General Motors and the Nazis: The Struggle for Control of Opel, Europe's Biggest Carmaker [Hardcover]

Prof. Henry Ashby Turner Jr. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300106343 | ISBN-13: 978-0300106343 | Publication Date: July 11, 2005

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Based on excellent and deep research, this book provides a clear, contextualized, and convincing account of General Motors’ efforts to run its German subsidiary Opel from 1933 to the American entry into the war in 1941.”—Gerald D. Feldman, University of California, Berkeley

"Based on excellent and deep research, this book provides a clear, contextualized, and convincing account of General Motors's efforts to run its German subsidiary Opel from 1933 to the American entry into the war in 1941."-Gerald D. Feldman, University of California, Berkeley (Gerald D. Feldman )

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. 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (July 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300106343
• ISBN-13: 978-0300106343
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,803,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dry but informative read, May 2, 2007

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Douglas M - See all my reviews
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This review is from: General Motors and the Nazis: The Struggle for Control of Opel, Europe's Biggest Carmaker (Hardcover)

Written in a dry and logical style, this informative and well researched book provides a university like thesis on a very interesting piece of corporate history. The book sticks to documented facts and fortunately avoids rash opinions and hysterical conclusions. The situation in which General Motors found themselves with the purchase of Opel just before the Nazis took power is still relevant today.