The Economic Policy of the Prussian State in the Interwar Period and the Operations of the Port Community and the Port Company in Szczecin
The Economic Policy of the Prussian State in the Interwar Period and the Operations of the Port Community and the Port Company in Szczecin

Summary/Abstract: The article is an attempt at addressing the question of the Prussian State’s involvement in the economy during the interwar period, as it was first one of the constituent states of the Weimar Republic and then a part of the Third Reich. After the First World War, the economic and social problems of Prussia resulted from the general difficult situation of Germany. However, Prussia in particular suffered serious territorial losses in the east of the country. Many petitions and requests demanding the state’s active involvement in solving economic and socio-demographic problems were addressed to the Prussian government. A very important premise for this involvement was the political motivation and willingness to solve the ongoing problems indicated by the economic sector and local administration. The investment of the state’s financial resources into the Port of Szczecin and the establishment of the Port Community of Szczecin was conditioned, on the one hand, by the failure of negotiations with the City-State of Hamburg to establish a similar port community. On the other hand, it stressed the importance that the Port of Szczecin acquired during the First World War. As a result of the Prussian State’s involvement, investments of at least several million marks worth were made in the port. The change in the form of cooperation between the state and the City of Szczecin in terms of managing the port, which took place in 1929, led to the creation of the Port Company in Szczecin. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the amount of funds that the Prussian State allocated to the Port of Szczecin was limited. During the Nazi period, some more costly investment projects in the Port of Szczecin were drafted but they were never implemented.

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