● Germany was noted for
their work in fabrics
● Manufactured felt,
hats, leather wares, watches
● As early as 1730,
German mechanics in America began to make musical
instruments
● The foundation of
the German Customs Union was the trigger for the
Industrial Revolution.
○ When trade barriers between German states were abolished in 1834
this gave rise to an attractive market in goods. Demand for coal
rose
quickly and mining areas boomed.
● The railways proved
to be the motor of German industrialisation. Their
constructors enjoyed amazing success.
○ The first railway line to go into operation was between
Nuremberg and
Fürth.
○ Several years later firms in Munich and Berlin were building
their own
locomotives, soon began to overtake their British forerunners
and
went into the export business.
○ Mechanical engineering was the third major pillar of the
expanding
economy alongside coal and steel. By the end of the 19th century
German businesses had taken over a leading role in the modern
areas
of chemicals and electrical engineering.
● The industrial factory was
separate and often distant from the home.
● The machinery and new sources of
power required large concentrations of labor
within
factories.
● Factory production created
working and living conditions that were much worse
than
what had been the norm in rural life.
● Early factories and mines were
crowded, dirty, and dangerous. The usual
workday
was twelve to fifteen hours long.
● Workers' families were crowded
together in dark, damp quarters.
● Factory discipline could be
severe - workers were often expected to pay for
broken
equipment out of their own wages.
● Employers could get away with
paying their workers minimal salaries, barely
enough to
support a family
