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Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach
Gustav Georg Friedrich Maria Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (born Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach; 7 August 1870 – 16 January 1950) was a German diplomat and industrialist. From 1909 to 1945, he headed Friedrich Krupp AG, a heavy industry conglomerate, and led the company through two world wars along with his son Alfried, providing significant weapons and materials for the German war effort.
Born in The Hague into a German family with a long history in diplomatic service, Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach was the Prussian consul at the Vatican when he married Bertha Krupp, the heiress of the Krupp family, at the behest of Emperor Wilhelm II. He was allowed to add the Krupp name to his own and subsequently became chairman of the company. Under Krupp, the company had a near monopoly in heavy arms manufacture in Germany at the outbreak of the First World War, and was responsible for the production of Big Bertha, the Paris Gun and the U-boat.
Krupp took part in the German rearmament in secret shortly after the signature of the Treaty of Versailles. An avowed monarchist, he was initially opposed to the Nazis, but eventually became a fervent supporter of Adolf Hitler and offered significant financial support for the NSDAP. From the late 1930s on he was gradually reduced to a figurehead of the company due to deteriorating health, and in 1943 he was formally succeeded by his son. At the end of World War II, plans to prosecute him as a war criminal at the Nuremberg trials were dropped as he was bedridden, senile and deemed medically unfit to stand trial. Krupp died in Austria in 1950.
Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was born 7 August 1870 in The Hague, Netherlands, to American-born Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, and Sophie (née Bohlen). His paternal grandfather, Arnold Halbach, served as Prussian consul in Philadelphia from 1828 to 1838.
He was a grandson of Henry Bohlen and related to Charles E. Bohlen and Karoline of Wartensleben on his mother's side.
He married Bertha Krupp in October 1906. Bertha had inherited her family's company in 1902 at age 16 after the death of her father, Friedrich Alfred Krupp. German Emperor Kaiser William II personally led a search for a suitable spouse for Bertha, as the Krupp empire could not be headed by a woman. Gustav was picked from his previous post at the Vatican. The Kaiser announced at the wedding that Gustav would be allowed to add the Krupp name to his own. Gustav became company chairman in 1909.
After 1910, the Krupp company became a member and major funder of the Pan-German League (Alldeutscher Verband) which mobilised popular support in favour of two army bills, in 1912 and 1913, to raise Germany's standing army to 738,000 men.
By World War I, the company had a near monopoly in heavy arms manufacture in Germany. At the start of the war, the company lost access to most of its overseas markets, but this was more than offset by increased demand for weapons by Germany and her allies (Central Powers). In 1902, before Krupp's marriage, the company leased a fuse patent to Vickers Limited of the United Kingdom. Among the company's products was a 94-ton howitzer named Big Bertha, after Krupp's wife, and the Paris Gun. Gustav also won the lucrative contract for Germany's U-boats, which were built at the family's shipyard in Kiel. Krupp's estate, the Villa Hügel, had a suite of rooms for Wilhelm II whenever he came to visit.
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Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach
Gustav Georg Friedrich Maria Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (born Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach; 7 August 1870 – 16 January 1950) was a German diplomat and industrialist. From 1909 to 1945, he headed Friedrich Krupp AG, a heavy industry conglomerate, and led the company through two world wars along with his son Alfried, providing significant weapons and materials for the German war effort.
Born in The Hague into a German family with a long history in diplomatic service, Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach was the Prussian consul at the Vatican when he married Bertha Krupp, the heiress of the Krupp family, at the behest of Emperor Wilhelm II. He was allowed to add the Krupp name to his own and subsequently became chairman of the company. Under Krupp, the company had a near monopoly in heavy arms manufacture in Germany at the outbreak of the First World War, and was responsible for the production of Big Bertha, the Paris Gun and the U-boat.
Krupp took part in the German rearmament in secret shortly after the signature of the Treaty of Versailles. An avowed monarchist, he was initially opposed to the Nazis, but eventually became a fervent supporter of Adolf Hitler and offered significant financial support for the NSDAP. From the late 1930s on he was gradually reduced to a figurehead of the company due to deteriorating health, and in 1943 he was formally succeeded by his son. At the end of World War II, plans to prosecute him as a war criminal at the Nuremberg trials were dropped as he was bedridden, senile and deemed medically unfit to stand trial. Krupp died in Austria in 1950.
Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was born 7 August 1870 in The Hague, Netherlands, to American-born Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, and Sophie (née Bohlen). His paternal grandfather, Arnold Halbach, served as Prussian consul in Philadelphia from 1828 to 1838.
He was a grandson of Henry Bohlen and related to Charles E. Bohlen and Karoline of Wartensleben on his mother's side.
He married Bertha Krupp in October 1906. Bertha had inherited her family's company in 1902 at age 16 after the death of her father, Friedrich Alfred Krupp. German Emperor Kaiser William II personally led a search for a suitable spouse for Bertha, as the Krupp empire could not be headed by a woman. Gustav was picked from his previous post at the Vatican. The Kaiser announced at the wedding that Gustav would be allowed to add the Krupp name to his own. Gustav became company chairman in 1909.
After 1910, the Krupp company became a member and major funder of the Pan-German League (Alldeutscher Verband) which mobilised popular support in favour of two army bills, in 1912 and 1913, to raise Germany's standing army to 738,000 men.
By World War I, the company had a near monopoly in heavy arms manufacture in Germany. At the start of the war, the company lost access to most of its overseas markets, but this was more than offset by increased demand for weapons by Germany and her allies (Central Powers). In 1902, before Krupp's marriage, the company leased a fuse patent to Vickers Limited of the United Kingdom. Among the company's products was a 94-ton howitzer named Big Bertha, after Krupp's wife, and the Paris Gun. Gustav also won the lucrative contract for Germany's U-boats, which were built at the family's shipyard in Kiel. Krupp's estate, the Villa Hügel, had a suite of rooms for Wilhelm II whenever he came to visit.
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