The Dark Side of Zeiss
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- čas přidán 8. 12. 2023
- How involved in the holocaust was Carl Zeiss? Dive into the solemn pages of history with my latest video as I unravel the role of Carl Zeiss, the distinguished German optics company, during the challenging years of World War II.
Founded in 1846, Carl Zeiss had long been a pioneer in precision optics, a legacy that took on a complex hue during the tumult of wartime. Join me in examining the somber journey of a company thrust into a role crucial for military applications.
Explore how Carl Zeiss became an integral part of the German war effort, producing essential instruments like binoculars and periscopes that played a pivotal role on the front lines. Delve into the technical innovations that marked their contribution, from sniper scopes to rangefinders, each crafted with precision.
The video sheds light on the challenges faced by Carl Zeiss and its workforce during this dark period. Understand the impact of wartime restrictions, resource shortages, and the intricate dilemmas faced by a company operating within the confines of a nation at war.
Importantly, in this video I will shed light on the lens maker's trouble history of using forced labor to enhance its production capacity at this time.
Thanks for watching.
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#Photography #zeisslens #carlzeissjena #wwii - Zábava
Well presented video. Most German companies and organizations that existed back then don't seem to hide their history, they recognize it, express remorse, and want themselves and others to learn from the horrors. I hope you will do a similar video on Leica before/during WWII as well. The story is definitely more wholesome, and even more interesting- The Leica Freedom Train
I have heard their story! Quite the contrast! Thanks for watching
yeah unlike many Jap companies like Mitsubishi that exploited Koreans and Chinese and still won't apologize properly
I just bought my first Carl Zeiss lens, and I'm Polish. At some point, you just have to let things go. Otherwise, the whole world would have to remain pissed at each other.
A very interesting video and commentary on Carl Zeiss. As a late Baby Boomer, I have never really given much thought to their contribution to the German war effort. I agree with you that, as photographers and civilized people, we need to remember what happened there under the Nazi regime. I also agree that times are much different today than they were 80 years ago, that the company has changed hands, and none of that takes away from the fact that Zeiss optics are quite possibly the best in the world. Just so as we don't repeat the past.
Thank you for watching!
Kudos on covering this topic!
Thank you! Credit to ymcinema whose original article that I stumbled upon sparked the idea.
Excellent video. It's important to recognise that many companies would seize the opportunity to profit from gross human rights violations but for regulation and monitoring. Unfortunately, too many executives got away with almost all of it after the war - consider Werner Von Braun being feted as the father of the space programme in the USA after having enthusiastically used slave labour to produce his anti-civilian missiles during the war.
Thanks for watching!
The US Naval Observatory is also documented to have specifically requested and deployed privately owned Zeiss binoculars for submariners during the war. Very interesting to think about the Allied reasons for firebombing Dresden, certainly the optical production played a large part. Cool video on this history.
The target in Dresden was the railway station, the marker aircraft that dropped the marker flares for the British avoided the railway station due to anti aircraft fire. Either way it was one of the most horrific days of the war due to how many civilians died. It brought into question the ethics of large scale firebombing in the west because of how bad it was.
The whole situation is somewhat more complex: the Carl Zeiss Foundation (non-profit) has been the sole owner of Carl Zeiss since 1891, and the foundation's statutes were quite progressive. Unfortunately, the board of directors was provided by the Thuringian state, which in 1933 led to the deletion of passages such as "In the foundation companies and the companies associated with them, no one may be discriminated against because of their race, gender, faith or religious and political views. Only the abilities, performance and behaviour of employees are decisive for employment and further employment." Carl Zeiss was de facto a state-owned company like Volkswagen from 33 to 45, which does not excuse anything, but the same standards cannot be applied as, for example, at Leitz, which was a private company the entire time or the most other companies of this period.
Thank you for the additional detail!
I like the research you’ve put into this video.
Awesome content man❤❤❤
I really appreciate it!
Great video! Thanks! I would love to learn about Leitz and Agfa companies and their relation with the regime.
great informative video!!
Thanks, Jaden!
great video! please can you talk about leica and wwii in next video?
Salve grazie del video
I learned something new from this video. I thought Hugo Boss was Italian. I was wrong.
What about the videos from the community post from some time ago?
My videos are a little more than a month out for production. I gather ideas, polish scripts until they are ready, record, edit then put them out. That was step 1.
Controversial companies with ties to less than ideal countries? That feels rather topical.
Sadly, it always is, isn’t it?
My dad works at Siemens, and they helped build concentration camps.
anyone think ol Adolf was gay? 0:53 has me questioning lol.
I really don't think any of this is that big a deal.