Industries et industriels français du textile face au défi international 1871-1914
Strongly connected to international trade, the French textile industry experienced erratic changes between 1871 and 1914. The adoption of protectionist tariffs in 1892 favor cotton manufacturers at the expense of wool and silk producers. The latter export their luxury merchandise on markets that are open to competition. They deal very little on colonial markets, due to a lack of interest in their products. Bold direct importation policies on raw materials help overcome some disadvantages, especially in Roubaix. Several manufacturers urge the government to reform its foreign trade services and hire specialists, but they do not act upon recommendations from experts regarding the adoption of certain measures to promote exports. Several shortcomings of French trade were pointed out early on, but it proved difficult to apply swift solutions. In the context of greater foreign competition, France performed better than we would have imagined. The flexibility of the French manufacturing industry helps it to obtain several orders in the luxury and semi-luxury goods niches. Its level of integration, weaker than in other countries, sometimes proves to be an advantage. However, the textile industry is crippled by its leaders’ great difficulty to do stable business outside of their families. That said, those who deal in specialized, rare or patented production manage to reach agreements more easily and gain the upper hand.  The performance and organization of the French textile industry abroad demonstrate that the domestic market provided little incentive to manufacturers to adopt the best possible conditions for production. These companies and those successful exporting their goods are often the strongest and most profitable.
France Textile France Industry Manufacturers Textile Third Republic Foreign trade Wool Silk Cotton Free trade