ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes Norway's economic gains at the outbreak of First World War. Demographic developments, a changing political and legal landscape, and the role of education are all important variables for explaining 19th and early 20th century economic growth in Norway. But these developments in themselves would have surely dried up without access to greater demand for domestically-produced goods, and better access to cheaper input and consumer goods in Norway. The chapter illustrates how Norway's engagement with world goods, capital and labor markets should be understood in terms of complements, not substitutes. Market integration across all three fronts allowed Norway to better exploit more market niches. By accessing and exploiting all of these markets, Norwegians undoubtedly increased the potential effect of world trade on its own development. Neither were Norwegians particularly quick to adopt and/or incorporate the new processes and technologies.
