The Ovenbuilders of the Holocaust. A case-study of corporate complicity to international crimes

Corporate complicity in international crimes is a largely neglected phenomenon that exists on the border of the criminological study of international crimes and the study of corporate crime. In this article, the German corporation Topf & Söhne is analysed as a case study of corporate involvement in international crimes. Topf built the cremation ovens for various concentration and extermination camps in Nazi Germany. It is clear that existing explanations of corporate crime such as the urge to survive, competition between sub-units, corporate culture, normalization and neutralization are applicable. However, the extraordinary circumstances of the Nazi regime had a crucial influence on the motivations, opportunity and lack of control that caused Topf's involvement in the Holocaust. © 2012 The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (ISTD). All rights reserved