INTRODUCTION

The Industrial Revolution was a series of economic and social changes, which
brought with them a transformation in the style of work and the way of thinking that
resulted in a change in the structure of society. It began in England in the 18th
century, then spread to other countries, such as France, Germany, the United
States, Belgium, among others.

This revolution began with the invention and application of the steam engine and
other important inventions, (which made people's work increasingly more
productive) the displacement of craftsmanship to the creation of factories and
workshops, as well as massive migration from the countryside to the cities.

New transportation systems were also created and existing ones expanded.
Productive specialization was promoted since the division of labor increased
production.

Production was an important point, which had the sole purpose of increasing at the
expense of even the exploitation of workers.

But the industrialization process was not the same in all countries. In England the
necessary conditions were in place for this revolution to emerge and have great
results, however in other countries the same did not happen or it happened slowly
(such as France). In fact, only a handful of countries (globally) were industrialized
or in the process of industrializing.

DEVELOPMENT

One of the countries that began to industrialize but at a slower pace compared to
the others was France. And this is partly ironic since it had excellent institutions
and businessmen, not to mention that Paris was one of the most important
financial centers, even compared to London, with large reserves of capital.
In the various studies on industrialization processes, the notion of a kind of French
backwardness is assured in relation to the other industrial economies which were
seen as a model (first the English, then the German, and later, the Japanese).

An industrial revolution as such did not occur in France, or at least without a clearly
identifiable starting stage. This was a gradual process without a uniform rhythm,
which began in the last decades of the 18th century and in which periods of
acceleration and deceleration of growth alternated.

In the 18th century France was similar to England in wealth and technology.
France was one of the richest countries in all of Europe. This meant that its level of
development as a nation was very similar to that of England, therefore, objectively
speaking, France was in the same conditions as England to begin the
industrialization process.

In France there was already a growth in proto-industrial activities and a series of

proto-factories, which were establishments that had a high degree of organization
but needed a high level of investment and produced luxury goods.

But after the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, the industrialization
process began to differ from the English case.

French demographics were characterized by a very low birth rate compared to

other countries. At the same time the mortality rate slowly decreased. This,
coupled with the fact that the levels of migration in the country were very low,
France lacked young people, that is, the French population was increasingly older.

In a society where there is a scarce young population, labor production levels can
reduce, despite the experience that older people have obtained. It is worth
mentioning that, logically, this happens because some cognitive functions and
physical strength reduce with age. That is, for many work activities, advanced age
can be an impediment to carrying them out as they should.
However, this does not mean that in a country where birth rates are too high, this
country will grow economically, but quite the opposite; and this can be seen in less
developed countries, where living standards are precarious or low.

With the arrival of factories, young labor was increasingly in demand.

In the interwar period this process worsened. In the 19th century, France reduced
the birth rate alarmingly. What's more, the population increase was increasingly
weaker. The data offered by net growth were nothing more than the result of
lengthening longevity. Consequently, France reached a significant degree of
demographic aging.

The determining factor of demographic pressure, for understanding the

industrialization process, did not exist as such. Its absence greatly reduced global
demand and slowed the pace of industrial development, contrary to what
happened in England.

Another important point that also influenced the slow development of French
industrialization was agriculture.

The entire burden of developing agricultural processes fell on the peasants, who
not only lacked resources but also, despite this, had to pay excessive taxes.

France did not know how to take advantage of the significant increase in
agricultural productivity that characterized the 18th century. Nor did he undertake
the enclosure revolution as occurred in England. The enclosure revolution
consisted of the replacement of communal rights with those of private property.
The plots which were previously dispersed became the property of individuals,
grouped and closed by fences. On these plots they developed the best agricultural
techniques of the time, such as crop rotation, soil drainage, use of new fertilizers,
etc.

Other aspects that hindered the development of agriculture and industrialization in

general in France was the scarcity of means of transportation and roads that
facilitated the circulation of goods and farm products. This was another important
characteristic of the level of delay in the industrialization process in France, since
in the other industrialized countries, roads and means of transport (such as
railways) had favorable economic repercussions.

French industrial development occurred within a framework of traditional

development, while the growth of production in Great Britain was marked by
innovation. The constancy of traditional production systems was a distinctive
feature of French industrialization also in the 19th century.

On the other hand, from 1789 to 1815 (that is, from the beginning of the French
Revolution to the end of the Napoleonic Wars, respectively) France lived almost
permanently at war. This caused a decrease in the growth of the economy.
Economically speaking, this had negative effects, such as the loss of its colonial
empire, external markets and sources of supply, not to mention the massive
mobilization of the population for war.

In general, the process of technological innovation stopped, with the exception of

the cotton textile industry.

Among the positive aspects we can mention that the French Revolution abolished
the Feudal system, changing it to one of small and medium property (this
characterized the French economy) and also encouraged the creation of schools
that trained professionals and researchers. .

Another important issue is French dualism, which consisted of the combination of

artisanal activities with factory work, that is, France's dual system was a mixture of
manual industry with mechanized industry. Likewise, French industry in the 19th
century consisted of intensive labor. This was characterized by the systematic
mobilization and organization of the workforce, leaving aside the teaching of new
techniques, which would have further encouraged industrial progress.

Also, a large part of the population and the workforce that worked in the factories,
still lived in the countryside and did work at home. That is, rural areas were more
present than urban areas.
In fact, work inside the factories was still far from resembling other industrialized
countries, since instead of being centers of proletarians they seemed more like
archaic places where various artisans met. The difference is that these artisans
lost direct access to the market, becoming salaried even working at home.

Between 1860 and 1880, the French economy once again suffered a slowdown. In
response, a modernization of the industry and investment in equipment began. At
this time the massive use of the steam engine began, the chemical, metallurgical,
hydroelectric, automotive and also photographic industries were developed.

In the 19th century, Alsace's industry was home to steel, textile, sugar, etc.
production. Which were exported.

In general, traditional industries were mechanized and bank financing of industrial

investments increased and the number of joint stock companies grew, although
these were still few.

It was in the 19th century when the French economy was transformed and the
predominance of agriculture was reduced. Although the primary sector still housed
the highest levels of employment in 1914, it was no longer the first factor
contributing to the national product.

Another fundamental aspect that influenced France's backwardness was that this
country lacked natural resources (such as coal) compared to other countries such
as England, Belgium and Germany. Its main coal-producing areas were the
northwest and the Loire Valley, in which the steel and mechanical industries were
developed and modernized.

Coal was the main source of energy at the time of the Industrial Revolution.
Definitely, the scarcity of this resource in France contributed very significantly to
the delay in the industrialization of this country. Of all the countries, France was the
only one that saw the need to import it.
We know that when the demand for a resource is very high and the supply is
scarce, its price can rise and that happened with French coal, being the most
expensive of the industrial countries.

CONCLUSION

With this we can conclude that the slow industrialization in France occurred
because the conditions were not the most favorable for the new system that would
be the cradle of capitalism to emerge easily, as happened in England.

Although France and the main industrial country (England) had very similar
conditions in terms of wealth and other factors, France was disadvantaged by
aspects that were even impossible to change, such as the scarcity of natural
resources (such as coal). Also, although France had a large reserve of capital, it
definitely did not know how to take advantage of it, much less invest it in the
national industry, making it more difficult to adapt to the modern system.

In general, France had an Industrial Revolution without an Industrial Revolution.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Niveau, Maurice, History of contemporary economic events , Ed. Ariel,

Barcelona, Spain, 1989, first book, chapter. II, “Industrialization and growth
of the French economy”

2. Hobsbawm, E. J., Around the origins of the Industrial Revolution , Ed. 21st
century, chap. IX.

3. María Inés Barbero. General economic and social history . Ed. Macchi.
Mexico, 2001.
4. Anonymous (10/14/2015). Does work productivity reduce with age?
Universia. Website address:
https://noticias.universia.es/portada/noticia/2015/10/14/1132305/reduce-
producttividad-laboral-edad.html