The article proposes a comparative analysis of the first stages in the development of railroads in two of Western Europe's most advanced states (from an economic point of view): France and Great Britain. In addressing the subject, particular emphasis was placed on highlighting elements of similarity and divergence between the two cases. The main issues addressed refer to state intervention in the construction of railways, the effects it has had on society and economic life, and the sources of

more »

... pital that made this endeavour possible. The study takes into account the distinct chronological frameworks for each of the two cases. While for the UK, the time frame is limited to the first half of the nineteenth century (when the modern railway system first appeared and developed), in France this event occurred later and it also required state intervention to stimulate the process. For this reason, the time frame considered in the French case is marked by the second decade of the July Monarchy (with an emphasis on the 1842 law regarding the building of railways) and by the Second French Empire, a period in which a significant evolution becomes evident in the case of rail transportation.