For big business in Germany and in the US, Hitler and the National Socialist (Nazi) party were a welcome political development against the labor unrest intensified by the Great Depression of the 1930s. Powerful business interests found the one-party fascist government ready and willing to protect their property and profits, which grew exponentially from first re-arming Germany and then supplying both sides of the Second World War with weaponry.
Pauwels documents the role of the major German conglomerates still in business today who supported Hitler and gained from the Nazi government’s horrendous measures, including Thyssen Krupp, IG Farben/Bayer, Siemens, Bosch, Daimler-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen, Opel and others.
The German subsidiaries of US multinationals such as General Motors, IBM, Standard Oil, Ford, and others eagerly sold equipment, weapons, and fuel needed for the German war machine. A key roadblock to America’s late entry into the Second World War was behind-the-scenes pressure from US corporations seeking to protect their profitable business selling to both sides.
Table of Contents
Part One: German Big Business and Hitler: 1. Empire, War and Revolution; 2. Industry, Democracy and Dictatorship; 3. Economic and Political Crisis; 4. Hiring Adolf H.; 5. The Elimination of the Left; 6. The Nazi Dictatorship:Â Cui Bono? 7. The Third Reich: A Welfare State? 8. 1939-1945: Hitler’s War? 9. Together Until the End! 10. An Unsatisfied Beneficiary.
Interlude: And Elsewhere?
Part Two: American Big Business and Nazi Germany: 11. Dollar Offensive in Germany; 12. American Fans and Partners of Hitler; 13. Better Hitler than “Rosenfeld”; 14. Lightning War “Made in USA”; 15. After Pearl Harbor: “Business as Usual”; 16. War = Profits; 17. Helpful Bankers and Secret Agents; 18. Bombs, Damage and Compensation; 19. Between Morgenthau and Moscow; 20. Nazi Past, American Future.
Conclusion: Fascism and War after 1945
Epilogue: Is History “Bunk”?
