Real Income in Germany. An international comparison between 1810 and 1914

Due to the increased interest in long term processes, coming from the field of growth and development theory, the author collects long series on real incomes. Without this information, growth theoretical assumptions cannot be tested. Concerning an index for real income that reaches back to the times before 1870, only the comprehensive investigations of Jürgen Kuczynski are available (cf. Kyczynski, J.: Die Geschichte der Lage der Arbeiter unter dem Kapitalismus, Teil I: Die Geschichte der Arbeiter in Deutschland von 1789 bis zur Gegenwart, Band 1 bis Band 4. Berlin 1961, 1962, 1962, 1967). The author sees a critical review of the underlying series on nominal income and costs of living as an occasion for an independent recalculation. Income is defined as the sum of hourly, daily, weekly and/or monthly wages within one year. Nominal income is given in absolute numbers in Mark, an index for the national income will be calculated using the basis year 1913. Furthermore an index for the costs of living for the period between 1810 and 1914 is calculated as well as an index for real income using the basis year 1913. Variables: - Absolute nominal income in Mark (Gömmel,(1979)) - Nominal income index (1913 = 100)(Gömmel,(1979)) - Costs of living index (1913 = 100)(Gömmel,(1979)) - Real income index (1913 = 100)(Berechnung von Gömmel,(1979)) - Real income index after Kuczynski (1913 = 100) - Nominal income index after Kuczynski (1913=100) - Real wages index after Grumbach/König (1913 = 100) - Nominal income index after Grumbach/König (1913 = 100) - Real wages Orsagh-Index (1913 = 100) Data tables in Histat: - Income and costs of living in Germany