Interview: "When entrepreneurs normalize the AfD, they make it respectable"
Historian Andrea Schneider-Braunberger has researched how close the economy was to the NSDAP. How did opportunism lead to participation? And what can entrepreneurs learn from this today?
Historian Frau Schneider-Braunberger sees parallels between today's uncertain economic times and those of 100 years ago. While the current situation is not as dire as the 1929 global economic crisis, wealth losses are still being felt, leading to societal divisions. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, like the Nazi Party (NSDAP) before it, references non-democratic ideologies, sparking concerns about its impact on democracy.
Schneider-Braunberger warns that entrepreneurs must take responsibility for supporting democracy and not assume they can remain neutral in times of turmoil. She cites examples of entrepreneurs who supported the NSDAP, including Fritz Thyssen and Friedrich Flick, and notes that some did so for ideological reasons, while others sought economic advantages.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
