German Companies Declare Responsibility for Strengthening Nazi Regime

German corporations have issued a joint statement acknowledging their responsibility for enabling the Nazi regime's rise to power. The leading German firms—including Siemens, BMW Group, Hugo Boss, and Adidas—collectively expressed their accountability for the role they played in bolstering Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist government during the first half of the 20th century. This statement was reported by BBC.

The declaration was published in prominent German newspapers such as Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Signatories to the statement include the executives of 49 major German companies, among them Adidas, BMW Group, Bosch, Deutsche Bahn, DHL Group, Hugo Boss, Henkel, Lufthansa Group, Mercedes-Benz, Rheinmetall, Uniper, Volkswagen, Porsche, and others.

In particular, the statement emphasizes that May 8 is a day of remembrance for the 60 million lives lost worldwide, as well as "a day on which we are compelled to ask how all this became possible."

"The rise to power of the National Socialists in 1933 would have been impossible without the failure of responsible individuals in politics, the military, the judiciary, and the economy at the time. German companies contributed to the strengthening of the Nazi regime’s authority. Pursuing their own interests, many firms and their representatives were involved in this process. Today, we, as German enterprises, accept the responsibility to preserve the memory of the crimes committed during the Nazi era," the statement reads.

As Die Zeit points out, the initiative to issue this joint statement coincided with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, when leaders of Bayer, BASF, Evonik, and Siemens approached German companies. This came after their participation in a memorial ceremony earlier this year commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

In Europe, the anniversary of the end of World War II is observed on May 8th—the date when the document of German military capitulation, signed by representatives of the Western Allies, came into effect in Reims, France.

During Nazi Germany, many large German corporations collaborated with the regime. As noted by BBC, on BMW's website, there is a section stating that during the Nazi era, the company transitioned from a vehicle manufacturer to a producer of weapons and played a significant role in Germany’s wartime economy. Some firms even denied their involvement in Nazi crimes for decades.