J04. Hitler & Siemens in Cooperation

Sample book with original photographs for postcards or photographs that could be ordered at the Siemens factory by employees. The newly elected Reichskanzler, Adolf Hitler, along with Joseph Goebbels visited the Siemens factory (Dynamowerk) in November 1933 and held speeches.

Shown are Hitler’s appearance and his speech to Siemens factory workers in an enthralled and euphoric state. Hitler started his speech off calmly, becoming more emphatic: [“I want not only peace and order, but also what is our right.. I’m not interested in the intellectual, I am interested in the German people…”]

There are fantastic shots of workers (including several women in white lab coats) listening intently to his speech. A film for the German weekly news reported on the event: [“On November 10th, ten thousand Siemens employees, men and women, were able to see and hear the Führer in the Dynamowerk during his last great appeal to the German people for a unanimous commitment to world peace with honor and equality.”] A unique insight into the early euphoria of Hitler and Siemens’s cooperation with the NSDAP. The German electrical industry – like the rest of the country’s economy – profited from the upswing that began soon after the National Socialists took power in 1933. The German economy grew noticeably from the mid-1930s until World War II. This growth was based significantly on government armament contracts.

As the leader of the German electrical industry, Siemens revenue increased continuously from 1934 and reached its peak during the war years. Carl Friedrich von Siemens was head of the company from 1933 to 1941. Personally, von Siemens is reputed to have detested the National Socialists. However, he was responsible for ensuring the company’s well-being and formed a close cooperation with the government. From the end of 1943 to the end of the war, Siemens primarily manufactured for the German armed forces. Today Siemens is Europe’s largest industrial manufacturer with over 311,000 employees. Historically significant. We were not able to locate another copy anywhere.