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Fascism and Monopoly
Michigan Law Review ( IF 2.1 ) Pub Date : 2020-01-01 , DOI: 10.36644/mlr.118.7.fascism
Daniel Crane 1
Affiliation  

The recent revival of political interest in antitrust has resurfaced a longstanding debate about the role of industrial concentration and monopoly in enabling Hitler’s rise to power and the Third Reich’s wars of aggression. Proponents of stronger antitrust enforcement argue that monopolies and cartels brought the Nazis to power and warn that rising concentration in the American economy could similarly threaten democracy. Skeptics demur, observing that German big business largely opposed Hitler during the crucial years of his ascent. Drawing on business histories and archival material from the U.S. Office of Military Government’s Decartelization Unit, this Article assesses the historical record on the role of industrial concentration in facilitating Nazism. It finds compelling evidence that, while German big business principally did not support Hitler before he won the Chancellorship in 1933, the extreme concentration of market power during the Weimar period enabled Hitler to seize and consolidate totalitarian power through a variety of mechanisms. Hence, the German experience with Nazism lends support to the idea that extreme concentration of economic power enables extreme concentration of political power. However, most of the conduct that created the radical economic concentration of the Weimar period would be unlawful under contemporary antitrust principles, which casts doubt on claims that a significant shift in antitrust enforcement is necessary to forestall anti-democratic forces.

中文翻译:

法西斯主义和垄断

最近对反垄断的政治兴趣的复兴重新引发了一场关于工业集中和垄断在使希特勒上台和第三帝国的侵略战争中的作用的长期辩论。加强反垄断执法的支持者认为,垄断和卡特尔使纳粹掌权,并警告说,美国经济日益集中可能同样威胁到民主。怀疑论者表示反对,他们观察到德国大企业在希特勒崛起的关键时期主要反对他。本文利用美国军政府办公室去卡特尔化部门的商业历史和档案材料,评估了工业集中在促进纳粹主义方面的作用的历史记录。它发现令人信服的证据表明,虽然德国大企业在 1933 年赢得总理职位之前主要不支持希特勒,但魏玛时期市场力量的极端集中使希特勒能够通过各种机制夺取和巩固极权主义权力。因此,德国在纳粹主义方面的经验支持这样一种观点,即经济权力的极端集中会导致政治权力的极端集中。然而,根据当代反托拉斯原则,大多数造成魏玛时期激进经济集中的行为都是非法的,这使人们怀疑反托拉斯执法有必要进行重大转变以阻止反民主势力的说法。魏玛时期市场力量的极度集中,使希特勒能够通过各种机制夺取和巩固极权主义权力。因此,德国在纳粹主义方面的经验支持这样一种观点,即经济权力的极端集中会导致政治权力的极端集中。然而,根据当代反托拉斯原则,大多数造成魏玛时期激进经济集中的行为都是非法的,这使人们怀疑反托拉斯执法有必要进行重大转变以阻止反民主势力的说法。魏玛时期市场力量的极度集中,使希特勒能够通过各种机制夺取和巩固极权主义权力。因此,德国在纳粹主义方面的经验支持这样一种观点,即经济权力的极端集中会导致政治权力的极端集中。然而,根据当代反托拉斯原则,大多数造成魏玛时期激进经济集中的行为都是非法的,这使人们怀疑反托拉斯执法有必要进行重大转变以阻止反民主势力的说法。
更新日期:2020-01-01
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