The German Economy 1870 -1914

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the development of the German economy between 1870 and 1914. The author looks at the different factors that led to the transformation of Germany from an economically backwards country, to a major economic superpower, which even began to threaten Great Britain's supremacy in world trade. The paper examines several different events that were factors in this economic turnaround, including the Wars of German Unification, the economic reforms enacted after the 1873 depression, the growth of the railway systems, and the eventual expansion of the coal industry.

The paper includes an extensive bibliography, but has no footnotes, or endnotes.

From the Paper:

"In the 18th century, Germany was a collection of 39 economically backward states governed by a social and political structure closer to Russia's autocratic system, rather than those of the west. The "Junkas" " the land owning class " cultivated their lands with the forced labor of serfs. Later, the peasants were released from their obligations but any surplus income earned above subsistence level was paid to landowners and social superiors, seriously reducing the possibility of investment in the land and new methods of farming. Progress towards industrialization was hampered by the absence of economic unity. Each state controlled its own tariffs, currency, communications, manufacturing industries and banking. Yet by the end of the 19th century, Germany was to become a major economic power, by continental standards, and a serious threat to Great Britain's supremacy in the world of trade and economic growth. This essay will seek to outline the developments of the German economy in the period 1870-1914 and explain what caused such changes."

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