In 1871, Bismarck finally got his way changing everything. The New German Confederation was formed, and all the German states were united under one ruling organization. This lead to co-ordination of the country in its actions making it less susceptible to political, social, or military attack. Hence, the new Germany was very strong with the unification providing a base platform for industry to grow, and Bismarck was concerned for this well. He implemented several policies to protect the newly formed businesses; among them were laws which forced up the cost of many foreign items and provided the better value to the German goods. This reinforced the economy and industry responded. After this, the economy of Germany sky rocketed. Germany then …show more content…
It constituted the most modern industries in all Europe that even included Britain. The German Empire came to challenge Britain as Europe's primary industrial nation during this period. By 1914, Germany had even exceeded Britain which was the motherland of the Industrial Revolution, in significant sections, i.e. the production of steel or chemicals and the electrical industries. The founding of the Reich in 1871 brought about a unification of the German market by unifying currencies, weights and measures, the legal system and through a common representation abroad. The five milliards francs paid by France to Germany as reparation were an additional incentive to a powerful boom, which ended abruptly in the great crash of 1873. The following period up to 1895 is now known as the ‘Great Depression’, owing to the slow recovery of the economy and reduced economic growth. From 1896 to 1914 economic expansion was the characteristic trait, apart from a few fluctuations. In particular, the last two decades of peace saw the hectic, even breathtaking rise of German industry with serious political, social and psychological consequences. One of the immediate consequences of industrialization was the rapid increase in population. Emigration mostly to America was drastically reduced in the 1880s and more Germans found work and relative prosperity in the new German industries. The German population rose from 41 million in 1871 to 64 million. Germany by far surpassed France, traditionally the largest nation in Europe since the Middle Ages. (Geiss,