French Industrial Revolution Research Paper

Isabella Burke

Mr. Wujek

Western Civ Honors

12 April 2018

The French Industrial Revolution

During the seventeen and eighteen hundreds, France went through some radical changes. The French Revolution completely changed its system of government, Napoleon became emperor, religion was changing, and so much more. Although France went through many transformations involving liberty and equality, perhaps the most relevant breakthrough was the industrial revolution.

England was one of the first countries to go through an industrial age. It was suited perfectly for it because it is surrounded by water, had lots of workers, and was rich with natural resources. France however, did not have the luxury of any of these things, so it was harder for them to get started. Their industrial revolution happened much after other countries in Europe. France got most of its iron and coal from Belgium which was advancing at a similar rate.

France’s modern age was sped up by ideas like colbertism. Colbertism is an economic concept created by Jean Colbert that believes in the

assets of trade and commercialism. Jean Colbert was the French minister of finance during the rule of Louis XIV. As result of his influence, France began producing its own goods like porcelain, silk, and furniture.
The French government wanted to encourage the technical advances being made in the country, so they opened up schools like Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures and Écoles des Arts et Métiers.

Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures was founded in 1829 by president Alphonse Lavallee and his three founding associates Jean-Baptiste Dumas, Eugene Pelet, and Theodore Olivier. Some of its alumni include Norbert Rillieux who invented the multiple effect evaporator and Gustave Eiffel who designed the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. Ecoles des Arts et Metiers was founded by Duke of La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt in 1780 making it one of France’s oldest schools. Its focus is on engineering, mechanics and industrialization so it was a perfect fit for what the government was looking for at the time. Some of their alumni are Alexandru G. Golescu, a politician, and Rene Fonck, an ace of the Allied military during World War

I.
In the late 1700’s France’s government went through an abrupt change. The citizens revolted against the bourgeoisie, beginning the reign of terror and the French Revolution. Napoleon saw this as a perfect time to rise up and take over the weakened government. In 1804 Napoleon designated himself as emperor. While emperor, Napoleon established a set of laws called the Napoleonic Code or the Civil Code. The Civil Code allowed products to move across the country without paying taxes and threw out guild systems.
Although the French Revolution slowed down the rate of industrialization, Napoleon’s rule gave the economy time to repair and develope. Domestic trade was easier than ever due to the roads and canals Napoleon had built during the war. He had man-made canals connect to the major rivers to speed up shipment of goods. There was also a considerable need for uniforms and guns during the Napoleonic Wars which made the textile and iron industry thrive. Joseph Jacquard invented the Jacquard Loom in 1805, speeding up the rate at which textiles could be made. Factory workers burned his machines and attacked Jacquard because his loom caused them to lose their jobs. But in 1812 the Jacquard Loom was generally accepted. --
Although there were many technological advances during the industrial revolution, there were also many scientific discoveries. In 1795, Nicolas Appert began a series of experiments in preserving food. Appert was a french chef who created a method of canning food in airtight jars. He began experimenting in food preserving due to a prize issued by the French Directory to find the best way to conserve food for transport. Appert later published his findings and won 12,000 francs for his research. His formula became so popular, that it was used to feed French soldiers during the Napoleonic wars.