this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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Umm.... After helping destroy it?! The Volkswagen plant was opened by Hitler in 1938 and running on slave work from more than 20,000 forced laborers and KZ-prisoners, many of whom found their gruesome deaths on the site. Until the end of the war, over 60,000 VWs were produced solely for war purposes - Hitler had promised the German masses a cheap civil vehicle but the VW's main advantage was that it could easily be modified as a military vehicle. Only 630 civil VWs were produced during wartime - for leading NSDAP officials. Please tell the entire story.
Would you not say this if they changed their name?
(And its not like other brands weren't forced into the war bossiness.)
How would you see Fords involvement pre- and post-war?
Their name absolutely does not matter, so no: I wouldn't ignore their history if they decided to rebrand. The thing here is, they were not forced into the war business, they were the war business. Volkswagen has been part of Hitler's plan all along and has been installed to finance his devastation of Europe.
I do not know anything about Ford's history, but despite what current day America is trying to evolve into, I think it's safe to say that during wartime Ford was not part of a fascist regime's plan to annihilate millions of innocent people.
Sorry, I'm not sure I understood you - so ownership does or doesn't matter?
Contrary to what USA says, corporations are not people. They are just assets guided by owners.
Where would you put the line for VW post-WII assets to not count as "war business"? Would reusing factory walls to build products for the citizens count as continuing the Nazi war machine? Would another brand purchasing all VWs assets be ok?
About Ford - yes, you are right, he wasn't forced into supporting Hitler (and his wartime industry), nor playing both sides to maximise profit.
But he did try to build war machines for a country with
(But was mostly outbid by actual war companies)