Study title

This data selection represents a thematic extract from the comprehensive study “The Growth of the German Economy since the mid-19th Century“ (“Das Wachstum der deutschen Wirtschaft seit der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts”) from 1965 by Walter G. Hoffmann. The main objective of Hoffmann’s study is to work out statistical figures concerning the long-term development of the German national economy, as well as the individual fields of this subject area. In doing so, the time series shall enable the verification of various hypotheses concerning economic growth. This aim, however, can only be reached if such time series are based on comparable statistical, methodical, and content-related concepts, and if they are collected for a period with maximum length. Consequently, this data selection comprises more than 800 pages with 250 tables, featuring almost every time series between 1850 and 1960 that can be considered relevant for the economic development. Whenever necessary, these materials were completed by estimates. Moreover, the above-named analyses of long-term tendencies aim at creating a reference system for the numerous short-term changes occuring within most national economies in the course of a century. Here the special focus of Hoffman’s work lies on the visualisation of the gained materials as regards the raise, distribution, and use of the national income. The respective calculation is based on the two production factors of labour and capital and culminates in an overview of production. The calculation of the distribution, on the other hand, deals with the functional and individual, i.e. personal distribution of (earned and capital) income. In its turn, the calculation of use is divided into the sectors of private and public consumption, investment, and the national trade balance. Topics Timeseries data available via the downloadsystem HISTAT Data excerpt: foreign trade, balance of payments (from final expenditure compilation, the following factors have been...