Step 58 of 103

Continental Europe

Read this step

Belgium: First continental European nation to industrialize, drawing on coal, iron, and textile traditions
France: Industrialized more slowly than Britain, partly because of conservative banking practices and a more conservative peasantry. Strong in luxury goods and chemicals.
Germany: Industrialized rapidly after 1850, especially after unification in 1871. Germany surpassed Britain in steel and chemicals by 1900. Strong educational system (research universities, technical schools) drove innovation. Geographic concentration of resources in the Ruhr Valley aided rapid growth.