Continental contre Michelin: les industries pneumatiques allemande et française pendant la guerre et la résistance des structures oligopolistiques traditionnelles

摘要

Abstract For a short time the Second World War dramatically changed the rules and behaviours in the oligololistic tire market. It opened for the German leading tire company Continental several options, to influence the balances of power in the European Rubber and Tire industry to their own advantage. But as regards the efforts to weaken the technological and economic position of the French tire company Michelin, Continental failed. The reasons not only were the successful strategy of defense, but also the conviction of the Continental management, that sooner or later they would be again confronted with Michelin as competitor in a free market and that to behave too radical would harm Continental in the long run.