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The Deutsche Bank, Germany's largest financial institution, played an important role in the expropriation of Jewish-owned enterprises during the Nazi dictatorship, both in the existing territories of Germany, and in the area seized by the German army during World War II. In this 2001 book Harold James uses new and previously unavailable materials, many from the bank's own archives, to examine policies which led to the eventual genocide of European Jews. How far did the realization of the vicious and destructive Nazi ideology depend on the acquiescence, the complicity, and the cupidity of existing economic institutions, and individuals? In response to the traditional view that business co-operation with the Nazi regime was motivated by profit, this book closely examines the behaviour of the bank and its individuals to suggest other motivations. No comparable study exists of a single company's involvement in the economic persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany.
List of contents
Preface of the historical commission appointed to examine the history of the Deutsche bank in the period of national socialism; Author's preface; Selected abbreviations; 1. Business and politics: banks and companies in Nazi Germany; 2. The structure, organization, and economic environment of Deutsche bank; 3. National socialism and banks; 4. The problem of 'Aryanization'; 5. Deutsche bank and 'Aryanization' in the pre-1938 boundaries of Germany; 6. Deutsche bank abroad: 'Aryanization', territorial expansion, and economic reordering; 7. Jewish-owned bank accounts; 8. The profits of the Deutsche bank; 9. Some concluding reflections; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
About the author
Harold James, geb. 1956, ist seit 1986 Professor für Geschichte an der Princeton University. Er beschäftigt sich seit Jahren besonders mit der deutschen Finanzgeschichte. Er hat an der Geschichte der Deutschen Bank ebenso mitgearbeitet wie an der der Bundesbank.
Summary
This 2001 book examines the role of the Deutsche Bank, Germany's largest financial institution, in the expropriation of Jewish-owned enterprises during the Nazi dictatorship. No comparable study exists of a single company's involvement in the economic persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany.
Report
'Harold James's new book ... is a clearly written, solidly reasoned business history that merits broad attention ... He has dealt with an extremely sensitive topic with great care.' German History
