“Made In Germany” Labels Were Meant To Encourage People To Buy Domestic. It Did The Opposite.

March 29, 2017 in Daily Bulletin

Klaus Ulrich looked into the history of “Made in Germany”:

  • In 1887 the British passed the Merchandise Marks Act which required foreigners to label their products as having been made in a foreign country.
  • This was done because of a perception that Germany profited by selling cheap knock-offs of British wares.
  • The hope was that by labelling products as foreign, British consumers would buy local and boost local industry.
  • It backfired. The “Made in Germany” tag came to signify quality, and boosted demand for German manufacturing.
  • German cars and heavy machinery continue to benefit from an association between German engineering and quality to this day.

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Via: Reddit