The Chemical Factory Joh. A. Benckiser in the Nazi Era

The Chemische Werke Joh. A. Benckiser in Ludwigshafen was a Mittelstand company – a family business run by Albert Reimann Senior and Albert Reimann Junior. Between 1930 and 1960 they laid the foundation for an aspiring chemical company. Paul Erker examines the development of the company as well as its owners in the years between 1933 and 1945, contributing as such to the ongoing research on the history of German family businesses during the Nazi era. While adopting this biographical approach, the author also throws light on a branch of the chemical industry that has received little attention to date: the beginnings of industrial biochemistry with the production of tartaric and citric acid and the processing of phosphoric acid salts into detergents, the emergence of the well-known brand 'Calgon' and the importance of these products for the Nazi wartime economy. How did the company owners interact with Nazi officials and the armaments authorities? The historical study of these two entrepreneurs and the conclusions made are exemplary for the widespread enthusiasm for the Nazis prevalent in large sections of the Mittelstand at the time that was upheld throughout the whole period.

Prof. Dr. Paul Erker, born in 1959, is adjunct professor at the University of Munich where he teaches modern and contemporary history with a focus on economic and corporate history. He also works as a freelance corporate historian. He is the author of numerous publications, particularly on institutional and corporate history during the Nazi era.