General Motors and the Nazis: The Struggle for Control of Opel, Europe’s Biggest Carmaker - Hardcover

Turner Jr., Henry Ashby

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300106343 ISBN 13: 9780300106343

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2005

Synopsis

This book, the first ever based on unrestricted access to General Motors’ internal records, documents the giant American corporation’s dealings with the Third Reich. GM purchased Opel, Europe’s largest automaker, in the 1920s and continued to hold it through the Second World War. Historian Henry Ashby Turner, Jr., uncovers the fascinating story of how the American carmaker conducted business in Germany under the Nazi regime and explores larger issues concerning the relations between international corporations and the Third Reich.
The book presents new and detailed information about General Motors’ interactions with Hitler and other Nazi officials, including the carmaker’s attempt to capture the Volkswagen project. It also reveals how American GM executives thwarted a sustained Nazi effort to gain control of Opel. The author concludes with an assessment of the extent of the company’s implication, through Opel, in the Nazi war effort and in the exploitation of forced labor.

About this title

Book Description

This book, the first ever based on unrestricted access to General Motors’ internal records, documents the giant American corporation’s dealings with the Third Reich. Henry Ashby Turner first tells the fascinating story of how GM conducted business in Germany under the Nazi regime and then assesses the legality and morality of the company’s policies. 

About the Author

Henry Ashby Turner, Jr., is Stillé Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University. His previous books include German Big Business and the Rise of Hitler.

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0300106343
• ISBN 13: 9780300106343
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208