Germany, like England, is rapidly changing the character of her
industries and becoming a manufacturing and commercial nation instead
of an agricultural nation. This is the cause of her well-known anxiety
to secure control of territories in Africa, Asia, etc., as exclusive
markets for her manufactures, for, unlike England, Germany is at
present a believer in exclusion in trade, both at home and in her
colonies. Fifty years ago about four sevenths of the people of Germany
were engaged in agriculture; now only about one third of the people
are so employed. The growth of the great cities of Germany is eight
times faster than that of the rural districts, and in fifty years the
aggregate population of the six largest cities of the empire--Berlin,
Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, Breslau, and Dresden--has grown sixfold,
namely, from 600,000 to 3,600,000. In fifty years, too, the
manufactures of Germany have nearly doubled, the commerce nearly
trebled, the shipping increased more than fivefold, and the mining
output more than sixfold. While all this is true, it nevertheless is
also true that the area of cultivated soil in Germany is double what
it was fifty years ago. But this is because much land, formerly waste
or in pasture, has been brought under cultivation. Yet even now only
one half of the land of Germany is cultivated, and thirty-three per
cent. of the total food consumption of the people has to be imported.
Fifty years ago only five per cent. of the total food consumption was
imported, and this small fraction consisted almost wholly of
luxuries.