Zündwaren monopoly

[citation needed] The only brands the Deutsche Zündwaren-Monopolgesellschaft could distribute were Welthölzer ("World Matches") and Haushaltsware ("Household article").

Local German manufacturers obtained licenses to produce preassigned volumes to sell domestically and were not allowed to export these matches or to establish new firms.

The official monopoly had been acquired by Swedish entrepreneur Ivar Kreuger,[1][2] the "Match King", which made him a very rich man and remained in effect after the conclusion of World War II and through to 1983.

[3] In 1930 the Weimar Republic struggled to deal with war reparations as determined by the Treaty of Versailles while it also tried to tackle the Great Depression.

East Germany (1949-1990) did not recognize the effects of the Zündwaren monopoly, no payments were made.