French Text

What was France doing during the Industrial Revolution?

I have a school project, and I need to know what France was doing during the Industrial Revolution.

Public Comments

1. cleaning up all the decapitated bodies
2. handling some problems with the british while the americans were cleaning up the british in canada
3. Probably surrendering to some army.
4. Manufacturing white flags
5. France was industrializing also, Between 1820 and 1913 most of Europe including France tripled its GDP per capita. Some of the most important discoveries and inventions were made in France. For economic growth rates see http://www.fte.org/capitalism/introduction/02.php# For discoviers see http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/france.shtml
6. France was part of "the" Industrial Revolution, along with England, some key German city-states. France had benefited from the Agricultural Revolution of the 17th and 18th centuries, as most of Europe had. And it had the intellectual capital, infrastructure (roads and ports, a postal service, central recordkeeping, a standing army) to engage in trade and diplomany equally with if not in superiority to most of the world. France lacked some of England's success in the Industrial Revolution, and the difference may be attributable to the treasure it spent on revolution, wars and empire-building during the key period of 1750-1850, when the English were busy with their Industrial Revolution, and with repelling Napoleon. The later Louis (14-16) supported scientific and industrial development with loads of money. It resulted in many changes for the better in France - and many for the worse. And France was close enough to England, and rich enough, to share in any commercially available developments in England rather quickly. So when railroads expanded in England, there was a rapid echo in France (and German states, and Italy...).