Galicia (Central Europe)

:This article deals with the province Galicia in Central Europe. For the region of same name in Spain, see Galicia (Spain).

Economy

Despite being one of the most populous regions in Europe, Galicia was also one of the least developed economically. The first detailed description of the economic situation of the region was prepared by Stanislaw Szczepanowski (1846-1900), a Polish lawyer, economist and chemist who in 1873 published the first version of his report titled N?dza galicyjska w cyfrach (The Galician Poverty in Numbers). Based on his own experience as a worker in the India Office, as well as his work on development of the oil industry in the region of Borys?aw and the official census data published by the Austro-Hungarian government, he described Galicia as one of the poorest regions in Europe.

Related Topics:
Stanislaw Szczepanowski - India Office - Borys?aw - Austro-Hungarian

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In 1888 Galicia had 785,500 km² of area and was populated by ca. 6,4 million of people, including 4,8 million peasants (75% of the whole population). The population density was 81 people per square kilometre and was higher than in France (71 inhabitants/km²) or Germany.

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The average life expectantcy was 27 years for men and 28,5 years for women, as compared to 33 and 37 in Bohemia, 39 and 41 in France and 40 and 42 in England. Also the quality of life was much lower. The yearly consumption of meat did not exceed 10 kilograms per capita, as compared to 24 kg in Hungary and 33 in Germany. This was mostly due to much lower average income.

Related Topics:
Bohemia - France - England

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The average income per capita did not exceed 53 Rhine guilders, as compared to 91 RG in the Kingdom of Poland, 100 in Hungary and more than 450 RG in England at that time. Also the taxes were relatively high and equalled to 9 Rhine guilders a year (ca. 17% of yearly income), as compared to 5% in Prussia and 10% in England. Also the percentage of people with higher income was much lower than in other parts of the Monarchy and Europe: the luxury tax, paid by people whose yearly income exceeded 600 RG, was paid by 8 people in every 1000 inhabitants, as compared to 28 in Bohemia and 99 in Lower Austria. Despite high taxation, the national debt of the Galician government exceeded 300 million RG at all times, that is approximately 60 RG per capita.

Related Topics:
Rhine guilder - Kingdom of Poland - Lower Austria

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All in all, the region was used by the Austro-Hungarian government mostly as a reservoir of cheap workforce and recruits for the army, as well as a buffer zone against Russia. It was not until early in the 20th century that heavy industry started to be developed, and even then it was mostly connected to war production. The biggest state investments in the region were the railways and the fortresses in Przemy?l, Kraków and other cities. Industrial development was mostly connected to the private oil industry started by Ignacy ?ukasiewicz and to the Wieliczka salt mines, operational since at least the Middle Ages.

Related Topics:
Przemy?l - Ignacy ?ukasiewicz - Wieliczka - Middle Ages

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