JSPES, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Summer 2013)
pp. 148-173

The Ideological Background to the German Corporate Tradition

Donald A. Swan

(deceased)

Formerly, University of Southern Mississippi

The remarkable economic revival of a shattered post-war Germany and its continued economic strength in an otherwise tattered European Union can be partially attributed to its relatively trouble-free employer/employee relations. This dated but hitherto unpublished manuscript traces the intellectual contributions of eleven German theorists to the political and ideological foundation of the German corporate tradition; a tradition which views commercial and industrial corporations as collaborative enterprises with labor and management working together for a common goal in what may be described as a family atmosphere.