Regional Industrialisation in (Southwest) Germany: Patterns, Diffusion and Long-Term Effects

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Sebastian Braun
• Subject Area: Economic and Social History
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 471335227

Germany’s rapid industrialisation in the mid and late-19th century represents a profound structural break in its economic development. New technologies and forms of production spread, new industries emerged, and the transition to modern economic growth took place. In addition, mortality and fertility rates declined dramatically, and a new demographic equilibrium emerged. A core characteristic of these transformation processes is that they varied greatly from region to region. The empirical description and analysis of these regional differences are essential for understanding the Industrial Revolution as one of the central turning points in human history. Against this background, the project aims to analyse three central – but hitherto under-researched – aspects of regional industrialisation in Germany: (1) the diffusion of steam technology at the plant level, (2) the micro-geography of the demographic transition at the parish level and its economic causes, and (3) the long-term consequences of regional industrialisation processes for economic development in the 20th and 21st century. To this end, the project will compile – and make publicly available – three new datasets that provide information at a considerably more detailed regional level than existing sources on regional industrialisation in Germany. The datasets are thus expected to spur research in the area beyond the project period.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants