Kriegswirtschaftszentralen - an instrument of state interventionism: The term, its definition, and contents
Abstract
The study deals with the definition of the term "Kriegswirtschaftszentralen" ("War Economic Headquarters"), as organizations active during the First World War in Cisleithania. It notices the usage of the term "centrála" and "ústředna" respectively in Czech, and "die Zentrale" in German in naming a special type of war economic organizations and mentions its characteristics.
It studies the usage of this term in daily press and literature of the period. Furthermore, the article analyses the usage of this term in the works of historians while pointing out the inaccurate and equivocal nature of its contemporary use which leads to many errors and misconceptions.
In conclusion, the author of this study proposes a more accurate labelling of war economic organizations in Cisleithania, its individual types, and the definition of the term "Kriegswirtschaftszentralen".