Bernhard Harms (1876-1939) was one of the most significant German economists in the first half of the 20th century. He served as a professor of national economics at the University of Kiel and founded the renowned Institute for World Economics there, becoming its first director. The focus of his work was the analysis of global economic relations, a novel approach in economics that had previously concentrated primarily on national economies. In his study, first published in 1916, Harms examines the economic significance of Germany in international comparison, with particular attention to the German share of the world trade fleet. Reprint of the original edition.