Prosperity for Everyone

Economic policy in Germany’s young democracy

Prosperity for everyone: that was the target with which to bring war-torn Germany back on course and this could only be achieved through competition.

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The market economy is born

After the war, Germany’s economy was in a sorry state. The first industrial plan made by the victorious powers envisaged restricting capacity in Germany’s industry to 50 per cent of the capacity achieved in 1936.

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The reform and its consequences

The “law on the principles of control and pricing policy after monetary reform“ granted Ludwig Erhard, in his function as Director of Economic Administration, the right to determine which products and services were to be exempted from pricing regulations.

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The struggle for the market economy

However, the market economy came under pressure again – not for the first time and certainly not

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The boom phase

Germany entered a phase of high-level economic activity mid-1954.

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The role played by the state

No individual group within a government or in the economy is entitled to lay claim to any special rights for itself.

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No power to cartels

A second instance of private interest which is incomparably more serious is the aspirations of the cartels in German industry.

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Fair wages

The expansion of the economy is by no means an end in itself because with the raising of output and the resulting lowering of prices there should be some endeavour to increase real wages.

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Does prosperity lead to materialism?

Critics warn that the market economy and prosperity would lead to outright materialism. Why should that be?

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No welfare state

The same freedom which develops the forces of all those involved in economic life has to apply to the social sector.

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