Introduction

This chapter introduces the reader to the topic of the book, European softwood cartel in the 1930s, and discusses the research problem that the book aims to answer. It places the topic and the research problem in the broader context of international cartels and commodity agreements in the interwar period. The introduction covers previous research concerning European softwood cartel in the 1930s and concludes that previous academic research on the topic is highly limited. It discusses the large body of sources that have been used in this research—their character, limitations, and scope—as well as historical methodology through which sources have been chosen and analysed. It also provides the reader with a basic introduction to softwood timber as a product. This chapter sums up the key arguments of the book.