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Documents - Demographic and Economic Development
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1.   Population Distribution by Size of Locality: German Reich, Prussian Provinces, and Federal States (1871-1910)
In 1871, almost two-thirds (63.9%) of the German population lived in villages with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants. By 1910, that figure had fallen to 40 percent. In that same interval, the percentage....
2.   Causes and Effects of Emigration from Germany (1870s-1880s)
Between Bismarck’s appointment as minister president of Prussia in 1862 and his departure from office in 1890, almost 3 million Germans left....
3.   Population Density by Federal State and Prussian Province (1871-1910)
The population of Germany increased from about 41 million in 1871 to almost 65 million in 1910. Together with rapid....
4.   Population Growth in Large Cities (1875-1910)
German cities experienced enormous growth during the Bismarckian and Wilhelmine periods. The population of Berlin,....
5.   Occupational Breakdown of Germany’s Population (1882-1907)
Industrialization changed the way the rapidly expanding German population earned its livelihood. In 1871, about 49% of the workforce was engaged in agriculture; by 1907, that number had fallen to....
6.   Net Domestic Product by Economic Sector (1870-1913)
The table below shows how much of Germany’s net domestic product (NDP) – in millions of marks (at factor cost) – was generated by the country’s various economic sectors. We see that agriculture lost....
7.   Railway Construction (1850-1873)
Railway construction was a key factor in Germany’s rapid industrial growth during the third quarter of the nineteenth century. Here, we see that the total length of railroad track in the country....
8.   Total Production of German Industry and Crafts (1873-1894)
Between 1850 and 1873, the expansion of Germany’s railways fuelled sensational growth in the....
9.   Nominal Wages, Cost of Living, and Real Wages in Industry, Trade, and Transportation (1871-1913)
The real impact of wage fluctuations can only be appreciated when “nominal” (i.e., actual) wages and changes in the cost of living are taken into account. For example, if a worker’s nominal....
10.   A Journeyman Bookbinder (c. 1870)
This excerpt from a bookbinder’s memoirs offers a view into the German guild system, more specifically, the intricate initiation rituals it imposed on job-seeking, itinerant journeymen up until 1870.....
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