Photos and IDs of women and men who were brought to work in Germany during the Nazi era
Photo:DDP / ULLSTEIN PICTURE
SPIEGEL: Mr. Goschler, during the Second World War at least ten million people did forced labor on the territory of the "Third Reich", and around one in four died. To what extent were the large German entrepreneurial dynasties such as Krupp, Quandt or Flick involved in these crimes?
Goschler: You were very involved. The Krupp Group employed at least 100,000 forced laborers, Siemens over 80,000, Flick around 60,000, Quandt around 50,000. These companies had their own camps for these people - some outposts of concentration camps - with their own guards, who in many cases treated the forced laborers very badly. Large companies were not alone in this. The entire industry, agriculture and private households were involved in the system of forced labor.
SPIEGEL: Does that make it better?
Goschler: There is nothing to put into perspective. However, one should avoid the mistake of putting a few large companies in the foreground and thereby acquitting everyone else. Krupp or Siemens were not outside of society. The German cities were full of forced labor camps. Forced laborers were everywhere: at work, in the neighborhood, on the streets.
Mirror Plus
Good reading. Understand more.
Special reports, analyzes and background information on topics that affect our society - from reporters from all over the world.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +:
- Icon: Check
Unrestricted access
to all content on all your devices
Exclusive content
from the weekly magazine
- Icon: Check
Including digital edition
of the weekly magazine
Flexible term
can be canceled at any time
- Icon: Check
Flexible term
can be canceled online at any time
A price
only € 19.99 per month
Start Free Month Buy Now Right Arrow Sign Up Now Right Arrow
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation. 24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed for one month at the current price of € 19.99. You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account. To use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase. With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.
