Description
Book SynopsisFor many, Germany's post-war economic power was based on liberal market reforms and the Marshall Plan. This book disputes this old myth. Quantitative evidence shows instead how the re-emergence of Germany as a leading industrial power was founded in the Second World War itself and the conditions it left behind.
Trade Review'Tamás Vonyó carries out a major revision of the German Miracle. A detailed quantitative approach supports a nuanced interpretation. Reconstruction was delayed as war, destruction and dislocation was widespread and persistent. The resettlement of displaced population was critical for the recovery and fuelled productivity growth since the late 1950s, preceding the social contract and R&D investment.' Leandro Prados de la Escosura, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
'Vonyó's book is a most welcome enrichment to the history of West German economic recovery.' Armin Grünbacher, European History Quarterly
Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The audit of defeat: initial conditions; 2. The economic geography of post-war dislocation; 3. Growth accounts for West German industry; 4. Made in Germany: the post-war export boom; 5. Managing the miracle: economic policy; Conclusions.
