Editing German Empire (section)

=====Railways=====
Lacking a technological base at first, the Germans imported their engineering and hardware from Britain but quickly learned the skills needed to operate and expand the railways. In many cities, the new railway shops were the centers of technological awareness and training, so that by 1850, Germany was self-sufficient in meeting the demands of railroad construction, and the railways were a major impetus for the growth of the new steel industry. German unification in 1870 stimulated consolidation, nationalisation into state-owned companies, and further rapid growth. Unlike the situation in France, the goal was support of industrialisation, and so heavy lines crisscrossed the [[Ruhr]] and other industrial districts and provided good connections to the major ports of [[Hamburg]] and [[Bremen]]. By 1880, Germany had 9,400 locomotives pulling 43,000 passengers and 30,000 tons of freight, and forged ahead of France.<ref>{{Harvp|Mitchell|2000}}.{{page needed|date=May 2025}}</ref> The total length of German railroad tracks expanded from {{Cvt|21,000|km|mi}} in 1871 to {{Cvt|63,000|km|mi}} by 1913, establishing the largest rail network in the world after the United States.<ref>{{Harvp|Feuchtwanger|2002|at=Table 1}}.{{page needed|date=May 2025}}</ref> The German rail network was followed by Austria-Hungary ({{Cvt|43,280|km|disp=semicolon}}), France ({{Cvt|40,770|km|disp=semicolon}}), the United Kingdom ({{Cvt|32,623|km|disp=semicolon}}), Italy ({{Cvt|18,873|km|disp=semicolon}}) and Spain ({{Cvt|15,088|km|disp=semicolon}}).{{Sfnp|Broadberry|O'Rourke|2010|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=YHk0z-ujS3AC&pg=PA80 80]}}