen-Weberei in Silesia. The growth of the textile
industry led to the rise of textile centers like Aache (famous for its thread),
Krefeld (famous for its silk), Saxony, and also Silesia.
The
iron industry also took share of the development. Much of the iron industry
focused in the region of Silesia and it received attention even during the
reign of King Frederick II the Great. In 1796, the first coke-blast furnace
began operation in Gleiwitz in Upper Silesia. Few years later, in 1802, another
coke blast furnace began operation in Konigshutte. Later on, the number of
blast furnaces using coke rose up to 30 by the middle of the 19th
century. However, in the 1800’s, most especially after the establishment of the
Zollverein in 1834, Silesia found competition in the Ruhr Region. Its iron
deposits led to the growth of the industry in the area. In 1849, the first
coke-smelting facility began operation in the Friedrich Wilhelm Ironworks in
Mulheim, Ruhr Region. Moreover, the introduction of the puddling method of
making iron by Friedrich Harkort and Dietrich Piepenstock resulted also in the
increase in iron production. Foreign investment also took part in the
development of the Ruhr Area. William Thomas Mulvany posed as one of the
successful foreign investors in the Ruhr Area. An Irish by birth, he along with
Irish investors opened mines in the Ruhr region and used the latest technology
in mining. In 1866, with his mines and iron works, he founded the Preussische
Bergwerkes und Hutten-aktiengesellschaft or the Prussian Mining and Ironworks
Company. In the 1850’s the regions of Westphalia, Rhineland, and Saar also
experience growth in their iron production. From 46,000 tons of iron produced
in 1810, it rose to 529,000 tons by 1850.
Steam
engines contributed to the industrial development of Germany. Steam engine powered
textile mills. Steam engine pumped out water in iron mines, making the
extraction of the ore easier. It allowed the increase in the number of
factories operating, most especially in Prussia. From only 419 in 1837 it grew
to 1,444 in 1849. Besides factories and source of power, steam also changed
trade. It allowed riverine tug boats to carry more load and transport goods
faster. The Defiance, the first steam ship in the Germany, sailed in the River
Rhine and followed by the launching of Caledonia in 1817. This types of ships
allowed the rise of industrial regions like the Ruhr region. It also allowed
German ships access to the Atlantic trade. Steam provided the power that drove
the industrial revolution in Germany.
As
stated, the use of steam engine led to the increase of coal. Aachen, Saarland,
Ruhr, Silesia, and Saxony became centers of coal mining. In addition, the use
of steam-driven tugboats led also the increase in demand and then production of
coals. So from just a 1 million ton of coal in 1820 it grew to over 6 million
in just thirty years.
Railroad
also served Germany well in its Industrial Revolution and also in its
Unification. The first railroad line opened on December 1835 and ran between
Nuremberg and Furth. In 1839, another lined opened that connected Dresden and
Leipzig. Initially, the private sector took the initiative in constructing
railroads. But when capital became scant, the state intervened and in some
states, nationalized the industry. In Prussia, the government took great part
and contributed with the private sector in laying out networks of railroad. In
1842, the Prussian government created the Railway fund in order to finance
railroad construction project. At first, Germans imported locomotives from
Britain or Belgium, but later on it began to produce its own. Berlin and Munich
became centers of locomotive production. Borsig became one of the successful
firms in Berlin. By the 1840’s major cities in Germany had been connected by
railroads. In Prussia, Berlin became a center of the railroad network. In 1948,
the railroad that connected Cologne and Minden helped to develop the Ruhr
Industrial region. Railroads connected the members of the Zollverein and made
trade and commerce more vibrant. Following railroads, communication and travel became
faster and organized. The faster mode of transportation brought huge benefits
to the Prussian Army. Mobilization became easier and faster and used during
Prussian wars in Austria during the Seven Week’s War and later on the
Franco-Prussian War. By then, Germany had 11,600 miles in 1870 from just 3,638
miles in 1850.
In
1871, Prussia finally united Germany. It then marked the new phase of Germany’s
industrial revolution. By then, Germany could now direct its economy under one
direction, and goods finally had a large market. In addition, the provinces of
Alsace and Lorraine that Germany took from France gave Germany even more
natural resources needed for industrialization.
Heavy
industry grew and developed after the German Unification. Steel production
rose. As early as 1800’s, steel had been produced in expensive and little
quantity. Alfred Krupp made a living out of producing steel. When the Bessemer
process made possible the mass production of steel in cheaper price, Krupp and
Hoesch used the process to their advantage. In 1879, steel became a booming
industry after the Thomas-Gilchrist method allowed the use of phosphoric iron
in making steel. Weapons manufacturing and ship building followed the steel
boom. Krupp for example became a well-known firm for its artillery.
With
the dawn of the so-called Second Industrial Revolution, Germany took over
Britain as the most industrialized country and competed with the United States.
In electrics, Germany offered companies like Siemens under Werner von Siemens and
Emil Rathenau’s General Electric Company or Allegemeine
Elektricitats-Gesellschaft or AEG. In chemical, Germany showed its scientific
skills and led the production of potassium salt, dyes, pharmaceutical products,
and synthetics. It led to rise of agricultural produce, thanks to its
increasing production of fertilizers. Germany also controlled 90% of dye
production worldwide. Companies like Bayer and Hoescht led the chemical
industry of Germany. Germany also beame a leader in automobile. First cars were
made in Germany. Daimler and Benz became the most popular brands of automobile
in Germany and the world.
Factors
that led to Germany’s boom in the Second Industrial Revolution included its
education and government support. Germany imposed new high tariffs against
imports and protected local industries and allowed them to flourish. It also
stated government subsidies towards businesses. But education played a key
role. For decades Prussia and many German States invested in education.
Technical schools produced great minds and inventors. Eventually, by the time
of the Second Industrial Revolution, Germany had a huge supply of talented and
skilled population.
See
also:
Bibliography:
"Industrial
History-Germany". ERIH. Accessed on April 25, 2015.
http://www.erih.net/
Hendrson,
W. O. The Industrial Revolution on the Continent: Germany, France, Russia, 1800
- 1914. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2006.
Holborn,
Hajo. A History of Modern Germany, 1840 - 1945. Princeton, New Jersey:
Princeton University Press, 1969.
Layton,
Geoff. From Kaiser to Fuhrer: Germany, 1900 - 1945. London: Hodder Education,
2009.
Tipton,
Frank. A History of Modern Germany Since 1815. Los Angeles, California:
University of California Press, 2003.
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