Main Content
Alfried Krupp and National Socialism
In early 2022, a research project on Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was launched by the Essen-based Krupp Foundation and is also hosted at the International Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC). Alfried Krupp (1907–1967), the last owner of the company, stood trial in Nuremberg in 1947/48. A research project led by Professor Eckart Conze focuses on the topic “Alfried Krupp and National Socialism.” The project goes far beyond Krupp’s entrepreneurial activities during the Second World War and also considers the period before 1933 as well as Krupp’s handling of the Nazi past, including his own, after 1945. With this project, in which Dr. Jens Brüggemann, author of an important study on the Wehrmacht generalship in Nuremberg, is also involved, the ICWC continues its series of projects dedicated to addressing the legacies of National Socialism.
Research Background
Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach’s entrepreneurial activities under National Socialism have already been addressed in the context of the Nuremberg Krupp Trial and in subsequent scholarly studies. However, a comprehensive investigation of his relationship to National Socialism has not yet been undertaken. This is particularly true for the period after his pardon in 1951. What did his Nazi past mean for his leadership of the company? Did he reflect on his personal responsibility? At the time of the foundation of the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, had he engaged with his own actions? A scholarly biography addressing these questions has not yet been produced. The research project “Alfried Krupp and National Socialism” seeks to explore these and additional questions. The initiative was launched by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation. The aim of the project is to provide a nuanced examination of Alfried Krupp as a person and of his relationship to National Socialism, pursuing a comprehensive scholarly analysis of the subject.
“The Foundation bears the name of Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. This also entails a responsibility to engage with the biography of our founder,” says Prof. Ursula Gather, Chair of the Krupp Foundation Board. “To fulfill this responsibility, we are now consciously re-examining the past—from the perspective of current questions and new research approaches. With this research project, the Foundation continues its established course of independent research into Krupp history.”
Project Description
The project initially involves the identification, review, and analysis of available sources on Alfried Krupp and his attitude toward National Socialism from the 1920s onward. It deliberately extends the period of study beyond the “Third Reich” (1933–1945) to include Krupp’s stance toward National Socialism during the Weimar Republic as well as his engagement with the Nazi past, including his own actions, during the period of the Federal Republic of Germany. Over a nine-month period, new or previously unsystematically examined sources in national and international archives were evaluated. The Historical Krupp Archive was also included. In addition to Krupp’s entrepreneurial activities, other dimensions were considered, such as his political positions and opinions, as well as private statements. The insights gained from this source research were discussed by the Foundation and external experts and evaluated in terms of possible next steps.
In June 2023, the Board of Trustees and the Executive Board of the Krupp Foundation decided to continue the project. In the next phase, among other topics, Alfried Krupp’s memberships in Nazi organizations, the so-called “Landsberg Aid” — an informal support network for Krupp’s fellow inmates in the Allied war crimes prison at Landsberg — and the issue of “forced labor” will be further researched. The goal is a multiperspective publication, which will include both German and English editions as well as a digital application aimed at reaching younger audiences.
For decades, the Foundation has been committed to addressing the history of the Krupp company and family: it has initiated scholarly projects and publications successfully carried out by renowned historians such as Lothar Gall and Harold James. At the Foundation’s headquarters, the Historical Krupp Exhibition in the Small House of Villa Hügel provides information about the role of the Krupp company during the “Third Reich” as well as about Alfried Krupp himself. The Historical Krupp Archive, which preserves extensive materials on Alfried Krupp, is open to all interested parties and regularly supports scholarly and other research projects.
Learn more about the project’s initiators in the press release.