When Yugoslavia was created in 1918, noble landowners still possessed vast parts of its territory. This was especially true for the northwestern half of the country, which had formerly belonged to the Habsburg Monarchy. With about 38,000 hectares, prince Albert of Thurn and Taxis was the largest private owner of forests in the new kingdom. Yugoslav politicians demanded an expropriation, justified as social and historical justice. At the same time, political and business networks attempted to channel the property into their own pockets. The involved sides – Thurn and Taxis, Yugoslav officials, national and international companies – used various means to struggle for their interests, from lawsuits to international arbitrage and political lobbyism. This book concentrates on the latter, arriving at a “grammar of bribery” in the wood business of interwar Yugoslavia.

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