European Consumer Price Indices Since 1870

This database contains estimates of probably the most up-to date and reliable consumer price indices for a large sample of European countries since 1870. The database is a compilation but a contribution by going back to original or ignored works. For some countries, where CPIs have been missing, new provisional indices are constructed, and some are reconstructed for critical periods. This applies for example to the commonly used Swedish and the German CPIs.
The concomitant article critically examines historical CPIs in oft-used online databases and uncover some alarming inaccuracies and even fallacies. Despite the importance of accurate CPIs in long-term analyses, previously little effort has been put in assessing the quality and comparability of data between countries. Realism of the CPIs is examined, in the article, within a framework of economic integration that qualifies received views. Lack of integration of Mediterranean countries before mid-20th century is validated, and contradictory patterns of integration in interwar and postwar Europe uncovered.