Aktiengesellschaften in der Schuhindustrie in Cisleithanien bis zum Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges

Abstract

This study examines the role of stock companies in the industrialisation of the shoe
industry in Cisleithania. For a long time, this region saw shoe production by means
of traditional craftsmanship at small scales. Stock companies played an important
role in the industrialisation of the sector by enabling the concentration of capital and
production. The focus of the study lies on the development of joint-stock shoe companies
during the First World War. The war economy was characterised by extensive
state interventions that led to a central administration and regulated distribution of
raw materials and finished products. The question is therefore how stock companies
were able to persist under these circumstances, and the article concludes that they
succeeded in adapting to the wartime conditions and strengthened their market position.
This contributed to the boom of stock company establishment during the postwar
years.