What role did the company IG Farben play in the forced-labor system at Auschwitz?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Holocaust
Smoke, oil on linen by Holocaust survivor Samuel Bak, 1997.
The chemical conglomerate IG Farben played a central role in the forced-labor system at Auschwitz by establishing a massive synthetic oil and rubber plant at the site to exploit slave labor.12
The company’s involvement included the following:
- Investment: IG Farben invested heavily in its facilities at Auschwitz III (Buna-Monowitz), including an investment of more than 700 million Reichsmarks in 1942 alone.2
- Exploitation of Labor: The company relied on the brutal conditions of the camp to supply its workforce. Prisoners were worked to exhaustion, and those who could no longer perform labor were sent back to Birkenau to be gassed.2
- Human Rights Abuses: Beyond the use of forced labor, IG Farben conducted drug experiments on live inmates.1
Following World War II, several company officials were convicted of war crimes, including the imposition of slave labor and inhumane treatment of civilians and prisoners of war, as well as the plunder and spoliation of property in occupied territories. The company's actions represent a profound violation of fundamental human rights and ethical principles.1