English Translation

159 The Bureau of the Central Associations of Industry, Trade and Crafts, to impose on its members the measures necessary to allow the orderly adaptation of the production and marketing conditions of the economy of the Protectorate to the terms of the Reich. Contracts that were concluded before the effectiveness of the order could not be executed if the order was contrary. Each of the Contracting Parties could withdraw from such contracts within one month of the effectiveness. The need for war had to be adapted to the Czech industry. Gradually, all industrial production was oriented towards the production of weapons material for the German war machine. This transition resulted in numerous structural changes. Industrial sectors working with imported raw materials or producing goods for foreign markets were disposed of. In this way, some 6000 companies (many of them Jewish) disappeared and others were taken over by German owners during the war. All production forces and production facilities were gradually concentrated in large group companies in line with the interests of German large businessmen. In the Czech countries, regulations on the establishment of forced cartels were applied, thus creating a basis for the forced connection of protectorate companies to Reich German cartels, e.g. from Brno Zbrojovka was created holding Waffen Union Skoda-Brünn GmbH, incorporated into the Reichswerke Hermann Göring Aktiengesellschaft (Roman races by Hermann Goering). (428) The mining and metallurgical industry, represented mainly by the Mining and Metal Society, Poldina hutí, Vítkovický upper and ferrous mining industry, Prague Iron Society or Křižík-Chaudoir, a.s. (429) At first glance, the Protectorate industry has opened up an extremely important market, but in other conditions this favourable reality has been demoted not only by the fact that, in fact, trade agreements with foreign countries have ceased to apply from day to day, but mainly by the depreciation of the crown, which has lost the character of international currency. Employers and employees, regardless of the private or state sector, were increasingly bound daily until then