The political decisions about the economy of Prussia (and after 1871, all of Germany) were largely controlled by a coalition of "rye and iron", that is the Junker landowners of the east and the heavy industry of the west.
De politiske beslutninger vedrørende økonomien i Preussen (og efter 1871 hele Tyskland) blev stort set styret af en koalition af "rug og jern", dvs. godsejerne (junkerne) i øst og den tunge industri i vest.