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Alfried Krupp

Research Project “Alfried Krupp and National
Socialism”

Research project on the position of Alfried Krupp to National Socialism enters second phase

The reappraisal project initiated by the Krupp Foundation in 2022 on the position of its founder Alfried Krupp to National Socialism continues: the second phase of the project has commenced and is dedicated to in-depth research based on the results and identified sources of the first section of the project. The multidisciplinary team of eight authors discussed relevant issues as part of an initial workshop, and will focus on various main topics in the coming months to obtain as multifaceted an impression as possible of Alfried Krupp from the 1920s until his death in 1967. The goal is to produce an anthology of contributions based on multiple perspectives, to be published by the Society for Business History, and also in the English language. A digital application is to be concurrently developed with the aim of conveying the topic as barrier-free and location-independent as possible, with the particular intention of reaching young target groups.

In 2022, the Krupp Foundation initiated a research project in order to identify sources that could shed light on Alfried Krupp’s position towards National Socialism. The source research directed by Professor Dr. Eckart Conze, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Philipps University Marburg and an expert on the history and impact of National Socialism, created an overview of existing project-relevant documents in national and international archives, including the Krupp Historical Archive. The results of the research project led by Professor Conze were then presented in 2023 and published on the website of the Foundation.

Project chronology

Project commencement in 2022

In February 2022, the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation initiated an independent academic research project under the direction of Professor Dr. Eckart Conze to find out more about the position of Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach on National Socialism. The Foundation sees it as its responsibility and specific task to concern itself with the biography of its founder from the viewpoint of current issues as well as in the light of new research perspectives. Professor Dr. Eckart Conze is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Philipps University Marburg and an expert on National Socialism. The aim of the project led by him was to gain, via source research, a more comprehensive understanding of Alfried Krupp as a person as well as his position on National Socialism.

First project phase in 2022-2023: source research

The source research comprised the identification, review and analysis of new or not yet systematically analysed sources on Alfried Krupp and his position on National Socialism since the 1920s. It purposefully extended the era of the ‘Third Reich’ of 1933-1945, and included both the position of Alfried Krupp (1907-1967) within the Weimar Republic as well as Krupp’s dealings with the Nazi past in the period of the Federal Republic. The view was intended to go beyond the entrepreneurial activities of Alfried Krupp to take into consideration other dimensions, for example his political positions and private statements.

Together with his research assistant, Dr. Jens Brüggemann, Professor Conze established a consistent research strategy for the project aimed at identifying potentially meaningful sources of material. For the purpose, databases and finding aids from numerous national and international archives were consulted, of which 14 were finally selected for systematic source research. In addition to the Krupp Historical Archive, considered the most important point of contact for the source research and available to the researchers without restriction, these consisted of three departments of the Federal Archives, four state and regional archives, the Arolsen Archives, the Institute of Contemporary History, two concentration camp memorial sites and the Documentation and Research Centre for Social Insurance Institutions. Private and business documents of Alfried Krupp, various family members and other persons from the business environment and his circle of friends and acquaintances were examined, including correspondence, minutes of meetings, notes, calendars, party- and SS documents as well as files from ministries, the Wehrmacht, the Gestapo and the defence and prosecution of the Krupp trial at Nuremberg. The files and holdings viewed were then assessed with regard to their informative value and further research options.

Potential for continuation of the source research

Selected contextual analyses of the source research revealed potential that indicated a continuance of the project would be productive. Issues that may shed light on Alfried Krupp’s position regarding National Socialism in the course of continued research relate, for example, to his supporting membership of the SS and his comparatively late entry into the NSDAP at the end of 1938. Further questions relate to the so-called ‘Landsberghilfe’, an informal support network that aided war criminals released from the Allied prison in Landsberg in the 1950s to integrate into society. Following his release from Landsberg prison, Alfried Krupp sporadically kept in touch with former fellow prisoners and supported them, partly financially, but also non-materially. Conze and Brüggemann have identified more than 200 people who received support payments, including SS members as well as members of the Gestapo, the Wehrmacht and Nazi functionaries. Another complex of topics that has not yet been fully researched concerns the employment of forced labourers by the Krupp company – specifically, Alfried Krupp’s involvement in the planning of a production facility in Auschwitz and the use of concentration camp forced labourers, but also researching the information he had at his disposal.

Involvement of a panel of experts

After the research was completed, the Foundation invited a panel of experts to discuss the results of the source project and to develop recommendations for further steps. The panel consisted of renowned historians including Professor Dr. Simone Derix, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Professor Dr. Norbert Frei, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Professor Dr. Cornelia Rauh, Leibnitz University Hanover, Professor Dr. Eva-Maria Roelevink, TU Bergakademie Freiberg and Professor Dr. Joachim Scholtyseck, Bonn University. Consensus existed among the historians that continuing the research would be useful and could bring new insights to light.

Second project phase in 2023: detailed study and publication

Based on the recommendations of Professor Conze and the panel of experts, the Foundation took the decision to continue the source research with a second project phase consisting of in-depth study. In accordance with the recommendation, the second phase of the project will adopt a multi-perspective approach, with further research focusing on the position of Alfried Krupp on National Socialism. A publication is also to be published with contributions from eight authors with different areas of expertise.

The team of authors consists of personalities with various areas of expertise in the fields of history, economic history, legal history, educational science and sociology, and is made up of Professor Dr. Manfred Grieger, Georg August University Göttingen, Professor Dr. Heiko Kleve, Witten-Herdecke University, Associate Professor Dr. Christian Marx, University of Trier/Institute for Contemporary History, Professor Dr. Louis Pahlow, Goethe University Frankfurt, Professor Dr. Eva-Maria Roelevink, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Martina Rupp, Marburg, Professor Dr. Joachim Scholtyseck, University of Bonn and Professor Dr. Dieter Ziegler, Ruhr University Bochum.

The various expertises of the authors enable a highly detailed formulation of different aspects of the life of Alfried Krupp with regard to his position on National Socialism. In their contributions, the experts take up and incorporate the existing source material as well as latest research findings to analyse and pursue various issues such as: what was the influence of his family environment on the decisions of Alfried Krupp? How did he evaluate the war? What were his scopes for action? How was he personally involved in decisions on armaments production and forced labour, and what level of personal responsibility did he bear? Why did Alfried Krupp support former fellow Landsberg prisoners in the 1950s? What image of National Socialism did he represent? How did he view his own role in the Nazi era? These and further issues will guide the detailed research.

The aim of the project is to produce a publication based on multiple perspectives, also to be published in English. Concurrently with this, a digital application is being developed with the goal of conveying the history of Alfried Krupp as barrier-free and location-independently as possible and, in particular, to reach young target groups.

Society for Business History takes over editorship of the publication

The anthology of contributions is to be published by the Society for Business History (Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte), an established academic organisation dedicated to the advancement of research into corporate history. To promote academic exchange in Germany and worldwide, the Society for Business History organises international conferences, lecture events, symposia and working groups and publishes its specialist journal “Zeitschrift für Unternehmensgeschichte” (Journal for Business History). The society has supervised corporate history studies through to publication for over 25 years, and has supported companies and foundations such as Sartorius, Miele, Hertie, the Zeppelin Foundation and the Carl Zeiss Foundation. As part of this it has gained extensive experience in reappraisal projects in connection with National Socialism.

Publications about Krupp

For decades, the Krupp Foundation has been committed to reappraising the history of the company and the Krupp family: among other things, it has initiated academic projects and publications that have been realised by renowned historians such as Lothar Gall and Harold James.

About Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach

Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was born into an industrialist family in 1907 as the eldest son of Bertha and Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. He was prepared early on for his leadership role, which he assumed in 1943 as sole owner of the company. In 1945, he was arrested by US troops and placed under arrest. In 1948, he was sentenced to twelve years imprisonment and the confiscation of his assets in the course of the Nuremberg Krupp Trial for “plundering” territories occupied by Germany and crimes in connection with forced labor. The court acquitted the defendant on the charges of “preparation of a war of aggression” and “conspiracy against peace”. As part of a general review of the Nuremberg verdicts, John Jay McCloy, the US High Commissioner for Germany, pardoned the convicted man in 1951 and lifted the confiscation of his assets.

He assumed management of the Krupp company again in 1953. In 1967, shortly before his death, he ordered that his private and company assets be transferred to a charitable foundation. The Foundation commenced its work in 1968 and uses the income it receives from its corporate shareholding, now consisting of 20.93%, to promote science, education, art and culture, health and sport.

Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach’s entrepreneurial activities under National Socialism have already been focused on within the context of the Nuremberg Krupp Trial and in later academic studies. To date however there has not been a comprehensive study of his relationship to National Socialism. What did the National Socialist past mean for his work at the helm of the company? Did he reflect on his responsibility? Did he consider his actions at the time of the Foundation’s establishment? A biographical approach to Alfried Krupp that also addresses these issues is still lacking.

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