I forgot : Not only everything turned around the coal mines and the steel works in Saarland and Lorraine until the 1970s, but moreover the coal, iron and steel were exactly the big cause for which Germany and France both wanted this area so much. Since men have been able to make guns and canons, the Saar and Lorraine coal had become a strategic very important factor and the one who disposed of this necessary first material to make war was the one who had a big advantage... That's also why after the second world war a man from Lorraine, Robert Schuhmann, seeing the heavy suffering of the people of Saarland and Lorraine (who were not those who had decided to make war but who were those who suffered most of it) had the idea that to prevent any further war, it was necessary to put coal and steel in a common pool - this was the creation of the European Coal and Steel Union, the forefather of the European Community. Thus one could say that the Saar-Lor-Lux area (Saarland-Lorraine-Luxemburg) has been the cradle of modern Europe. That's something we can be proud of :-) Barbara ----- Message d'origine ----- De : "aellis" <[email protected]> À : "barbara schnubel" <[email protected]> Envoyé : mardi 23 juillet 2002 03:05 Objet : Re: [TRIER-ROOTS-L] Saarland - The French-German War 1870-1871 > ...Barbara > ...Thanks once again for the history. I wasn't aware of the influence > of the iron and steel mines on the political history of Saarland, > Alice > > barbara schnubel wrote: > > > > Happy that my little historic sections seem to please. In the following > > there is a word I didn't find : "Schlägel" : the heavy hammer of the miner. > > If somebody knows what the English word could be... > > > > The French-German War 1870/71 > > Saarbrücken as focal point > > > > In the German War of 1866, Prussia had vanquished Austria. Prussia took the > > leadership of the North German Union. Following that, France saw its > > influence diminish and was decided to prevent any further development of the > > Prussian might, particularly in South Germany. A diplomatic incident was > > enough as spark. > > > > 2d August 1870 The French advance is directed against the middle Saar. Old > > Saarbrücken is occupied. Emperor Napoleon himself follows with his fifteen > > years old son Lulu, the advance of his troops from a big stone called later > > the "Lulu-Stone". > > > > 5th August 1870 The French move away. > > 6th August 1870 In order to facilitate the passing of the Saar river, at > > about noon Prussian troops proceed against the French Spicherer Hights. > > They are successful at the beginning. In the afternoon things seem to > > change and in the evening the French withdraw in good order. On the battle > > field remain nearly 9 000 dead and wounded - Germans and French. > > > > The Saarland economic area in the empire. Development to big industry. > > > > In the second part of the 19th century, the mines of the Saarland could > > multiply their production - however not in the same way than in the Ruhr. > > The biggest buyers of the coal were the iron and steel works in the > > Saarland. Because of the lesser coke quality of the Saar coal, those mines > > bought also mines in the Ruhr and in the area of Aachen. From there always > > came a part of the coke coal. > > > > At the same time the iron and steel works of the Saarland took an > > orientation towards the West. The "Saar-Lor-Lux" > > (Saarland-Lorraine-Luxemburg) area took form at this time. The iron and > > steel works of Saarland bought in the border area Luxemburg-Lorrain and in > > the west of Lorraine their own ore fields from which they got the Minette > > ore. This was facilitated through the annexation from Alsace-Lorraine in > > 1871. But the smelting of the Minette rich in phosphorus became possible in > > bigger extent only with the Thomas-process invented in 1879. In the last > > twenty years of the century, the iron and steel works of Saarland > > constructed also works in the west of Lorraine and in Luxemburg. From them > > they got the biggest part of the pig-iron. > > > > Entrepreneurs in the Saar area - Private works, State mines. > > > > The biggest employer on the Saar was the Prussian state - as proprietor of > > the coal mines. Prussia was thus not only the political decider but also > > the economic, and it used this might consciously. > > > > Even in the bad years the administration of the mines gave big surpluses to > > the State. This was possible because of the low salaries they paid till the > > last third of the 19th century. With this the mining administration counted > > on the great self-sufficiency of the Saar miners and their families and on > > the performance of the company support system. The rest of the Saar industry > > was at the hands of entrepreneur families of which most were immigrated > > protestant middle-class. The important iron works family Stumm of the > > Hunsrück, came at about the beginning of the 19th century to the Saar. Carl > > Ferdinand von Stumm-Halberg marked with his "system of the mild and of the > > strong hand" the whole area of the Saar, the "Stumm Kingdom". Moreover he > > participated as deputy fundamentally in the shaping of the economic and the > > social politic of the Empire. > > > > Workers movement on the Saar - "One for all and all for one" > > > > A worker movement in the Saar area saw its beginnings only after the war of > > 1870/71. The authorities and the entrepreneurs reacted immediately : they > > founded a "committee of employers to fight the social democracy". On 6th > > July 1877 this committee decided the so-called "Socialist law of the Saar > > industry". This law was also against all syndicalist movements. > > > > Mai 1889: Strike of the miners (first massive strike in the Saar industry). > > The miner from Hasborn, Nikolaus Warken, called Eckstein, leaded the > > strikers. > > > > End of July 1889: Under the leadership of Warken and under the influence of > > the centre, miners form together the "Association for the defense of the > > rights for the mining population of the administrative district of Bonn". > > Very soon the association becomes a syndicate. More than two thirds of all > > miners become members. > > > > - Warken is candidate in 1890 for the Reichstag, > > > > a.. Miners construct in Bildstock the Defense Hall, > > b.. A own journal - "Schlägel and Iron" - begins publication. > > > > After that the association is weakened. Causes : > > > > a.. Attacks because supposed, in fact real, attempted rapprochement to > > the > > SPD, > > b.. Inexperience of the leadership, the catholic church turned away. > > The strikes in Mai 1891 and at end 1892/ beginning 1893 failed. The movement > > breaks down. > > > > Only after the death of Stumm (1901) there are again syndicalist > > associations. The catholic workers associations, ("Berliner Richtung"), > > existing since the middle of the century, have a syndicalist activity. > > Rivals become the interdenominational Christian Syndicates, like the > > "Gewerkverein christlicher Bergleute" (Association of Christian miners), and > > the "free associations" near of the SPD. But they don't have a big > > influence till the first world war. > > > > The political look-out till the first world war. Elections to the > > Reichstag : The vote on the Saar > > > > The Revolution of July 1830 in Paris activated also the political life on > > the Saar. But only in the Revolution of 1848 all layers of the population > > took part. In Saarbrücken, Merzig and St. Wendel were created democratic > > citizens associations. > > > > The dominating political force till the first world war were in the smaller > > industrial area - the constituency Saarbrücken - the Liberals, first as > > progressist party and, from 1867 on, as national liberals. However in the > > greater area with its mostly country and catholic areas, the Centre had a > > strong advance. It had the constituency Saarburg-Merzig-Saarlouis > > unchallenged. In the constituency Ottweiler - St. Wendel-Meisenheim it faced > > the free Conservatives under the leadership of Stumm. The Centre got here a > > deputy to the Reichstag for the first time in 1903. > > > > In the Palatinate administrative district of Homburg, the National Liberals > > were in advance on the Centre. Here the association of farmers became a > > strong political force. > > > > The social Democrats stayed quite without influence until the first world > > war. This was in contrast to the development in the rest of the Empire. > > > > The causes : > > > > a.. Politic, social and religious structure of the area, > > b. Massive pression from the authorities and entrepreneurs. > > > > ==== TRIER-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > > Going on vacation longer than 4 days? Go to > > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/DEU/TRIER-ROOTS.html > > to unsubscribe