The Role of Corporations in Nazi Germany - Term Paper Example

The Role of Corporations in Nazi Germany The Role of Corporations in Nazi Germany Nazi Germany also known as the German Reich is a term used to refer to Germany when it was under the rule of Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) as a totalitarian state (Evans, 2008). The German dictator is popularly known for his involvement in World War 2 and many studies have concentrated on the involvement of the German military and their alliances but it should be noted that corporations also played a bid role in the development of Nazi Germany as well (Evans, 2008).Without the involvement of the corporations, Nazi Germany would have never been able to achieve the status that they acquired before they were eventually defeated. Corporations played various roles in Nazi Germany and it can be said that they enabled the Reich to gain the economic standing that allowed them to fund the war that they waged against the allied forces (Bowler & Morus, 2010). Without the success of these corporations, Nazi Germany would have had a hard time establishing their rule over their conquests. Some of the areas that corporations played a role in Nazi Germany included; Technology Advancements The advancements that were made in technology enabled various operations in Nazi Germany to operate more efficiently than was previously possible (Bowler & Morus, 2010). These advancements were made by various corporations that were present in Nazi Germany at the time and played a role in ensuring that various activities held by the Reich was performed successfully and at times at a cheaper cost (Evans, 2008). One of the corporations that played a big role in this development was IBM through its German subsidiary Dehomag. The name of the subsidiary was an acronym for Deutsche Hollerith-Maschinen Gesellschaft mbH and was responsible for the introduction of punch cards in Nazi Germany which were implemented to great success in areas such as the train transport that was a large part of the transport activities that were undertaken by the German army (Bowler & Morus, 2010). Dehomag was responsible for the leasing as well as the maintenance of the punch cards and the card punch machines that were used in Germany (Bowler & Morus, 2010). These cards served to increase the efficiency of activities such as the Final solution that was responsible for the execution of a large number of Jews and other individuals considered to be enemies of the state by the Reich (Tooze, 2008). IBM which was based in New York set up a subsidiary that was meant to especially deal with the railway traffic within Nazi Germany during the period of the Holocaust within Poland and enhanced the efficiency of the German government in the operation of these new activities. This subsidiary was known as Watson Business Machines (Evans, 2008). The Transport Ministry in Germany used IBM machines through this subsidiary and it should also be noted that the Dehomag General Manager reported to an American IBM official by the name of Thomas J. Watson who was based in New York (Evans, 2008). IBM was able to legally do business with the German Reich up until the point that entered the World War and during this period the corporation was able to immensely improve the railway transport that was used by the German Nazi army (Evans, 2008). Transport Corporations also played a large role in the transportation industry of Nazi Germany and were responsible for the improvement of the transport infrastructure as well as a number of activities that involved this sector during the world war. One of the most notable contributions that construction corporations had on Nazi Germany was the construction of the German autobahns (Zeller, 2010). This was an extensive network of German roads that connected large parts of Germany as well as some areas that at that period in time had been occupied by the Third Reich. Though the construction of this network had been proposed earlier on, it was not until Hitler came into power that significant progress was made in their construction. These autobahns are still present today and are in fact the fourth biggest road network found in the world (Evans, 2005). The construction of the autobahn was significant in a number of ways such as the provision of employment opportunities in Nazi Germany that ensured that the country did not suffer from high a unemployment rate. Over 100,000 people were directly employed by this project while a further over 200,000 were provided with employment through the supply chain that was in its construction such as construction and maintenance equipment as well as the provision of materials such as steel and concrete (Tooze, 2008).Such projects ensured that the citizens of Nazi Germany enjoyed economic stability due to the job creation that occurred as a result as well as created as better transport network for the country. It should be noted however that this network was not essentially used by the Nazi army as it was cheaper to use the Railway due to fuel costs (Evans, 2008).Some parts of the autobahn were however transformed into landing sites for German war planes during the war due to location convenience. The Deutsche Reichseisenbahnen also referred to as German Reich Railways was responsible for the railway transportation that took place in Nazi Germany (Evans, 2008). This corporation was run by the government and played a big role during the war as it was responsible from transporting troops as well as equipment from one location to another. As mentioned earlier, the German Nazi preferred the use of the railway for their transportation needs due to the cost benefit and thus most of their activities involving transport were carried out through this corporation (Evans, 2008). The Deutsche Reichseisenbahnen was also responsible for prisoners during the final solution as they transported them to their deaths under the instructions of the Nazi regime (Evans, 2008). They transported untold numbers of Jews from their areas of origin or capture to the concentration camps that had been erected by the German army. An organization known as the Kdf (Kraft durch Freude) which was German for Strength through Joy also played a large role in the transportation sector through the production of a cost friendly vehicle that was known as kdf-wagen which is now popularly known as Volkswagen Beetle today (Tooze, 2008). Individuals who wished to purchase the car made payments and collected stamps in a stamp-savings book which once full was supposed to allow the owner to redeem the car (Tooze, 2008). However, due to a shift in the war and production, no person ever received the kdf-wagen as the beetle factories were largely transformed for the production of Jeeps that were used in the transportation of German officials in the army. The few beetles that were produced before the transformation were also used by various army officials as well. Kdf played a notable role in the production of vehicles that were used to transport Germans officials from one region to the other. However, it should be noted that these cars were not built for warring purposes and thus were not used as such. Tourism and Entertainment The kdf also played a large role in the Tourism and entertainment sectors of Nazi Germany. This can be considered as a matter of fact to be the main reason that the Kraft durch Freude was established (that is, to promote certain types of art and discouraging others). During the 1930s, the kdf became one of the biggest tourism operators in the world thanks to the government support that it received from the Third Reich (Evans, 2005). One of the aims of the kdf was to bridge what can be termed as the class divides and this was done by availing what were once considered as middle class leisure activities to the masses (Evans, 2005). This was done by providing affordable activities that could be enjoyed by the whole family such as cruises, concerts, plays, library access among other activities. The kdf ensured that there was no social divide through various activities such as the drawing of lots by passengers who had paid for cruises to determine which cabins that they would occupy (Tooze, 2008). This was done to establish a sense of unity among the different citizens of Nazi Germany which was essential especially during times of war where the nation needed to stand as one. The main aim of this objective was to promote the advantages that National Socialism had to offer as the government attempted to establish this system in Nazi Germany. Another objective of kdf was to promote the country’s tourism industry which had suffered a major hit during the 1920s which was worrying for the economy (Evans, 2005). As a result the German government had the kdf set up in a bid to attract more people to visit the country. This was done through the provision of affordable holidays which proved to be a big hit as they grew increasingly popular from year to year since their introduction leading to a large number of citizens taking these holidays (Tooze, 2008). The kdf project continued to rapidly develop and extend its areas of influence as it seeped into areas such as sports and education as well. Reaching out to its citizens in a bid to revive local proved t o be a very successful venture as over 10 million people were taking these kdf holidays by the year 1938 which showed significance growth since its inception (Tooze, 2008). In conclusion, the various corporations in Nazi Germany played a large role in keeping the country running and were involved in every sector of the activities that took place within the Third Reich (Evans, 2008). References Bowler, P. J. & Morus, I. R. (2010). Making Modern Science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Evans, R. J. (2005). The Coming of the Third Reich. New York: Penguin. Evans, R. J (2008) The Third Reich at war. New York: Penguin. Tooze, A. (2008). The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy. New York: Penguin. Zeller, T. (2010). Driving Germany: The Landscape of the German Autobahn, 1930– 1970. Oxford: Berghahn Books. Read More