When learning about the Holocaust, history classes often set aside only one day to talk about one of the most horrible events of the twentieth century. Many facets of memory culture surround the Shoah, and many aspects of history are overlooked. In the summer of 2018, I studied abroad in the Czech Republic. While I was in Europe, I got the chance to travel to a couple of other countries. When I was in Berlin, Germany, I learned from a city tour that a variety of companies benefitted from the Holocaust and some are still reaping the benefits. When learning about the Holocaust, history classes often set aside only one day to talk about one of the most horrible events of the twentieth century.

Nazi Business Practices:

The Nazis understood that businesses need to make money and, therefore, can be manipulated to continue and even make more money

Heinrich Himmler was the primary Nazi in charge of the concentration camp system, which means that he had control over millions of people. (Encyclopedia Britannica) According to Ronald Berger’s book, Fathoming the Holocaust: A Social Problems Approach, “Himmler sought to profit from the leasing of inmate labor to private corporations.” At first, many companies resisted this idea, but as the second world war progressed, the labor force became significantly depleted. Companies that were still operating needed to find a way to continue, so they turned to slave labor. According to Berger, by mid-1942 “the SS had become a major provider of slave labor for virtually every important sector of the economy.” These companies were not just culpable by using slave labor and indirectly helping the Nazis commit systematic genocide, but some also directly aided in the genocide process.

I.G Farben:

One of these companies that directly aided in the genocide is I.G. Farben. In the 1940s, I.G. Farben was a huge conglomerate of a variety of chemical and pharmaceutical companies. For example, Bayer Chemicals and Degesch were both a part of I.G. Farben. Before the war began, leading administrators of I.G. Farben helped raise almost 3 million “Reichsmarks” for the Nazi Party. Their involvement did not stop there. During November 1942, the third camp at Auschwitz was constructed called Monowitz, where I.G. Farben built a synthetic oil and rubber plant. There, slave laborers worked in the factory controlled by the SS. Sick prisoners were moved from the camp hospitals back to Birkenau since according to Auschwitz Memorial and Museum, “the company, they argued, had not invested large amounts of money in building barracks to house prisoners incapable of labor”. The fate of prisoners at Monowitz was often death by a variety of was or selection for death by the gas chambers.

Bayer Chemicals:

Bayer Chemicals, which was a part of I.G. Farben, was also directly involved with the Holocaust. Bayer participated in many medical experiments in a variety of concentration camps. According to Laurence Rees in Auschwitz: A New History, Auschwitz prisoners were sold to Bayer chemicals to test new drugs and cost the company “170 Reichsmarks each.” The women that were sold all died in the experiment. A Bayer employee was also overseeing the factory camp at Monowitz. In addition, the company was very involved with Auschwitz. Bayer kept a Nazi physician on retainer, Helmuth Vetter, who completed horrendous experiments at many concentration camps including Auschwitz. There, with other doctors, Vetter performed experiments on women in “Block 20.” In “Block 20,” doctors would test Bayer products on prisoners who had diseases such as tuberculosis or diphtheria. Many prisoners were often purposefully infected with these said diseases. After the war, some of the Bayer employees were charged in the I.G. Farben Trial. One of those employees, Fritz ter Meer, who helped plan both the Monowitz and Buna subcamps of Auschwitz, was convicted of war crimes. In the end, ter Meer was released early for “good behavior.” After ter Meer’s release, he was elected to Bayer AG’s supervisory board in 1956, and he maintained that position until 1964. One of the most frustrating facts about Bayer is that even though they directly benefitted from and participated in the Holocaust, they became one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the world. Today, I.G. Farben may not exist, but Bayer Chemical still does. In fact, they produce and sell name brand Aspirin. On the website, under the history portion, they don’t even mention the medical experiments Bayer conducted on prisoners. They do mention the use of forced labor, even though they don’t mention the Holocaust.

Pictured above: A screenshot from Bayer’s website https://www.bayer.com/en/1925-1945.aspx

Degesch:

Degesch is another company that was a part of I.G. Farben and another conglomerate called Degussa. Even though Degussa controlled Degesch, I.G. Farben owned equal parts share in the company. They played a much different role in the Holocaust than their sister, Bayer. Degesch was the main producer of Zyklon B, the gas used to mercilessly massacred millions of people. Some claim that Degsech had no knowledge that Zyklon B was going to be used to murder people, but that is not true. According to Berger in Fathoming the Holocaust: A Social Problems Approach, before the Holocaust, Zyklon B was sold with a warning odor to alert people that the substance was deadly. Berger states that “Degesch officials were hardly unaware that their company was manufacturing a product designed to induce death, for the SS ordered that the special odor, required by German law as a warning, to be removed.” There is no reason other than the intention of the murder of human beings to have this odor removed. Degesch still exists today under the company of Detia, which acquired Degesch in 1986. The company’s history on their current website says, “This also includes the hydrogen cyanide derivatives used for pest control, which were misused by the National Socialists during the Third Reich. The Detia Degesch Groups condemns these serious crimes against humanity.*” The word “misused” does nothing to explain or recognize the crimes that the website vaguely mentions. There is no mention of the Holocaust or genocide anywhere on the website.

Pictured above: a screenshot from Detia’s website https://detia-degesch.de/history/1986/?lang=en

Acknowledging the collaboration of companies such as I.G. Farben is very important for remembering the entirety of the Holocaust. How can the world learn from the past if not every piece of memory is recognized? It seems as if these companies are hesitant to admit to their problematic past of antisemitism and participation in the Holocaust. This attitude is part of how the world allowed the Shoah to happen in the first place. Refusing to acknowledge and condemn antisemitic actions is enabling hatred and prejudices that we are still facing in the 21st century. There is a rise in Nazism and Holocaust denial all over the world. In the past, not enough people were brought to justice that should have been arrested or imprisoned for life for their role in the Holocaust. We need to protect the memory of the Shoah, and the first step in rectifying the horrors of the past is acknowledging they existed. It is extremely important to continue to talk about the Holocaust to make sure we can honor those who died and ensure that it never happens again.