Were European governments strengthened or weakened by the development of industry in their countries?

In Germany, the Industrial Revolution was made possible by the setting up of the trade union in 1818, the Zollverein, which abolished tolls between the various Germany states to create a free market.  At the time, the German political system was restrictive, which prompted the rising of the private sector. Germany had no colonies, therefore all investments and trade were focused in the country, which made the country profitable. Rich in raw materials, such as the coalfields in the Ruhr, and abundant iron deposits, made Germany to be the foremost coal and chemical producer in the world. With the advances in transportation, including the steamboat, and railway steam locomotives, there was a vast increase in global trade. In this respect, the Industrial Revolution was a great source of income (and therefore strength) for both Britain and Germany.

However, for the European governments, the Industrial Revolution also played a part in the weakening of their respective regimes.  As industrialization gave rise to mass urbanisation, the distinction between bourgeoisie and the proletariat grew larger as workers were herded into slums. Low wages, poor living and working conditions, long hours, and the spread of diseases such as cholera caused dissent and insubordination of the British workingmen. It reached its peak in the mid-nineteenth century with Chartism, an ideology that called for political reform in the country. The Charter called for several changes to the Parliamentary system that would definitively change the existing British government, namely universal male suffrage, annual parliaments and elections, and social justice. The Chartism movement became a large-scale strike. Though these demands did not receive a favourable response from the government, in course of time these demands were conceded one by one. In this way we can say that the Industrial Revolution strengthened forces of democracy in England, and therefore weakened the oppressive rule of the existing government.

The industrial revolution also led to a strong trade union movement. The working men in various trades and industries formed trade unions to protect themselves against their employers. Though initially the British government forbade these unions, ultimately they were accorded recognition by law in 1824. However, the trade unions could not prove effective as they were divided and lacked national unity. Nevertheless, it proved a shift in power from the industrialists to the working class.

It is well known that colonialism (a product of the Industrial Revolution) produced adverse effects on the local people and resulted in their ruthless exploitation. In many cases, the native peoples and immigrants revolted against the nations that ruled them, as was seen in the successful American War of Independence in 1775 and the Anglo-Boer War. This obliterated the British government’s influence in these countries completely.

The Industrial Revolution also paved the way for the development of new social and economic doctrines, which was to have profound effect on Europe. Philosophers like Karl Marx, who embraced the relatively new ideology of socialism, wanted a complete restructuring of society. Disgusted by the exploits of workers brought on by the evil of the Industrial age, he came to the conclusion that the only solution lay in the centralization of industry, the abolition of capitalism and the transfer of power to the working classes. As was seen in the Russian Revolution which ended the governance of the Tsar, and the rise of National Socialism party in Germany which overthrew the Weimar republic, his ideas had far-reaching consequences.

In conclusion, the Industrial Revolution played a significant role in the shaping of government in Britain and France. Both countries enjoyed the profits brought by colonization, the trade boom and mass production. But the discontent among the working class led to developments that checked the authoritarian rule of British and German governments. We must take into account, however, that in these two countries the existing regimes were not overthrown, and therefore I believe that the development of industry in their countries strengthened these European governments.