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History of the world economy - Polyak GB

Trade. Banks

The success of the country's industrialization has had a significant impact on the development of trade. Inside the country increased turnover. For the 50-60-ies. Freight traffic throughout the country increased from 190 to 4045 million t-km, that is, more than 21 times. The volume of money circulation has increased more than 27 times. Trade expanded at the largest fairs, especially in Leipzig. Large department stores were created. Commodity exchanges registered significant wholesale transactions.

Foreign trade did not lag behind. Only in the 50-ies. The export of German goods tripled, and imports doubled. A positive trade balance was achieved. The total volume of foreign trade in the 50-60-ies. Has tripled.

Since the second half of the XIX century. Increasingly the share of industrial output in German exports increased. German machines, metal products, cotton and woolen fabrics, tannery, coal, sugar, etc. came to the international markets. The main import commodities were agricultural products and raw materials (wheat, barley, cotton, wool, raw skins, iron and copper ores and etc.).

The attempt to move to free-traders turned out to be unsuccessful and short-lived, although it provided for some time to the German Junkers the opportunity to export duty-free agricultural products to England. For the present, Germany has failed to protect itself from British competition. Completion of industrialization of the country, connected with the transition from export of agricultural products to its import, and in the import of industrial products to its export, required a policy of strict protectionism.

The second half of Hex. Was characterized by unprecedented grundership (the establishment of joint-stock companies). If for the 1800-1870 gg. About 500 joint-stock companies were established, then only in the 1970s. - 968 with a capital of about 3 billion marks. Capitalist credit has developed. There is a network of issuing banks. The leading position was taken by the Prussian Bank. Joint stock commercial banks, especially the German bank in Berlin (1870), the Dresdner Bank (1872) and others became the focus of national capital mobilization.

Industrial rise of 70-90-ies .

By the early 70's. Germany entered a period of a new, rather powerful economic recovery. The fundamental turning point was especially evident in the basic technical and economic indicators. The industry was equipped with new equipment and was energetically rearmed. Significantly increased output, especially in heavy industry. Instead of pudding, more efficient Thomas and open-heart methods of metal smelting were used. Labor productivity exceeded the corresponding figures in France and England. The volume of foreign trade expanded.

The leading role in this was played by the victory in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and the political unification of the country into a single German empire (1871). Thus, the victory over France brought the winner a huge contribution of 5 billion francs, aimed at equipping the German production. In addition, Germany has got rich French provinces - Alsace and Lorraine - and iron ore from France has essentially replenished the German coal and metallurgical base of the Rhine and Saarland basins. This brought the heavy industry of Germany, especially metallurgy, metalworking, machine building, to the leading positions in the country. By adding a fairly developed cotton industry to the seized French provinces, Germany doubled the production of calendars.

In turn, the formation of a single German empire resolved a number of major problems that had previously hindered the course of capitalist development. So, a unified state administration apparatus was created. Thanks to the removal of internal customs barriers, access to the all-German market was obtained. Unified trade legislation was established. In the 70-ies. A unified monetary system, a system of measures and weights, an all-German railway and postal law. Citizens of the German Empire were decreed the guarantee of private property, freedom of fishing and contractual agreement.

In 1879, the country introduced protectionist policies that encouraged and supported the development of the domestic industry by raising duties on imported products. Railway support was still widely used by state support. Many railways were nationalized.

Completion of the industrial revolution and its consequences

With the end of the late 70's. The growth of production was particularly intensified. The German industry relied on the latest technical inventions: the creation of an electric motor, an internal combustion engine, a steam turbine, the transmission of electricity over a distance, etc. Enterprises of the country received a lot of hired workers. The source of its replenishment was the highest birth rate among the leading countries, as well as the flow of ruined artisans and peasants.

The pace of railway construction was accelerated. During the first five years of the 70's. More railways were built than in the previous decade. For the years 1870-1910. The length of railways has increased more than 33 times and amounted to about 60 thousand km. In fact, in the 70's. The creation of a system of wide-gauge railways was completed. Now the railways were brought to each city or plant.

Capital was sent to such a large railway construction from various sources: these were the own funds of joint stock companies, and foreign, especially British investments, as well as indemnities received from France.

The large-scale railway construction contributed to the true flourishing of the German industry. Especially powerful impetus for the development of the technical base of production, engineering and transport in the late XIX - early XX centuries. Was the use of internal combustion engines and electric power. The products of metallurgy and machine building became the basis of German exports. In particular, Germany exported cars to the first place in the world. At the end of XIX century. New branches of industry, especially electrotechnical, aluminum, and chemical, received powerful development. The shortage of raw materials somewhat inhibited the development of light and food industries.

In general, for the last third of the XIX century. The volume of production of the German industry has grown fivefold, while in France it has tripled, and in England it has only doubled. As a result, by the end of the XIX century. Germany has evolved from an agrarian- industrial to a powerful industrial-agrarian power.

The urban population increased steadily over the 70-90s. From 33 to 50%, and in 1910 it was already 60%

Agriculture

By the 1970s, the agrarian reforms were over. However, the growth of production of this branch of the economy was somewhat restrained by feudal remnants, as well as by the large feudal landownership that remained and the high size of absolute rent. In a number of large estates of East Prussia, many peasants were given freedom, but without obtaining land, they became hired workers in the cadet estates.

The state continued to take measures to raise the level of agricultural production. In particular, a law was passed to limit the arbitrariness of usurers. The agroculture in the specially created agronomic society, experimental stations and agricultural schools was propagandized. Agricultural associations were formed. Agricultural machinery and mineral fertilizers were increasingly used.

Such methods of intensive agricultural production produced positive results: crop yields increased, crop crops grew, livestock numbers increased.

Monopolies

In the last third of the XIX century. The concentration of production and capital intensified their monopolization. Prevailing cartels and syndicates, especially in the mining and related heavy industry. Associations of this type monopolized only the sphere of sale. In the technical and economic and organizational relations, enterprises were free.

Especially large monopolies were formed in the mining, metallurgical, machine-building and construction industries. During the 80-90-ies. The number of enterprises with the number of workers over one thousand people increased fourfold. The Rhine-Westphalian Coal Mining Syndicate was established. He controlled 95% of Ruhr basin coal production and more than 40% of all coal mining in the country. Large monopolistic associations were formed in the electrotechnical ( AEG -General Electricity Society and Siemens), steel and military ( Krupp), chemical (// G. Farbenindustrie), shipbuilding (North German Lloyd and the Hamburg-American Company ) And other industries. The number of cartels and syndicates has grown 50-fold: from six in 1870 to 300 in 1900. The peculiarity of German monopolies was reduced to their magnitude - sometimes they united dozens and even coti enterprises.

Monopolization also affected the banking sector. In the early XX century. The nine largest banks owned half of all deposits or more than four-fifths of Germany's banking capital. Significant domestic investment was directed to the rise of the German industry.

Expansion of German imperialism

At the end of XIX century. Germany intensified the propaganda of the plan for imperialist annexations, justifying it with an acute shortage of markets for raw materials and sales. The country has outgrown the framework of the domestic market, and Germany has not had a large colonial empire from which raw materials could be supplied at low prices and where goods would become duty-free.

The idea of ​​expanding the living space was manifested in the creation of the Pan-German Union (1891), in the need to seize new territories, etc. Togo, Cameroon, Northwest Africa, the Carolinas, the Mariana and the Marshall Islands, etc. were captured. And yet the German colonial possessions! Remained less English more than 11 times the area and 32 times the population.

The aggressive appetites of Germany, fueled by foreign trade competition with Britain and France, grew. Foreign economic clashes also affected Russian-German relations. So, at the end of the XIX century. Junkers have increased the customs duties on imports of Russian agricultural products. And when Russia responded the same to cars imported from Germany and equipment, a customs war broke out. The victory was over economically more mature Germany. But relations between the countries have not softened.

In Germany there was a powerful military-industrial complex, on which the industry of the country worked. The expenditures for the army and navy increased significantly. The armament of the ground forces was improved. A large navy was formed. The country seriously began to prepare a war for the redivision of the world, the seizure not only of the British and French colonies, but also of territories in Europe, the establishment of world domination.

In the late 70's, Germany's military bloc with Austria-Hungary was formed. In the early 80's it was joined by Italy - the Triple Alliance (1882) was formed, which played a fatal role in unleashing the world massacre of 1914-1918.

Questions for repetition

1. What are the main events that determined the direction and results of the economic life of the leading countries of Western Europe in the 19th century?

2. Explain the term "industrial civilization".

3.Explain the term "industrial revolution". Compare the directions and results of the industrial revolution in France and Germany.

4. Describe the social and economic consequences of the industrial revolution in England, France and Germany.

5. Explain why Germany, in the first half of the XIX century. Remained an economically backward state, by the end of the XIX century. Surpassed England and France industrially.

6. Tell us about the specifics of socio-economic development of the leading European countries in the last third of the XIX century. What is the dynamics of their economic leadership?

7. What, in your opinion, was the reason for the aggravation of economic contradictions between the most developed countries at the end of the nineteenth century?