УПРАВЉАЊЕ ДРЖАВНИМ МОНОПОЛОМ: ПРИЗАД 1930–1941.
STATE MONOPOLY MANAGEMENT: PRIZAD, 1930–1941

Author(s): Vladan Z. Jovanović
Subject(s): National Economy, Business Economy / Management, Interwar Period (1920 - 1939)
Published by: Institut za noviju istoriju Srbije
Keywords: PRIZAD; monopoly; preferential purchase; export; grain; opium; Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Summary/Abstract: Amidst the Great Economic Crisis, the creation of a specialized state monopoly institution, known as the Privileged State Monopoly for the Purchase and Export of Agricultural Products (PRIZAD), aligned with the prevalent pattern of trade centralization observed in the majority of European agrarian nations during that period. The implementation of the state monopoly in 1930 aimed to supplant preceding purchase-export methodologies, elevate the prices of agricultural products, and eradicate the involvement of foreign intermediaries. Moreover, this monopoly organization was given the authority to provide loans, standardize agricultural production, oversee transportation, and manage the storage of goods. On the contrary, the competitive environment within the American-Soviet grain market, marked by an unregulated procurement system directly involving cultivators, deficient personnel management, and restricted grain, fruit, and raw opium storage capacities, collectively fostered an atmosphere conducive to corruption and the proliferation of private speculation. During the tenure of PRIZAD’s inaugural general director, Leo Gottlieb, the distinction between the private and public domains was notably obscured. Conversely, under the leadership of his successor, Milan Najdanović, a culmination of irregularities and bureaucratic inconsistencies gave rise to several prominent corruption scandals. These scandals involved activities such as the illicit exportation of domestic grains and the unau- thorized resale of Romanian wheat. Throughout the period of PRIZAD’s business consolidation (1934–1939), Director Edo Marković became a focal point of examination by the Belgrade press. This scrutiny revolved around attributing the role of primary controllers of grain and opium acquisition and export operations to the perceived entity termed “Judeo-Masonry“. He was additionally criticized for extravagance, incompetence in formulating grain policy, exhibiting bias in favor of “non-Serb” employees, and encroaching upon the autonomy of the opium department. According to accessible sources, Edo Marković was purportedly assassinated by the Belgrade police in December 1939, ostensibly due to his grain and opium policies. Specifically, his steadfast advocacy for PRIZAD’s geopolitical reorientation away from the Third Reich and towards Western-allied countries was notably highlighted as a contributing factor. Despite its conception as an ambitious and financially viable joint-stock corporation wielding a robust monopoly, PRIZAD found itself inexorably intertwined with the political fortunes of its predominant stakeholder, the state.

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