Geography, exchange rates, trade structures:Germany's export performance since the 1950s

This paper surveys West Germany's export performance since the 1950s, focusing on geography, the exchange rate regime, and international specialisation. It emphasises the importance of Europe as a ‘natural trading bloc’, with Germany at its centre. It challenges the claim that Germany's export boom of the 1950s and 1960s can be mainly explained by relatively low domestic cost increases. It further challenges the claim that Germany's export position has been transformed from early maturity to relative decline