canada - Harvard Business School

In the event of necessary absence, please notify me, if possible in advance. Medical certificates
must be submitted to cover any extended absence. This may be a self-certification if the absence
is five working days or less. Self-certification forms are available in the Social Science Faculty
Office or electronically or in hard copy from the Registry. The web site for the electronic version
of the form (in PDF and in RTF formats) is: http://www.gla.ac.uk/registry/students/forms/.
Course content
Two things are striking about the history of German big business in the twentieth century: first,
the massive dislocations that it faced in the first half of the century; and, second, in spite of this,
the remarkable consistency of its performance throughout the twentieth century, both before and
after 1945, in terms of economic growth, technology, and export success. How was the second
possible in light of the first? This is the main question explored in this module, which deals with
several themes, including evolving relationships between industry and society; changes in
industrial relations and organisation; the role of the individual in a company‘s performance; and
historiographical controversies on the role of business in twentieth-century Germany. The recent
spate of historical writing on the role of big business in the National Socialist period will
represent a particular focus of inquiry.
Aims
Our aim in this module is to understand: 1) the ways in which business leaders in the German
area reached (or did not reach) accommodation with a variety of political, social, and economic
crises during the twentieth century; and, 2) the interactions between such accommodation (or
lack thereof) on the one hand and business and industrial structures, practices, and
competitiveness on the other.
Intended learning outcomes
Upon completion of this module, your coursework and examination performance will indicate
the extent to which you are able to:
1. read, analyse, and reflect critically and contextually upon historical texts, both primary and
secondary;
2. show an informed awareness of changes through time in the political, social, and economic
environment within which German big business operated during the 20 th century and to evaluate
the response of business to this changing environment;
3. demonstrate a critical awareness of historiographical controversies on the role of big business
in German society during the 20 th century;
4. assess continuity and change in structures and practices within specific German firms and
industrial sectors.
A note on reading materials
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