Geschichtspolitik und die deutsche Unternehmensgeschichte

Abstract:

Politics of Past in Business History German business history currently experiences a boom of commissioned company histories that comes close to a similar high in the 1990s, when German companies started to address their Nazi-past more critically. However, the current interest goes far beyond the period between 1933 and 1945. Apparently, the companies discovered history as an instrument for marketing purposes. By placing «Politics of the Past in Business History» at the center of attention, we aim to bring together contributions of a field that has been filled mainly by an exterior perspective, esp. by journalists. The special issue of ZUG is dedicated to the question, how corporations tried to control their public history. Whether companies organized their history for political purposes beside the anniversaries and how this was conducted is widely neglected by business history so far and is addressed with the special issue.