Creating Global Shipping
Aristotle Onassis, the Vagliano Brothers, and the Business of Shipping, c.1820–1970

This study of shipping makes visible a sector that has led European economic growth for centuries, yet rarely appears in business or economic histories.

Gelina Harlaftis (Author)

9781108466783, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 November 2022

399 pages, 46 b/w illus. 5 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.586 kg

'To understand globalization means understanding its fundamental components - technology, institutions, business culture and entrepreneurial forces active in the realm of the international economy. In this seminal book, which summarizes years of accurate research, Gelina Harlaftis provides invaluable evidence for those interested in the complex and articulated universe of global entrepreneurship.' Andrea Colli, Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi

Shipping has been the international business par excellence in many national economies, one that preceded trends in other, more highly visible sectors of international economic activity. Nevertheless, in both business or economic history, shipping has remained relatively overlooked. That gap is filled by this exploration of the evolution of European shipping through the study of two Greek shipping firms. They provide a prime example of the regional European maritime businesses that evolved to serve Europe's international trade and, eventually, the global economy. By the end of the twentieth century, Greeks owned more ships than any other nationality. The story of the Vagliano brothers traces the transformation of Greek shipping from local shipping and trading to international shipping and ship management, while the case of Aristotle Onassis reveals how international shipping was transformed into a global business.

1. The European and Greek shipping firm
2. The Vagliano shipmasters: creating a business empire, 1820s–1850s
3. An international trading house from Russia to the United Kingdom, 1850s–1880s
4. The Russian government vs. Mari Vagliano, 1881–1887
5. The Vagliano fleet and innovation in ship management
6. Merchant to shipowner: Onassis from Buenos Aires to London and New York, 1923–1946
7. The Onassis fleet, 1946–1975
8. The United States government vs. Aristotle Onassis, 1951–1958
9. Innovation in global shipping: the Onassis business
10. Diachronic presence: an epilogue.

Subject Areas: Ships & boats: general interest [WGG], Shipping industries [KNGS], International business [KJK], Economic history [KCZ], Maritime history [HBTM], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], European history [HBJD]