Swarovski and the Nazi era: a dark chapter in company history

Swarovski and the Nazi era: a dark chapter in company history

What's going in Wattens? On the occasion of the 130th anniversary of Swarovski, which was celebrated in 2023, the shadows of the story come back into view. Historians are discussing the controversial role of the company during the Nazi era, and a new book by historian Horst Schreiber, published in the study publisher, will soon be published. The work entitled "The Swarovski company under National Socialism" promises important insights and is part of a more comprehensive examination of the company's past. Schreiber, who is also the head of the Mediation Program, Tirol, has dealt intensively with topics around the Nazi era in the past and wrote numerous works on this topic, as krone.at

But what exactly do we know about Alfred Swarovski, the then president of the Tyrolean State Association of Austrian Industrialists? Its entanglement in the National Socialist ideology is examined in more detail in an analysis by Horst Schreiber. At that time, Alfred supported the "connection" of Austria to the German Reich and was even ready to donate 100,000 Schilling to Adolf Hitler for a recreation home. During a festive meeting, he formulated "grateful greetings" to the guide and pointed out the need to integrate the Tyrolean industry into the National Socialist economic order. The platform Horschreiber.at.

economic developments in the shadow of war

Under the conditions of Nazi economic policy, Swarovski achieved a decisive restructuring. From 1942 there was a reorganization process of the commercial economy with the founding of the Gauwirtschaftsammer Tirol-Vorarlberg, at the top of which Alfred Swarovski was until the end of the war. It is also interesting that the company benefited from the National Socialist economic policy that favored the private industry. While Swarovski is considered the "enthusiastic member of the NSDAP", 141 out of 571 employees joined the party before 1938. A torchlight procession in Wattens, in which members of the Swarovski family took part, is only one of many signs of the sympathy at that time.

Nevertheless, the time for Swarovski was not always easy. Before the war, the company suffered from a foreign business bojkott. However, after a diversification in armaments production, especially in the production of optical devices and grinding agents, Swarovski was able to stabilize its production. By 1943, the company counted around 1,200 employees, including many forced laborers.

after the war: denazification and economic recovery

After the end of the war, the company managed to survive denazification without major problems. Thanks to the support of the French occupying power, Swarovski was able to continue his economic activities and continue to maintain the export numbers, which showed an increase before the war. According to reports, the company argued that low prices and high quality were the keys on their export success, such as the platform remembers.

The company has decided to have its own story worked out. Various studies were commissioned, but the results of which may not be published. Swarovski emphasizes to deal with his past proactively. Langes-Swarovski, a representative of the company, expressed in 2013 that transparency and freedom of content were of great importance. However, only access to existing information remains for the public, for example through historical works by Horst Schreiber and the content on platforms such as Wikipedia.