The Turmus Metal Products Factory under Trade Blockade and Wartime Legislation

The study presents an atypical production for the country, which began in 1930. The aim is to show how it reacted to the major political and economic upheavals during the war period 1939–1945. The Turmus factory in Plovdiv satisfied a need on the domestic market for all kinds of tableware – forks, spoons, knives, spatulas. Although it did not have a significant impact on the formation of the country's trade balance, the enterprise gave a new vision to the metal industry in the country. Production was carried out on the basis of imported raw materials. The introduction of restrictions in import-export trade had a generally unfavorable effect – it reduced the variety of items, narrowed the wide circle of debtors and creditors. Since the beginning of 1943, the self-financing and self-crediting of the factory prevented the complete cessation of the production process, but the total turnover fell tenfold. The study shows the advantages and disadvantages of state regulation in the industry in wartime.