<
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/hitler-oligarchs-hugenberg-nazi/681584/>
"He was among the richest men in the world. He made his first fortune in heavy
industry. He made his second as a media mogul. And in January 1933, in exchange
for a political favor, Alfred Hugenberg provided the electoral capital that
made possible Adolf Hitler’s appointment as chancellor. Before Hugenberg sealed
his pact with Hitler, a close associate had warned Hugenberg that this was a
deal he would come to regret: “One night you will find yourself running through
the ministry gardens in your underwear trying to escape arrest.”
In my recent book,
Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power, I chronicled the
fraught relationship between the tyrant and the titan, but my story ended in
January 1933, so I did not detail the subsequent impact on Hugenberg’s
fortunes, let alone the catastrophic consequences that lay ahead for other
corporate leaders, their companies, and their country.
In the ’20s and early ’30s, the Hitler “brand” was anathema to capitalists and
corporate elites. His National Socialist German Worker’s Party was
belligerently
nationalistisch but also unapologetically
sozialistisch—a
true
Arbeiter Partei, or “working man’s party.” Its 25-point political
platform explicitly targeted bankers and financiers, calling for “breaking the
bondage of interest,” as well as industrialists who profited from wartime
production. Profits were to be confiscated by the state without compensation,
and corporate executives charged with treason. Platform Point 13 was explicit:
“We demand the nationalization of all existing corporate entities.”"
Via Diane A.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
