Mercedes in Peace and War: German Automobile Workers, 1903-1945 [Paperback]

Bernard P. Bellon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1992

Bernard Bellon combines a detailed study of the daily lives of factory workers at Daimler-Benz with a broader discussion of the role of the automobile industry in the economic and political development of Germany from 1903 through the end of World War II. Bellon was allowed access to previously closed company files detailing the company's labour practices during the Nazi period. His account of the close ties of Daimler-Benz officials with the Nazi leadership, and of the management's enslavement of prisoners of war and inmates of concentration camps is an important contribution to the ongoing debate concerning the role of German industry in the Nazi regime.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231068573
• ISBN-13: 978-0231068574
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,945,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Labor History, January 4, 2002

By 

"unitysc" (Nampa, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mercedes in Peace and War: German Automobile Workers, 1903-1945 (Paperback)

My review is somewhat biased, as the Author is my 2nd Cousin. Yet his work speaks for itself. It is a very detailed account of German automobile factories and the workers during the early part of the 20th century. He does go into detail of how the factories responded during WWI and WWII. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that the book, on whole is geared towards the academic community, not for the average person, so it might seem a bit slow and cumbersom to non historians. Despite this it is a great work of history worth reading, especially if you like labor history. My only regret is that Bernard passed away from Lou Gherigs disease shortly after the book was published. The history community lost a great and dedicated historian. Nevertheless, his legacy lives in his work, which I feel you will find very informative.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully detailed account of workers' lives, November 26, 2007

By 

C. Strauss (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mercedes in Peace and War: German Automobile Workers, 1903-1945 (Paperback)

With an attention to detail that is both warmhearted and exhaustive, Bernard Bellon recounts the history of Mercedes workers over the course of four pivotal decades (1903-1945). "Mercedes in Peace and War" opens with a chronicle of the company's beginnings, coupled with a thorough characterization of the skilled workforce necessary to make these highly prized luxury automobiles at the turn of the century.

We are given a remarkable glimpse into at least a slice of the workers' lives. Occupation, skill levels, wages, education, marital status, age, and newspaper-reading habits are included among the wealth of raw, otherwise dry demographic information the author is able to weave into a compelling narrative. (There are also excellent descriptions of the struggles over piece-rate versus hourly wages for the workers, as well as the length of the workweek, and these run like threads throughout, helping to unify the book.)

On one level, we are presented with a solid labor history that encompasses everything from the character and habits of Mercedes' Swabian workers, to a compact account of the evolution of German trade unions and how the Soviet revolution impacted worker consciousness (hence labor relations).

But it is the sensational nature of the author's findings about the worker slaves and concentration camp inmates used by the company during World War II that one might expect -- or even wish -- to dominate the book. Dr. Bellon is too evenhanded and sincere to fall into this trap, however. The Nazi era is fitted into its proper context at the end of the book, and I am glad I refrained from jumping to this section, though there were moments when, knowing what lay ahead, I was tempted to do just that.

The steady, measured pace drawing the reader towards these terrible revelations makes the fact of them even more jarring. The author is at his best here, supplying much-needed color to lives lived in the shadows of enslavement and brutality.

I found the photographs of the nameless Russian workers forced to toil for no pay especially haunting in this context. The humanity of these forgotten laborers shines through in both image and word.

And it is this warmth for the humanity of all his subjects that may be the author's greatest achievement, above even his thoroughgoing research; people are never demonized in his account, although exploitation and cruelty are certainly treated with the opprobrium they deserve. From the founders of Mercedes and its skilled craftsmen to the untrained machine operators and the women who joined the work force during World War I -- and ultimately to those concentration camp inmates who built the motors that powered the Luftwaffe -- we are drawn into their worlds and, thanks to the author, find much that is recognizable in each.

I would recommend this highly readable academic book not only for trained historians or students of European labor history, but to anyone who considers himself a student of humanity.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Book, Quick Shipping, May 3, 2010

By 

T. Terranova (Chesterfield, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mercedes in Peace and War: German Automobile Workers, 1903-1945 (Hardcover)

I was pleased with the product and the fact that it arrived much sooner than the estimated delivery date.