The Lex Krupp was a document signed into law on 12 November 1943 by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

that made the

Krupp The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...

company a personal company with specially regulated rules of succession, in order to ensure that the Krupp family enterprise remain intact.

History

This specialized German law of 1943 was created through the combined efforts of

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 foreign service official who became chairman of the board of Friedrich Krupp AG, a heavy industry con ...

, the head of the steel concern Fried. Krupp AG Essen,

Martin Bormann Martin Ludwig Bormann (17 June 1900 – 2 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery. He gained immense power by using his position as Adolf Hitler's private secretary to control the flow of information ...

, Chief of the

Nazi Party Chancellery The Party Chancellery (german: Parteikanzlei), was the name of the head office for the German Nazi Party (NSDAP), designated as such on 12 May 1941. The office existed previously as the Staff of the Deputy Führer (''Stab des Stellvertreters des ...

, Dr.

Hans Lammers Hans Heinrich Lammers (27 May 1879 – 4 January 1962) was a German jurist and prominent Nazi politician. From 1933 until 1945 he served as Chief of the Reich Chancellery under Adolf Hitler. During the 1948–1949 Ministries Trial, Lammers was f ...

, Chief of the

Reich Chancellery The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared s ...

, and Hitler, in order to establish a legal mandate for the preservation of the Krupp family enterprise, so that Gustav's son and heir, Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, would be heretofore, addressed as Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. This law was signed by Hitler on 12 November 1943 and became effective immediately, thus transferring ownership from

Bertha Krupp Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (29 March 1886 – 21 September 1957) was a member of the Krupp family, Germany's leading industrial dynasty of the 19th and 20th centuries. As the elder child and heir of Friedrich Alfred Krupp she was the ...

to the first male heir of Bertha Krupp and Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach.

References

The Arms of Krupp ''The Arms of Krupp'' (1968) is William Manchester's history of the Krupp family, which owned a dominant armaments manufacturing company based in Essen, Germany. Synopsis The book presents readable and often humorous descriptions of the Krupp f ...

William Manchester William Raymond Manchester (April 1, 1922 – June 1, 2004) was an American author, biographer, and historian. He was the author of 18 books which have been translated into over 20 languages. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal and the ...

Krupp Orders by Adolf Hitler 1943 documents {{Germany-law-stub