Study title

Timeseries of ironproduction, of irontrade and of price- and cost levels in different countries and regions (Great Britain, Belgium, France and the German Empire, without Alsace-Lorraine). The study’s aim is to contribute to the clarification of open questions concerning the process of technology transfer. Focus of consideration is the iron industry. The spatial and the temporal development of the profound transformation of iron-production from wood charcoal technology to mineral coal technology in Belgium, France and Germany are described and explained. Furthermore, the author demonstrates the involvement of these countries in the foreign trade. For this purpose, the external trade statistics are used. The author analyzes long data rows of iron production, iron exports, iron imports and the price- and cost levels of different countries and regions. Foreign trade flows are an important channel for the dissemination of new iron-techniques at the international level. In addition, the analysis of the political decisions of the individual countries shows, how government action set the conditions (e.g. by Tariff policy or Railway policy) affecting the development of the iron industries. The study is structured by the different countries, and here again with a complete division in the period before and after the railway construction around 1835. The railway construction is a very important event for the initiation and implementation of modern techniques of iron. Thematical subdivision of the study; Data tables in the search and download system HISTAT (Topic: Innovation): A. The British Iron Industry A.1 Change of the British iron industry in the 18th Century A.2 British iron exports in the first third of the 19th Century A.3 British iron exports in the second third of the 19th Century A.4 Tables annexed to the British iron industry B. The Belgian iron industry B.1 Iron production in the first half of the 19th Century B.2 Iron production in the second half...