Owning Up: German Corporations Admit Their Role in Nazi Era's Atrocities - A United Front
Businesses Admit Role in Nazi Era Operations - Obliquely - Proposal sought for a legislative directive regarding commission matters
Let's talk about the past. Eight decades ago, the curtain of World War II in Europe was drawn as the German Reich surrendered. The war's prolongation was, in part, due to the deployment of forced laborers in the war economy. And, let's not forget, many large German companies reaped the benefits of Nazi-era crimes - for example, via contracts and expropriations.
Here we are, 80 years later, and 50 major German companies have stood up and admitted their part during the Third Reich, publishing a statement on the 80th anniversary of liberation. The "Declaration of German Companies on May 8th" states that, amidst other things, German companies assisted in consolidating the rule of the National Socialists, with many companies and their employees driven by self-interest.
Corporate Leaders Speak Out on Freedom Day
The signatories include likes of Bayer, Adidas, Rheinmetall, Mercedes-Benz, Deutsche Telekom, and Siemens, among others. They accepted their responsibility for preserving the memory of the Nazi era's atrocities and pledged against hate, antisemitism, and exclusion. They emphasize, "We won't draw a final line."
"In 1933 and beyond, too many remained silent, looked away, and stayed mum," the companies explained. This, they say, creates a responsibility for the past, present, and future. The statement was published in major national newspapers and posted on company websites.
Facing the Past - But Everywhere?
The reckoning with German companies' roles in Nazi atrocities has not always been straightforward in the past. For years, their ties to the crimes were denied or avoided. However, in recent times, some companies have hired historians to unravel their entanglements. Companies like Bahlsen, Dr. Oetker, and VW have received praise for their proactive approach.
Not all companies follow suit. Lastly reported by "Tagesschau," logistics firm Kühne + Nagel shies away from open processing. Kühne + Nagel belongs to Klaus-Michael Kühne, one of Germany's wealthiest individuals. The company transported furniture from fleeing, deported, and murdered Jews from occupied territories to the German Reich during the Third Reich.
Unfortunately, Kühne + Nagel declined to sign the German companies' declaration. It is said that the initiative came from Bayer, BASF, and Evonik, successors of the chemical conglomerate IG Farben (known for the production of Zyklon B gas), as well as Siemens. Bayer CEO Bill Anderson then reached out to other companies.
This declaration, although well-meaning, leaves much unexplored: terms like "forced labor" or "guilt" are conspicuously absent. Instead, it seems to be a call to stay vigilant in the current political climate. The thorough processing of Nazi entanglements for Germany's biggest corporations is, thus, still a work in progress.
Sources: "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", "Süddeutsche Zeitung", "Tagesschau", Deutschlandfunk
- Liberation Day
- World War II
- Kühne + Nagel
- Adidas
- Rheinmetall
- Mercedes-Benz
- The Commission, in their vigilance towards the protection of workers, has not yet adopted a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens, akin to the health risks that forced laborers in World War II faced.
- In the finance sector, some might argue that the profit generated by German corporations during the Nazi era through contracts and expropriations mirrors the contemporary business ventures entangled in crime and justice issues.
- As Kühne + Nagel remains reluctant to acknowledge their past entanglements, the general public and corporate leaders alike call for increased contractual transparency to prevent similar entanglements in the business world.
- Similarly, in the realm of domestic news or general-news, the public scrutiny over corporate leaders' silence on Nazi-era atrocities parallels the public's demand for financial vigilance in assessing businesses' ethical practices.
- Given the success of initiatives like the "Declaration of German Companies on May 8th," numerous financial institutions are encouraged to follow suit, ensuring that history does not repeat itself and that finance serves the greater good.
