The Distribution of Personal Income in Prussia, 1852 to 1875: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This article describes the distribution of personal income in Prussia, Germany’s former largest state, in the period from 1851 to 1875 the classic phase of the German Take-off. Like its many forerunners, it is based on Prussian income tax data. Since these are available at the level of an intermediate administrative district, the Regierungsbezirke, the project of which this article is one part has both a temporal and spatial dimension. Here, however, the focus is aggregative and on change over time; the spatial dimension will be the subject of a subsequent paper. In contrast to most work on the German income distribution, which has focused on incomes at the top, this study reproduces the entire distribution from the bottom up. After a brief introduction, the paper discusses the historiography and historical background of the topic, turning then to presentation and evaluation of the statistical results. A brief summary concludes, followed by an appendix which explains estimating procedures.