There is a haunting lesson in Stinnes’s optimism, particularly his 1913 letter hoping for a decade of peace for the sake of his "boys". It highlights the tragic gap between the rational interests of commerce and the irrational momentum of nationalist politics. Stinnes truly believed that "economic interest" would rule the world and that German industry would achieve total dominance through quiet development rather than crude violence. This text serves as a somber reminder that the "march of history" is often just a series of missed warnings; industry’s failure wasn't its hunger for war, but its passive acceptance of a dysfunctional government that was systematically imperiling the very prosperity they took for granted.
Interesting and well written piece! If I may, I would share my perspective; in my view even if some, such as Stinnes, just wanted international commerce and preferred peace, the fact is that many others directly benefited from escalation and played a role in pushing Germany onto a war footing even long before 14. Krupp, Thyssen, and others had strong financial interests in continued militarization, and large swaths of the Big Biz elite were projecting the National Liberal bloc, which was in various ways a supporter of Germany’s aggressive foreign policy.
and some of Germany’s economic big shots had been preparing for a major war for years. German firms had secured long term contracts for arms production and military expansion so a war economy was already in motion before war was even declared.
and the arg that “business wasn’t prepared for war” because some industries suffered from it ignores that some industries and financial institutions had spent years playing a role in generating a system in which war was being increasingly seen as inevitable and had come to be seen as manageable
and then even just the domestic and international set up they supported itself was something tat increase the war chance. Germany’s economic elite had serious stakes in Austria-Hungary’s (AHE) survival. Many German firms were heavily invested in Austrian and Hungarian industries, and German banks had extended significant credit to the AHE, making its collapse a potential catastrophe for them. and so given how concentrated the political economy was there, its hard to imagine that the big financial and industrial players didnt influence the German leadership’s decision to give Austria-Hungary unconditional support, the infamous "blank check"
And theres more I could list if I spent the time.
Also, and I think this is always very important to point out, guys like Stinnes and other sorts of, like, liberal internationalist sorts, well, they say we dont war were good guys, but what did he want though, well, he and others like him wanted to maintain the status quo in places like the AHE, status quos that were terrible for most of the people that lived there, so even if he didnt want war, he did want the perpetual immiseration of millions and millions of people
The High Seas Fleet required a lot of steel. While we all blame the Kaiser for getting in a dick measuring contest with the family, a lot of people were making a lot of money off a geopolitically idiotic investment.
No, though Marxists will claim otherwise. Germany was basically compelled to war to support Austria against Russia by its alliance, that in turn triggered the Franco-Russian alliance. It was driven by diplomatic failures not industrial might, though preconditions were created by the various imperial systems that linked markets to territory so the only way to gain market access was by conquering new territory (which was totally legal back then unlike now).
There is a haunting lesson in Stinnes’s optimism, particularly his 1913 letter hoping for a decade of peace for the sake of his "boys". It highlights the tragic gap between the rational interests of commerce and the irrational momentum of nationalist politics. Stinnes truly believed that "economic interest" would rule the world and that German industry would achieve total dominance through quiet development rather than crude violence. This text serves as a somber reminder that the "march of history" is often just a series of missed warnings; industry’s failure wasn't its hunger for war, but its passive acceptance of a dysfunctional government that was systematically imperiling the very prosperity they took for granted.
Interesting and well written piece! If I may, I would share my perspective; in my view even if some, such as Stinnes, just wanted international commerce and preferred peace, the fact is that many others directly benefited from escalation and played a role in pushing Germany onto a war footing even long before 14. Krupp, Thyssen, and others had strong financial interests in continued militarization, and large swaths of the Big Biz elite were projecting the National Liberal bloc, which was in various ways a supporter of Germany’s aggressive foreign policy.
and some of Germany’s economic big shots had been preparing for a major war for years. German firms had secured long term contracts for arms production and military expansion so a war economy was already in motion before war was even declared.
and the arg that “business wasn’t prepared for war” because some industries suffered from it ignores that some industries and financial institutions had spent years playing a role in generating a system in which war was being increasingly seen as inevitable and had come to be seen as manageable
and then even just the domestic and international set up they supported itself was something tat increase the war chance. Germany’s economic elite had serious stakes in Austria-Hungary’s (AHE) survival. Many German firms were heavily invested in Austrian and Hungarian industries, and German banks had extended significant credit to the AHE, making its collapse a potential catastrophe for them. and so given how concentrated the political economy was there, its hard to imagine that the big financial and industrial players didnt influence the German leadership’s decision to give Austria-Hungary unconditional support, the infamous "blank check"
And theres more I could list if I spent the time.
Also, and I think this is always very important to point out, guys like Stinnes and other sorts of, like, liberal internationalist sorts, well, they say we dont war were good guys, but what did he want though, well, he and others like him wanted to maintain the status quo in places like the AHE, status quos that were terrible for most of the people that lived there, so even if he didnt want war, he did want the perpetual immiseration of millions and millions of people
This is fascinating, and convincing.
The High Seas Fleet required a lot of steel. While we all blame the Kaiser for getting in a dick measuring contest with the family, a lot of people were making a lot of money off a geopolitically idiotic investment.
No, though Marxists will claim otherwise. Germany was basically compelled to war to support Austria against Russia by its alliance, that in turn triggered the Franco-Russian alliance. It was driven by diplomatic failures not industrial might, though preconditions were created by the various imperial systems that linked markets to territory so the only way to gain market access was by conquering new territory (which was totally legal back then unlike now).