Krupp Foundation brings research project on Alfried Krupp’s attitude to National Socialism into second phase
The reappraisal project initiated by the Krupp Foundation in 2022 on the attitude of its founder Alfried Krupp towards National Socialism continues: The second project phase, which is dedicated to in-depth research based on the results and identified sources of the first project phase, has started. The multidisciplinary team of eight authors discussed relevant issues in an initial workshop and will focus on various topics over the next few months in order to obtain as multifaceted a picture as possible of Alfried Krupp in the period from the 1920s until his death in 1967. The aim is a multi-perspective anthology, which will also be published in English. The publication will be edited by the Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte. A digital application is being developed to accompany the publication with the aim of making the topic as accessible and location-independent as possible and reaching young target groups in particular.
The team of authors consists of Prof Dr Manfred Grieger (Georg August University Göttingen), Prof Dr Heiko Kleve (Witten-Herdecke University), PD Dr Christian Marx (University of Trier/Institute of Contemporary History), Prof Dr Louis Pahlow (Goethe University Frankfurt), Prof Dr Eva-Maria Roelevink (TU Bergakademie Freiberg), Martina Rupp (Marburg), Prof Dr Joachim Scholtyseck (University of Bonn) and Prof Dr Dieter Ziegler (Ruhr University Bochum). Their diverse academic expertise enables a comprehensive analysis that combines different perspectives on Alfried Krupp’s attitude towards National Socialism.
The various expertises of the authors enable an in-depth examination of different aspects of Alfried Krupp’s life with regard to his attitude towards National Socialism. In their contributions, the experts draw on existing source material as well as current research findings and explore various questions, e.g: What influence did his family environment have on Alfried Krupp’s decisions? How did he assess the war? What was his room for manoeuvre? How was he personally involved in decisions on armaments production and forced labour and what personal responsibility did he bear? Why did Alfried Krupp support former 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 other questions will guide the in-depth research work.