ABSTRACT
The German occupation of Denmark came as no big surprise to the Danish government. And even if it was still a rather unfortunate development, the government very quickly came to the conclusion that Danish soldiers should not try to fight the intruders. This chapter outlines the present knowledge about the conduct and conditions of Danish business during the occupation from 1940 to 1945. It describes the general changes in the Danish economy due to the occupation, and outlines the macroeconomic conditions and the introduction of price controls and rationing. The chapter discusses the conditions of Danish agriculture and industry. And since most Danish companies got by without direct destruction of plants and machinery, Danish industry was not that badly positioned after the war. However, the Danish policy of preserving the structure of production in the existing units might have worked to the contrary.
