Requirements for Germany Historical Statistics (19th/20th Century)

This paper describes the fundamentals and requirements of a project that attempts to create a statistical reference data base for Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries. A corresponding print edition will be published in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Civic Education. First, the main source of data - official statistics in Germany - in terms of their suitability and characteristics for a Historical Statistics is characterized. This is followed by an overview of previous efforts to compile statistical data on historical series and leads to some conclusions: In the past few decades, there has always been episodic interest in historical time series by official statistics, by empirical social and economic research as well as by economic and social history, but only with small overlaps. A short appendix provides a first orientation of the current statistical publication landscape, which forms the starting point for a future comprehensive Historical Statistics.