First Industrial Revolution - Saint-Etienne 1780-1856

Saint-Étienne was the crucible for change that pushed France into modernity between 1780 and 1850, so it could help to define major concepts that still govern processes on a global scale today: the use of carbonized natural resources, the birth of capitalism, the emergence of the proletariat, the opening of markets, States’ hesitations between regulation and liberalism, the importance of machines and more…
All these concepts are now being challenged by the Anthropocene crisis. Taking a deep dive into the history of France’s First Industrial Revolution is one way to re-examine the world we live in.

Contents

At the start of the industrial region: Divergent spaces and interests
Georges Gay

A cross-section of proto-industries in the late 18th century

Manuscript of Jean-Louis Alléon-Dulac (1723-1788): A gentleman’s view of Saint-Étienne
Christian Sigel

The Eustache and Saint-Étienne’s cutlery industry at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution
Christian Lemasson

A technical description of the metalworking proto-industry in the 18th century
François Marin

The Jourjon steel mill, or a representation of Saint-Étienne’s initial industrialization
Luc Rojas

The battle of the old vs. the new: A slow technological transformation

Mechanization in pursuit of interchangeability, from Honoré Blanc to Alphonse Chassepot
Éric Perrin

The age of “gigs”, or the slow shift to steam power in the Saint-Étienne basin (1750-1830)
François Jarrige

From Zurich looms to Jacquard machines: Organization and mechanization of manufacturing in Saint-Étienne, 1750-1856
Sylvain Besson

The Saint-Étienne rave, shining a light on the Industrial Revolution
Sylvie Chovin

Ribbon exports: a detailed look at two order books
Sylvain Besson

Foreign influences in the Saint-Étienne industrial basin, or the catalyst for industrialization (1750-1830)
Luc Rojas

Capital, speed and an enterprising spirit: Three key factors in the First Industrial Revolution

Disappointments of a mining engineer in business Louis de Gallois and the beginnings of an English-style iron industry in Saint-Étienne
Philippe Peyre

Ribbon manufacturers (1815-1850): The Saint-Étienne entrepreneurs par excellence?
Gérard-Michel Thermeau

Malespine, the adventure of an anvilsmith
Éric Perrin

Jean-Baptiste David (Montbrison, 5 April 1782 – Saint-Étienne, 19 January 1855)
Gérard-Michel Thermeau

Fourneyron, the turbine, the Republic and progress
Philippe Peyre

The Loire, the birthplace of French railways: Innovations up to the challenge on the ground
Lionel Dufaux

The Givors river terminal, an intermodal hub for coal from Saint-Étienne
Éric Perrin

Emergence of a labour movement in an increasingly bourgeois society

Genesis of a labour movement in Saint-Étienne?
Jean-Michel Steiner

1833: The prefect confronted with signs of passementiers organizing
Jean-Michel Steiner

Employment record books: The example of Antoine Desflassieux (1803-1875), forgeman
Éric Perrin

Industrial knowledge: Public courses and schools, actors in Saint-Étienne’s industrialization (1755-1851)
Antoine Vernet

An urban society becoming more bourgeois
Marie-Caroline Janand

The City in question: The example of Saint-Étienne

The City in question: The administrative struggle between Saint-Étienne and Paris, 1795-1848. The role of the administration in the city’s public architecture
Jörn Garleff, Alexandre Chomat

Water: Too little or too much, a resource management challenge
Marie-Caroline Janand, Éric Perrin

Honouring a representative of the State or honouring himself?
Éric Perrin

Urban fabric and industrial fabric: The silk industry in Saint-Étienne (1750-1850)
Jean-Michel Roux

A man of his time
Marie-Caroline Janand

How to make a city through culture
Marie-Caroline Janand