Property, control and room for manoeuvre: Royal Dutch Shell and Nazi Germany, 1933–1945

Marten Boon, Ben Wubs

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Nationalistic Nazi politics created huge problems for foreign multinational firms in Germany. Business during the Nazi period has been characterised as either state controlled, complacent or complicit. Yet, some cases show that local management had considerable room for manoeuvre and acted primarily with the integrity and long-term interest of the company in mind. This article questions to what extent Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) controlled its assets in Nazi Germany and what its room for manoeuvre was. Although RDS lost control over its subsidiary over the course of the 1930s, the local management retained considerable room for manoeuvre well into the war.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationBetween Coercion and Private Initiative
Subtitle of host publicationEntrepreneurial Freedom of Action during the ‘Third Reich’
EditorsRalf Banken, Roman Köster, Ben Wubs
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherRoutledge
Number of pages20
ISBN (Electronic)9781003321040
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 Sept 2022

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