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 quadrupled between 1850 and 1873. Initially, German railways transported more passengers than freight cargo. By the end of the period under consideration, however, that situation had been reversed. The railway also became the largest employer in Germany: between 1850 and 1870 the number of employees increased tenfold. This table also shows that railway construction, which demanded huge amounts of capital, played a central role in the development of Germany’s financial institutions.
print version     return to document list previous document      next document
page 1 of 1 Figures Indicating the Success of German Railway Construction, 1850-1873     1850 1855 1860 1865 1870 1873 1 German Confederation/ German Reich Prussia 5,875 2,967 7,862 3,822 11,157 5,762 14,034 6,895 18,810 11,460 23,853 14,461 2 Workers employed (Germany) ad hoc basis Permanently In Prussia, permanently   78,700 26,084 13,706   112,800 51,480 27,380   171,300 85,608 44,852   189,100 113,570 62,294   220,400 161,014 106,542   396,900 234,114 162,114 3 Passengers per km Freight per km 783 303 1,090 1,095 1,733 1,675 2,676 3,672 4,447 5,876 5,693 10,060 4 Capital stock 891 1,329 2,152 2,772 3,945 5,531 5 Net investments 41 85 241 153 320 654 6 Average dividend of Prussian private railroads 4.4 6.6 5.4 8.9 7.6 5.6 7 Net domestic product German Reich Prussia   48.2 28.9   102.4 56.9   173.2 96.1   275.9 157.0   397.8 274.5   537.5 365.5 Explanatory note: 1. Length of rail network in the German Confederation/German Reich and Prussia in km. 2. Workers employed (ad hoc and permanent) by the German and Prussian railroad companies. 3. Passengers and freight transported by German railroads in passengers per km and freight per km. 4. Capital stock of German railroad companies at purchase prices (in million marks). 5. Net investments by German railroad companies at market prices (in million marks). 6. Average dividend of Prussian private railroads in percent. 7. Net domestic product of German and Prussian railroads at market prices (in million marks). Source: Hans-Ulrich Wehler, Deutsche Gesellschaftsgeschichte [German Social History], vol. 3, Von der „Deutschen Doppelrevolution” bis zum Beginn des Ersten Weltkrieges 1849-1914 [From the “German Double Revolution” to the Beginning of the First World War 1849-1914], Table 63. Munich: Beck, 1995, pp. 69-70.
first page	< previous   |   next page >	last page