to Russia for further processing, while finished products had to be imported. The first Ukrainian nation state, founded in 1917, was violently annexed by the USSR in 1920. Subsequently, the government in

businesses, from the electric tram network in Wizebsk to sawmills in Minsk, mostly came from western nations. World War I was followed by a first phase of independence, but already by 1920 the “Belarus Socialist

ON THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF FINLAND Listen Finland’s rise as a prosperous industrial nation, which started in the mid-20th century, is due primarily to two very different factors: its extensive forests [...] economic turbulence between the wars, and even the great crisis of 1929, much better than many western nations; however, this success was still due almost entirely to the export of wood products. A broad ind [...] metal-working industry was compelled to modernise extensively, a process which ultimately made the nation competitive in the global market. Additionally, the Soviet Union continued to order Finnish metal

increasingly dependent on Nazi Germany. The country made the decisive transition to an industrial nation following World War II. In line with Soviet directives, all private enterprises were nationalised

industrial nations such as France and the Netherlands: the colonies were needed as suppliers of raw materials for production and as markets for the products. Great Britain, a leading industrial nation as well [...] Africa to the plantations of the Caribbean and North America in the 18th century - more than any other nation. Proceeds from this flowed into the expanding industrial districts of northern England and Wales [...] production from French Indochina. Behind the imperialist sabre-rattling of the powerful industrial nations, which increasingly rivalled aggressively for colonies, were the needs of the dominant industries

continued to advance. However, this rapid advancement through the ranks of the great industrial nations came at the price of flagrant neglect of agriculture, dramatic shortages of consumer goods, and the

state has been able to maintain its independence throughout. Even after the founding of the Italian nation state in 1861, its status was reaffirmed and the Republic of San Marino is now the last of the once

INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF SPAIN Listen Spain could have become one of the earliest major European industrial nations, given that its mountains are enormously rich in natural resources. However, political circumstances [...] estates of disinterested aristocrats; the population sank into poverty; and the monarchs led their nation from one bankruptcy to the next. Still, the crown subsidised operations such as the arms manufactories [...] adapted to the global economy, Spain had, by the early 1970s, developed into a leading industrial nation. Related Links ERIH Link List WIKIPEDIA: Revolución industrial en España WIKIPEDIA: Economy of Spain

industrial history of Azerbaijan is largely a story of petroleum. Although the earth beneath this nation also holds iron, copper and other ores, their exploitation has remained secondary. Until the arrival [...] oil derricks began sprouting like mushrooms. Foreign investors from Europe’s booming industrial nations rushed into the country, and Baku saw the emergence of the legendary “Black City”, a cluster of oil [...] the Abşeron peninsula started to decline from the turn of the 20th century. The first Azerbaijani nation, founded in 1918, was occupied two years later by the Red Army. The Soviet Union immediately stepped

ricken country with a feudal social structure – yet today it is one of Europe’s most prosperous nations. Andorra was recognised as an independent state in 1278, but it was ruled by two foreign “co-princes”:

particular profited from President Tito’s break with the Soviet Union in 1948: relatively far from the nation’s borders, it was considered a safe location for industry. Consequently, the SOKO aircraft works was

economy. Officially, Montenegro fell under Ottoman rule in the 15th century. As in the other Balkan nations, the scarce arable land fell into the hands of Turkish landowners, who did not concern themselves

nickel-infused iron ore from the Pogradec region went mostly to the iron and steel plant at Elbasan, the nation’s largest. In 1970, the government proudly declared that it had connected the entire country to the [...] viable without subsidies. When the Chinese government cut off its aid in 1978, Hoxha declared that the nation would refuse all foreign aid and proclaimed his vision of a self-sufficient Albania. Soon after,

NORTH MACEDONIA Listen North Macedonia attained independence very late compared to other European nations – and thus industrialisation was late and slow in coming as well. The natural prerequisites were [...] prevented any substantial development of industry. Finally recognised as an autonomous Macedonian nation, the country became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945

processing was successfully carried forward by the Belgrade company Kluž. Unlike the other socialist nations of the Eastern Bloc, Yugoslavia’s government began developing its consumer goods industry in 1955

ON THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF LITHUANIA Listen All three Baltic nations lack deposits of raw materials, but Lithuania remained an agricultural country the longest. Since 1795, when the Russian Czars annexed [...] in the port of Klaipėda. The systematic integration of the republics of the Union and the allied nations was a key element of the economic policy of the USSR. The countries were assigned specific production

Iceland possesses virtually no natural resources. Thus, Iceland never developed into an industrial nation – the prosperity it achieved toward the end of the 20th century was due to the country’s booming

controlled by a few large enterprises from Great Britain, France and Germany, the most industrialised nations of the time. In the UK, Vickers from Sheffield were the indisputable number one in armament production:

established on the Adriatic island of Krk. The petroleum company INA, founded in Zagreb, built a nation-wide network of petrol stations. At the same time, infrastructure was upgraded: hydroelectric plants

ON THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF NORWAY Listen Today, the "Land of Fjords" is one of the richest nations on earth, but until well into the 19th century it was a poor agricultural country, hardly developed