Germany was advantaged by having abundant coal like Britain, but unlike Britain it didn't have adjacent iron deposits—most iron was in Alsace-Lorraine (held by France), which lacked coal, explaining the Franco-German conflict from 1870 through WWII and the European Coal and Steel Community as a means of giving France access to West German coal.
causalpending
Speaker
Helen ThompsonEvidence Quote
“Germany is advantaged, like Britain, by having coal, a lot of coal. But unlike Britain, it actually doesn't have iron deposits that are adjacent to the coal... Alsace-Lorraine is a central part of the conflict between France and Germany... the European coal and steel community, the first part of the European project, effectively was a means of giving France access to that West German coal.”
Source
Helen Thompson: "The Complex History of Energy and Geopolitics" | The Great Simplification #98— Nate HagensCreated: 8/12/2026, 6:08:12 PM
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