Abstract

For much of the twentieth century, the prevalence of dictatorial regimes has left business, especially multinational firms, with a series of complex and for the most part unwelcome choices. This volume, which includes essays by noted American and European scholars such as Mira Wilkins, Gerald Feldman, Peter Hayes, and Wilfried Feldenkirchen, sets business activity in its political and social context and describes some of the strategic and tactical responses of firms investing from or into Europe to a myriad of opportunities and risks posed by host or home country authoritarian governments during the interwar period. Although principally a work of history, it puts into perspective some commercial dilemmas with which practitioners and business theorists must still unfortunately grapple.

Born in New York, Christopher Kobrak† was a Professor of Finance at ESCP-EAP, European School of Management. He received a BA in Philosophy from Rutgers University and MA, PhD degrees in European History from Columbia University, from which he also held an MBA in Finance and Accounting. A CPA with ten years of work experience in the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia, his teaching and research interests included international finance and business history.

Per H. Hansen is Professor of Business History at the Copenhagen Business School. He has published books and articles in the fields of financial history and the Danish economy during the German occupation. Among his other professional interests are the aesthetic, economic, social and cultural background of Danish Modern furniture design.