October 4th, 2012
Nazi era- Companies that Help in the Holocaust
Throughout history, there have been important events that have distinct a particular ethical issue within various companies. One of these horrific events was the Holocaust, which is defined by Michell R Marrus as “the systematic mass murder of European Jewry by the Nazis”, which “sits uneasily in the history of our time” (Marrus, 1987). To many people the Holocaust is still a source of remorse. Consequently they feel embarrassed, since many were apathetic towards the people suffering, but many also believe that historical investigations can bring about additional insight regarding companies and their commitments. The Holocaust is a part of the history that produces an uncomfortable sensation because of the horrible that happened in this era. As Nora Levin stated, it is not only the magnitude of the destruction- the murder of six million Jews- but because the events surrounding are in a very real sense incomprehensible. No one can understand how mass murder in such a scale could have happened or could have been allowed to happen.
The purpose of this paper is not to talk about the Holocaust, however, to create a profound analysis of the German automobile companies that helped the Nazis to perform and gain profits from this holocaust of innocent people. Examples of these companies are the Ford Company, BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke), Daimler Benz, and Volkswagen. From 1930-1945, these companies aided the Nazi cause and took advantage of not paying any of the employees an enslaved for their work, but by exploiting them, make them suffer in miserable conditions and leading many to their murder (Saxon, 1999). Around 12 million Europeans were victims of working under duress in terrible conditions. Benjamin B. Ferencz, state that “Jews were regularly employed simply as another means of mass murder; they were supposed to be worked to death, with the product of their...