The history of Krupp is the history of modern Germany. No company
symbolized the best and worst of that history more than the famous steel
and arms maker. In this book, Harold James tells the story of the Krupp
family and its industrial empire between the early nineteenth century
and the present, and analyzes its transition from a family business to
one owned by a nonprofit foundation.Krupp founded a small steel mill in
1811, which established the basis for one of the largest and most
important companies in the world by the end of the century. Famously
loyal to its highly paid workers, it rejected an exclusive focus on
profit, but the company also played a central role in the armament of
Nazi Germany and the firm's head was convicted as a war criminal at
Nuremberg. Yet after the war Krupp managed to rebuild itself and become
a symbol of Germany once again--this time open, economically successful,
and socially responsible.Books on Krupp tend to either denounce it as a
diabolical
enterprise or celebrate its technical ingenuity. In contrast, James
presents a balanced account, showing that the owners felt ambivalent
about the company's military connection even while becoming more and
more entangled in Germany's aggressive politics during the imperial era
and the Third Reich.By placing the story of Krupp and its owners in a
wide context, James also provides new insights into the political,
social, and economic history of modern Germany.
