Development history of German modern industry

Germany made full use of its advantages in the development of heavy industry and quickly caught up with and surpassed the earliest industrial countries such as Britain and France in other industrial fields. Some specific indicators are: 1, a very complete railway system has been established in a very short time, and its railway length has increased from 19 12 18887 km to 60521km; 2. The world's largest commercial and trade fleet has been established, with steam-powered ships increasing from 818719.94 million tons in 0 to 43,803.48 million tons in 19 13. 3. Rapidly expand its machinery manufacturing industry, making Germany the largest machine in the world in a short time. 19 12, Krupp employed 68,300 workers in Essen. In the same period, the electrical and chemical industries in Germany have also developed by leaps and bounds. From the perspective of the employed population, the total number of workers in these two industries is not large, but because of their advanced technology and great development potential, their importance far exceeds their proportion in industry.

In fact, some important enterprises in Germany had already started to develop before the establishment of the German Empire. 18 16, Krupp plant, one of the earliest steel casting plants in Germany, stopped production due to debts. After its founder Friedrich Krupp resumed production in 18 18, he was forced to hand over the factory to his son in 1826, but the situation still did not improve. Fortunately, after the establishment of the German Customs Union, the German economy began to take off. 1834, due to the construction of the railway, Krupp accepted the first order for cast steel wheels, so the turnaround of the factory appeared and the real development began. 183 1 year, the number of workers in its factory was only 1 1, and by 1849, it had increased to 683. By the middle of19th century, it had exceeded 1700. At this time, Krupp not only supplied wheels, but also produced artillery, more than half of which were supplied to foreign countries.

The development of the electrical industry is linked with the names Werner von Siemens and Emile Ratenau. Siemens is a clever inventor. He designed and manufactured a generator at 1867 and applied it to electrified railways. Rathenau cooperated with Siemens to establish the German Edison Electric Company in 1883, and then gradually separated from Siemens and became an independent German General Electric Company. These two companies have promoted the development of German electrical industry, and they have strong technological innovation capabilities.

The start of chemical industry is different from that of electrical industry, because Germany has already formed the tradition of chemical experiments. However, the decisive development of the chemical industry was completed in the period of the German Empire, and many chemical industries were later merged into the German Central Dyestuff Company and preserved to this day. This dye company has always been in a very leading position in the chemical industry in Germany. During this period, Germany's chemical products such as dyes, chemicals and pharmaceuticals also developed rapidly, and Germany's strength in basic scientific research made German chemical products enjoy an international reputation.

It is precisely because of the large-scale development of these large companies that Germany's industry can catch up and quickly catch up with and surpass countries such as Britain and France that started first.