Losses sustained by the Polish tobacco industry as a result of World War II

Abstract

The wartime repercussions on the Polish tobacco industry manifested in two distinct dimensions. Firstly, they emanated from the predatory activities of the German occupiers and, to a lesser extent, the Soviet forces. Secondly, the redrawing of post-war borders and the consequent relinquishment of eastern territories by Poland, wherein a substantial contingent of Polish tobacco enterprises were situated, contributed to the industry's losses. These cumulative losses were appraised at over 5 billion pre-war Polish złoty. Direct losses amounted to 154 million złoty, while indirect losses incurred under occupation during the war reached 2,185 million złoty. The latter figure encompassed nearly 3 billion złoty, comprising amortization, the valuation of forfeited production, and the remuneration of the labor force over the 5.5-year wartime period. Amongst the spectrum of pre-war Polish monopolies, the tobacco industry bore the brunt of adversities. The enumerated figures, however, do not exhaustively encapsulate the entirety of losses sustained by the Polish tobacco industry during the course of the Second World War. A multitude of these losses defy precise quantification, exemplified by the marked regression in the cultivation and husbandry of tobacco in Poland attributable to exploitative German economic practices. Additionally, an assessment of losses in skilled laborers, whose lives were forfeited as a consequence of wartime operations, remains elusive. Post-war, the monopoly status of the tobacco industry, relative to the pre-war era, reflected almost 65% retention for tobacco manufacturing facilities and 50% for tobacco cultivation establishments. Notably, the comparative analysis of their production capacities and technical infrastructure in 1945 revealed a mere 10% resilience when compared to the benchmark year of 1939.