Owning Up: German Corporations Own Their Nazi Era Involvement - With a Plea
Businesses Accept Accountability During Nazi Era - Though With Ambiguity - Commission Requested for Drafting Directive Proposal on: Regulation of Controversial Topics
Skim through this 2-minute read as we delve into the 49 major German corporations admitting their roles during the Nazi era, in a statement published on the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day.
Corporations Facing Their Past
Eight decades ago, World War II in Europe came to an end, leaving Germany with a substantial workforce of forced laborers fueling its war economy. Numerous large German corporations also benefited from crimes attributed to the Nazi regime via contracts and expropriations.
On the 80th Liberation Day, 49 significant German companies published a text admitting their contributions to the National Socialist rule. The "Declaration of German Companies on May 8th" states: "German companies helped to keep the National Socialist reign intact, with many companies and their actors driven by self-interest."
CEOs Speak Out
Notable CEOs such as those from Bayer, Adidas, Rheinmetall, Mercedes-Benz, Deutsche Telekom, and Siemens, signed this declaration. They pledge responsibility for keeping the Nazi-era crimes' memory alive, taking a stand against bigotry, antisemitism, and exclusivity: "We won't forget."
"In 1933 and beyond, many remained silent, looked the other way, or were complicit," the companies explain. From this arise responsibilities for their past, present, and future actions. The text was published in major newspapers and featured on corporate websites.
Struggles of the Past and Present
Painstakingly confronting the role of German corporations in the Nazi era has been challenging. Denial and ignorance have masked involvement in the past. Recently, some companies, like Bahlsen, Dr. Oetker, and VW, have earned recognition for their efforts in uncovering their complicity.
Other companies, like logistics firm Kühne + Nagel, oppose public examination, as reported by "Tagesschau." It's important to note that Klaus-Michael Kühne—one of Germany's wealthiest individuals—owns this company. In the Third Reich, they transported furniture from the occupied Western territories to the German Reich for deported, murdered, or fleeing Jews.
Kühne + Nagel didn't sign the German corporations' declaration. Allegedly, the initiative originated from Bayer, BASF, and Evonik—past IG Farben successors involved in Zyklon B production—and Siemens. Also, Bayer CEO Bill Anderson reportedly reached out to various other companies after Bayer headed this initiative.
The declaration leaves unclearly addressed critical aspects: terms like "forced labor" or "accountability" are absent. Instead, it reads like a call to vigilance in the current political climate. Germany's largest companies are still in the early stages of unraveling and acknowledging their Nazi entanglements.
Sources: "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", "Süddeutsche Zeitung", "Tagesschau", Deutschlandfunk
- Liberation Day
- World War II
- Kühne + Nagel
- Adidas
- Rheinmetall
- Mercedes-Benz
- The Commission, thus far, has not yet adopted a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens, a topic of significant concern in the context of this article about German corporations' roles during the Nazi era.
- Reich, a historical term for the German Empire, was a period when some of these corporations operated and profited from the war economy, fueled by forced laborers.
- Expropriations, the seizure of property without compensation, were tactics used by the Nazi regime, benefiting many large German corporations, as detailed in the text discussing the recent admission of their roles.
- Contracts, agreements between companies, often played a part in the involvement of these corporations during the Nazi era, as implied in the article discussing the "Declaration of German Companies on May 8th."
- Wealth-management, personal-finance, and technology industries may also find themselves entangled in this history, as contemporary entities like Kühne + Nagel, despite not signing the declaration, have links to the Nazi era, transporting furniture from the occupied territories.
- Vigilance and finance obligations require careful consideration for many modern businesses, as they navigate through the entanglements of their past and present roles, similar to German corporations facing their involvement in the Nazi era.