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The history of the world economy - Polyak GB

20.3. Features of the socio-economic development in Germany

The reasons for economic backwardness

By the beginning of the XIX century. Germany has not solved the main problems to get out of underdevelopment. One reason for this was the political fragmentation of the country. Only in 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, who has completed the period of the Napoleonic Wars, it was signed by the act of the creation of the German Confederation, which brought together 34 of the monarchy and four free cities. However, the economic legacy of decades of political division continued to affect everything. There is still no unified monetary system, the system of weights and measures. Customs outpost in the country significantly hampered the possibility of economic, trade and transport links. Almost everywhere, except the Left Bank of the Rhine, has long remained bereft guild system. The guild privileges and rights were canceled fishing law only in 1869. German handicraft products could not compete with the manufactory, and even more manufactured goods from more developed countries. Was born at the end of the previous century, the German Manufactory was still too weak. In addition, German merchants, craftsmen and other wealthy citizens still did not have sufficient funds for the organization of large-scale manufacturing.

No better was the situation in agriculture, where more than 70% of the population were employed. There was dominated by the vestiges of feudal relations -. Large landed property of the landowners (Junkers), serf duties, etc. Quite a weak production base was.

The transition from the feudal to the bourgeois social order in Germany took place much more slowly than in England and France. Where economic and political domination of the feudal lords was not broken by the bourgeois revolution, and gradually restricted by state reforms, redemptions and other feudal obligations.

Prussian path of agrarian evolution

The elimination of feudal relations took place in the absence of a unified agrarian legislation and wore a rather protracted. Attempts partial liquidation of the feudal regime in the country were carried out previously. In Prussia, the most significant and strong German state in 1807, was proclaimed the destruction of personal enslavement, but quite heavy conditions for the peasants. In particular, the weight of guilt remained associated with allotments. In 1811, the Prussian peasant received the right to redeem their guilt for the first 25-fold, and later for the 18-times the size of the rent or the landlord to give part of his allotment. The abolition of the ejido (brand) allowed the cadets with impunity seize communal pastures and land. Redemption operation stretched to 70-ies. XIX century. Receipt of these funds allowed to carry out the reorganization of the capitalist economy.

In March 1850 in Prussia it passed a law abolishing the small duties of peasants, but has retained a large Junker estates and a lot of feudal survivals. Gradually agrarian reform coverage and other German states: Bavaria, Nassau, Württemberg, Hesse-Darmstadt, Baden, and OE, however, the feudal survivals in Germany, especially in the form of a large Junker tenure, a number of layers of feudal obligations of peasants, the financial burden of the redemption operations and T. d ., preserved. This so-called Prussian path of capitalist evolution of agriculture, was characteristic of Prussia and Mecklenburg, where cadet farming area of over 100 hectares occupied by one third to one half of the land used. In the north-western lands and Bavaria formed Grossbauern kulak farms. In the southwest is dominated by small farms.

In the 30-40-ies. It noted some recovery of agricultural production. We began to introduce more complex crop rotations, crop rotation and grassland systems. Discovery of the German chemist Liebig (author of the theory of chemical rotting fermentation, mineral plant nutrition theory) laid the foundations of agrochemicals and fertilizer application. To expand the production of industrial crops, in Silesia and Saxony - sugar beet, in Prussia - the potato and on its base mass production of potato vodka *. The development of agriculture was accompanied by the growth of livestock. Widespread use in the cadet, and the kulaks began to find farm equipment - cultivators, reapers, threshers.

* In Prussia began to grow potatoes on the orders of King Frederick II. The population initially resisted, but gradually evaluate the merits of a new culture, and potatoes became the basis of food and in other European countries.

Frederick II oversees potato planting

The growth of specialization of agriculture and the rise of areas "commercial agriculture" reflects the progressive trends in the economy. Germany came out on top in the world for the collection of potatoes and beets. German agricultural products and food industry products accounted for a significant portion of German exports.

bourgeois revolution

However, many of the country's problems have not been solved. So, for the first half of the XIX century. Germany has failed to regain his former power in maritime trade. Still she remained in isolation from world trade routes.

The bourgeois revolution of 1848 in Germanki helped create the conditions for capitalist development of the industrial revolution, the political unification of the country. And yet, it was half-hearted, incomplete. He could not destroy nor feudal monarchy nor power cadets. The landed nobility (the Junkers) retained the key positions in the state apparatus, the armed forces, the courts, were the diplomatic corps and others.

An important role in the economic advancement of the country played a phased attempt to soften, and then eliminate the first economic and later political division of Germany. The emerging large-scale industry of the country was in need of protectionism and customs protection.

Even before the revolution, in 1818 customs law killed on the territory of Prussia customs outpost, collect internal taxes and excise duties. Establishes uniform tariffs for goods un-Prussian. In 1833 it was established Customs Union, bringing together about 20 North German states and won the right to enter into trade agreements with the European countries. It was an important step towards economic and political union, contributed to the expansion and deepening of the internal market for large-scale industry, encouraged railway construction.

More and more aggravated the need for economic growth is possible only in the conditions of the industrial revolution.

Beginning of the industrial revolution

Already in the late XVIII - early XIX centuries. in the process of industrial production, the Germans began to use foreign, especially British engineering and technology. On the basis of the English cotton industry developed machines. Sets furnace cast iron smelting with coal. Applied puddling. But many valuable technical devices and machines have been created by German inventors.

The industrial revolution in Germany has gone through a number of stages. Up to 50-ies. at its initial stage it was affected mainly the sector of the textile industry. (. 60-70 years) The following two decades were associated with the development of heavy industries - coal, metallurgy, mechanical engineering. End of 70-ies. characterized by the completion of the industrial revolution, and coincided with the monopolization of production.

Traditionally, the industrial revolution swept the textile industry. In Saxony developed cotton production in Silesia - flax spinning. At the Leipzig Trade Fair has been widely presented products of silk. Textiles became increasingly on machine base. So, in 1846 in the areas of the Customs Union, there were more than 310 thousand and 750 pryadilen. Mechanical spindles.

Especially notable changes have occurred in the heavy industry. The advent of steam engines led to an increase in demand for coal. More than half increased its production, and the number of workers employed in the mines - even four times. The growing number of workers in other sectors of heavy industry in the first half of the XIX century. It was even more significant - 12 times. The greatest development has received the Rhine-Westphalian industrial area, where they were concentrated about 200 domain and one-quarter of all workers in Germany.

Great importance was attached to the railway construction. The first railway linking Nuremberg and Fürth in 1835, had a length of 12 km. But in the late 40-ies. the length of the railway line reached 2.5 thousand. km. However, their own locomotive plant is not kept pace with growing demand. And in the early 40-ies. in the country have used a little more than 15% of the locomotives of its own production. They are produced in the factories Borsig in Berlin and Chemnitz and Kassel.

The first railway in Germany

Yet in the 30-40-ies. The industrial revolution had not yet gained full force and at an early stage. For example, the total power of steam engines all Prussia in the mid 40s. only slightly higher than equipment Lancashire cotton mills in England, where there were more than 710 steam engines with a total capacity of 20 thousand. liters. from.

The industrial boom of the 50-60-ies.

The basis for the economic recovery of 50-60 years. has served a number of circumstances, including certain of the bourgeois revolution of 1848 Thus, in the post-revolutionary period was adopted by the Commercial Code, it established the Supreme Commercial Court, introduced a new fishing regulations, eliminate the remnants of guild privileges and facilitate the establishment of new joint-stock companies, established a uniform system of measures weights and measures, introduced unified railway tariffs. The positive role played by middle and geographical location, which turned Germany into a European country of transit.

In addition, an active railway construction contributed to the economic unity of the country, has a powerful stimulating effect on the rise of large, especially heavy industry. States to exercise considerable interest in railway construction, appreciating its strategic military importance. Many railways became the state enterprises, and after some public funding in their construction nationalized. By the early 70-ies. State owned more than 40% of the railway network of the country. Construction of railways, in turn, expanded the demand for coal, rails, locomotives, wagons.

A powerful impetus to the development of large industry was given the militaristic orientation of Prussia, which was headed by German unification "by blood and iron." In those years the foundations of the German war industry were established - the production of guns A. Krupp, Borsig AG and others.

The formation of new industries and technologies contributed to major discoveries and developments. World importance of the creation of EV acquired Siemens dynamo (1867), as well as obtaining synthetic dyes from coal - the basis of aniline dyes (1856). Started development of potash production, and so on. D.

However, for the development of large-scale industry was required to overcome foreign competition and the mobilization of significant investment. The main components of this process began indemnity payments farmers, robbing her of the proletariat, who are paid relatively low, as well as export to the European market of bread, potato vodka, sugar, wool.

In the same period, the foundations of the credit system sdrany, are joint-stock banks and companies. Thus, in the 50-60-ies. Prussia was created around 300 mining, metallurgy, insurance, railway and other companies with a capital of about 2.5 billion. marks.

As a result of the 50-70-ies. German industry has reached unprecedented in the XIX century. growth. For this indicator, the country has overtaken Britain and France. During the 50-ies. industrial output has doubled over the 60-ies. I grew even half. Germany accounts for 13% of global industrial production. Particular success achieved heavy industry. During the 60-ies. production of capital goods increased by 23% and consumer goods - only 9%. For 50-60-ies. coal production has increased by almost five times, the production of pig iron - more than seven times the length of railways has increased more than three times the power of steam engines - nine times. According to these indicators, Germany ahead of France. However, the industrial revolution had not yet been fully completed. In a number of industries remained craftwork. And agriculture is predominant over the industry.

The situation of workers

These decades have been particularly severe for both industrial and agricultural workers. For the village - this is the burden of payment of feudal obligations, laborers operation for the city - a steady decline in the average wage. The work of the German workers were paid 1.6 times less than the British, and 4.6 times less than in the US. The organization of labor in factories led to its intensification. The working day lasted 13-16 hours. At the end of the crisis 40s. unemployment was at a number of up to a quarter of the employed.

The wide scope in Germany has received the labor movement. The expansion of capitalism and the reactionary police state very aggravated class contradictions. In the middle of the XIX century. the country became the center of the world revolutionary movement and the emergence of Marxism. Here in 1847, the first congress of "League of Communists", entrusted to Marx and Engels to prepare the "Communist Manifesto", published in early 1848