The Crime and Punishment of IG Farben

By Joseph Borkin

Did Hitler simply seize power through a few inspirational speeches, or did he use fear, intimidation, and a well funded propaganda campaign (backed by wealthy industrialists who thought Fascism would be a great way to boost the bottom line) to drive his country into war?

The story of IG Farben is an Enron executive's wet dream. IG Farben was the German industrial monopoly that turned the once Democratic Germany into a tool for terror and global domination simply because it was good for business.

Mussolini said, "Fascism, should more apropriately be called Corporateism, because it is the merger of State and Corporate Power." But more to the point, Fascism is great for the bottom line. Especially if your Business is war.

If you've never heard of IG Farben, then the real story of Hitler's rise to power and the Military Industrial Complex that backed him may come as a shock. Especially given the paralels and connections between the administrations of both President's Bush who were backed by many of the same people and corporations that backed Hitler.

Upon reflection, the fact that the Bush family and their business partners helped finance the rise of Hitler is hardly a surprise given former head of the CIA George H. W. Bush's lifelong efforts to arm and finance fundamentalist right-wing dictatorships throughout the world. (Need I mention Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden's Mujhadin, the Contras, and Saudi Arabia?)